Black History Matters

An important and hard-hitting chronicle of Black history, written by a celebrated Black historian. Winner of the 2020 School & Library Association prize for readers aged 13-16 and the 2020 ALCS Educational Writers' Award.

** Fully revised and updated for the new paperback edition. Includes notes on teaching Black history.

Black history is an integral part of world history. From the injustices of the past and present, we can learn and be inspired to make the world we live in more fair, equal and just.

Black History Matters chronicles thousands of years of Black history, from African kingdoms, to slavery, apartheid, the battle for civil rights, the global Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and much more.

Important and inspiring Black personalities, from Olaudah Equiano to Oprah Winfrey, are highlighted throughout, while achievements and progress are balanced alongside a look at the issues that continue to plague Black communities.

#Blacklivesmatter is a powerful international movement, designed to raise awareness of and end ongoing injustice towards black people. This book is designed to connect with that movement and offer an important resource for all young readers during Black History Month and beyond.

Contents:

Why Black history matters

Chapter 1: The African empires

The lands of the pharaohs

Ancient Egypt

Kush

Egypt thrives and declines

North African invasions

Ethiopia

The West African desert empires

The Nigeria region

Munhumutapa

The East African coast

Chapter 2: The transatlantic slave trade

The transatlantic slave trade begins

A trade in human misery

Life as a slave

Growing resistance

Abolition

The legacy of the slave trade

Chapter 3: Colonialism

The Scramble for Africa

The Pan-African Congresses

An independent Africa

Southern Africa and apartheid

Chapter 4: The African diaspora

African-Americans in the USA

The fight for civil rights

Change at last

The Windrush generation

Being Black in the UK

Black Lives Matter and George Floyd

Black Lives Matter in the UK

Black history today

Teaching Black history

Glossary

Further information

Timeline

Index