Raven Aflakete was from San Francisco but has lived in Dublin for several years. A spoken word poet, he performed at the BHMI launch, and recalled how Black History Month was “always a big deal” when he was growing up in America.
“Black History Month was one of the few times we got to see ourselves writ large and cast in a positive light on the national scene — and that cannot be underestimated in the United States.”
He wants people to think about the significance of celebrating Black History Month in Ireland, noting how much multiculturalism has developed in recent years.
“The first time I was here was probably about 15 years ago, and there were honestly places where I would go where people had never seen a black person in the flesh — from Africa, from the United States, from anywhere. Take us from that point to now. What it means to be Irish is going to completely change — it’s already started. It will have completely transformed within two generations.”
Aflakete also volunteered at a homeless shelter in Dublin for five years. During that time he became aware of the impact black culture from the United States had on certain people: “One of the things that struck me was that amongst all of these young men coming in off the streets, almost every single one of them had posters of American gangster rappers on their walls… That got me thinking: what’s it all about? … It’s about outlawed heroes. We have an underclass that feels as if it has been let down. Those outlawed heroes are the ones that we turn to when we feel like the system has let us down.”
Clara Rose Thornton, also a spoken word performer, moved from the US to Dublin eighteen months before the launch. Black History Month began in Thornton’s birthplace, Chicago: Carter G. Woodson conceived the idea of ‘Negro Week’ in 1926 — a seven-day event designed to put forward positive portrayals of the African community and celebrate its history and contributions to America. It was officially celebrated as national Black History Month in February 1976. The UK first celebrated its own Black History Month in 1978, while Canada officially recognised it in 1995.
Speaking at the launch, Thornton said: “I’m so proud that my adopted country, my new land, is following in the footsteps of honouring the cornerstones of a successful community — ethnic diversity, community inclusion, cultural education, cultural tolerance. Now when these things don’t occur, divisions form — and divisions continue when there is not diversity, when there is not education about diversity, when there is not inclusion.”
Their voices, preserved from the launch archive, remain the heartbeat of everything AIDI and Black History Month Ireland build today. — From coverage of the official Black History Month Ireland launch.
“I’m so proud that my adopted country, my new land, is following in the footsteps of honouring the cornerstones of a successful community: ethnic diversity, community inclusion, cultural education, cultural tolerance.”
Clara Rose Thornton
