Black History Month

Who started Black History Month?

In the US, Black History Month was created by historian Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950). He wanted to challenge preconceptions at the time that black people have no history and founded The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 which encouraged scholars and historians to research and preserve black history and culture.

In February 1926, Woodson founded Negro History Week. It was later decided that a week wasn't long enough and, against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Black Power Movement, Black History Month was born in 1969.

Like most things that originate in the US, it wasn't long before word about Black History Month made its way to the UK.

After visiting America in the 1970s, Ghanaian-born Akyaaba Addai Sebo, a special projects officer at the Greater London Council, founded the UK's version of Black History Month in 1987 (an interview with Akyaaba Addai Sebo can be found here).

Why is Black History Month celebrated in October in the UK and February in the US?

The US celebrates in February because the birthdays of former US President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass fall within this month.

There are two reasons thought to be behind why Black History Month is celebrated in October in the UK.

Traditionally, October is when African chiefs and leaders gather to settle their differences, so Akyaaba chose this month to reconnect with African roots.

Additionally, many thought that since it was the beginning of the new academic year, October would give black children a sense of pride and identity. Why is Black History Month important?

Black History Month means different things to everyone and pride for this month is expressed in a variety of different ways.

A file photo of Jamaican immigrants being welcomed to the UK in 1948 (PA Wire/PA Images)

For many, Black History Month is a way of reflecting on the diverse histories of those from African and Caribbean descent, taking note of the achievements and contributions to the social, political, economic and cultural development of the UK.

Black History Month is not without its opponents, though. Some people argue that it's hardly justified to teach black history in the space of one month and advocate trying to integrate it into the mainstream education system instead.

Actor Morgan Freeman has criticised Black History Month on numerous occasions, calling it "ridiculous." "I don't want a black history month," he said, "black history is American history."

Inspirational black British women you should know about

Jamaican born Mary Seacole acted as an army nurse during the Crimea war (left).

Claudia Jones was editor of the West Indian Gazette and founder of the Notting Hill Carnival (right).

Adelaide Hall became Briton’s highest paid entertainers in 1941 (left).

Margaret Busby became Briton’s youngest and first Black woman book publisher (right).

Olive Morris was a political activist and community organiser who established the Brixton Black Women’s Group (left).

Musician Joan Armatrading is a three0time Grammy nominee and received an Ivor Novello awrd for outstanding contemporary song collection (right).

Athlete Tessa Sanderson became the first British black woman to win an Olympic gold medal (left).

Baroness Lawrence OBE campaigned tirelessly for reforms of the police service after her son, Stephen Lawrence, was murdered in a racist attack (right).

Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE is a space scientist and educator. She runs her own company and co-hosts the world’s longest running TV series; The Sky at Night (left).

Sharon White was the second permanent secretary at HM Treasury, the first black person, and the second woman, to hold the position (right).

The writer Malorie Blackman held the position of children’s Laureate from 2013 – 2015 (left).

Dianne Abbott is a British Labour party politician and became the first black woman to hold a seat in the House of Commons (right).

Zadie Smith’s acclaimed novel White Teeth was highly decorated for its portrayal of multicultural London (left).

West Indies veteran Connie Mark with Hector Watson, Sam King and Lilian Bader. Bader was one of the first black women to join the armed forces (right).

A Timeline of two millennia of world shaping individuals and events that define Black History. AD 43 — 2020

AD 43

Roman rule in Britain begins. The Numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum, an African auxiliary unit, takes its position on Hadrian’s Wall (c100-c400) as part of the Roman army and helps guard the outermost reaches of the empire. 400

Kingdom of Ghana. A large sub-Saharan state established. Archaeological evidence suggests that Ghana had achieved a high level of civilisation (advanced metalworking, an indigenous trading network) before Arab travellers arrived around AD750. Its capital, Koumbi Saleh, had a population of 30,000. A 12th-century Muslim, al-Idrisi, told a Norman King Roger II in Sicily that the Ghanaian nobility gave sumptuous banquets with thousands of guests. 668

African-born scholar Hadrian of Canterbury, having rejected a papal request to become Archbishop of Canterbury, travels to Britain with Theodore, who took up the post instead. Hadrian becomes an abbot in Canterbury.

711 General Tariq ibn-Ziyad conquers the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal). The rock of Gibraltar is named after this Moorish general (the Arabic Jabal Tariq means Mount Tariq). He led an eight-year campaign to conquer modern Spain and Portugal in AD 711.

784 Around this time Kanem-Bornu is established by Dougu, the first king of the Zaghawa dynasty. It occupied much of present day Chad. According to an Arab geographer writing in the 10th century, the kingdom was 15 days’ journey wide. 1100

Massive stone structures in Zimbabwe show that a civilisation flourished around this time. Although these ruins are very impressive, with a great wall measuring 246m long, this ancient city is just one of many in the region. More than 600 stone ruins have been identifed in modern-day Zimbabwe and nearly 7,500 have been found in northern South Africa.

1241 This earliest image of a black Briton was discovered in an abbreviated version of the Domesday Book used to collect taxes.

1350

The highly centralised Kingdom of Kongo is established during this period and is surrounded by the formidable kingdoms of Teke, Tio, Dembo and Ndongo. One of its kings, Mani Kongo Diogo I, tried unsuccessfully to stop the Atlantic slave trade. 1508

A poem by William Dunbar called Of Ane Blak-Moir suggests that there were black people in Britain during this period. 1562

John Hawkins is the first Englishman to lead a slave trading voyage from the west coast of Africa. Later Britain would become one of the biggest players in the Atlantic slave trade which led to the enforced transportation of 13 million Africans (according to recent estimates). There are now a number of exhibitions across the UK that detail the close connection between the growth of cities - such as London, Bristol, and Liverpool - and the Atlantic slave trade. 1589

After the defeat of the Spanish Armada, Moroccan ambassador, Mushac Reyz, visits the court of Elizabeth I seeking a military alliance against Spain. In the years of war with Spain that follow, a growing number of Africans arrive in England. Historical records suggest that Queen Elizabeth I was involved in a plan to remove Africans from her realm. Recent evidence suggests a more nuanced picture, but whatever the truth it shows there was a black presence in Britain. 1604

A play featuring a fully rounded black leading character, Othello, is performed for the first time. In some ways Shakespeare’s portrayal of a black character was far superior to the often-dehumanising representations of black people that were to follow in much European literature. 1619

More than 20 enslaved Africans are kidnapped and taken to the English colony of Virginia, opening a new chapter of slavery in north America. 1620

Abomey, capital of the kingdom of Dahomey, is founded around this time in modern-day Benin, west Africa. This was to become a powerful state with a strong connection to the Atlantic slave trade. It survived until 1904. 1623

The annexing of the island of St Kitts signals the beginning of British domination of much of the Caribbean. Many islands in the Caribbean changed hands during this period as European colonisers from France, England, Spain and elsewhere fought to control the islands. 1688

During the period that a constitutional monarchy is established in Britain, Aphra Behn publishes her novel Oroonoko about an African of royal blood. Apart from being one of the first known female writers in the English language, Aphra Behn is credited with producing one of the first attacks on the Atlantic slave trade. 1739

After a long-running war, the Maroons (runaway enslaved Africans who formed their own communities) force Edward Trelawny, the British governor of Jamaica, to sign a peace agreement. Part of the agreement stipulates that the Maroons will return other runaway enslaved Africans who try to join them. 1773

Phillis Wheatley, an African American, comes to London where her poetry had gained a following. She has a book of poems published. 1780

Sugar and slavery become synonymous. From North America to South America to the Caribbean to Australia, this commodity is grown using slavery or other forms of coerced labour. Sugar becomes England’s dominant import from the mid-18th century to the 19th century. This, in turn, fuels the Atlantic slave trade which helps to build the international trade system with its complex web of insurance and credit. 1781

Captain Collingwood throws 132 sick Africans off the slave ship Zong in order to collect insurance money for them. This incident helps galvanise support for the movement against the Atlantic slave trade.

. 1804

The Haitian Revolution. After a 12-year struggle in which thousands of formerly enslaved Africans overcame the British, Spanish, and Napoleonic French armies, the first independent black republic in the Americas was established. Motivated by ideas of the French revolution and led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and Alexandre Pétion, this revolution destroyed slavery in the most profitable French colony. William Wordsworth later dedicated a poem to L’Ouverture, including the lines: “There's not a breathing of the common wind / That will forget thee; thou hast great allies; / Thy friends are exultations, agonies, / And love, and Man’s unconquerable mind.” 1807

The British slave trade is abolished in parliament on March 25 by the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. However, many slave traders discover ways to circumvent the new law. And slavery itself remains legal. 1818

The Zulu army conquers great areas of southern Africa under the leadership of Shaka Zulu. During 10 years of warfare, Shaka Zulu quadruples the size of his army and the number of his subjects, absorbing them into the Zulu nation. 1820

Having observed attempts by the British abolition movement to repatriate formerly enslaved Africans to Sierra Leone, the American Colonisation Society pays for 80 African Americans to be repatriated back to Africa. They set sail on the Elizabeth to west Africa, and though their attempt to establish a colony almost fails, they are later followed by others and go on to establish Liberia. 1831

The slave rebellion in Jamaica movement initially starts off as passive resistance becomes an open rebellion against slavery. This uprising is credited with speeding up the full abolition a few years later. 1834

Though the law now bans slavery, formerly enslaved Africans have to serve an “apprenticeship” of up to six years on low or no pay, until this system is scrapped in 1838. The slaveowners receive £20m in compensation, equivalent to 40% of the Treasury’s annual income at the time. The freed receive nothing. 1846

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is published to great acclaim. Dumas’s father was a Haitian-born general in Napoleon’s army. Dumas also authors The Three Musketeers. 1851

As the British empire is approaching its zenith, the Great Exhibition is held in Hyde Park in London. Over six million visitors view goods from Africa, India and the West Indies. It was here that jewels taken from an Indian protectorate are “donated” to Queen Victoria. They become part of the crown jewels. 1852

Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is an instant bestseller and polarises opinion on the issue of slavery in the United States and Britain. 1863

Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. Many free African Americans and runaway slaves join the Union armies in the ongoing American civil war. Slavery is formally abolished after the war ends, in 1865. 1864

Samuel Ajayi Crowther (from Nigeria) is the first African to be ordained a bishop by the Anglican church. 1865

The Morant Bay rebellion in Jamaica leads to reprisals from the colonial governor, Edward John Eyre, in which hundreds are flogged and up to a thousand homes burned down. A Jamaica Committee is set up in Britain which condemns Eyre’s actions. This committee has large working-class support and such luminaries as Charles Darwin supporting it. 1865

After the American civil war, black people in the United States fight for and gain the right to vote and participate in political life. But over the next few years, after a sustained backlash including intimidation by the Ku Klux Klan, most African Americans lose the right to vote. 1865

Francis Galton tries to use his newly minted science of biostatistics to prove that Africans are intellectually inferior. This theory profoundly affects issues of intelligence and education as well as founding eugenics. A book called Superior, by Angela Saini, outlines how Galton's ideas have persisted into the 21st century. 1865

The role of black cowboys, previously ignored, is now coming to be recognised as an important part of the “cowboy story” in the American west. At least two black cowboys have been inducted into the cowboy hall of fame. 1879

The Zulus inflict temporary defeat on the British army at Isandlwana. 1884-85

The European powers gather together in Berlin to divide Africa among themselves at a meeting called by the German chancellor, Bismarck. Great Britain, France, Germany and Belgium lay claim to African territory and agree how further disagreements on territorial claims will be settled. Many of the decisions at this conference have significant consequences (fuelling long- running ethnic tensions and, in many cases, civil wars), as the national boundaries - some of them crudely drawn using a ruler - take little account of the needs, history and languages of different African peoples. 1901

Booker T Washington publishes his landmark work Up from Slavery. His central idea is that black people have to improve their lives through their own efforts. 1909

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is formed and becomes a major force in the fight to gain the vote for African Americans. The ideas of one of its founders, WEB Du Bois, were to influence black activists throughout the world. 1912

During his two-year stay in London, Marcus Garvey writes for a monthly journal called the African Times and Orient Review. He later says that his stay was crucial to the formation of his ideas of black pride. Garvey goes on to lead the first black nationalist mass movement in the US in the 1920s. 1913

John Richard Archer is elected as London’s first black mayor, in Battersea. Allan Glaisyer Minns is thought to be Britain’s first black mayor, elected in Thetford, Norfolk, in 1904. 1914-1918 The First World War. A great number of soldiers from the West Indies, India and across the British Empire join the war effort and many are killed. In France, Italy and Mesopotamia (of which modern day Iraq is a part), more than 15,000 soldiers serve in the British West Indies Regiment. Walter Tull, one of the first black men to command white soldiers in action, is killed in battle. 1914-18

During the war, Garrett Morgan, an African American, invents a prototype gas mask. In 1922 he patents a forerunner to the modern automatic traffic light. 1919

Race riots break out across the British Isles, sparked in part by housing shortages. Black sailors and black-owned businesses are targeted and attacked by white crowds in cities including Glasgow and London. 1921

The Tulsa race massacre. In one of the most serious episodes of racial violence against African Americans in the history of the United States. A thriving black area, Greenwood - dubbed “Black Wall street” - endured two days of attacks by white mobs resulting in the deaths of up to 300 people, a further 10,000 left homeless, and 1,400 business premises destroyed by re. Largely ignored by history books until the 1990s, this event entered popular consciousness when featured in the Watchmen TV series in 2019. 1936

CLR James’ play about the Haitian revolution, Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History, is first performed in London. Paul Robeson plays the title role. 1936

African American Jesse Owens wins the 100 metres, 200 metres, long jump and 4x100 metre relay at the Berlin Olympics. Germany’s Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had hoped the event would demonstrate Aryan supremacy. 1939-45

Troops from the British empire play a crucial role. Around 2,600,000 men and 100,000 women actively serve in the war. There are 1,200 in the Caribbean regiment; 5,500 in the RAF as ground crew; 300 Africans and Caribbeans in the RAF as air crew; 13 Victoria Crosses are awarded to “colonial soldiers”; and the UK imports huge quantities of grain, tea, fish and other commodities from the British empire. 1945

Trinidadian-born George Padmore organises a Pan-African Conference in Manchester. Padmore becomes one of the most powerful ambassadors for Pan-Africanism, which advocates the linking in solidarity of black people across the world. In attendance at the conference are many future leaders including Jomo Kenyatta (first president of Kenya), and Kwame Nkrumah (first president of Ghana). 1948

The Afrikaner nationalists take power in South Africa and legalise white domination under what is known as apartheid (derived from the Afrikaans word for separateness). South Africans are divided into different racial categories: whites, coloureds (mixed race people), Indians and Pakistanis, and Bantus (black Africans). From its very inception the system sparks opposition. 1957

Ghana gains independence, becoming one of the first African states free of colonialism, led by Kwame Nkrumah. 1957

Althea Gibson becomes the first black Wimbledon champion. In 1975, Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the title. 1960

Mauritania, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria and Gabon are among more than a dozen African states that gain their independence. British prime minister Harold Macmillan acknowledges that the British Empire is crumbling, declaring that a “wind of change” is blowing through Africa. 1960

In South Africa, 69 peaceful anti-apartheid demonstrators are killed by police in the Sharpeville massacre 1961

Patrice Lumumba, first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is murdered. His death sparks outrage and demonstrations across the world. 1963

The March on Washington, where Martin Luther King makes his famous 'I have a dream' speech. 1964

Nelson Mandela and other ANC leaders are sent to prison by the apartheid regime. The struggle for their release spawns a mass movement across the world. Many South African exiles, both black and white, move to the UK

1968 Tommie Smith and John Carlos give the black power salute during a medal ceremony at the Mexico Olympics. The effect at the time is electrifying, as a defiant image of black power is beamed around the world.

1969

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is published. 1974-75

The Portuguese colonies Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique gain their independence after a long struggle. 1976

Demonstrations begin in South Africa against the teaching in schools of Afrikaans (the language of the country’s white rulers). In Soweto the police fire on unarmed crowds, killing hundreds. One of the first children killed is 12-year-old Hector Pieterson. 1977 Steve Biko, a South African black consciousness leader, is killed in police custody. 1980

White rule ends in Rhodesia after a bloody struggle, and the state of Zimbabwe is declared. Robert Mugabe becomes prime minister and stays in power until 2017. 1984

Cape Town’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu wins the Nobel peace prize for his outspoken criticism of the apartheid regime. Meanwhile, an international boycott of cultural and trade links with South Africa grows. 1994

Nelson Mandela, released from prison in 1990, is elected president of a multiracial South Africa. 1997

Kofi Annan is the first sub- Saharan African to be elected to the top position within the United Nations as he takes on the role of secretary general. 2004

Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai becomes the first African woman to receive the Nobel peace prize. 2005

A flood in New Orleans throws into bold relief the problems of class, race, and the persistent legacy of slavery in the US. The black urban poor are seen to get little assistance from the government, in the full glare of the international media.

2006

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf takes office as president of Liberia, becoming African’s first elected female head of state. Joyce Banda becomes the second, in Malawi in 2014. 2008

Barack Obama is elected as the first African American president of the United States 2010

South Africa hosts the football World Cup finals, the first time the tournament has been held in Africa. 2011

South Sudan separates from Sudan and becomes Africa’s 54th independent nation. 2011

Mark Duggan is shot dead by the police in Tottenham, north London. His killing sparks riots which quickly spread across the UK. A Guardian investigation, Reading the Riots, shows mistrust of the police is a major factor in the unrest. February 2012

Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, is shot dead by George Zimmerman.A year later, after Zimmerman is acquitted of Martin’s murder, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter is used for the first time. 2013

Malorie Blackman, author of Noughts and Crosses, becomes the UK’s children’s laureate. 2013

Britain expresses regret and agrees to pay compensation to those it had tortured during the Mau Mau’s 1950s uprising against colonial rule in Kenya. Veterans of the insurgency had won a legal action in the High Court. 2014

12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, takes the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Over the following years, black movie-making reaches new heights: hits include Get Out, Hidden Figures and Moonlight. Biggest hit of all is the Marvel superhero movie, Black Panther, one of the most-watched movies of all time. July 2014

Eric Garner dies after being put in a chokehold by arresting officers in Staten Island, New York. In the video later released, he is heard pleading “I can’t breathe” 11 times. August 2014

Michael Brown, 18, is shot six times by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Large scale protests take place. Demonstrators, who believe he was surrendering to the police when shot, chant, “Hands up, Don’t shoot.” Black Lives Matter becomes an internationally known campaign. November 2014

Tamir Rice, 12, is shot dead by a police officer while holding a toy gun. 2015

Chineke!, an orchestra for black and minority-ethnic musicians, is founded. In 2017 the orchestra performs at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. March 2015

The Rhodes Must Fall campaign begins to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Rhodes, a 19th-century mining magnate and politician, was seen as an ardent British imperialist and white supremacist. A month later the statue is removed. But the campaign moves to Oxford university, where another statue of him sits within Oriel college. The college refuses to take down the statue but, years later, it reconsiders its decision. 2015

A database is established at University College London, aiming to record every individual compensated by Britain at the abolition of slavery in 1833, and to show how widespread slave ownership was. Also in 2015, Britain’s bill to pay those slaveowners is finally paid off - after 182 years. June 2015

Nine African-Americans are shot dead by a white supremacist during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina. 2016

Sarah Reed dies in Holloway prison, London. Reed, who had suffered from mental illness following the death of her baby daughter in 2003, had in a separate incident been violently assaulted by a police officer. 2016

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is opened in Washington DC. The biggest museum of its kind, it demonstrates the significance of African Americans in US and world history. President Obama leads the opening ceremony. September 2016

Colin Kaepernick, an African- American footballer, chooses not to stand during the national anthem during a preseason game. He explains: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour.” He is vilified, but “taking a knee” becomes a symbol of resistance to racial oppression across the world. January 2017

Barack Obama ends his term as US president, to be replaced by Donald Trump, who used racist messaging throughout his election campaign. 2017

Edward Enninful becomes editor-in-chief of British Vogue magazine. His multi-ethnic first edition features mixed-race model Adwoa Aboah on the cover. Vanessa Kingori becomes the magazine’s publishing director. August 2017

White supremacists rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. They march shouting racist and antisemitic slogans. On the second day of the protests, a neo-Nazi deliberately drives into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing Heather Heyer. President Trump says there are very fine people on both sides". 2018

A Guardian investigation reveals that thousands of Caribbean migrants who had the right to settle in the UK have been denied NHS treatment and legal rights, wrongly detained, or in some cases deported. A public outcry ensues because these people and their families had been invited to Britain to help it rebuild after the second world war. 2018

Hollywood actor Meghan Markle wows the nation as she weds Prince Harry. Invited performers include cellist prodigy Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and London gospel singers the Kingdom Choir. 2018

DNA analysis of a 10,000-year-old skeleton found in Cheddar Gorge suggests that the first modern Britons had dark brown skin.

2018

Somali-born Ilhan Omar and African-American Ayanna Pressley are elected to the US Congress. Together with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib they form “The Squad”, four women of colour pushing for progressive change. 2020

Covid-19 spreads across the planet, killing thousands, and disproportionately impacting on Black, Asian and minority-ethnic people. Health workers and those in frontline jobs face the biggest risks from the coronavirus. February 2020

Ahmaud Arbery, while out jogging near Brunswick in Georgia, is confronted by two white residents and shot dead. Initially police take no action, but when the video of the incident is made public and goes viral, charges are brought. 2020

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year- old medical worker, is shot dead by plainclothes police officers while asleep in her home in Louisville, Kentucky. 25 May 2020

George Floyd, arrested in Minneapolis is filmed being held down by the neck, under the knee of a white police officer, Derek Chauvin. Passers-by protest, but another officer prevents them intervening. After four minutes Floyd loses consciousness, but in total Chauvin holds his knee down for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Protests immediately spring up: people take to the streets across America. As public anger grows, Chauvin is charged with second- degree murder. The protests grow globally, as the sense of injustice over Floyd’s death resonates with racial minorities elsewhere. June 2020

After the killing of Rem'mie Fells and Riah Milton, two black trans women, in the US within 24 hours, a campaign grows declaring that Black Trans Lives Matter. 8 June 2020

Demonstrators in Bristol target a city-centre statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston. He had personally been involved in transporting 84,000 people into slavery, around 19,000 of whom had died during the transatlantic voyage. The protestors tear down his statue, then drag it through the streets and throw it into the nearby river Avon. Historian David Olusoga says: “This was not an attack on history. This is history.” 2020

Black Lives Matter - a movement for change sweeps the world

I want to find out more about Black History:

• Beautiful struggle: black history reimagined – in pictures: https://www.google.com/search?q=Beautiful+struggle%3A+black+history+reimagined+%E2%80%9 3+in+pictures&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB876GB876&oq=Beautiful+struggle%3A+black+history+reimagine d+%E2%80%93+in+pictures&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 • A History of black scientists: https://twitter.com/ASBMB/status/963136906933481472 • Black History at the Oscars: https://cnsmaryland.org/2017/02/23/black-history-at-the-oscars/ • 44 of the Best Books by Black Authors You Should Read in Your Lifetime: https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/g26187205/best-books-black-authors/ • 12 poems to read for Black History month: https://poets.org/12-poems-read-black-history-month • These 11 Black Poets Wrote The Decade’s Best Poetry Collections: https://medium.com/@blackstewnews/these-11-black-poets-served-the-decades-best-poetry- collections-b698c9fb43f4 • Black Arts Forum: https://www.blackartsforum.co.uk/about-us