black and british a forgotten history book

The city thrived as the base for the Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron, who were responsible for enforcing the ban on the slave trade.

For example, the book includes a fascinating exploration of the history of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, which was founded as a colony for poor black people ‘repatriated’ from London in the late 1700s. He doesn’t just consider people who live in the British isles, or who hold British citizenship, but everyone who’s lives were shaped by Britain or her people. What I find most innovative about Black and British is Olusoga’s definition of ‘British’. In between, he covers a huge swathe of historical material, ranging from Britain’s role in both the growth and eventual decline of the Atlantic slave trade, through the influence of black music on British culture, to the impacts of the presence of African-American GIs in the UK during the Second World War. He brings the story up to the 1980s, arguing that his personal memories of the period since then limit his ability to be impartial. In Black and British, David Olusoga eloquently explores the place of black people in British history, stretching back to the Roman occupation and beyond. Black and British is an excellent introduction to thousands of years of intertwined history between black people and the British isles, that helps put the racist ideology behind the persecution of the Yamba family into context.

I was shocked, and perhaps a bit embarrassed by my naivety in believing that this kind of thing doesn’t happen any more. After they left, a swastika was painted on the front door, along with the words “NF won here.” My response was: “I know racism is still a problem in the UK, but at least it isn’t that bad any more.” A few days later, the story broke about Vaughan Dowd painting racist graffiti on the front door of 10-year-old David Yamba and his father in Salford, Greater Manchester. In the introduction to Black and British, David Olusoga tells a disturbing story from his childhood, where his family were driven out of their home by racist attacks in 1984.

Black and british a forgotten history book