Black History Month - The struggle never stops

Most of us ethnic minorities will know by now that October is Black History Month the one month in the year set aside to celebrate our contribution to our communities and Britain as a whole. Going back to the war effort when Britain was still an empire and we were her subjects, fighting for Queen and Country.

How ironic is it that UKBA\The British Government chooses Black History Month of all months to deport or want to deport 88 year old Lydia Werrit, (Lydia Werrit like myself is mixed race). Her husband fought for Britain during WW2, which only goes to shows that Britain is morally bankrupt or suffers terrible amnesia when it suits her. Remember the battle of the Gurkhas for immigration recognition, why does Lydia Werrit deserve any less. 

I am talking about isms and systems and the injustices we the Mixed Race/Coloured community have suffered through out history and continue to suffer, in a country where race and nationalism was/is the order of the day. Some people will say here we go again Nellie is just trying to play the race card, no I am not, I am playing the only hand I was ever dealt, our history as in-betweens, the product of black and white, British/white fathers and black mothers, we have come the full circle, our existence denied by all sides, during British and Ian Smith's Rule and now the Mugabe rule, we have never been white enough, or black enough and now we are not British enough.

Most of us could not be anything but illegitimate because of Zimbabwe Segregation Laws. I know I bang on about this all the time and I am not going to stop until Britain acknowledges us her foreign Bastard Children, second class citizens who are not permitted even through the back door, we are direct decadents of Britain and if they shut us out sometimes we are left with no bloody choice but to hack our way in.  

In Ms Werret's (The name Werrit is a very old English name, goes right back to the seventh century) case she gets a double whammy of Britain's amnesia, our history only begins upon the arrival of the British who colonised our country. Then her husband fights for Queen and Country, others widows get to look at their husbands medals and enjoy a pension, all Lydia gets in old age is to be threatened with deportation.  

Our history as the in-betweens, or Britain's half breed bastard children is a painful one, its' a history of abandonment, denial, marginalisation, discrimination and racism, we were\are our white fathers dirty little secrets that had to be stolen and hidden in missionaries schools in the back of beyond, we were also our black mothers badge of shame, hence the ill treatment by the Mugabe regime. We were always Britain's dirty little secret and that really goes for all those mixed race communities during The Great British Empire some of whom were abducted such as The Stolen Generation of Australia. 

Although the British Empire is no more, were are still here being punished and bastardised by Britain and doing everything to shut us out, Mugabe's Government have always maintained that those with British fathers or a parent, grandparent who was not born in Zimbabwe must go to their fathers in Britain.

Well here we are Lydia and myself, and hopefully here we both will stay. Of course UKBA will have to change its' mind about removing Lydia and if they don't, we will all have to change it for them. The struggle never stops.

Nellie de jongh  /  Friday 21st October 2011

Zimbabwe: Racism, discrimination against "mixed race (coloured)" and the availability of state protection (2004-2006)

The Zimbabwe Situation