How we’ve ensured that Black History Month has the coverage it deserves

In an industry that has been far too slow to change, we’re passionate about providing opportunities for Black journalists to thrive, writes Kuba Shand-Baptiste

Our Black in Britain series will be varied and educational (The Independent)

Celebrating Black History Month has always been important. But with this year’s events waking more people up than usual to just how vital it is that the UK recognises not only Black history but also the roles we should all play in eradicating anti-Blackness, it makes sense that there’s more fanfare than usual around the 33-year-old annual observance.  

After a summer of Black Lives Matter protests and continued outspokenness from Black public figures and everyday people, the urgency of the need to do better has never been clearer. And this month, that includes making sure the content we focus on throughout Black History Month is as varied and interesting as it should be.  

The Independent has run a number of excellent pieces in past celebrations of Black History Month but there’s no denying that, in a general sense across many sectors in the UK, coverage can often appear stale, rushed and ill-considered.  

This year, on the Voices desk in particular, we have taken steps to ensure that doesn’t happen. Not only are we running an incredible series, we’re dedicating ourselves to extending our focus on Black history and Black Britons beyond October.  

For now though, keep an eye out for our recently launched Black In Britain series, launched on 1 October. So far, we’ve covered the importance of early 20th-century Black British history (against the tendency to focus solely on the Windrush generation) and a brilliant feature on girlhood, the music industry in the UK and how it failed our “would-be” Black pop superstars. We’ll have more agenda-shifting, fun, educational and sobering pieces over the next few weeks too, followed by a deep dive on the impact of the pandemic on Black British communities leading into November.  

Not only are we dedicated to changing our approach to Black history, we’re passionate about providing opportunities for Black journalists to thrive and showcase their talents and versatility in an industry that has been far too slow to change. That means commissioning pieces from Black journalists that may have little, if anything, to do with race as well as articles that have a heavy focus on it. Underrepresented writers deserve more chances than this industry gives them. We’re absolutely delighted to be a publication that takes that seriously.  

Yours,

Kuba Shand-Baptiste

Voices acting deputy editor