For me this is an odd question, as trivial as ‘ why is the sky blue? ‘. My personal Black History journey started when I was 10 years old, I attended a seminar for children of mixed heritage; I had never thought about race before apart from an incident a year prior.

            I was intrigued and incensed with other people’s stories, the leader Rob managed to engage everyone. I recognized stereotypes and started to analyze everything differently.

            Secondary school was my turning point, School was hard so I soon forgot Black History and focussed on fitting in. In my second year we were in an English lesson and our teacher played the ‘I have a dream speech’ by Martin Luther King Jr – I listened respectfully and began to close my eyes but I noticed my peers mock it, I had had enough. The school, in my opinion, did not take it seriously.

            After that day I studied Black History intently, focussing on apartheid, the slave trade and British colonization. I even gained an interest in Black literature from my parents’ collection. I came from a primary school which celebrated every cultural tradition it knew about so when it came to October 2009 (Black History Month) I asked my History teacher if we would be doing anything in relation to this. He gave me the excuse that there were too many cultural events to celebrate them all. I was not swayed from my mission; I presented my idea to the headmaster, he was more than pleased to give me creative control of the event. From that day I knew that this was my life.

            Black History is world history, it just happens to be that black achievers are not as acknowledged. I do not mean we should commend a random person because they are black, I mean we should celebrate those who achieved something great and deserve credit. For example, Africa is the birthplace of knowledge yet it is reduced to an idea of famine and naivety.

            As a mixed-race child I am so thankful that my parents helped me embrace both sides of my heritage. Black History is a subject that flicks an imaginary lighter in soul; I know that I am going to educate people about it. It is my life now.

Dareece James is fourteen years old and is a student at the John Cabot Academy in Bristol. She is of Jamaican/English heritage and her ambition in life is to be a Professor of Black History.