BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Same Fight. Different Decade:
A Look At The Real Narrative of Black History
28th October 2024
With a spotlight on ‘reclaiming narratives’ of Black women and girls, this Black History Month, the harsh reality for Black women and girls in the UK today is more glaring than ever. The fight that Black and minoritised women and girls in the UK are up against in 2024, is not a new narrative.
In 2024, Black women are still ignored, mistreated, and left behind. Government, media, law enforcement, and health institutions continue to devalue our lives, forcing our communities to struggle just to be heard, seen, and believed. The fight against violence, against rejection, and against a system that’s supposed to protect them but repeatedly fails. It is the same fight that’s been waged for decades.
And for decades, Black women and minoritised communities have continued to face the same fears, the same injustices, and the same struggles, for safety and recognition, that their mothers, grandmothers, and generations before them have faced. Fighting battles across all aspects of society - whether it’s systemic racism in criminal justice, housing inequality, disparities in healthcare, the broken asylum and migration system or chronic underfunding of specialist services that truly understand our unique needs.
Despite claims of progress, the reality remains painfully clear: the injustices of the past still persist today. Same fight, different decade.
The dates do not lie. Across this Black History Month, we’ve shared the timelines below, which give just a glimpse into the real narrative - the truth of the ongoing crisis for Black women and girls in the UK.
We refuse to accept that the performative ‘progress’ we see, is enough. Black women and girls remain overrepresented in violence statistics but are consistently under-protected by the very systems meant to safeguard them. We cannot turn away from this reality. We refuse to stay silent. This narrative needs to change.
The burden of advocacy continues to fall on Black people and ‘by and for’ organisations like Imkaan, but we will not back down from fighting for this cause - for equality, for justice, and for the right to safety, dignity, and true representation for Black women and girls.
Reclaiming narratives, for us, means fighting every day to ensure that the voices, experiences, and realities of Black women are truly acknowledged and heard. It’s about challenging oppressive systems, reshaping the story, and ensuring that Black women and girls, who have been victims of these injustices, are not erased from history. It’s about making sure that this continuation of the same cycle of violence and injustice over decades, is recognised. And it’s about securing the rightful access to justice, equality, and safety today, for Black women and girls, just like everyone else.
The truth is in the timeline. And the accounts shared here barely scratch the surface of the injustices still being faced by Black women and girls in the UK today. Overrepresented in violence statistics, yet consistently under-protected, this reality demands change. The narrative must change.
The work of the ‘by and for’ VAWG sector is shaped by lived experiences of Black and minoritised communities. Imkaan will continue one of our most vital missions - giving a voice to Black (and minoritsed) women and girls, amplifying their stories and empowering them to speak their truth, demand justice, and shape their futures. We urge you to support our work; as we continue to hold those in power accountable and present culturally aware, community-driven recommendations for real change. Confront the uncomfortable truths, share our message, amplify our voices. Advocate for the urgent change we need, help us to reclaim our narrative, and demand the justice that has been denied for far too long - not just during Black History Months, but all year round.
True change requires solidarity, fierce advocacy, and collective action; challenging mainstream narratives that attempt to silence the truth. Only through united action can we ensure we aren’t stood here in another decade, recounting the same narrative.