Black history month has been celebrated in the UK since 1987 in October of each year and was first organised by Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, a special project officer at the Greater London Council (GLC). It was created to recognise the achievements and contributions that Black people have made to the UK for centuries. Black history month in the UK came from an American tradition started by Carter G Woodson, when in 1926 he started the first Negro History week.
Why Black History Month?
The theme of this year’s Black History Month in the UK is Reclaiming Narratives. It’s about correcting narratives and stories from the past and showcasing untold stories and the full background of black heritage in the UK. The theme of 2024s UK Black history month and the main angle of the theme is to highlight and honour Black heroes, which have often been overlooked by history.
Historically in the UK, there have been Black communities that have resided in the country for centuries, due to the UKs involvement in many colonial projects including the transatlantic slave trade. For this article, we are showcasing charities and non-profit organisations run by Black Britons and highlighting the uplifting and proactive work they are doing to reclaim the often negative narratives.
Charities and for-purpose organisations that focus on Black equality in the UK
Black Cultural Archives
The Black Cultural Archives is an organisation that collects, preserves and celebrates the histories of people from African and Caribbean descent in the UK. The organisation was created after the New Cross Massacre of 1981, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984) and was an answer to bridge the gap and under achievement of Black students in education. The main aim of the Black Cultural Archives is to give context and provide history for the Black presence in the UK. The BCA is based in Brixton, South London and the current Managing Director is Lisa Anderson.
African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust/ ACLT
The African- Caribbean Leukaemia Trust is a charity founded by the parents of Daniel De-Gale, Beverley De-Gale and Orin Lewis. Daniel De-Gale was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 1993 and after treatment, Daniel went into remission. However, in 1995 Daniel relapsed and he needed to find a stem cell match for full recovery. His parents were told that due to his ethnicity, there was a 1 in 250,000 chance of finding a donor. In 1996 Beverley and Orin started the ACLT to find a match for their son Daniel. Daniel received donor cells however, unfortunately in 2008 he lost his battle with cancer and sadly passed away.
The aim of the ACLT is to improve the odds of finding matches by registering donors from a range of ethnicities and communities, with emphasis on those from African and Caribbean backgrounds.
Sickle Cell Society
The Sickle Cell Society was established in 1979 and is the only charity in the UK focused on support for people with Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell Disease is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect the red blood cells, carrying oxygen throughout the body. In healthy individuals, red blood cells are smooth, round, and flexible, allowing them to flow easily through blood vessels.
However, in people with sickle cell disease, these cells become stiff and sticky, shaped like a crescent or sickle. This unusual shape makes it difficult for red blood cells to move through blood vessels, leading to blockages that restrict blood flow and oxygen delivery to parts of the body.
Sickle cell is an inherited disease and affects around 17,500 people in the UK and is one of the most common genetic conditions affecting people in England. Sickle Cell Disorder can affect anyone, but it happens to primarily affect people from African and African-Caribbean origin but people can also be from the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, India, South and Central America and East Mediterranean.
The Sickle Cell Society works tirelessly with health care professionals to provide support and guidance to people affected by sickle cell.
Southall Black Sisters
Southall Black Sisters is an organisation that was also set up in 1979 and provides support to Black and minoritised women. This support is in the form of providing advice, guidance and services as a response to gender related violence against women, to empower them to gain more control over their lives as well as seek allies.
Southall Black Sisters provides specialist services by combining advice and advocacy work with ongoing support such as counselling and psychotherapy to victims. They combine crisis intervention work with long-term advocacy and policy and campaigning work. Southall Black Sisters supports women with domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse and honour crimes and other forms of familial abuse.
StopWatch
According to the UK Office of National Statistics, stop and search data highlights there were 24.5 stop and searches for every 1,000 black people, and contrastingly figures were nearly five times lower for white people, 5.9 for every 1,000 in the year 2023. Stop and search is a tool police officers use to search people, where they think they have reasonable grounds for suspicion that an unlawful item is being carried.
Often, based on the disproportionate stops for people of colour in the UK, it can be seen that the process is subject to direct discrimination and unconscious biases. This is where StopWatch comes in. StopWatch was formed in 2010 by a coalition of academics, lawyers, civil society representatives, and community stakeholders and promotes fair, effective, and accountable policing in England and Wales, with a primary focus on stop and search.
StopWatch researches stop and search outcomes to act against disproportionality and injustice. This involves campaigning for evidence-based policies, challenging police malpractice and empowering overpoliced communities, to find solutions for instances of harassment and abuse.
Black Minds Matter
Black Minds Matter is a UK charity operating since 2020. In the wake of the George Floyd murder, founders Agnes Mwakatuma and Annie Heyes set up a crowdfunding page to give people in the UK from Black ethnic groups, the chance to access free therapy. In over a month, 2,600 people signed up to a waiting list to access therapy. Since then, the organisation continues to provide support to Black people in the UK and is aiming to secure more funding to help do this.
These organisations are really changing and reclaiming narratives and they have worked tirelessly, some for decades, to create a more equitable and fair society. At Oxford HR we support charities and non-profits to reach their goals and aims, by providing executive search and leadership development.
Oxford HR have just produced an in-depth report on Inclusion within the Environment Sector, which you can read here.
Dr Grace Mansah-Owusu
Grace is a chartered psychologist, diversity and inclusion expert, trainer, career coach and psychotherapist. She has over twelve years of experience working in people and organisational development, research and facilitation roles in the for purpose sector, academia, transport and logistics and various consultancies. Building on her academic and theoretical knowledge, Grace provides opportunities for people to grow, develop and flourish in the workplace. She is passionate about research, career development and all in all curious about people. Grace has three times been recognised on HR Magazine’s HR Most Influential list for thinkers and practitioners whilst also campaigning for diversity and inclusion within psychology disciplines for over five years. She has also presented at conferences and events for CIPD, HR Magazine, Richmond Events and the British Psychological Society.
