Black History Month 2026 invites us to look more closely at something we often take for granted; the communities that shape, support and sustain us.

This year’s theme, ‘Honouring Our Communities’, is not simply about place or postcode. It is about people. Black people. It is about recognising individuals whose contributions are part of everyday life, yet too often go unseen.

I am always struck by the deluge of micro aggressions many Black people have to face, often on a daily basis. On a train, for example, you’ll be the last person a white traveller will sit next to as they asses where to sit. In London you’ll need on average two or three vacant black cabs for one to stop. In shops and in stores the body language of the service provider readily tells you’re not welcome