Black History Month is here again. For 30 years in the UK we've celebrated the contribution that black African and Caribbean communities have made to Britain and 2008 is no different.

Labour has a clear vision of a diverse but integrated Britain – a Britain of togetherness, which values the efforts made by all of the communities that live here. Black History Month gives us all some time to reflect on the impact the black community has made to our country.

Since 1997 the Labour Government has made some big changes to make life fairer. 

Did you know it’s Labour that…

Said “no” to failing black school children
It was Labour who launched initiatives like the Minority Ethnic Achievement Programme and the Black Children's Achievement Programme in primary schools; because we are working to ensure that mainstream education delivers for all black and minority ethnic pupils. 

Said “no” to racism in society
Labour introduced the Racial and Religious Hatred Act making it a crime to threaten people because of their race and religion. 

Said “no” to discrimination at work
Labour set up the Equality and Human Rights Commission to tackle discrimination and promote equality, and the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force works to remove the barriers that some people face when applying for jobs. 

Said “no” to racism in politics
Labour has more elected representatives from ethnic minority backgrounds than any other political party.  We have 13 Black and Asian MPs whilst the Tories only have 2!  We are constantly working to empower and encourage more people from diverse communities to enter politics – but we know more needs to be done. 

Did you know it’s been 5 years since Labour’s Valerie Amos became the first black leader of the House of Lords? 

What about the future? 
We want to do more.  We should never lose sight of the challenges that lie in front of us. Labour wants everybody to have the very best start in life and the opportunities to succeed. So while black children are still less likely to go on to university and more likely to be victims of gun and knife crime, Labour will continue the work of building a fairer future for all. 

We are saying “no” to violent crime
By 2009 our ambition is to have reduced violent crime, theft and burglary so that the average chance of being a victim of crime will be the lowest in nearly 30 years. We are going to tackle violent crime with tougher sentences for knife crime; new controls on deactivated firearms; portable weapon scanners for the police, targeted action to tackle gang crime; and education to turn young people away from crime.
 
We are also working with young people to find out their views on how we can stop violent crime.  You can have you say here on this website and join us in saying “no” to violent crime.

We’re looking for the best of black British talent
Labour is using a pioneering approach – called the REACH programme – to make black role models more visible. Whilst Black History Month allows us all to look back and admire those people who achieved remarkable things, it is hoped that positive role models in our communities will help inspire this generation of young people to write our own chapter of history.

Will you be doing anything to mark Black History Month?
Who do you think are inspirational black role models?