BLACK HISTORY MONTH - THIS MONTH REPRESENTS SO MUCH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

This month represents so much more…

BY ANGIE GREAVES

BLACK HISTORY MONTH...Three words that start brewing around late August,pick up momentum in September and then come October we are overloaded with events,whether comedy,exhibitions,dramas, or music events. There is still a need for Black History Month,but change as inallthingsmust takeplace.WhereasIlearntaboutMartinLuther King,Garratt AMorgan,CharlesDrew,SeptimusSeveres,Madame C JWalker,HarrietTubman,etc etc the picture of promote those icons to today’syouthhassomewhat altered,thehistoricalroots tokeephistoricalpeopleandeventsalivearen’t asdeepin today’s schools.The world has experienced a black President,and God Bless him,but with media,social and otherwise,taking on a different and higher power level,Black History has developed in its meaning - a new meaning.

This month represents so much more...

Usually,Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate prominentBlackpeoplewhohaveinspiredandovercome.Ibelieve that Black History Month needs to be more than the history of the black experience.It is the history of race relationships in the UK,which started well beforeWWII.It’s a complicated history spread across three continents. It’s beautiful, it’s difficult, and it’s so worthy of our time and attention.

Theaforementionedblackhistoriansarestillverymuchcelebrated intheUSAandAfricawherethedemographicofAfricanAmericans/ Africans is naturally much larger in numbers than in the UK. However,we can’t ignore the fact that the UK has become extremely diverse and cosmopolitan,and black“culture”has very much risen especially in terms of music,food,fashion,art and even television.Having access to USTV shows with more black images has become the“norm”here in the UK (Scandal, How To Get Away with Murder, Blackish OWNTV). On a music tip you can’t ignore grime artist Stormzy and how much he has closed the gap and has created an audience who envelope him - not his colour - him,and so a whole new generation has been socially exposed to black culture,the same canbesaidofKendrickLamarin theUSAandalsoJayZ.....which rap artist can you think of who donates millions (sometimes silently) to support many causes and also had the direct of the then President of the United States on speed dial?.These music makers are embracing this conversation and leading the way for the rest of us to continue the conversation. This month needs to be more than looking at our heroes,no matterhowinspiringtheymaybe.It’sanopportunityforadialogue with people of ALL colours.A chance for the majority to realise the privilege they take for granted. SoBlackHistoryMonthneeds,tocontinue,inschools,socially, in our churches etc etc.History is history,and will always be history for every generation.Ignoring culture,chips away at the life experience of that culture and its generations.It eventually leavesthatcultureandgenerationfeelingunwantedandinvisible. It’s on our shoulders to strengthen and develop the next generation.We NEED to celebrate our history and keep open the conversation for our children.To learn and grow from our past, to create the very best future we can.It’s up to us to keep the dialogue open.

The Extension of Music

Each generation holds on to historical facts in the same way that we treasure experiences that musical memories give us. I’ve told thisstorybeforebut onespecificmusicalmemories that will never leave me goes back to when I had my first car, I was driving along the Edgware Road inWest London listening to Kiss at the time,it was a pirate station.It was a scorching hot day,and just when the opened the window Roy Ayres and Everybody Loves The Sunshine came on.My immediate reaction was to pull over and savour it because I didn’t know when I was going to hear it on radio again.

The vibe that came through the car speakers when I least expecteditwasacompletelydifferentvibetowhenIchosetoplay the tunein thecomfort ofmyhome.Suchis thepowerofmusic. So .......here are some of my favourites (in no particular order) that have put a smile on my face over the years,have given me reasontogobackintoadancewhenIwasreadytoleave,andhave eitherhadmeclappingmyhandsinchurchorhavejust touched my soul. HappyBlackHistoryMonth,howeveryouchoose tocelebrate, just make sure you celebrate.

1) Roy Ayres - Everybody Loves The Sunshine 2) Lattimore - Sweet Vibrations 3) Shalamar - Sweeter as the Days Go By 4) Barbara Mason - Another Man 5) Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real 6) Soul Survivors - Land of Brotherly Love 7) Jacksons - Heartbreak Hotel 8) Phyllis Hyman - You Know How To Love Me 9) Bobby Glover - My Turn 10) Isley Brothers - Highways of Life/Here We Go Again 11) LutherVandross - Bad Boy Having A Party/The NIght I

Fell in Love/See Me 12) Alex O’Neal - If You Were Here 13) Whispers - I’m The One For You 14) Cameo - Candy/Love You Anyway 15) Sounds of Blackness - Black Butterfly/Stand/I Believe 16) Marvin Sapp - Over and Over Again/Perfect Peace 17) HezekiahWalker,KarenClark,DonaldLawrence-Don’t Give Up 18) BeBe and CeCeWinans - Addicted Love 19) TheWinans and Michael McDonald - Love Has No Colour 20) Carl Anderson - Buttercup 21) David Joseph - You Can’t Hide Your Love/Joys of Life 22) Gap Band - Outstanding 23) Jones Girls - This Feeling’s Killing Me 24) The Controllers - Stay 25) Chaka Khan - Ain’t Nobody/Sweet Thing 26) The Futures - Ain’t Got Time for Nothing 27) The Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor 28) Vernon Burch - Lovely Lady 29) Maze - Before I Let Go/Joy and Pain/Twilight/Silky Soul 30) Arnold Blair - Trying to Get Next To You 31) Sylvia Striplin - Can’t Turn Me Away 32) Paris - I Choose You 33) TheVibrations - Shake It Up 34) LeonWare - Rocking You Eternally 35) Keni Burke - Risin to the Top 36) Lowrell - Mellow Mellow 37) PatriceRushen-Feel So Real/Forget Me Nots 38) NatalieCole- I Wanna Be That Woman/This Will Be 39) J Blackfoot - Taxi 40) Gladys Knight - The Best Thing That Ever Happened/

Take Me In Your Arms and of course the Queen... 41) Aretha Franklin - Respect

Angie Greaves

Angie Greaves is a British Radio presenter who’s career started in an admin capacity at Capital Radio in 1987. A cheeky conversation moved her from admin to production where she produced and worked alongside names such as Richard Allison,Pat Sharp,Mick Brown,Tim Westwood,Alex George and ChrisTarrant. A micky taking voiceover lead her to the studio where recording became a natural,and during a holiday to Barbados she presented live shows on Liberty Radio,and caught the bug. Her first show in the UK was Breakfast on Spectrum, followed by Breakfast on Choice FM,London’s first Urban/ Caribbean radio station. Moving from Choice FM she went to BBC London and BBCThreeCountiesRadio.Ashortbreakand2daughterslater, Angie re-entered the radio industry in a freelance capacity and covered many shows on Smooth FM,and being a passionate speech broadcaster took an opportunity to present on LBC where she freelanced in different slots for two and a half years. AngiecancurrentlybeheardonMagicFM,herfirstshow therebeingWeekend Mellow Magic,followedbyapromotion to Drive Time where her listening figures at times overtook BBCRadio 2andshenowpresentsthemuchlovedAfternoons with Angie.With the development of digital radio and the extension of the Magic network an additional radio show on Magic Soul was a natural choice. She has returned to her Breakfast roots and can be heard 7am to 10am each week day morning AlongsideAfternoons with AngieandMagic Soul Breakfast, youcanalsohearAngieonBritishAirwaysRadioandshehas stood in for Clare Balding on BBC Radio 2.