Q: What do we actually mean by ‘black British history’?
A: It’s an important question to start with, because it’s a really broad topic. In its simplest terms, we’re looking at 2,000 (maybe more) years’ worth of history in Britain. But we also need to think about what we mean by the word ‘black’, which is a term that has changed over time. When I use that word, I’m specifically referring to people from Africa and the wider African diaspora, and that is the definition that applies to the use of the word throughout this Essential Guide.
I consider myself part of the African diaspora: my dad’s family are from the Caribbean, but they were originally from somewhere in west Africa. Therefore, when I’m talking about black British history, I’m talking about people whose heritage is in Africa, but whose history is within Britain itself.
Recently, historians such as Professor David Olusoga () have been influential in expanding black British history to include areas ofit’s important that we also think about black British history in wider terms than just Britain.
