The programme also features an interactive exhibition that can be viewed online with images of global icons past and present, who have fought, and continue to fight, for equality, diversity and inclusion.
BLACK HISTORYwise is the brainchild of Prof Geoff Thompson MBE FRSA DL, founder and Chair of the Youth Charter, the long-established charity which is a United Nations Non-Governmental Organization. Prof Thompson explains that:
“The BLACK HISTORYwise project has been in development for some time. In 2020, events in the USA and the UK, with the George Floyd killing and the Black Lives Matter campaign, have made this project even more important. For 28 years, the Youth Charter has worked on programmes designed to help young people move from negative to positive lifestyles, through sport, culture, art and digital activities. As for education, what has long been missing is the teaching of Black cultural heritage. But the BLACK HISTORYwise pack is not just for children of colour, it is for all people of all generations, all backgrounds, faiths, beliefs and identities.”
The Youth Charter is currently working with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, established by Baroness Doreen Lawrence during Black History Month 2020. She has been campaigning for Black History to be taught as part of a year-round educational experience. The aim is to increase tolerance and understanding by correcting historical inaccuracies and widening the view of the past. This project is designed to benefit both young people of colour, their fellow pupils and wider society.
Baroness Lawrence stated:
“The Youth Charter BLACK HISTORYwise Education Pack does just what it says on the box. It educates an intergenerational mix of people, young and old, black, white or Asian on the history of our Diaspora and highlights those leading lights from various walks of life, and the work they have been doing within our communities. This is an excellent tool that must be in all schools, colleges and Universities.”
