Opinion: Why doesn’t Australia have a Black History Month?

Australia has NAIDOC Week, rightly celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements. But recognising Indigenous history does not preclude recognising another important part of Australia’s story: the histories and contributions of Black Australians, including people of African and African-diaspora backgrounds.

Black presence in Australia extends back to the colonial period. African and African-diaspora migration has continued through the post-war era and has included students, workers, professionals, entrepreneurs, families, humanitarian entrants and temporary migrants. Many African Australians are Australian-born, with deep roots in this country.

Indigenous Australians and African-Australians celebrating the NAIDOC Week

This history also needs to be understood against the White Australia policy, which institutionalised racial restrictions on migration from 1901 until its dismantling in the 1960s and 1970s.

Over generations, Black Australians have made immeasurable contributions to medicine, academia, business, sport, the arts, public life and communities. Yet much of this history remains under-recognised, while African Australians have too often been represented through negative media narratives.

Black History Month would not replace or diminish NAIDOC. It would complement it.

I am therefore inviting people who share this vision to come together to establish an Australian Black History Committee to develop and launch an annual Black History event in Australia.

We need historians, academics, community leaders, educators, artists, young people, archivists, storytellers and others who can help document our histories, identify important stories and develop an inclusive national programme.

This should be a collective endeavour, grounded in evidence and representative of the diversity of Australia’s Black communities.

Black history is Australian history too.

About the Author

Andre Renzaho is a Distinguished Professor and Professor of Humanitarian and Development Studies; Migration and Health Equity Research and Policy; School of Medicine at Western Sydney University.- Australia

If you would like to contact Dist Prof Andre, contact us at info@africamediaaustralia.com.au