“Wasn't everything easier then?” is a question frequently being asked today. Yet, it's not new.
Nostalgia and Truth
In turbulent times humans have a habit of looking at the past through the lens of declinism, remembering history as a golden age we’ve since lost.
The opposite instinct is just as common, to turn away from our past because of the horrors it holds. In Britain, our history is full of the subjection of others under oppressive rule, one of the most notable examples being the Trans-Atlantic slave trade followed by the systematic oppression of black individuals under foreign rulers and authorities.
These truths are horrific to accept which often leads to being swept under the rug for the sake of comfortability. Yet, rather than hide our past or be blind to our injustices, Jesus calls us to look forward with hope.
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the work I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12
Jesus commissions us to look to the future with holy optimism; with the lens of God’s redemptive Kingdom where the physical realities of heaven will one day come to fruition on earth. To be disciples living in hopeful anticipation of seeing God’s kingdom come, we need to look at the past, refusing to avoid the horrors of what has been and rejecting a nostalgia that blinds us. Redemption implies that nothing is truly lost. We therefore can’t disregard our history. The past is the canvas from which we partner with the Lord to paint what the Kingdom of Heaven will look like whilst we are on this earth in the present. The past is there to be learnt from to move towards God’s redemptive future.
Where does Black History Month Fit in?
The idea of having a whole month devoted to Black History is not to elevate black history over the history of our global neighbours. Black History Month is a month to balance the scales. Where much of history has been told from a Eurocentric perspective, Black History Month aims to tell the stories that history has forgotten.
We will only be able to build a future where all of our global neighbours are valued equally if we accept the realities of systematic oppression that has historically and disproportionately affected Black individuals.
Identities Restored
To move from disciples who avoid or romanticise the past to disciples who look at it with hopeful activation, we need to consider the importance of identity.
Black people were taken from their homes during the slave trade. Their identities stripped away from them and then replaced with an incongruous European identity through a name change. Their homelands were also stripped of their identity and had names given to them about the item which they traded most, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast and West Africa became known as the Slave Coast.
Given the deep psychological pain of losing one’s name and being forced to accept another identity, the redemption story is to embrace true names. The name of a place tells so much of its history and redemptive future. Black history month has many elements but my encouragement is to listen to names and histories that are different from your own; to not greet a new name but to welcome it with healthy curiosity. To do this will only further our appreciation of the God who orchestrated all people and said they were in His image.
In Nigerian cultures, where I ethnically hail from, a name is seen as a prophetic promise for an aspect of a person. My name, Ayomide, is made of two parts. Ayo, which is the Yoruba (the Nigerian culture which my family hails from) term for “joy”, and “Mide”, translating to “being complete.”
Our Future
Names tell a prophetic story. Engaging with Black History Month in a way that honours the past and looks forward to the future requires viewing the names of different cultures as a story that God is continually writing through our cultures. Black History Month isn’t only a look backwards. It’s an invitation to build a future where every name is known and valued.