In the evening on Monday 26th October, Creative Youth hosted a webinar titled ‘What I Didn’t Learn in School! Black British History’. Creative Youth is a Kingston based charity with a focus on the arts, and this webinar was part of a free, ongoing series they have put out in place of the International Youth Arts festival titled ‘So You Wanna Work in the Arts’. Hosted by a panel of 4 young, black creatives- Kayla Cadence, Iyata Golding, Germma Orleans-Thompson and Myles Cameron- the speakers discussed their own experiences learning about their heritage both inside and outside the British school system, and the impact that it had on their identity and careers.

In the webinar, the speakers covered a variety of topics surrounding the education of Black British History: aspects of their history that they learnt as adult, but wish they had been taught at school, the impact of not knowing about their heritage on their identities, how racism has effected them in the past and how it continues to impact their lives within the workplace.

The webinar began with Kayla, Myles and Germma sharing how they wish they had been taught more about their history in school. For example, black figures such as Mary Seacole, or the Windrush generation. Iyata gave a different perspective, sharing how her mother educated her on her heritage and black culture, which she describes as having empowered her now. Some speakers shared how the Black Lives Matter movement has prompted them digging into their own history, showing how essential it is for every race to be represented in the media. Across the webinar, the speakers shared their experiences growing up black in the UK, and how these experiences still impact them today. 

Overall, the thoughtful responses shared by each panellist contributed to the success of the webinar, which was highly informative and interesting. It is clear that better efforts must be made to decolonise the education system in order to ensure that every child is educated equally on their heritage, regardless of race.

A recording of the webinar can be found on Creative Youth’s YouTube channel.