4 October 2018 - drug dealer Zakaria Mohammed, 21, who trafficked teenagers to sell heroin and crack cocaine through his "county lines" narcotics network is  jailed for 14 years.

Mohammed groomed them before transporting them from Birmingham to rural Lincolnshire.

West Midlands Police said it was the first time a drug dealer had been convicted of trafficking children under the Modern Slavery Act.He admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and trafficking charges.

Police said Mohammed, from Aston in Birmingham, was "cynical, deliberate and ruthless" in befriending young and vulnerable children, aged 14 and 15 at the time, to use as a commodity to further his drug-dealing business.

Children, who had previously been reported as missing to the force, were found inside three flats in Lincoln when police conducted raids and recovered money, drugs and weapons.

With thanks to the BBC for the above information. Picture -Sky News

3 October 1989 - Nigerian Cartoonist, begins a regular series of cartoons in the The Voice Newspape, Britains biggest Black Newspaper.."Our Roots" which highlights the importance of Black history. The aim of the feature remains to focus on Black achievers in the diaspora. The series played a crucial role in  educating and informing  about Black history through illustrations with about 50 to 70 words to accompany the pictures.

2 October 2019 -Diane Abbott became the first black MP at PMQs despatch box. Shadow Home secretary Diane Abbott became the first black MP to represent their party at Prime Minister's Questions.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson attending the Conservative Party conference Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab represented the government, and Diane Abbott took the place of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

With thanks to The BBC for the above information.

1 October 2019 -Reggae legend Bob Marley is  honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque at the London house he lived at when he finished recording the ground-breaking album Exodus.

The plaque marks where Marley lived with his band the Wailers in 1977 at 42 Oakley Street, in Chelsea.

It comes after a drive to uncover more addresses of ethnic minority figures.

Marley and the Wailers' famous Exodus album included hits such as Jamming, Three Little Birds and One Love.

Marley also gave a different address during an arrest for cannabis possession in 1977 to prevent the police from searching the house in Oakley Street for drugs.

English Heritage confirmed the house was the band's headquarters and Marley's primary address from contemporary reports.

With thanks to The BBC for the above information.

30 September 2004 -The ninth annual MOBO Awards ceremony took place on 30 September 2004 at the Royal Albert Hall in London and was broadcast by BBC Television. Winners included:

Best Single: Jamelia(Pictured) Best UK Newcomer: Estelle Best Hip Hop: Kanye West UK Act of the Year: Dizzee Rascal/ Jamelia Best Video: Jamelia - See It In A Boy's Eyes Best Reggae: Sean Paul  

29 September 2010 - the BlackPoppyRose is  launched  by Selena Carty. Created to be a symbol that represents the contributions made by the African/Black/Caribbean/Pacific Islands communities to various wars since the 16th century. A symbol that signifies pride, honour and glory, with the hope that future generations will be inspired by these largely untold historical legacies.

28 September 2022 - Stormzy urged the music industry to take diversity more seriously, as he was honoured at Wednesday AIM Awards.

The rapper was named Diversity Champion for his efforts to "level the playing field" through his charities Merky Foundation and Merky Books.

"I encourage everyone in the room today to not just use diversity as a buzzword," he said in his speech.

"Whatever position you're in... let that be a driving factor, and not just see it as a quota or a box to tick."

Addressing a room full of music industry executives, he stressed "the worth and the value" of embracing a wide range of voices in the workplace.

According to the latest figures from UK Music, 22% of people working in the music industry are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds; while women hold 49.6% of industry roles.

However, career progression for these groups remains sluggish, with representation tailing off in higher age and income brackets.

Stormzy's Merky Foundation has pledged £10m over 10 years to organisations and charities "committed to fighting for racial equality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK".

It currently supports the Black Heart Foundation, which aims to improve access to education for underprivileged children, and partners with Cambridge University to award £20,000 scholarships to black students.

Thanks to The BBC for the above information

27 September 2018 -  The biggest ever survey on NHS pay by ethnicity carried out by NHS Digital  reveals Black doctors in the NHS are paid on average almost £10,000 a year less and black nurses £2,700 less than their white counterparts. 

The revelations, based on analysis of 750,000 staff salaries in the NHS in England, prompted claims of racial discrimination.

Black female doctors earn £9,612 a year less and black male doctors £9,492 a year less than white ones, the research exercise by NHS Digital, the service’s statistical arm, found.

Black men working in the NHS across all job types earn £5,796 less than white peers and £7,272 less than the average male pay. The equivalent gaps for black women are much smaller but still visible, at £1,980 and £2,172 respectively.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the chair of the British Medical Association, the doctors’ union, said: “BME doctors make up more than a third of the medical workforce and play a vital role, day in day out, delivering care to patients across the country. Yet these figures confirm that they, alongside wider NHS staff, continue to face unacceptable barriers, penalties and discrimination in the health service.

“It cannot be right that in 21st-century Britain there are such wide gaps in pay between white and BME doctors when, irrespective of their background, they hold positions to deliver the same care to patients.”

With thanks to The Guardian for the above information.

27 September 2021 - England all-rounder Moeen Ali  announces his retirement from Test cricket, but will continue to play in limited-overs internationals.

Moeen, 34, scored 2,914 runs and took 195 wickets in 64 Tests, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in 2014.

He won the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and is in England's preliminary squad for this year's T20 World Cup.

"I want to play for as long as I can and I just want to enjoy my cricket," Moeen said.

"I've enjoyed Test cricket but that intensity can be too much sometimes and I feel like I've done enough of it and I'm happy and content with how I've done."

The left-handed batter and off-spinner hit five centuries and took five five-wicket hauls in Tests, finishing with a batting average of 28.29 and a bowling average of 36.66.

Only 15 bowlers have taken more Test wickets for England and Moeen is ranked third among English spinners, behind Derek Underwood (297) and Graeme Swann (255).

In 2017, Moeen became the fifth-fastest player in terms of matches played to reach 2,000 runs and 100 wickets, also taking a hat-trick against South Africa that year to seal a series win at The Oval.

He was part of the 2015 Ashes winning side but struggled during the 2017-18 series in Australia and took a break from cricket after being dropped during the 2019 Ashes at home.

With thanks to The BBC for the above information 

 26 September 1914 - The first 28,500 Indian Army troops arrived on the Western Front . They played a crucial role in holding the line and are said to have arrived just ‘in the nick of time’ as recalled by  Lord Hardinge in the House of Lords, July 1917, IOR/L/MIL/17/5/2383, p. 19; Philip Mason, A Matter of Honour (London, 1986), pp. 412–14.

With thanks to the British Library for the above information.

25 September 2021 -Oleksandr Usyk is the new WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion of the world after, in a riveting display of skill and nerve, he outpointed Anthony Joshua to win a clear and unanimous decision. His commanding victory was not a shock because the unbeaten Ukrainian is a former undisputed world cruiserweight champion and, before the fight, there was widespread consensus among boxing’s cognoscenti that Usyk is a much more natural and gifted fighter than Joshua.

The supremely confident new champion showcased his enviable ringcraft throughout the fight and, long before the end, Joshua looked dispirited and a little lost. The outgoing champion’s huge physical advantages over Usyk mattered little on a night when intelligence and skill trumped brute force. In the end it was Joshua who was being pummelled on the ropes and looking close to being stopped. He stuck out his tongue at Usyk but it was a forlorn gesture of defiance. Usyk simply poured on more pressure before the final bell confirmed his victory.

With thanks to The Guardian for the above information.

24 September 1982 -Eight youths are arrested and charged when fighting took place in Newham, East London, between a group of Asian youths and three police officers in plain clothes. Following a number of racist attacks at the Little Ilford school, a number of Asians had banded together to protect themselves and their fellow pupils from further assault. Police officers called out to an incident tried to arrest a youth who was carrying a hockey stick. Others, believing they were being attacked by racists, went to his aid.

At first, the youths were charged only with offences of threatening behaviour, criminal damage, assault and possession of offensive weapons, but in December, all eight were further charged with the much more serious offence of conspiracy to assault persons unknown. When the case came to trial, the conspiracy charge was dropped.

The prosecution maintained that the defendants were part of a 'vigilante group' that was out for revenge against a group of white people. The defence maintained, however, that the defendants had no motive other than self-defence against racial attack.

The trial ended in December [1983] with four defendants convicted and four acquitted. The jury convicted four of the youths on the most serious charge of affray but rejected all the other charges save for one count of common assault.

With thanks to The Runnymede Trust for the above information. 

23 September 2005 - The Slave Trade Arts Memorial Project (STAMP) erect  a Captured Africans Memorial in Lancaster to commemorate the victims of the Slave Trade.

‎During the slave trade, Lancaster had the fourth-largest port in Great Britain. The memorial, sculpted by Kevin Dalton-Johnson, is built into the shape of a ship .

With thanks also to The Root for the above information.

21 September 1991 - Following an eagerly awaited rematch on 21 September 1991 at White Hart Lane, Michael Watsons life changed forever. This time the vacant WBO super middleweight title was up for grabs. In round 11, with Watson ahead on points and seemingly on the verge of a stoppage victory, he knocked Eubank down with a right hook. Moments later, Eubank was back on his feet and connected with a devastating uppercut, which caused Watson to fall back and hit the back of his head against the ropes. Referee Roy Francis stopped the fight in round 12, after which Watson collapsed in the ring. There was no ambulance or paramedic at the event. Doctors wearing dinner jackets arrived after some eight minutes, during which time the fallen fighter received no oxygen. A total of 28 minutes elapsed before Watson received treatment in a hospital neurosurgical unit. He spent 40 days in a coma and had six brain operations to remove a blood clot. After regaining consciousness, he spent over a year in intensive care and rehabilitation and six more years in a wheelchair while he slowly recovered some movement and regained the ability to speak and write. Peter Hamlyn, the consultant neurosurgeon who operated on Watson, said in 2010, "I think back to those first days, and the milestone moments. The first eight months were so depressing. He couldn't hear, couldn't speak, couldn't walk. Slowly, he clawed it all back. So extraordinary.

20 September 2022 - Pop singer Ed Sheeran has paid tribute to Jamal Edwards, saying he owed his career to his late friend's support. The star was speaking at a memorial for Edwards, who founded the online music platform SBTV and was made an MBE for services to music in 2014.

The entrepreneur died in February at the age of 31.

"I really don't think I would have been given the opportunities that I was given had it not been for Jamal putting his arm around me," Sheeran said.

"I was slogging on the acoustic singer-songwriter scene for a very long time, just blending in... And Jamal was this sort of tastemaker."

Edwards gave Sheeran his first break on in 2010, getting him to perform the future single You Need Me, I Don't Need You on his YouTube channel.

That video was how the star's manager, Stuart Camp, and record label Atlantic first discovered him.

"A lot of people assume that [because] I write songs and I perform, I probably would" have become famous anyway, Sheeran said.

"I actually don't agree with that... I was one of many.

"I really don't think I would have been allowed through certain doors if it hadn't been for Jamal," he continued, adding: "He was just all about finding people and showing people new opportunities, at a time where the industry was mostly based in London."

With thanks to The BBC for the above information

19 September 2017 - Hamza Choudhury, a British Footballer whose parents are of Bangladeshi descent, plays for Leicester City, making him the first player of Bangladeshi descent to play in the Premier League. See Hall of Fame for more details on Hamza.  

18 September 1997 - The Holy Virgin Mary  a painting created by Chris Ofili in 1996  is  one of the works included in the Sensation exhibition in London, Berlin and New York in 1997–2000. The 1996 painting was "enhanced" with Elephant Dung. The subject of the work, and its execution, caused considerable controversy in New York, with Rudolph Giuliani – then Mayor of New York City – describing Ofili's work as "sick". In 1998, Ofili was the first black artist to be awarded the Turner Prize.

17 September 2002 - Rising R&B star Ms Dynamite wins the Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, A Little Deeper.

16 September 2016 -Hosted by Asian Business Publications, Ltd (ABPL), the Asian Achievers Awards is  held  at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel . The Event continues to  highlight individuals who are making a difference and excelling in their respective professions.

Since launching in 2000, the Asian Achievers Awards has helped to raise millions of pounds for charity and this year the chosen charity partner is the Indian Ocean Disaster Relief (IODR). The money raised will go towards victims of the tragic Nepal earthquake.

Winners from 2015 include noted author Romesh Gunasekera; human rights campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera; cricket star Moeen Ali; businessman and philanthropist Lord Rumi Verjee and Lance Corporal Tuljung Gurung, who was awarded the Military Cross for his heroics on the Afghan front.

15 September 2010 -Trinidad-born Frank Crichlow,dies. Frank Crichlow was dedicated to fighting for rights of the UK’s black community.He sprung to national awareness because of the 1970 Mangrove Trials

14 September 2017 -Sampha's debut album, Process, wins the 2017 Mercury Prize

12 September 2016 - Hidayat Inayat Khan ,British-French classical composer, conductor and Representative-General of the International Sufi Movement dies aged 99. See Hall of Fame  for full biography  

11 September 2016 -Family, politicians and firefighters honour one of the first black men to serve in the army and the London Fire Brigade, with a Blue Plaque being unveiled at his Camberwell home.

Born in Trinidad in 1890, George Arthur Roberts served in the First World War and went on to become a firefighter throughout the Blitz and rest of the Second World War.

In 1944 he was awarded the British Empire Medal “for general duties at New Cross Fire Station” and for his part as a founder and pioneer of the Discussion and Education groups of the fire service.

With thanks to Southwark News for the above information 

10 September 1969 -  The Race Relations Board loses it's first prosecution under recent  Race Relations legislation. Judgement was given against the Race Relations Board on a technicality. The defendants, Messrs. George H. Haigh & Co., when developing a new housing estate in Huddersfield, had entered into lease agreements with prospective customers but had refused to do so with the complainant on the grounds of his colour. A case was brought by the Race Relations Board. According to Runnymede Director, Dipak Nandy, the rest of the judgement deserved emphasis.

"First, Judge McKee decided unequivocally that discrimination had occurred. Secondly, he rejected two of the three arguments presented by the defendants... that at the time of the alleged act of discrimination there were no completed houses for sale, and that an incomplete house was not 'housing accommodation' under the terms of the Act. Thirdly, the only reason for dismissing the Board's application was that the committee which had investigated the case had, at the time, not had formal approval from the Home Secretary. Thus, as Judge McKee put it, this case 'was and must remain unique in that a technical defence which had nothing to do with the merits had been raised that could never again be put forward.' Such a situation, therefore, cannot arise again.

Finally, the chief executive of Messrs. Haigh & Co. is reported to have said that, as a result of this case, his firm's policy of not selling houses to coloured persons would have to be altered. The main objective of the Race Relations Act is not to punish the discriminator, but to alter discriminatory conduct. It is clear that, although the Board lost the case on technical grounds, the main objective of the law has been achieved in this case."

With thanks to  The Runnymede Trust for the above information.

9 September  2003 - Underground urban artist Dizzee Rascal has become the first rapper to win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for his Album Boy in da Corner.