Reform council’s decision to cancel Black History Month called ‘the worst dog whistle politics’
The Reform council leader claimed that BHM is "divisive" and "racist"
Steve Rotherham, the Labour mayor for the Liverpool City Region, has dubbed a Reform council’s decision to boycott Black History Month as “the worst dog whistle politics”.
Black History Month is observed each year in October, to celebrate the achievements, history and contributions of black people.
In previous years under a Labour administration, St Helen’s Council has supported Black History Month (BHM).
However, after Reform took control of the authority in May this year, the party has withdrawn support for it.
Reform leaders also chose not to engage in Pride month in June and withdrew funding for Refugee Week activities.
Woodward also initially said “the jury was out” on whether the council would support Holocaust Memorial Day in January. He has since said that his council will mark it.
The Reform leader of St Helen’s Council, George Woodward, told the BBC last week that the local authority would no longer back it.
He said this was because he believed the event was “racist” and “divisive”.
Woodward also said it was “not appropriate for celebrations to centre on one skin tone”.
Responding to Reform’s decision not to celebrate BHM, Rotherham told the BBC: “I think it’s the worst dog whistle politics I desperately try to avoid. He says things about the British as if we’re talking about black people and Britishness being separate.”
He said: “I just don’t get it, what is the problem with recognising the part that different cultures have played in the melting pot that is the UK population?”.
He said “white history” was well-documented as “the history books we read are written by white people”, which he said meant “you do need to get a broader perspective of what made Britain great and what made the Liverpool City Region such a diverse area and something we celebrate.”
Liverpool, which is a neighbouring city to St Helens, was a slaving port and played a central role in Britain’s transatlantic slave trade.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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