5 of the most powerful quotes from Black History Month on 1Xtra
26 October 2018
1Xtra has been celebrating Black History Month with some amazing live performances (including a 1Xtra Live Lounge Aretha Franklin tribute special from Nao, Ray BLK and Terri Walker and a Lovers Rock session at Maida Vale presented by Seani B) plus a rundown of the best in modern hip hop classics.
We've also had some excellent guests. Ace talked with 'Living Legends' including football icon Ian Wright and Charlene White, the first black woman to host ITV's News At Ten, while he also spoke to Amandla Stenberg, star of new film The Hate U Give.
Elsewhere, 1Xtra Talks held a Black History Month special and England footballer Raheem Sterling discussed the importance of staying true to your roots with Nick Bright.
There's been plenty of highlights, but here are some of the most powerful and poignant quotes that have stuck with us throughout Black History Month 2018.
Speaking to Ace, rising film star Amandla Stenberg recalled changing behavioural patterns around classmates at school in order to fit in, as Stenberg said the majority of students were: "mainly white kids, who were pretty privileged".
"It’s something that most people do but it’s most apparent to witness in people of colour because we understand that you can’t necessarily show up in historically white spaces and workplaces - just living in a world that’s dominated by whiteness," Stenberg explained.
Stenberg continued to stress the burden that this code-switching - changing how you act and speak in different settings - can have on you and the need to stay true to yourself: "It can be tiring, it can make you feel smaller than you actually are."
In his long-ranging chat with Arsenal fan Ace, Ian Wright spoke about the racism he faced during his football career, from hooligans "screaming abuse in your face... saying some terrible things" to receiving hate mail, describing just how "helpless" he felt sometimes.
Wright also recalled how he deemed the experiences as "something I've got to take and hope that the powers that be realise that this is not right" and said that unless you've experienced such abuse yourself, you can't truly relate to how it feels.
Black History Month on 1Xtra
Newsreader Charlene White started her career at 1Xtra and recalls once getting an apology from Kanye West for John Legend sitting in her studio seat as she "crept" into the studio to get ready to present the news.
"I had to physically put my hands on his shoulder and throw him out of the chair," she said of Legend, describing how West was "so apologetic" afterwards. A year later, after John Legend had become "a thing", she recalls seeing his photo and thinking "Oh my god, that was the guy!"
She also spoke to her long-time friend Ace about what inspired her to first get into journalism in the first place, explaining that she had initially grown up wanting to be a lawyer.
"I wanted to fight for justice for those who had been wronged," she explained. "However, I then went on work experience and fell asleep in court because it was really boring. So I tried to change the world in a different way by telling people stories and highlighting injustices in that way."
Charlene White - The first black woman to host ITV's 'News At Ten' tells her story for Black History Month 2018
ITV's 'News At Ten' anchor Charlene White joins Ace for 'Black History Month' 2018
During the 1Xtra Talks Black History Month special, DJ/producer Funk Butcher, activist Chanté Joseph and poet Aliyah Hasinah spoke to Reece Parkinson about some of the key moments in modern black history, as well as what needs to change in the future.
"The wider media has a lot of work to do to start normalising our stories," Chanté argued, while Funk made the analogy of a chess game: "The pawn can only move one space forward, it’s still the same moves. So, until you start to change the rules of the game, then there can be a significant impact on new agents coming into the industry."
Speaking to 1Xtra's Nick Bright this month, Manchester City and England footballer Raheem Sterling underlined the importance of remembering where you came from and staying true to your roots.
Describing playing football as a child as his happiest footballing moment, Sterling also revealed how he takes his children to Jamaica every summer to ensure they "know exactly where they come from".
Raheem went on to describe himself as "blessed and given an opportunity to go make the best" of himself, adding that one thing he has always taken with him is the importance of "keeping myself grounded" - and says his mother wouldn’t allow him to get ahead of himself.
Raheem Sterling meets Nick Bright
Highlights from when Nick Bright met England and Manchester City star Raheem Sterling.
