– The book is more generally about the impact of colonialism on African and Caribbean people in Britain but the book is centred around Akala’s personal experiences with racism from his familial structures (racism from his grandparents) and in schooling where teachers would be racist to him but also how he has witnessed racism in wider Britain – he gives the example of John Barnes kicking a banana during a football match. ‘I was not born with an opinion of the world but it clearly seemed that the world had an opinion of people like me’ Which allows for individual to understand the extensive amount of suffering black people have faced. Therefore, it is essential for people to read, understand and expose Britain’s colonial past and see the structural effects it’s causing. “my political heroes were Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, hers were Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill”Īkala mixes between racial personal accounts from a young age and also highlighting the horrendous British history that tends to be ignored in the education system, that is still having significant effects within society.
Thank you to Samihah Mudabbir for collating all the recommendations, and to Shafia Fiaz and Hawwa Alam for producing the graphics. Thank you to all the young people who submitted their favourite books, key quotes from the books, and their personal insights.
In a series of blog posts, we will share some of the powerful books that young people speak highly of and want for us all to read.
Over the last year, our Manchester Museum Young Collective and their friends have been sharing reading recommendations to inspire their peers and heritage staff who are actively seeking out ways to better understand and act for social justice and social change. ANTI-RACIST EDUCATION SERIES Illustration by FATIMA SHABAN of the MANCHESTER MUSEUM YOUNG COLLECTIVE
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