| What Black History Month means to me in this abolition commemoration year. |
| Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
Two hundred years ago the people of Britain witnessed an historic moment. Inspired by the unbreakable spirit of enslaved peoples around the world and campaigners in this country, Parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. As we celebrate Black History Month, it is fitting that we mark the anniversary of that decision. And it is important that we consider some of the challenges that still lie ahead two centuries on.
At the heart of the movement to end slavery was an unbending commitment to human rights, an unshakeable belief in the equal worth of all. Social campaigners worked tirelessly to expose the practice of slavery for what it was: an infringement on those fundamental rights and a denial of that common humanity. In March 1807, Parliament recognised that it could no longer be complicit with such acts of brutality.
The resulting change to the law marked a turning point in history: the beginning of the end for the transatlantic slave trade. A key lesson of that period – and there are many – is that progress is always achievable when it is fought for with vigour and conviction. And it is that spirit that will be needed to as we face the challenges of the twenty first century.
Just as abolitionists recognised Britain’s responsibilities in the world, so too must Britain continue to show leadership on the global stage. Leadership on people trafficking, a modern-day echo of slavery that must be eliminated. Leadership on education, at a time when 100 million children around the world still wake up each morning without a primary school to attend. And leadership on climate change, in the knowledge that countries in the developing world will be the first to suffer from the effects of global warming.
And at home, this year has highlighted some of the major challenges ahead: providing role models for young men and women, creating opportunities to help them fulfil their ambitions, and purging our cities of the gun violence that I have witnessed myself at first hand.
Yet I believe there is considerable reason for hope. Recently, we have been reminded of the many, many success stories within the black community, with the publication of New Nation’s ‘Power List’. The list has, in its own words, looked beyond the ‘usual suspects’ of rappers and footballers – role models though they can often be – into the wide range of influential positions in society; positions that black women and men are at last beginning to occupy.
And earlier this year, we enjoyed the visits from Jesse Jackson and Nelson Mandela – two men who continue to symbolise all that can be achieved when the great causes of an era are championed. Mandela’s message of reconciliation despite past wrongs, has as much a role to play on the streets of Britain today as it did in post-Apartheid South Africa.
In all that we do, we must reiterate to our young people that for all the problems of the past, there is a different future for them if they choose to grasp it. This, after all, is how we will create the Power Lists, and role models, of the future.
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