Black History Month: What it means to me….

Samantha Cuffy, Women’s Work Lab Programme Manager, explains the significance of Black History Month and why the month is so important to her…

Black History Month means so much to me as it celebrates Brown and Black people’s achievements, which in the past have not been recognised. I immediately think of my late father. He came to the UK aged 19 from Dominica for work and opportunities and went straight to a farm outside of Bristol to supervise a team. From there he moved to London and then to Bristol where he continued his building work including building the subways near Eastville. The stories he told me about how the workers were treated and not respected were really shocking.

One thing that always stands out to me was the racism he experienced. Whenever he went for a job he would get knockbacks. One time he had a phone call with a man about a building job and he spent ages explaining all his experience and they were really interested. He went down to the offices and as soon as the man, a white male, saw him he just took one look at him and said the job had gone. No reference to the phone call or anything. He only ever told me about these things once I became an adult, I was shielded from it all. My dad used to do loads of volunteering too. He did discos for disabled children called ‘Disco 49’ and I would go and do shows with him. He also did volunteering with Sari and received an award for all his voluntary work over the years and was invited to visit the Queen.

For me growing up in England as a brown skinned woman with a white mother, I felt surrounded by caucasian influences. I remember it being a massive thing in our house when there was an advert on the TV that featured a brown skinned woman. There was finally someone of our colour on the TV! Back then there was just no space for Black and Brown people to be celebrated - they were just not present in the public eye. If you are not present how are you going to be celebrated?

Having my own family

But now being older and having children myself, I feel life has changed so much. My children are very light skinned but they have black features so it is very obvious they are of mixed ethnic background and it is something they are really proud of. My teenage son really celebrates his history; he researches his ancestors and always wants to know more about the black side of the family.

I’m very happy now to see Black and Brown people celebrated. My children are growing up with a different outlook to what I had. When I was younger it was like I wasn’t really ‘seen’ for who I was. It felt like I just didn’t have a voice in all honesty.

For my boys they have the space to be proud of who they are and their heritage. It’s not something they feel they need to be quiet about. Black History Month has given a new generation a chance to feel that pride. They can feel pride in their history, their hair, their features, their culture, their food…all of it! Black History Month is for our today. It’s helping the next generations to come out of the shadows and feel pride in who they are. It’s a wonderful positive feeling.

Of course the theme this year celebrates women and ‘saluting our sisters’. And it means I should be celebrated along with everyone else. I’m really proud of what I have been doing in my work over the last couple of years. The stories of amazing black women from history inspire me to want to be the best version of myself.

My father always used to say, "make sure you are a stand up person’. What he meant by this was to stand up for yourself. My Dad was so proud of his culture and the country he grew up in and our colour. I think it was through him that I learned my pride in my colour. It took a long time for me to speak out about that but now I am able to tell the world how proud I am about my West Indian heritage, my skin colour, my family and my ancestors.

Ultimately I feel Black History Month is about pride. A moment for us all to join together, regardless of skin colour, to celebrate Black achievements. It’s helping my children to not shy away from who they are and for all of us to celebrate who we are. It’s so exciting to be a Black woman in the workplace and to be heard. I’ve got a voice and I’m so proud to be able to use it to make positive change.

Find out more about Black History Month - https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/