Black History Month

Opened the debate

The MP celebrated under-appreciated black Britons, including Akyaaba Addai-Sebo who organised the first recognition of Black History Month in 1987. She highlighted Marcus Rashford's work to help children living in poverty and Jack Leslie’s story as the first black player potentially selected for England in 1925 but withdrawn due to racism. The MP also mentioned Mary Prince, a pioneering figure against slavery. She praised local heroes such as Melrose, a nurse who works in hospices and Florence Emakpose from the World of Hope organisation providing services during lockdowns. The speech emphasised black maternity health inequalities with stark disparities in outcomes for black women compared to other ethnicities. The MP called for a target to end racial maternal health inequalities and an action plan including data collection, support for at-risk women, implementing human rights recommendations, identifying barriers to accessing mental health services, and listening to the experiences of black women. She discussed the lack of specialist training for police and agencies supporting black women victims of domestic abuse. The MP also requested actions from the Government on diversifying curriculums, teaching British history fully, and implementing a race equality strategy and action plan covering education, health, employment, addressing inequality such as the ethnicity pay gap, unequal access to justice, and pandemic impacts. She concluded that this discussion should not become a conversation about culture wars but rather an opportunity to give hope to all people.

Government Response

The Minister thanked Abena Oppong-Asare for securing the debate. He praised black Britons' contributions to national life and history, including during the pandemic. While not committing specific funding or action items, he promised a full response on various issues such as support for the Windrush generation and black maternal health initiatives. He acknowledged the Sewell Commission's report highlighting racism and discrimination, while noting that disparities between ethnic groups are often caused by factors other than racism. The Minister emphasised tackling online abuse against footballers and improving training for police forces in handling domestic abuse cases affecting Black and minority ethnic communities. He discussed diversifying curriculums to teach about all aspects of British history. The Minister concluded by reiterating the fight against racism needs emphasis throughout the year, not just during Black History Month. A cross-Government plan will be published shortly to build a fairer Britain, tackling discrimination and spreading opportunity regardless of background.