Black History Month must be more than just a month of remembrance; it should be a tribute to our history and reminder of the work that lies in the months and years ahead. -Marty Meehan

Black History Month is an annual celebration of the achievements of those who are part of the black community. Though it is traditionally celebrated in the United States, its celebration is now popular in the UK. Black History Month began on Tuesday 1st October and ends on Thursday 31st October. But, should there really be just one month to celebrate black history?

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” Said Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut

“Freedom is never given; it is won.” Said A. Philip Randolph, civil rights activist

For many years, black people fought for their rights. Civil Rights. Human Rights. They went on a seemingly never-ending rollercoaster of setbacks & successes and despite all of the failures they experienced, the black society has gone from being obliged to (by law) surrender their seats on a bus to white passengers to having a more diverse society whereby more black citizens are ,for example, enrolling into universities where their race is in minority such as Amy King who was the first black woman to attend Cambridge University.

“You are twice as likely to get into @UniofOxford as a white applicant (24%) than a black applicant (12%). Why? 1/4 Oxford colleges did not admit a single black student in a whole year group at least once between 2015-17. 8 colleges less than 1% black. Why?” said David Lammy MP, 23 May 2018. This is shocking.

However, there is no point dwelling on these facts and the next step should be: What are we going to do about it?

What I’d like to see to come out of black history month, is not just the celebration of black success but also finding a way to spread the message that ‘we should all be treated equally and are all human’ and that, as said by Martin Luther King, people should " live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”

When Black History Month comes around next year, don’t just focus on black history month being a month of remembrance but also look to the future and consider how we can better our society.

By Eve Okubadejo