Why do we have a Black History Month?

Black history month is upon us and I always get asked the same question by white and Asian people alike "why do you guys have black history month?"  Well let me explain.

We have black history month as a way to teach all about the contribution of black people to Britain and the wider world as well as the tribulations of the past and the persecution still felt in the present. The teaching of black history in schools is pretty much non existent. I went to secondary school in the 90's and only had black history mentioned once in history and discussed during English as we were reading how to “Kill a Mocking Bird.”

black history month is also a good time to distinguish our history from that of the Americans whose history it is that prevails in the thoughts of people whenever Black history is mentioned.

Why don't we have white history month? Well to, be blunt every month is white history month, including black history month, and rightly so this is England after all a predominantly white country with a long and illustrious history that should be taught. That's not to say that we shouldn't have our own bit of history to celebrate who we are, where we've been and what we have become.

So regardless of your race or creed please read at least one thing about black history month this month you never know you might actually learn something.

Plymouth Rock didn't land on me!

We are African, and we happened to be in America. We're not American. We are people who formerly were Africans who were kidnapped and brought to America. Our forefathers weren't the Pilgrims. We didn't land on Plymouth Rock. The rock was landed on us. We were brought here against our will. We were not brought here to be made citizens. We were not brought here to enjoy the constitutional gifts that they speak so beautifully about today.” - Malcolm X June 1964

Today, October 1st, is the first day of Black History Month here in the United. Kingdom. Generally, when people think of black history, they think of quotes like the one above. They think of the black panthers, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, the civil rights movement and slavery. What if I was to tell you that this isn't "Black History" Would you call me ignorant, stupid or maybe a liar? If you were to call me a liar you would be right as this is "Black History", not thee black history but a black history. More importantly,  an American black history.

With it's proliferation around the world, Black American culture has become ingrained in many as thee black culture, one that they use when formulating ideas and thoughts on black people in general. This has also lead to Black American history becoming synonymous with black history which, as a black Englishman, is a bit disheartening.

We were never "slaves" in England in the same sense as in the Carribean and the Americas. In fact when/if slaves escaped from their masters and made it to England, they were considered free men. Just to clarify, this wasn't due to any profound love for black people but that some English aristocrats and judges believed that the English air is to pure for slaves to breathe.

Wealthy Africans have long had a "good" relationship with the British Monarchy and freed slaves have prospered and become political figures, medical pioneers and authors on these shores since the late 1700s and beyond. Negroes such as Olaudah Equaino, Mary Seacole and Willam Cuffay came from slavery to become important people in British history.

Black seafarers and tradesmen landed at the docks in Liverpool and Bristol and formed what have become some of the oldest black communities in Britain. During the late 40's and throughout out the 60's as members of newly independent states and part of the commonwealth in the Caribbean we were invited to Britain during what has now become known as the Windrush era. During this time we found jobs and provided a large part of the post war workforce.

Yes there was and still is racism but we do not have the stigma attached to our blackness or presence in Britain as African Americans do in the USA. Of course some groups opposed but we were given the rights as British citizens on arrival. In America, people have grand parents who were chased lynched and beaten systematically just for being black. Some black Americans still live in the town where 100years previously, the white family around the corner owned theirs! 100 years is no time at all; a black 80 year old alive today had parents who were slaves in America!

The point of this piece is really to help people understand that we, as black people, aren't one people with one history but a patchwork of people connected by one heinous period in history with different path’s to where we are in the present day.

The argument, The beer and The lighthouse

It's around 16:00, Tuesday the 10th of July 2012. It's been a blazing hot day in Torremolinos, Spain. A 2ltr bottle of Orange SaS has been purchased along with a 1ltr bottle of Cruzcampo.

Smiles are the order of the day. It's been exactly 2 years since the first kiss and that was the date set for future anniversary celebrations. At the hotel kisses and hugs are exchanged all is well time to relax before the meal and the nights happenings. Showers have been taken, you get really sticky being out all day in 40 degree weather, and now, on the bed, a conversation is being had. Marriage comes up, more to the point when will a proposal be made. The question is laughed off as the questionee knows that the questioner will get their wish tonight.

The proposal will be made. The ring was brought in advance, months in advance and the questionee has been ducking the question for a while now smiling inside knowing that this day will come. More laughs and dreaming out loud ensue, the future, children and religion. Religion. Church attire has become a slightly contentious issue, things are said, misunderstandings made and context removed. Faces are sour.

The room falls silent. Feeling suffocated by the athmosphere, a retreat is made to the balcony, bottle of beer, tablet and headphones accompany the retreat. The baking hot sun awaits, it's now down to  around 30 degrees as the evening draws near. 1ltr of beer and baking heat. It's now aproaching 18:00, beer finished, eyes getting heavy and hazey, the bed beckons. Some stern prods and a sterner bark Bring the questionee out of the deep sleep.

It's now 21:49. Stern looks turn to a glare, words are exchanged, the night ruined? What about the meal? What about the proposal? Swiftly, pre prepared clothes are put on, smiles are found and the journey begins. The night is warm and pleasant. A warm breeze whips in off the coast, the night sky lightly littered with stars.

The resturant is immaculate, conversation is nice smiles exchanged and the love regained. The food was surprising, refreshing and superb. Stomachs full, a night walk was suggested. Initially, the suggestion was declined and faces became contorted at the idea of a walk to the lighthouse but the promise of icecream at the end of the promanade sealed the deal.

At the lighthouse, night views were admired, the importance and beauty of the occasion were brought up the the conversation turned to the stars. Whilst admiring the stars a box was removed from a pocket to reveal a star of their own.

A knee taken, the questionee became the questioner. Tears of joy ensue, head knodding with acceptance, words lost.

Engaged.

You are Android!

I just spent about £12 on Android apps today, no I don't want any applause, on apps I had previously pirated or had the free version.

The apps in question were Plex, Titanium Backup Pro and Super User.

SU was free so no qualms there but Plex and TBUP are paid apps that I stole. So I thought to myself about the common criticism of Android which is the lack of quality apps. A lot of Devs have come out and said that making money on Android is a struggle, piracy is rife and people demand free.

I am an Android die hard, super user and evangelist, so why was I killing my beloved platform by pirating? Simple answer is, it's super easy! Why pay for anything when you can get it for free? A simple search for a term followed by .apk and you are blessed with a raft of options to download what you want.

This, however, does nothing but drive Devs away from the platform as it is not worth their time and talent, just look at this piece by the maker of Papermill, an Instapaper client for Android, or this one. You could argue that Instapaper clients are a super niche market but that doesn't detract from the amount of time and talent taken to make quality apps for Android.

The more apps we buy and the more Devs we support, the more time and effort they will be inclined to put into the platform and the better apps we get.

So before you hit that Google search result for the hot .apk of the moment take time to think that you are stealing from a person not a corporation.

The End of a Love Affair....?

On the 10th of November 2011, everything changed. Well not everything, just the belief that Android was as good as it could be and be the best OS to meet my needs as a geek, a consumer and a human being.
What is the cause of this discourse I hear you ask, well its the Meego toting Nokia N9 and yeah I said Nokia!
I love Android. Not because of openness or choice of handsets or modding capabilities, just because it works for me.
I don't play games on my phone (although I'm hooked on R-type at the moment).
I don't create music or take and edit fancy pictures, not because I can't I just don't and have no desire to.
I'm a productivity person, email, notes, todo lists. I read twitter, reader and browse the web. My must have apps consist of Gmail, Evernote, Google Docs, Dropbox, Twitter and Root Explorer. I need eBay & paypal too, but I can live without them.

My issue isn't with Android its with how bad Meego makes it look as an OS and a Design statement.
Meego and Android are essentially the same OS the only difference is that Android runs in a Virtual Machine and Meego doesn't and that is the kicker. Being built directly on top of Linux, rather than a VM powered by it make Meego smoother nicer and *swallows a big chunk of humble pie* more polished.

Granted I only used it for a while but you get the feeling of being part of an OS when you use Meego rather than the abstracted feeling you get going back to Android.
Andy Ihnatko said once that Android was a framework that OEM's had to "build out" I scoffed at that then but really get it now.

Both Mr Ihnatko and a certain Mr John "Apple is the bestest best company in the whole wide world" Gruber have also spoke about Android being lightweight and not solid. I now wholeheartedly get that. Its like walking through a corridor of fire doors using Meego and when I immediately got back to Android it felt like a corridor of bedroom doors.
Andy Rubin started work on Android way back in 2003, I think, and to get around licenses and the like, "hacked" his way around Linux and the use of Java hence the Dalvik VM. Android has since found a home at multi billion Dollar company Google. Google don't need to "Hack" their way around and should pay the licenses to run Android natively to kill all that "jankyness" you can see in Android and add a bit of heft!

I still love Android, its not the end of an affair but using Meego has really opened my eyes to its shortcomings.

Lastly I just want to say to my cousin Dean (@DeanDMX on twitter) I hear you. I get it. Design and polish is as important as function. *Don't ever bring this up in public as I will blank you and deny everything*

Thanks for reading.