Black History Month - secondary assembly

Black History Month is a time to recognise the achievements and contributions of black people.

It began in the United States in 1926 and has been marked in the UK every October since 1987.

Today, people take part in remembering, learning, and celebrating black individuals, campaigners and activists, whose work and actions have inspired others.

Around the world, people like Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. are remembered as symbols of the fight for equality and freedom.

Experiences of black people have shaped the civil rights movement in Britain and connected the struggles and achievement of people around the world.

In the 1700s, Ignatius Sancho, who was born enslaved, became the first black man known to vote in Britain, a remarkable act when slavery was still legal.

Ignatius bought himself a shop in this street, because he owned property, he was able to vote.

He was a writer and composer who used both his words and music, to challenge public attitudes and championed the right to be heard.

As time moved on, other pioneering black Britons continued to make an impact.

Mary Seacole was a Jamaican-born, British nurse who travelled to the Crimean War in 1855 to help the wounded.

When her offer to join the nurses on the battlefield was refused, she refused to give up. Instead, she used her own money to set up the British Hotel, where she treated soldiers fighting in the Crimean war.

Her courage and compassion made her beloved by the troops and today, she’s remembered as one of Britain’s pioneering black women.

After World War Two, people from the Caribbean came to Britain to live, work and contribute to the rebuilding of the country.

Known as the Windrush Generation, they brought skills, culture and traditions that shaped music, food and community life across the UK.

Another person who believed culture could unite people and heal communities was Claudia Jones.

She was a journalist and anti-racist activist who brought people together in what was to become the first ever UK Caribbean carnival in 1959.

What began as a small indoor gathering, has grown into today’s Notting Hill Carnival, a world-famous street festival bursting with Caribbean music, dance and pride.

Today, similar carnivals take place across the UK each year.

While some used culture to bring people together, others used protest to make their voices heard.

In 1963, The Bristol Omnibus Company refused to employ Black or Asian bus drivers - known as the colour bar.

Roy Hackett and several others organised and led a four-month boycott that overturned the ban.

This was a turning point in Britain’s fight for equality, inspiring campaigns that led to the Race Relations Act of 1965, the UK’s first law making racial discrimination illegal in the UK for the first time.

In 1968, Sislin Fay Allen became Britain’s first black female police officer. At a time when discrimination was widespread, she took on a job where she wasn’t always welcomed, showing that courage can change attitudes and open doors for others.

And history isn’t only in the past.

Stormzy - one of Britain’s biggest artists - is a leader for change.

The Stormzy Scholarship has paid the university fees for Black students at Cambridge University.

Black History Month explores both the struggle of Black resistance in the UK and a celebration of what has, and what can, be achieved.

These stories are Britain's story, shaping who we are.

They remind us that we all share the responsibility to speak out, challenge injustice, and build a fairer future together.