About Us
Our Mission
To become the leading independent body documenting and celebrating Black British achievements in the UK by encouraging African and Caribbean heritage peoples, to learn together about their shared history and to share this with each other and the widen UK population.
Who are we?
International Black History Month UK (IBHM-UK) is supported by IBHM Heritage International, which was formed in June 2020 by a group of Black Britons with a passion for investigating and curating the hidden and forgotten stories of Britain’s black past.
We're committed to raising the profile of Black History Month UK amongst the Black British community and the wider UK population. Our mission is to lead the direction of Black History Month UK and ensure that it exists as a vibrant starting point that educates people on the achievements and contributions African and Caribbean heritage peoples have made to the UK’s history and culture.
We are a local community group, and all monies raised are used to support the administration of the organisation and the delivery of our projects.
We champion Black British voices and are one of the main custodians of documenting Black British history.
Why we do it?
Black History Month UK was the brainchild of Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, a special projects officer at the Greater London Council. He wanted to boost the self-esteem of Black British children and young adults who were struggling to deal with the overt racism of the time by educating them on the achievements of Black people in the UK and across the globe.
Taking inspiration from Black History Month (also known as African-American History Month) in the United States. The first official event took place on 1st October 1987 at County Hall. The keynote speaker was ILEA (Inner London Education Authority) deputy leader Bernard Wiltshire, and presentations were made by American historian Dr Maulana Karenga and Kenyan women’s activist Wanjiru Kihoro.
It has since evolved into a national movement that is focused on Black British History and is observed throughout the UK. International Black History Month is also recognised in Ireland, Italy, Germany and Netherlands in October and Canada in February.
