The Black History Month Bake Off BHM 2016

On the 13th of October a baking contest will take place at City College.
If you feel creative, want to prepare a cake, and take part in our contest, contact us for more details at bhmnorfolk@gmail.com
The best cake will be awarded!!!
This year Norfolk Black History Month's theme is "The Power of words". So, get inspired and prepare your amazing cake.


CAKES, PUDDINGS, SWEETS, "SUGAR AND SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE" ARE PART OF THE BLACK HISTORY 
An article of Danny Keen

When we eat our Christmas pudding, and rich fruit cake soaked in rum at Yuletide, few of us would consider that we are partaking in a ritual that is almost totally derived from Black History. Pause for a moment and think of the ingredients that go into these most traditionally British of dishes:

- Dates with other dried fruits from Africa, spices from India and the Caribbean, as well as sugar, treacle, and molasses are ingredients that bring a luxurious taste of the exotic to flour, eggs, and fat, which are the British contribution to some of the greatest of our national dishes. What a dull and insipid world we would live in without Black Culture! -

Cakes, gateaux, and puddings present an array of delicious constituents that symbolise colourful aspects of Black History. Here is a list of some of them:

• All kinds of sugars including Demerara, Moscovado, Caramel, etc.
• Chocolate
• Cocoa
• Coffee
• Ginger
• A plethora of spices
• Vanilla (the method of mass cultivation of this wild orchid was devised by a slave) 
• Dates and other dried fruits
• Rum
• Curacao, and many other liqueurs
• Coconut in all of its various forms
• Pineapple, mango, tamarind and a vast list of other exotic fruits
• Manioc, cassava, sago, tapioca and other types of flour
• Sweet potato, yams, etc.
• And  many other

The insatiable demand for exotic foods, sugar and spices in Medieval Europe eventually lead to slavery, colonialism and empire. there is not time enough to write an essay about those things here, instead I call for a celebration of Black History via puddings, sugar and spice, and all things nice. "Let them eat the cake" is the motto of the Black History Month Bake off. Eat and Enjoy!  

A force for change: Molly Williams & Lieutenant Walter Tull

Written by Nigel Williams Chief Fire Officer- Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service

 

Change can be driven by many things a selfless act and terrible events and unfair laws – in each case it is an individual’s reaction to events that can be a catalyst for positive change.

I want to pay tribute to two individuals who have been a force for change – making each of our lives better and fairer by their actions and example.

As you would expect my list starts with a firefighter.

Molly Williams – Firefighter  

Women have been firefighters for longer than most people realize: in fact, for almost 200 years. The first woman firefighter we know of was Molly Williams, an African American woman who was a cook with Oceanus Engine Company Fire House in New York City in 1815.

One wintry day in 1818 Molly heard the church bells signalling a fire, she rushed to be of help. This time, however, it was not food that was needed, but extra hands as sickness had severely limited the number of men who responded.

Molly did not hesitate - donning a leather fireman’s hat, she pitched in to help. And help she did. She helped to pull the heavy tanker to the scene of the fire, passed water on the bucket brigade, worked on the pumper, manned a hose, and pulled down parts of burning walls with a hook.

In the end she received the highest compliment she could hope for from the Fire Captain: “Molly, by golly, you’re as fine a fire lad as any!” From then on she was known as volunteer number 11.

Her story is told in a children’s book – “Molly by Golly” – the Legend of America’s First Female Firefighter.

Her heroics are recorded in the African American Firefighters Museum in Los Angeles.

Today, women play a significant role in the fire service around the world.

I am incredibly proud to follow in her footsteps and I hope Molly, looking down, is proud of me and my colleagues.

Since 2014 marks the 100 anniversary of WW 1 it is only fitting that we celebrate the achievements and bravery of the UK’s first black combat officer.

Walter Tull – British Officer

Walter was also one of the first black professional footballers – playing for Tottenham Hotspur. When war broke out he volunteered for the 17th Middlesex, called the Football Battalion because of the number of players in its ranks. Once again he found himself the only black man in the team - and he proved himself all over again. By the time he finished his training he had been promoted three times

After one daring night raid, in Italy in which Walter led 26 men across a swirling river and brought them all back unharmed, he was mentioned in dispatches for “gallantry and coolness under fire”. 

Senior officers recommended Walter for promotion and he won his commission in May 1917 although military regulations - forbidding "any negro or person of colour" being an officer.

He became the first Black combat officer in the British Army. In contrast with his fellow officers – most of whom were from well-off families and public school-educated he was a working class orphan.

Lieutenant Tull was killed leading his men during the second battle of the Somme in 1918. He was such a popular officer that when he was wounded several of his men made valiant efforts under heavy fire to bring him back to the British trenches at the some cost of their own lives. However their efforts were in vain.

He was recommended for a Military Cross but never received one. Campaigners are calling for the government to posthumously award him the medal.

His accomplishment and sacrifice are being recognised and celebrated as part of the commemorations of the centenary of WWI. His portrait with a backdrop of infantry soldiers going "over the top" will feature in one of a set of six coins to remember the sacrifices made by many during the war. 

To-day our armed forces have 670 black and ethnic minority officers and racism is condemned. 

Lieutenant Tull I salute you.

A force for change: Dr Minns.

Written by Jo Wilson - Director & Diversity Consultant - Unity in diversity CIC 

It is not just one, but many people who have inspired me through my life. 

As educators,  I feel it is important for  us to make the younger generation aware of our arms reach heroes, in the hope that they too will feel that they could achieve

If I was to ask "Who was the first Black Mayor of Gt Britain?"

You may answer, John Archer, elected Mayor of Battersea 1913.

But in fact  it was noted, that nine years earlier, in 1904, "Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns, a  coloured man from West Indies, (Bahamas) was elected Mayor of the borough of Thetford, Norfolk". 

Dr Minns, did so much for the town of Thetford including Campaigning for the rights of the ordinary people who were suffering from the appalling conditions of the work house. He made it his duty to improve their health and Wellbeing. This alongside his role as a Magistrate and other responsibilities required of a Mayor. 

He was an educated man, who came as an immigrant to the town of Thetford and  gained the respect of the local community. A realistic notion and personal to me as my father Simon Gordon also had a similar journey.  He too, an educated man, came as an immigrant from the West Indies and won the respect of the local people, both as a businessman and for the contribution he made to the local community.

A Black man... paving the way for others like you and I.

Cubana Jamdown

Black History Month Cubana Jamdown at Café Marzano11th April 2014

Well the fundraising for Black History Month continues to gather momentum with another fantastic night of great music and food down at Café Marzano, Norwich. By Julie Inns

We are really lucky in Norfolk to have such a diversity of talent ranging in ages, origins, abilities, styles andgenres and a lot of it came together on the 11th April to create one perfect storm of awesomeness!!

Before the music even kicked off people were getting in the spirit by tucking into Danny Keens amazing food. A true feast was laid out which can only be described as Caribbean with a twist, fusion food at its best with curry, chilli, chicken, pasta, salads and cake.

The evening kicked off with brilliant bossa nova star Zara who certainly got the audience in the mood with a couple of easy listening jazz/samba inspired songs. 

 

Accompanied by the amazing Cuban percussionist Jose Ferer and his Cubanda band, Simon Brown (recently back from Havana) on piano and all the way from SaoPaolo Brazil, Sambarista Duda and Caspar James on Caribbean calypso.

 

Sahra Gure was next up and with a voice that just stops you in your tracks and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention,  belting out a few of the jazz standards. 

When you hear this girl sing it’s hard to believe that she is still only 17 years old – once to watch in the future for sure.

After a quick pit stop the music started up again with very talented Danny Keen.   Danny is not only a fantastic cook, talented painter but also plays a mean piano. You would have to have a heart of stone and feet of cement not to get toe tapping along to his mambo shuffle.

Local talented songstress Ashley – Kate followed with two outstanding jazz performances, firstly with her version of Billy Holidays That Ole Devil which was a lovely romantic version which lulled everyone into a nice cosy love filled haze to be quickly shattered when she then blasted the roof off with Etta James’ I just wannamake love to you! http://youtu.be/woqjYhFrJ5s 

The evening ended with Jose Ferer and his Cubandaband, Simon Brown, Sambarista Duda and Caspar James jamming away and winding down the evening.

All good evening was had by all and over £700 was raised to support events and activities for this year’s Black History Month in October.

There will be many more night like this over the coming months so keep your eyes peeled for monthly events details. The next gig will be on 23rd May from 7.30pm at Cafe Marzano, The Forum, Norwich. 

 

The power of symbol - Sankofa

Often people ask me 'what's that symbol?' referring to the logo of the Norfolk Black History Month. I often say that's Sankofa expecting everyone to know. Of course they have no idea what i am talking about so we quickly move to the next question which usually is 'what did you say?'

So what's Sankofa? 

Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol used by the Akan People of Ghana (and by the Norfolk Black History Month logo). Adinkra symbols are graphic representations of popular maxims or philosophical concepts. Originally they were used to decorate textiles, but they can now also be found on pottery and woodcarvings and in contemporary architectural design.

The Sankofa symbol depicts a mythical bird which holds an egg symbolising the future in its beak. The bird moves forwards while looking backwards to the past. The symbol is expressed in the Akan language as Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki.

Literally translated, this phrase means It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot. However, modern translations usually render it as One must return to the past in order to move forward. In either case, the message of the symbol is that we must learn from the past in order to build a better future.

Celebrating traditions and visual art and image is part of the celebration of Black History and culture. African visual art is often characterised by by single forms that do not only refers to human or animal proportions of scale, but to its psychology both in language, expression, meaning and symbolism communicating complex messages in multiple dimensions responding to the faculty of sight, sound but also imagination, emotion and motivation and religious experience. The Sankofa symbol is a good example of this highly developed art expressed in emotional visual language containing multiple meaning and messages in a single symbol or Hierography.