An important and hard-hitting chronicle of Black history, written by a celebrated Black historian. Winner of the 2020 School & Library Association prize for readers aged 13-16 and the 2020 ALCS Educational Writers'' Award.** Fully revised and updated for the new paperback edition. Includes notes on teaching Black history.Black history is an integral part of world history. From the injustices of the past and present, we can learn and be inspired to make the world we live in more fair, equal and just.Black History Matters chronicles thousands of years of Black history, from African kingdoms, to slavery, apartheid, the battle for civil rights, the global Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and much more. Important and inspiring Black personalities, from Olaudah Equiano to Oprah Winfrey, are highlighted throughout, while achievements and progress are balanced alongside a look at the issues that continue to plague Black communities. #Blacklivesmatter is a powerful international movement, designed to raise awareness of and end ongoing injustice towards black people. This book is designed to connect with that movement and offer an important resource for all young readers during Black History Month and beyond.Contents: Why Black history mattersChapter 1: The African empiresThe lands of the pharaohsAncient Egypt KushEgypt thrives and declinesNorth African invasions EthiopiaThe West African desert empiresThe Nigeria regionMunhumutapaThe East African coastChapter 2: The transatlantic slave tradeThe transatlantic slave trade beginsA trade in human miseryLife as a slaveGrowing resistanceAbolitionThe legacy of the slave tradeChapter 3: ColonialismThe Scramble for AfricaThe Pan-African CongressesAn independent AfricaSouthern Africa and apartheidChapter 4: The African diasporaAfrican-Americans in the USAThe fight for civil rightsChange at lastThe Windrush generationBeing Black in the UKBlack Lives Matter and George FloydBlack Lives Matter in the UKBlack history todayTeaching Black historyGlossaryFurther informationTimelineIndex