‘In this world, you have to try twice as hard as everyone else.’
Kofo's work experience at a bank was meant to make her feel included - but it did the opposite
Does Being Black Still Make a Difference?
Copyright: Little Ryan
Shin_LoveLife sets out to find ‘unity’ within our community and explores whether race is still an issue.
Have you ever felt you were different because of your race, gender or disability?
Do you think you should be treated differently because of it?
Hopefully your answer to both of these questions was ‘no’. Sadly however, some of us have been treated differently because of our race, gender or disability. And it has not been a positive experience.
Unity Youth Forum is a group of young people that started life as the Bristol Youth Links BME Youth Forum and were based at Docklands for 3 months, working together on a project for ‘Black Bristol Our City’, an event that took place on 4th October at City Academy, Bristol.
Working alongside Unity Youth Forum and in celebration of Black History Month, Little Ryan and I interviewed key members of the Black And other Minority Ethnic (BAME) community to get their perspective on what it meant to be black, and how the BAME community is portrayed within wider society.
Black Bristol Our City was one of a series of events aimed at young people in the BAME community – to inspire, network and showcase talent.
Although our history has elements we are constantly reminded of: the struggle, fight, and 400 years of slavery, it’s good to take time out and teach ourselves about where we come from, our heritage, what our community has accomplished and what we are capable of achieving.
We are a strong people who have fought and won, we need to celebrate our successes and honour the path our elders have paved for us. In Bristol one of the biggest events in recent history, especially for the elders, has been the Bus Boycott.
As some of the members from the youth forum have learnt, there is a need for us to educate ourselves about our heritage, in order to empower our future.
To celebrate, here is a list of black inventors through the years and their achievements. Also, check out some Afrofuturism events at Watershed.
Black History Month is a month of events every October to celebrate the culture, history and achievement of Britain’s African and Caribbean communities.
In 2014, Black History Month will be celebrated in various ways and will reflect the diversity of the communities who contribute to make Bristol a vibrant, ever-changing city. We hope as many people as possible are able to attend this year’s events, many of which are free. Check out some of the events happening around the city
So what are your thoughts? Share with us your stories of being black and what that means to you.
Does being black still make a difference? Did you like the film? What stood out to you? Let us know @rifemag or on Facebook
Related Links:
Bristol BME Youth Forum on Twitter
Black History Month events 2014
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About the author
Shin_LoveLife
Shanai is a creative person and has always been passionate about the arts, in particular performing arts and filmmaking. She spent a year with the BBC, creating content as a Production Management Assistant working on Bargain Hunt and Springwatch 2012. She also works as a partner of The Nu-Being, a company she co-founded. She is a storyteller; She loves to tell stories and evoke emotions through acting, music videos and shorts. Since she was part of the Creative Talent Lab in Bristol in February 2014, she has produced a promotional video for an artist in LA to enhance his status within the UK. She was one of Rife magazine's founding in-house Young Journalists.
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