Black History Month

For UNISON, Black History Month is a time to acknowledge and celebrate achievements of Black people throughout history.

Black History and Black British History in particular, is often marginalised.

So Black History Month is a key time to acknowledge achievements and provide an opportunity to discuss wider issues affecting the Black community.

UNISON’s support for Black History Month

UNISON has long campaigned and is proud to support Black History Month. But our commitment to inclusion and equality lasts a lot longer than four weeks each year. It goes deep into the heart of our union and helps to explain why we are the UK’s leading public service union.

The history of Black trade unionism

Challenging Racism in the Workplace

Challenging Racism in the Workplace is toolkit designed by UNISON in the wake of the MacPhearson Inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence.

It is vital to our work. The guidance and its associated training courses offer a range of resources, ideas and checklists for the incorporation of anti-racist work, which includes the Race Discrimination Claims Protocol formulated in 2010 by UNISON.

UNISON’s continued affiliation with Black Mental Health UK, Show Racism the Red Card, African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, UK Black Pride, one of the main sponsors at the Notting Hill Carnival, Stand Up to Racism and Protecting Public Services through our Champions Campaign are all part of the drive to deliver equality for all

As a trade union, UNISON recognises all members and activists work and contributions to improve the working lives and defend the rights of our members; but we must ensure that we also remember our legacy of not only what we do in our trade union and the labour movement but also of our different cultures and diversity across the globe.

Today UNISON rightly remembers and celebrates those who have help forge the legacy and hopefully will inspire us to continue to strive for achievements that benefit us and our members.