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Black History Month is an annual observance that originated in the US but is now officially recognised by governments in Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK.
The month provides an opportunity for full recognition of the contributions and achievements of the UK’s black community.
On 25 September, prime minister Boris Johnson said that Black British people “continue to leave an indelible mark upon every sphere of life in Britain.
He continued: “As we celebrate throughout October, we not only look back with enormous gratitude to the African-Caribbean community for your huge contribution to Britain – we also look forward with great optimism for the future of our great country, and for the chance for us all to share in that bright future.”
The theme for this year’s Black History Month is “Proud To Be”. It encourages people of all ages to share what they are proud to be on social media and was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Demonstrations against police violence and racial injustice took place across the globe last year following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
On 25 June, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for second-degree murder.
Generation after generation, activists have sought to make a change and highlight the racial disparities and systemic racism that exists in society.
From abolitionist Harriet Tubman to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, there have been thousands of men and women who have fought against racial oppression over the years by providing an insight into the lived experiences of black people and calling on populations to be actively anti-racist in their attitudes.
Show all 23 1 /2323 powerful messages from black activists throughout history 23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Martin Luther King, Civil Rights Leader "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Dorothy Height, Women's and Civil Rights Activist "Civil rights are civil rights. There are no persons who are not entitled to their civil rights. We have to recognise that we have a long way to go, but we have to go that way together."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Author and Activist "Race doesn't really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don't have that choice."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Michelle Obama, Former US First Lady "Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of colour to deal with it. It’s up to all of us – black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Barack Obama, Former US President "We have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal' - whether it's while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park. This shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America. It can't be 'normal'. If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history James Baldwin, Author "The American idea of racial progress is measured by how fast I become white."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Harriet Tubman, Abolitionist and Activist "There was one of two things I had a right to: liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would take the other, for no man should take me alive. I should fight for liberty as long as my strength lasted."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Angela Davis, Writer and Activist "We have no intention of stopping this fight until we have eradicated every single remnant of racism in this country."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Maya Angelou, American Poet "Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Audre Lorde, Poet "Women responding to racism means women responding to anger. Anger of exclusion, of unquestioned privilege, of racial distortions, of silence, ill-use, stereotyping, defensiveness, misnaming, betrayal, and co-optation."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Ida B. Wells, Journalist and Civil Rights Activist "Virtue knows no colour line, and the chivalry which depends upon complexion of skin and texture of hair can command no honest respect."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Ella Baker, Human Rights Activist "Until the killing of black men, black mothers' sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother's son, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Rosa Parks, Activist "As far back as I can remember, I knew there was something wrong with our way of life when people could be mistreated because of the colour of their skin."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Kofi Annan, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate "Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Host and Philanthropist "I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that's how I operate my life."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Desmond Tutu, Human Rights Activist "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Bell Hooks, American Author "I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance."
23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Claudette Colvin, Civil Rights Activist "I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can't sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say: 'This is not right'."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Eldridge Cleaver, Political Activist and Author "You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem."
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23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Unita Blackwell, Politician and Civil Rights Activist "Change depends on people knowing the truth. Change depends on people speaking that truth out loud. That's what movements do. Movements educate people to the truth. They pass along information and ideas that many others do not know, and they cause them to ask questions, to challenge their own long-held beliefs. Movements are the way ordinary people get more freedom and justice. Movements are how we keep a check on power and those who abuse it."
23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Ruby Bridges, Civil Rights Activist "Kids know nothing about racism. They’re taught that by adults."
23 powerful messages from black activists throughout history Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist and Orator "It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake."
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Click through the gallery above to read some words on racial injustice from black activists throughout history.
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