Black History Month
Black History Month is celebrated every October in the United Kingdom, and it began as a way of remembering significant and influential contributions made by people with African & Caribbean heritages.
It's an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of diversity – to celebrate men and women who have shown, and still show, integrity, determination and leadership in every sphere of life. At KingsGate, we are so blessed by the incredible contributions of so many people, including many from African and Caribbean backgrounds, who call this church family, ‘Home.’
Black History Month is an opportunity to hear and learn about some of the Black history within KingsGate – both the stories and the history among us, and the history that is still being made today. As a church, we are committed to continually guarding, celebrating and enjoying ever-increasing unity in our diversity, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, have a look at the resources and watch the stories of a few of our people as they share some of their heritage, journeys, challenges faced, and hopes for the future.
prayer points
As part of our Black History Month celebrations, here are some things we can all be praying for:
- Pray for unity for all believers irrespective of race or social and cultural background [ Psalm 133 ]
- Pray that we will be one another’s keeper [ Genesis 4:9 / Matthew 10:33-35 ]
- Pray for wisdom to deal with a multicultural society [ Acts 6:1-3 ]
- Pray for the oil of joy for those hurt by prior incidents of racial injustices [ Isaiah 61:3 ]
- Pray for love and peace to overflow [ John 17:26 ]
"Black history in Britain goes as far back as it’s possible to go. Children growing up in modern Britain should know their true history, and whether they are black, brown or white, black history is part our of national story."
– Arike Oke / Managing Director, Black Cultural Archives, 2019–2021
Here are a couple of places to start if you want to find out more about Black History Month.
"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb."
– Revelation 7:9
2024 stories
2023 stories
2022 stories
-
Fadzie
We spoke to Fadzie, one of our KingsGate Leicester members. She was born in the UK but spent six years of her childhood in Zimbabwe and many of her family live there. She told us how aspects of her upbringing & heritage have shaped who she is today - respect, hospitality, family and faith.
-
Syd and Babs
We spent some time with Syd and Babs from Barbados, part of our KingsGate Peterborough campus. They emigrated to the UK in the early 1960s to work in nursing and transport. They've seen a lot of change in this country over the last few decades and feel very hopeful for the future.
-
Ayanfe
We met up with Ayanfe who moved to the UK from Nigeria when she was a young girl. We talked about how the values of faith and education have been instilled in her through her culture and family. She's looking forward to the impact she can make as she looks to the future.
-
Igor, Jess & Irina
These three siblings were fun to film - they're a tight knit family. We talked about their grandparents, their Angolan and Portuguese heritage, challenges they've experienced (and still face today), and something of their hope for the future.