Black History Month reminds us to check our privilege, learn more about others’ lived and historical experiences – and redouble our efforts to fight injustice, especially through the Black Lives Matter movement.
It gives us a chance to remember those who ought to be household names but are often overlooked despite their contributions to society and equality.
People like Lorna Faith Matyszak, who moved to the Whitehawk estate in the 1960s, after growing up in foster care in Essex.
She was conscious of racism and her racial identity even in her childhood.
Beyond working as a nursing assistant at the Royal Sussex, she would become “Mrs Whitehawk of Brighton”.
As a community activist, she gave a voice to the voiceless through the trade union movement and a range of local black and minority ethnic organisations, championing women, tenant and workers’ rights.
She led the work to set up the Whitehawk community development and safety project. She also pioneered the development of a thriving community hub on her estate.
She made an extraordinary contribution to the city in the half century that she resided here. Faith was nominated for an MBE in 2002 for her work regenerating the Whitehawk estate.
October is a time to remember trailblazers like Faith, who passed away five years ago, although we should carry them with us all-year round.
We have declared our ambition for Brighton and Hove to become an actively anti-racist council and city.
We outlined a range of measures to make that a reality and I’m pleased to see progress is already being made thanks to the contributions of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and voluntary organisations, who are truly the driving force behind our actions locally.
We are fortunate to have a range of organisations, from the Women of Colour Group, to the BMECP Centre, to Mosaic, to the BME Workers’ Forum, the Racial Harassment Forum and others who have been at the forefront of combating racism in our city for many years.
Only by working in partnership with these organisations, taking on board their guidance and advice, and listening to our communities, will we truly overcome racism.
On that note I’d like to thank the Racial Harassment Forum for their help with this article and Brighton and Hove Black History Group for their excellent resources and research which have helped inform it.
Councillor Nancy Platts is the leader of the Labour opposition group on Brighton and Hove City Council.
