Local News: Black History Month Friday 26 October 2018

            AUTHOUR TALK WITH BARBARA ELLIS

Black history month occurs every October. A month where black people celebrate and reflect on past events in history. Barbara Ellis is a successful author who has previously published a book named an African journey 2 a sequel to an African journey. Her book talks about many different issues regarding ethnic views. Barbara’s book discusses and explores key events in history that reminds us of our heritage such as the Windrush and the mother country that took place between 1838 till 1948.the main characters in both books are Sista and Breda anancy who tell the stories of past and present African

            Hero’s. Sista and Breda anancy takes us on a journey after the emancipation in the British Caribbean. however, the book also traces the journey of Mrs brown and her seven children who set sail from Jamaica to Brittan in 1964 to join their father in London. The family in the book are shown to experience hostility and discrimination which was common during the Windrush. On Friday 26 at Leytonstone library local author addresses and converses in the ideas of the Windrush and how it affected people till this day! The Windrush generation was when carrabien black people were brought in to help with labour shortages after the second world war. After questioning Barbara about why she believed it was important to share this message that she wanted to express. She passionately answered 

             ‘I felt that history was always taught about British history and not about black history’

‘We should value our cultural and be proud’

-Barbara Ellis’

About Barbara Ellis

Barbara Ellis was born in Jamaica and came to England with her parents in 1964.she she was educated in Brittan where she trained to be a teacher. after working in London for a few years, she then went to work in a place called Mozambique southern Africa. Barbara used the stories from the Windrush generation to provide multicultural materials for the literacy strategy introduced into British schools in 1988.