25 July 1977 - Len Garrison, historian, poet and educationist launches ACER (Afro-Caribbean Education Resource) . Its aim was to give black children a sense of identity and belonging to be proud of, and one that could be traced back to their African roots. It would make them black British citizens, with a part to play in multi-cultural Britain.

In his work on Rastafari and identity Garrison drew the conclusion that the British education system was failing black children as it denied the reality or existence of black history or culture. He believed that "Given the right opportunity [Black children] can become an asset to [British] society." He argued that what was required was an educational resource that was multi-cultural, recognising and acknowledging black history. 

23 July 2011 - Amir Khan retains and gains a World Championship Title vs Zab Judah, He wins the International Boxing Federation World Super Welterweight Title and retains his World Boxing Association Super World Super Welterweight Title at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

The fight was broadcast on Primetime in UK and HBO in USA.Khan started the fight with a left jab. Round 1 saw a busy Amir Khan as he fought from the outside and kept Judah away with jabs and straights. All four rounds were taken by Khan. Ultimately on the fifth round Zab was taken down with a right uppercut to the body, in which at first commentators believed it was a low blow, since Judah was showing signs of agonising pain, but when it was seen from a different camera angle, it was right on the belt, leading to an 18th knockout for Khan in his career so far. 

Over 5 rounds, Khan landed 61 of 284 total punches (21%) and Judah landed 20 of 115 (17%). For the fight, Khan earned $1,072,500 and Judah had a $500,000 purse. The fight averaged 1.4million viewers on HBO, peaking at 1.417million viewers.

 22 July 2017 -  Rashan Charles, a 20-year-old Black British man dies following contact with an officer from the Metropolitan Police in Dalston. Charles died after a police officer tried to recover an object Charles was reported to have swallowed. The incident sparked numerous protests since it was the second death of a young black man in London following police contact in just over a month.

Background

The Metropolitan Police stated the incident took place after a vehicle stop in Kingsland Road, Dalston at 1:45 am on Saturday 22 July 2017. Charles fled the vehicle and was pursued by police into a shop, where he placed an object into his mouth and resisted arrest. The officer threw Charles to the ground, held him down by the neck, and tried to reach inside Charles' mouth. A member of the public helped him restrain Charles. Charles subsequently "became ill" and was taken to Royal London Hospital where he died. The object Charles tried to swallow was reportedly recovered at the scene.

Response

The video of Charles' contact with the police was widely shared on social media platforms.The National Union of Students Black Students' Campaign tweeted that Charles had been "murdered" by the Metropolitan Police.

Friends and family of Charles called for action to be taken against the officer involved, suggesting protests could take place otherwise. A friend of Charles told The Independent "Rash was unarmed and he was not resisting arrest...I just don't understand the whole taking him down to the ground and choking him and handcuffing him" and accused police of abusing their authority. The Independent reported that "community anger over his death could spill over into violence".

Protests

More than 300 protesters attended a demonstration organised by Hackney Stand Up to Racism and Fascism on Monday 24 July. The group stated they were "enormously concerned and angered" by Charles' death and cited both the Death of Edson Da Costa and of Rashan Charles as examples of "seemingly endless list of young black men dying at the hands of the authorities". The protest, a march from the shop where the altercation took place to Stoke Newington police station was described as mostly peaceful but several masked activists chanted "murderers" at police and hurled broken bottles.

More protests were held in Dalston and Hackney on Friday 28 July 2017

21 July 2009 - Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 receives Royal Assent. This act amended the rules so people from outside the European Economic Area had to have residential status for eight years before being eligible for naturalisation. Those seeking naturalisation through wedlock had to be married for five years first.

The act also allowed immigration and customs officers to perform some of each other's roles and imposed a duty on home secretaries to safeguard children.

20 July 2018 - A plumber is  jailed for life for planning a terror attack in Westminster and making bombs for the Taliban. 

Khalid Ali, 28, from Edmonton in north London, was arrested on 27 April 2017 in Parliament Street, London, where he was caught carrying three knives.

It was later revealed that he had spent five years in Afghanistan making bombs.

He will serve with a minimum term of 40 years for preparing an act of terrorism in the UK and two counts of possessing an explosive substance with intent.

With thanks to the BBC for the above information.

19 July 2018 -World champion Lewis Hamilton will race for Mercedes in Formula 1 for at least a further two seasons.

The 33-year-old Briton has signed a new contract with the German manufacturer that lasts until the end of 2020.

BBC Sport understands Hamilton will earn at least £30m a year, rising to a maximum of £40m, depending on bonuses.

The deal makes him Britains highest paid Sports star above World Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Joshua.

Thanks also the BBC for the above information. 

19 July 2020 -Lewis Hamilton issues  a stinging rebuke to the leaders of Formula One(F1) and some of his fellow drivers after the sport’s failure to deliver a coherent anti-racism message before the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton won the race but was highly critical of the lack of progress F1 is making in supporting its stated commitment to tackling racism.

“There definitely is not enough support for it,” he said of the pre-race anti-racism gesture. “Many drivers seem to be of the opinion that they have done it once and are not going to do it again. It’s almost like it has gone off the agenda. It’s lacking leadership. There needs to be leadership from the top.”

At the opening race in Austria there was time set aside for the drivers to make a collective gesture; since then it has been a decidedly ad hoc affair. In Budapest the drivers assembled for the national anthem and once more what followed was shambolic and disorganised at best. Some drivers did not attend, some were late, some did not wear the “End Racism” T-shirts and, again, only some chose to take a knee.

Hamilton, F1’s only black driver, believes the issue is being dismissed by some drivers. “I don’t think it is being taken seriously,” he said. “There are perhaps people who have not grown up around it and don’t understand. There are those that think because of that it doesn’t affect me. I have heard those comments: ‘It doesn’t affect me so why should I do it?’”

He was also disappointed that more was not being achieved and that other teams had not adopted the strong public commitment to diversity that Mercedes have. “We haven’t made any progress,” he said of the sport. “We have said things, statements released and gestures such as kneeling but we have not changed anything except perhaps some of our awareness.”

With thanks to The Guardian for the above information.

18 July 2009 -Amir Khan moves up to the light welterweight division to fight Andreas Kotelnik at the MEN Arena in Manchester for the WBA light welterweight title. Khan won by a unanimous decision, 120–108, 118–111, 118–111, and became the third-youngest Brit to win a world title, at the age of 22.

17 July 2015 - The first female genital mutilation protection order in the UK is obtained by Bedfordshire Police, preventing two young girls thought to be at risk from travelling to Africa.

16 July 2001 - The 850 seater Aakash Resturant in West Yorkshire opens boasting to be the largest Indian Resturant in the World and it is listed as such in the Gusiness Book of Records.Mr Tabassum opened "the world's biggest curry house" in a converted chapel in 2001 after a £1.75 million restoration project.

In 2001, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook declared that "Chicken Tikka Masala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences." He went on to explain that "Chicken Tikka is an Indian dish. The Masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy." The claim that Chicken Tikka Masala is a British "National dish," however met with both acclamation and skeptical opposition.

15 July 1989 - Football superstar Laurie Cunningham formerly of WBA,  Real Madrid ,Man Utd and 6 times for England, is tragically killed in a car crash in the outskirts of Madrid at the age of just 33. 

14 July 2019 - England beat New Zealand to win the men's World Cup for the first time after one of the most amazing games of cricket ever played was tied twice.

In the end having scored 15 in their super over, England turned to World Cup sensation, Jofra Archer to bowl the super over. In the end , he kept his nerve as New Zealand could only tie again, which meant , England were World One Day Champions for the first time ever. 

Adil Rashid who played and Moeen Ali who did not, were also part of the history making squad.

With thanks also to  The BBC for the above information.      

13 July 2022 -Sajid Javid the ex-health secretary, claims a parlimentary sermon inspired him to resign from Boris Johnson's Government - a move that ultimately leads to the resignation of the PrimeMinister himself. 

Rev Les Isaac who led the parliamentary sermon responded: 

" It’s important for all of us, as ministers, men and women who preach publicly, to recognise that our words don’t just carry a good homily or a good sermon, but God’s authority. God’s power, God’s Spirit is at work in and through us. And it makes me think more about the need to hear God’s voice, and to be a channel so that God can speak to men and women, whoever they are, wherever we are. We’ve got to recognise that once we stand up to deliver that word of God, there’s the potential to change people’s lives, people’s attitude, people’s decisions."

Inspired by Article by Christanity Today . 

9 July 2021 - Boxer Chris Eubank's son Sebastian dies days before his 30th birthday. Sebastian had followed his father's footsteps and become a professional boxer.

The British middleweight Eubank Snr said he and his family were "devastated" to hear of his son's death in Dubai, where he lived.

And Chris Eubank Jnr tweeted: "Sorry I wasn't there to watch your back like a big brother's supposed to."

Sebastian, the third-eldest of Eubank Snr's children, leaves behind his wife Salma and son Raheem who was born a month ago, Eubank Snr said.

The Sun newspaper reported that Sebastian had been found dead on the beach after drowning.

In a statement, Eubank Snr said: "Sebastian grew up in Hove in England but in the last few years made his life in Dubai where he had a wide circle of friends and was a leader in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and of alternative therapies.

"As well as being a personal trainer and professional boxer, Sebastian was also a deep thinker who liked to challenge accepted wisdom.

"He was loved and respected by all who knew him and will be forever in the thoughts of friends and family. As a family we now kindly ask to be given space and privacy to celebrate his life and remember the son, the brother, the husband, the friend."

With thanks to The BBC for the above information. 

8 July 2018 - The 3rd Annual UK Black Pride Event takes place in Vauxhall London with thousands taking part in the festivities and events .UK Black Pride is Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQ people. 

6 July 2019 - Former MP who was jailed for lying about a speeding offence is  struck off as a solicitor. Fiona Onasanya was sentenced to three months in prison in January after being convicted of perverting the course of justice. She served 28 days.

The 35-year-old, who subsequently lost her seat as Peterborough MP, had worked in commercial property law.

She was struck off at a disciplinary tribunal which found she had "failed to act with integrity".

The panel of three people said she failed to "uphold the rule of law and proper administration of justice" and "acted dishonestly".

She also "failed to behave in a way that maintains the trust the public places in her", they added.

Ms Onasanya - the first sitting MP since 1991 to be jailed - continued to sit as an MP before she was removed by a recall petition.

She lost an appeal against her conviction in March, but at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal panel she said: "I maintain that I did not do an act tending or intending to pervert the course of public justice."

With thanks to The BBC for the above information.

5 July 2016  - BuzzFeedNews highlights the decision of an individual who started the #UKBlackBusiness tag on Twitter which went viral in the UK and promoted some excellent new black businesses that people may not have heard of 

3 July 2018 - The “appalling treatment” of thousands of Windrush victims shows that the Home Office has become a callous and hostile institution in need of “root and branch reform”, a damning report from the home affairs select committee has found.

The introduction of a barrage of hostile environment policies at the same time as legal aid was removed for immigration cases meant the Windrush generation were unable to get help when they found themselves classified as illegal immigrants, consequently losing their jobs and homes or being denied NHS treatment and unable to travel, the report found.

With thanks to The Guardian for the above information. Photo Yuk Mok/PA 

2 July 2019 - First Ever Rap Uni Degree Launches In The UK. The two year course will take place at the University of Birmingham, the University of Guildford and Middlesex University

The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) has decided to host the new course, in a bid to “find the next Stormzy”, The Telegraph reports.

The course will be run by award-winning rapper ShaoDow at its campuses at the University of Birmingham, the University of Guildford and Middlesex University.

ShaoDow has appeared on Radio 1Xtra and opened up for Stormzy in the past. He was also invited into Parliament recently on behalf of grassroots music venues across Britain.

“When I was young, just asking a question about what to do next is worth more than a degree,” he said.

He told the publication that the course would “generate young people who were business minded and talented enough to make a career out of music while paying their fair share of tax”.

ACM’s Technical Studies for Rappers and MC’s course will investigate each strand of rapper’s profession, including the study of the “4 weapons of rap” (lyricism, flow, delivery, and originality).

With thanks to The Voice for the above information.

1 July 2002 - Brendon Batson is appointed as Managing Director of West Brom Albion in their debut season in the Premier League and the highest profile football management appointment for a Black man in Premiership history . 

30 June 2016 -The erection of a statue of Mary Secole at St Thomas' Hospital, London is unveiled , describing her as a "pioneer nurse",

Mary Jane Seacole OM (néeGrant; 1805 – 14 May 1881 was a British-Jamaican business woman and nurse who set up the "British Hotel" behind the lines during the Crimean War. She described this as "a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers", and provided succour for wounded servicemen on the battlefield. She was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991. In 2004 she was voted the greatest black Briton.

29 June 2019 -Britain's Kal Yafai retains his WBA super-flyweight world title with a unanimous decision win over Norbelto Jimenez in Rhode Island.

It was the unbeaten 30-year-old's fifth successful defence of his crown.

After the win the Birmingham fighter called out the likes of WBC champion Juan Francisco Estrada, and Roman Gonzalez, the former four-division champion.

With thanks to The BBC for the above information.

28 June 2019 -Stormzy becomes the first Black Rapper to headline at the iconic Glastonbury Rock Festival. 

Wearing a stab-proof Union Jack vest, he used his set to highlight inequality in the justice system and the arts.

In lighter moments, he covered Shape Of You and Sweet Like Chocolate, before wrapping up his set with a celebratory Big For Your Boots. 

"This is the greatest night of my entire life," he told the crowd.

Thanks also to The BBC for the above information.

28 June 2021 -  Death of Menelik Shabazz, the director and writer who blazed a trail for black film-makers in the UK. The director died in Zimbabwe of diabetes-related complications. In a statement his family said: “Menelik was a passionate film-maker and forged the way for many black film-makers "

See  Hall of Fame for a biography on Menelik Shabazz. 

27 June 1999 - Skunk Anansie becomes the  first black British artist to headline Glastonbury. 

“I can’t believe we’re headlining the last Glastonbury of the 20th Century!” wailed Skin as her band bestrode the Pyramid Stage. “Neither can we,” was the shrugging response of plenty of the crowd, but their politicised stadium punk proved a more durable match than many people expected.

With thanks also to NME for the above information.