Black History month is not just for October but also for every month

The contributions Black people from the Caribbean and Africa have made to the United Kingdom are often ignored or erased.

We know a month cannot do real justice in recognising the many contributions and sacrifices those brave and determined Black people who came before us made. But as a union of educators, we have a duty and responsibility to recognise, honour and salute those who dedicated their lives to fighting for racial equity and justice.

From the Bristol Bus Boycott to the doctors and nurses who were architects of the NHS, for all those who served in the First and Second World Wars and, to those who heeded the call to come and build the country after the Second World War, we owe them a debt of gratitude. They fought for us all.

A few of these amazing people are listed below. I encourage you to take some time and read about their contributions and reflect upon the positive impact they made:

• Amy Garvey: co-chaired the first session of the Fifth Pan-African Congress (1945) in Manchester as one of only two women presenters
• Claudia Jones: Black nationalist, feminist and political activist and a founding member of the Notting Hill Carnival
• Lady Kofoworola Ademola: educator and advocate for women’s education and social reform and first African woman to graduate from the University of Oxford
• Paul Stephenson: Civil rights campaigner, Bristol Bus Boycotts
• Chris Braithwaite: Trade union leader and founder of Colonial Seamen’s Union
• James Arthur Harley: councillor and trade union activist
• John Richard Archer: former mayor of Battersea and first Black person to hold public office in London
• Ottobah Cugoano: author and anti-slavery campaigner

Let’s work to acknowledge, empower, and embed their contributions in our teaching and learning, and our fight against racism. For more information about Black History Month, please visit UCU’s dedicated webpage as well as BHM’s official website.