
Black history must be mandatory in England to combat hatred and prevent racist riots, says Lavinya Stennett, founder of The Black Curriculum, speaking to the Guardian. She warns that limiting Black history to one month or diverse schools risks further ignorance and racism.
Stennett cites the recent riots in England and Northern Ireland as the result of failing to teach diverse histories. She believes placing Black history solely in metropolitan areas or focusing only on racism discussions isn't enough to create systemic change.
While interest in the Black curriculum surged during the Black Lives Matter protests, progress has been slow. Stennett criticizes resistance to making the curriculum more inclusive and mandatory teacher training on racial literacy. She also highlighted the previous government’s stance against "anti-white" rhetoric, which hindered teaching Black history.
She praises Wales for making Black history mandatory, noting the enthusiasm from teachers and the top-down support, contrasting it with England's bottom-up approach. Stennett urges the government to make it mandatory for all schools and set clear goals for teacher training by 2027.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education stated that a curriculum review is underway to better reflect societal diversity.
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