A new app to amplify the contributions of Black figures in history and to celebrate Black heroes generally has been launched by BLAM UK.
While the struggle to include Black history in the UK school curriculum continues, one organisation has gone a step further to do their bit to help boost racial wellness among Black children and to ensure ALL young people have access to truthful and diverse narratives about UK history.
BLAM UK (Black Learning Achievement and mental Health), launched the app at the end of October and are calling for the decolonisation of the UK history curriculum.
Ife Thompson, BLAM UK Founder said: “From Key Stage One up until GCSE and even A-level history, the curriculum has an overly Eurocentric point of view and neglects the contribution of historical Black figures.”
She continued: “In order for us to fully examine the rich impact that Black culture has globally, we need a national curriculum that is inclusive. Black history month was never meant to be a permanent fix for an exclusionary and Eurocentric, white curriculum. By actively waiting until October to celebrate the vast achievements and accomplishments of peoples of African descent globally, we are merely celebrating a system that continues to exclude and erase Black people all year round.”
“In order for us to fully examine the rich impact that Black culture has globally, we need a national curriculum that is inclusive.”
The app is aimed at 11-16-year-olds and is designed to teach them about individuals who fought for the freedom of Black people, as well as, educate them on parts of history that are often neglected.
Work to develop the app continues, but so far, young people can learn about the Bristol bus boycott, Mansa Musa, Kwame Nkrumah and Black individuals who have contributed to the space programme.
Also included is an educative video, a fun and interactive quiz to earn #BLAMHistorybites badges and a virtual interactive map that showcases important Black figures with statues and plaques to commemorate them.
The BLAM UK Black history app is available here