Thought for the Week - 3/10/2021

Dear Friends, 

October is Black History Month in the UK which began in 1987 as part of the African Jubilee Year, a celebration recognising the contributions of African, Asian and Caribbean people to the economic, cultural and political life in the UK. I was fascinated to read this week in a BBC News website article of the first black Scottish football player to captain the Scottish team. Andrew Watson was born in Guyana in 1856 and came to Britain with his father who was a wealthy sugar planter. As a student at Glasgow University he played for Parkgrove FC, and then for Queen’s Park in Glasgow, which at the time, was one of the best teams in Scotland. It was from here that he was selected to play for Scotland against England at The Oval in 1881 where the Scots trounced England 6-1. The curator of the Scottish Football Museum said of Watson that he was a top star in the 1870s and 1880s, and that ‘wherever he went he was box-office attraction. Everybody knew who he was.’ The theme for this year’s Black History Month is Proud to be and encourages people of all ages to share what they are proud to be on social media, something that perhaps Andrew Watson might have done had it been available in his day. Now in its 34th year this year there is a renewed focus on British resistance to racism and celebrates key figures who have made substantial contributions to the country. The Rt Hon The Lord Paul Boateng who was the UKs first black Cabinet minister when he was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in May 2002 says, ‘Black History Month is a good opportunity to reflect on what more needs to be done to ensure that our education system is fit for purpose. The challenge is to prepare by a policy of inclusion rather than exclusion all young people to thrive in a diverse and multi-polar world in which no region or race holds sway over all others’. You can learn more about Black History Month by going to their website at https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/

Grace and peace,

Neil

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