An ongoing odyssey

Chair of St Paul’s radio station Roger Griffith talks about Black History Month and his new book, which charts his family and Bristol links with the American Deep South

Roger Griffith is chair of St Paul’s-based radio station Ujima FM and has worked in Bristol for 20 years, helping young members of the black and ethnic minority communities to get workplace training and opportunities.

He is soon to publish the book he has been writing for more than five years. ‘My American Odyssey – from the Windrush to the White House’ charts the history black British culture and its relationship to the US. Its inspiration come from the civil rights struggle led by Dr Martin Luther King and the rise to US President of Barack Obama.

His family links extend to Guyana and Barbados in the Caribbean, to South Carolina and, eventually, to the UK. 

“The book is part family history, part social history, part travel guide to the US,” he explains. “I have been writing it for the last five and a half years, since Obama won his first presidential election, and it has helped to restore my identity with the links I have with the Deep South.”

In the book, he relates how he was first introduced to slavery and black history through the 1977 television series Roots, based on Alex Haley’s epic novel. He writes how he experienced “a number of emotions including rage and guilt” as his 11-year-old self-watched intently every Sunday evening with his mother.

“It was compelling family viewing, in addition to my treat, aged eleven, of being taken to the cinema to see the latest James Bond movie (I was named after Roger Moore, who back then was a debonair action hero). I remember watching Roots intently every Sunday evening with my mum. As its story unfolded, Roots became my story and our shared story.”

Griffith came to Bristol from London with his mother, with little preparation for what awaited him in 99 per cent white Lawrence Weston. 

“It was a place where one could count the number of black families on two hands, and all were known by their surnames, like The Whites or The Dixons. With the overall numbers that low, black families in the area were not perceived as a threat – or, to borrow a phrase from the Deep South, as ‘uppity niggers’ like the ones in St Pauls, Bristol – but the N-word was still heard far too frequently for my liking.”

As Black History Month takes places across Bristol this month, Griffith says the series of events are as important as ever and act as a “rallying call to educate young people”.

“Black History Month has its critics, such as those who say the events should take place throughout the year, but I am a supporter. It allows young people to find the good role models from their past that they need to develop and take good examples to follow, as well as finding out where they have come from.

“The normal school syllabus does not trace all of our history, and that includes slavery. Black History Month allows us to highlight Bristol’s role in that history, not so that we can apportion blame, but so that we can get young people interested in history and their place within society.”

Griffith will be heavily involved with Black History Month, chairing talks, working with young people and broadcasting special programmers on his radio show on Ujima FM. 

Bristol City Council has put together a list of events, available on its website, while individual venues are publicising their own programmes. Trinity Centre in Old Market, for example, is running a wide range of events, including a gig from trip hop legends Morcheeba on October 19. Check out the full programme of events at 3ca.org.uk.