Why discussing Black Welsh history with children in the early years is vital
I believe that many children from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities across Wales have experienced looking at shelves of books with characters that do not look like them; have sat through lessons about heroes and role models who don’t look like them; and have sat in classrooms with teachers who do not look like them either. If there is a lesson, or perhaps a book, about a special person who is Black, they are usually American and fight against racism. Although these stories are necessary, the people who have been living here in Wales for hundreds of years need to be celebrated at the same time.
As part of my work for the Mudiad, I am developing a project for young children to celebrate the presence of Black individuals and communities in Wales. Racism can’t be ignored altogether when developing a project like this, but racism won’t be the focus of every resource.
The project will take the shape of fairly short stories, as they are for young children, and focus on five influential people, groups or events. As I mentioned, we will discuss racism and unfairness to some extent, but our aim from the outset is to create something that is positive and inspiring because we deal with individuals who are creative, strong, or courageous for example. They are special because they are special for a number of different reasons, and I think this is often what is missing in stories for young children dealing with the contributions of Black people. A lot is communicated through a lens of oppression, as if that is the only thing worth noting in many people’s lives. After discussion with my colleagues, I thought, why not do the opposite? Instead, we can celebrate the stories we have chosen, and talk about difficult challenges or topics as part of the story.
I believe as an organisation that it is important for us to look to fill gaps if there are any, thereby creating resources that can give others the confidence to develop ideas themselves on how to plan a curriculum or beneficial sessions for younger children. We don’t have a long list of things to include or strict rules of how to go about creating final versions of the resources, rather we think it’s important to ensure that the message reaches young children fairly quickly and in a way that is free from any overwhelming pressure. Of course, we want to see the project as ambitious, but at the same time, I sometimes feel that there is so much more pressure in developing a project about Black people if you yourself are a Black person.
I always feel the pressure of discussing Black history in a way that is perfect or in a way that is final, rather than seeing the process as a step in our discussion to enrich the narrative available. I mean, it’s OK to change things or build on what you already have and improve that next time. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting to an extent, developing things, and creating something new in a month or two. That will be our intention as we present the resources in a “one at a time” pattern. Rather than launch everything at the same time, we believe that it is good to build momentum and interest among those who are going to use our resources.
It can bring a huge feeling of responsibility, but I would like to see a project, and our wider work within the Mudiad as something that can grow, evolve, absorb different ideas, and change as we move through the years. Black lives matter, the lives of Black children matter, and one thing we can do as an organisation is to discuss these stories in a way that empowers them to think that they are valuable and special, in a way that changes the negative narrative that so many are experiencing at the moment.
I hope you enjoy the first resource to be released on our website as part of the Cymru Ni – Our Wales digital resource pack.
