Decolonising curriculum knowledge: A scholarly journey from the local, to national and international perspectives

I began decolonising curriculum knowledge 25 years ago. The tragic murder of the Black British teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993 was the catalyst of my activism in education, research, teaching and learning. Like me, Stephen was from South London. Like me, Stephen was a young Black British man. His murder could have been mine, or that of my brothers, or my male cousins. His parents’ grief and tears could have been those of my parents. Recommendation 67 of the Macpherson (1999) inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence stated on page 382: ‘That consideration be given to amendment of the National Curriculum aimed at valuing cultural diversity and preventing racism, in order better to reflect the needs of a diverse society.’ This in fact was a recommendation for the national curriculum to be decolonised.