London Init!
"This annual festival has taken place since 1966 in London. It has become one of the biggest street festivals in Europe. It celebrates the British West Indian community and encourages cultural unity."
Notting Hill Carnival
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A recent study determined that this 28 time Grammy Award winner is the most name dropped celebrity in all of music.
Beyoncé
In 2022, she became the first openly queer black woman to win an Academy Award.
Arianna DeBose
Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1947
This famous ship arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1973. Many took up jobs in the nascent NHS and other sectors affected by Britain’s post-war labor shortage.
HMT Empire Windrush
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."
Langston Hughes
In 2009, this singer/songwriter questioned why Eminem was so "Obsessed" with her in the hit song of the same name.
Mariah Carey
This legendary R&B singer is the only artist to win Album of the Year for three consecutive releases.
Stevie Wonder
The Race Relations Act, which made racial discrimination in public places illegal in the UK, was passed in this year.
1965
This British rapper, last name Omoregie, has gained acclaim for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay.
Dave
Nothing will work unless you do."
Maya Angelou
In "Vossi Bop", UK Rapper Stormzy states that "I'm James Bond, tryna live my movie" like this prolific actor.
Idris Elba
Often heard uttering his catchphrase "Yea Boy!", this chef was named to the Order of the British Empire in 2020 for his services to broadcasting and the culinary arts.
Ainsley Harriott
The Mangrove 9, a group of British black activists arrested and later found not guilty for inciting a riot, staged their famous protest in this year.
1970
This British-Jamaican nurse and businesswoman set up the "British Hotel" behind the lines during the Crimean War. She described the hotel as "a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers", and provided succor for wounded service men on the battlefield, nursing many of them back to health.
Mary Seacole
"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!"
Sojourner Truth
In the song "False 9", AJ Tracey claims that he can kick soccer balls like this striker, who retired as the fourth highest scorer in the history of Chelsea F.C.
Didier Drogba
This Benson Medal recipient was the youngest book publisher in UK history.
Margaret Busby
The year August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, which sought to chronicle the African American experience through the 20th Century, saw its first entry, Jitney, published.
1982
After beginning her modeling career at age 15, she became the first Black woman to appear on the cover of French Vogue and the first Black model on the cover of Time.
Naoimi Campbell
"But the people in this town
That try to put me down
Are the people in the town
That could never understand a black man"
Phil Lynott "Ode to a Black Man"
While Bill Russell didn't take no junk, a former Philadelphia 76er was described as having a "Monster Dunk" by hip hop pioneer Kurtis Blow in the hit song Basketball.
Daryl Dawkins
Known for his signature cigar, he was the first black golfer to appear on the PGA Tour, for which he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014.
Charlie Sifford
John Archer was named Mayor of Battersea, becoming the first black Mayor of London.
1913