Defend Black History Month

We write to protest the slashing of funds for Black History Month by the London Mayor. In 2009, Boris Johnson praised BHM for its vital work in educating people about the "historical role and the huge contribution of African and Caribbean communities to the capital". So why is he now cutting its funding to the bone? It is particularly ironic that this is occurring in the run-up to the Olympics, with the Greater London Authority busy marketing London as a "great world city". We ask the Mayor to immediately reverse this ill-judged decision and to restore BHM's funding.

Barbara Taylor (Raphael Samuel History Centre, University of East London); Matt Cook (Raphael Samuel History Centre, Birkbeck, University of London); Stuart Hall (emeritus professor, The Open University) and 20 others.