World Poetry Day: Profile on Paul Laurence Dunbar
Today is World Poetry Day, and to celebrate, we’re highlighting a poet some may not have heard about in mainstream circles. Today, we feature Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet, novelist, and …
The colonisation of India
India was one of the largest and wealthiest empires in the world before the arrival of the British East India Company in the late 16th century. The East India Company used its military strength and …
Jamal Edwards, SBTV founder, dies aged 31
Music entrepreneur and YouTube star Jamal Edwards has died, aged 31. Jamal Edwards founded SBTV, an urban music platform where artists like Dave, Ed Sheeran, and Jessie J gained recognition. He was …
Vigil held for Ella, who died from chronic asthma due to air pollution
A nine-year-old girl who died from chronic asthma brought on by polluted air in Lewisham has been remembered at a vigil. In February 2013, Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived in Lewisham just 25 meters from …
The Zong Massacre
In 1781 over 100 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship to allow the slave owners to collect insurance money on their human commodities. This is one of the most egregious acts of …
Birth of the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is an American white supremacist terrorist hate group founded after the American Civil War to suppress and victimise newly freed African American slaves. Over the decades, …
The Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962
On 1 July 1962, the Commonwealth Immigrants Act came into effect, ending the automatic right of people of the British Commonwealth and Colonies to settle in the United Kingdom. The Act applied …
Working from home: 7 tips for a better experience
Working from home offers plenty of advantages: saving on commuting costs, more flexibility, and the ability to work in your PJs. But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Working from home can …
Broadcasters agree to stop using the catch-all BAME acronym
UK broadcasters have made a commitment to end the use of the acronym BAME “wherever possible” in favour of specificity, as recommended by a report from the Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity. In a …
The fascinating life of Dido Elizabeth Belle: A story of triumph and advocacy
Dido Elizabeth Belle was a unique figure in 18th-century England, a time entrenched in the transatlantic slave trade. Born in 1761 to an enslaved woman named Maria Belle and a British naval officer, …
Proud to Be: Reclaiming black dignity
The theme of Black History Month 2021 is Proud to Be. How did our ancestors reclaim their dignity and what made them proud to be after slavery? I grew up listening to a lot of uplifting songs …
The Opium Wars
The Opium Wars, also known as the First and Second China Wars, were a series of conflicts between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing Dynasty during the 19th century. These wars were primarily …
International Day of The Girl
International Day of The Girl is a day celebrated annually on 11 October to recognise the challenges girls face worldwide and promote their empowerment. The day was established by the United Nations …
European colonisation of Southeast Asia
The European colonisation of Southeast Asia was a significant historical event that drastically transformed the region’s political, economic, and cultural landscape. European imperialism in …
Sir Francis Kerr-Jarrett – Jamaican landowner
Francis Kerr-Jarrett was a landowner and sugar manufacturer in Jamaica. He served as Custos Rotulorum of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, from 1933–1965. Custos rotulorum is Latin for ‘keeper of the …
Black and Asian Soldiers in World War One
It is often thought that World War I (WW1) was a European War fought exclusively by Europeans, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not often mentioned is the fact that there were Caribbean, …
Constance Mark – Caribbean Women in WW2 Britain
We often think of the British Armed Forces as exclusively male, but it may surprise you to know that many Caribbean women served in World War II. Historically, most Armed Forces were almost …
London’s First Black Firefighter
Born in Guyana, Frank Bailey came to England in 1953 as a political activist, joining the West Indian Standing Conference (WISC), an umbrella organisation formed in 1958 to promote the interests of …
Lilian Bader – One of the first black women to join the British Armed Forces
Lilian Bader was born in 1918 in Liverpool’s Toxteth Park neighbourhood to Marcus Bailey, a merchant seaman from Barbados who fought for the British in the First World War, and Lilian, a British …
Claudette Colvin – the teenager that inspired Rosa Parks
You’ve heard of Rosa Parks, but what do you know of Claudette Colvin? Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, 15-year-old Claudette did the …
The ridiculous war on woke
The war on ‘woke’ and the overuse of the word wokeism has become a dog whistle to people who don’t like to be challenged for their bigoted, xenophobic or racist views. Just like the term politically …
Windrush Day
Windrush Day is observed in the UK on 22 June to mark the arrival of the Empire Windrush and to honour the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. Windrush Day was introduced in …
Justin Fashanu – First out gay footballer
In 1990 Justin Fashanu stunned the football world as the first professional footballer to come out as gay. At this time racism and homophobia were endemic in football. Justin’s early years Justinus …
Tacky’s Rebellion
When the English took over the colonisation of Jamaica from the Spanish, they imported thousands of Africans as slaves to work on plantations of wealthy Englishmen. Like other colonised islands, the …
