Black History Month

Black History month is celebrated annually in USA, Canada and UK. It celebrates the achievements and contributions of black people in society.

It´s seen as an important part of history as 12% of USA is of an African American background and 4% of UK is of a Black British background.

In the 1700s, Britain was involved in the slave trade between America, Africa and Europe. Liverpool is home to the oldest black community in England. In 1833, slavery was abolished, and the black people in Britain were let free. However, due to racial discrimination and lack of jobs, they were still unequal members of society.

During World War 1 and 2, more immigrants arrived from Africa to fight in the war and from British colonies. However, it was the period after WW2, where there was the biggest influx of black immigrants. They came from the common wealth countries in the Caribbean (along with Indians and Pakistanis) after their countries gained independence.

In the 1970s, 80s and even as recent as 2001, there have been race riots in Britain. This has been due to discrimination and poor living conditions.

In the USA, similar protests took place, with the Civil Rights Movement. They were led by Martin Luther King, whose speech is often quoted ´I have a dream´.

During this month, both African American and Black British icons are celebrated. These include Rosa Parks, Paul Stephenson, Jesse Owens, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zBg_VN2T0c&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57lotnKGF8

Today in Britain, there are many modern icons that people can look up to.