INTERNATIONAL
BLACK HERITAGE
MONTH
EDUCATION
CELEBRATION
UNITY
JUNE 2025
Welcome to International Black Heritage Month (IBHM) 2025! A Global Celebration of Culture, Influence and Legacy
Media is a window to the world and this year, we’re celebrating the legacy of Ethiopia, from ancient kings to contemporary change-makers, Ethiopia is more than history. This year’s theme is ‘Legacy in Motion’ with the focus on three cultural pillars:
1. Ethiopia: From ancient kings and queens to modern-day visionaries such as global music artist “The Weeknd” and supermodel Liya Kebede. Ethiopia’s story is one of sovereignty, strength and culture.
2. Afro-Guatemalans: From the shores of Livingston town in Guatemala to an inspiring diaspora, we’re amplifying the survival, spirit and language of Afro-Guatemalans, an overlooked heritage rich in rhythm, strength and resilience across Latin America.
3. House Music Mavericks: Chicago’s Black communities created House Music in the early 1980s. And more than just music…they built a global movement. From House to Techno to EDM, IBHM celebrates the roots of House Music and icons such as Frankie Knuckles and trailblazers like Carl Cox—all who turned struggle into sound and nightclubs into sanctuaries.
IBHM is held in June to connect the following significant cultural observances from around the world: 1) Portugal Day (June 10), 2) Youth Day, South Africa (June 16), 3) Juneteenth in the USA (June 19) , 4) Windrush Day in the UK (June 22) and 5) Keti Koti in Utrecht, Netherlands (June 30) (Search online with the key words for events).
:ANCHORS:
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
:2025 FOCUS PILLARS:
INTERNATIONAL BLACK HERITAGE MONTH (IBHM) ANCHORS TOGETHER:
Windrush Day (UK) June 22nd, honors the period and contributions of Afro-Caribbeans, who arrived in the UK on board HMT Empire Windrush in 1948, to help rebuild the UK and the economy after WWII.
Ketikoti (Utrich, Netherlands) June 30th, Ketikoti means ‘broken chains,’ and it commemorates those who lived in slavery and celebrate the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Antilles in 1863.
Portugal Day, (Portugal) June 10th, pays tribute to poet Luis de Camões, the country of Portugal, the Portuguese people, and the Portuguese presence worldwide (Lusophone culture): Brazil, Angola, Cabo Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe.
Youthday, (South Africa) June 16th, previously known as Soweto Day, marks the anniversary of 1975 when student protested in African schools against apartheid and commands that Afrikaans, a derivative of Dutch, had to be used on an equal basis with English as a language of instruction in secondary schools.
Juneteenth (USA) June 19th, commemorates the end of slavery and final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation (freed from slavery, servitude, legal, social, political restrictions of African-Americans, in Texas in 1865, over 2 years after President Lincoln declared all enslaved persons free.
JUNE 2025 FOCUS PILLARS
1. Ethiopia
A few key dates in Ethiopia’s history:
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, never colonized and one of the oldest countries in the world. It’s believed to be the oldest human remains, dated around five million years old, were discovered in the Awash Valley in Ethiopia.
The Kingdom of Aksum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, emerged around 100 CE as a powerful trading power in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea and was a major player in the commercial exchange between the Roman Empire and Ancient India.
Under King Ezana, Aksum adopted Christianity, and around 330 CE, and Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. Oldest after Armenia. Islam also widespread.
March 1, 1896, Battle of Adwa: Ethiopian forces led by Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italians, preserving Ethiopian sovereignty, and a landmark moment in African resistance to European colonialism.
Photo source: https://blog.compassion.com/fun facts-about-ethiopia/
People / Society
The Bible’s Old Testament records the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Jerusalem where “she proved Solomon with hard questions”. The remains of the Queen of Sheba’s palace can still be seen in Axum, in the province of Tigray, northern Ethiopia. She returned to Axum with King Solomon, by whom she had a son, Melenik. All Ethiopian rulers claim to descend from him. HS was the last. Sheba brought the Ark of the Covenant to Aksum, where it is still ‘stored’.
Haile Selassie I, born in 1892 is believed they all claim this to be a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. He became Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 and led the resistance against an Italian invasion. He co-founded the Organization of African Unity in 1963 and is revered as a divine figure in Rastafarianism, a global spiritual movement that emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s. He also joined the League of Nations, precursor to the UN.
Ethiopia is the 2nd-most populous country in Africa after Nigeria, with a population of over 110.14 million people, and it’s a melting pot of ancient Middle Eastern and African cultures, and has about eighty nationalities of which the Amhara and the Oromo are (believed to be) the majority. Source: https://ethiopianembassy.org/overview-about-ethiopia/
NOTABLE PEOPLE (PAST AND PRESENT)
PAST
Haile Selassie I, born in 1892 is believed to be a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. He became Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 and led the resistance against an Italian invasion. He founded the
Organization of African Unity in 1963 and is revered as a divine figure in Rastafarianism, a global spiritual movement that emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s.
WATCH
Haile Selassie I: The Man, the Myth, the Legacy | Ethiopia's Last Emperor
Duration: 36:44
HAILE SELASSIE - April 21-1966 state visit to Jamaica
Duration: 21:15
Emperor Haile Selassie's Visit to Jamaica -
Jamaica Information Service April 1966
Duration: 5:20
READ
LISTEN
Royal rebels: Haile Selassie and Queen Muhumuza - African Roots
Duration: 20:10
Ethiopia Pt.2: Haile Selassie, King of Kings
Journeys that changed history: Kanku Musa and Queen of Sheba - African Roots1,br>Duration: 22:06
NOTABLE PEOPLE (PRESENT)
Ethiopian Paleoanthropologist, Zeresenay Alemseged - found: the 3.3-million-year-old bones of Selam in Ethiopia, a 3-year-old hominid child, from the species Australopithecus afarensis. Considered the “world’s oldest child”, she is the most complete skeleton of a human ancestor discovered to date.
The Weeknd, whose birth name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is of Ethiopian descent. His parents, Makkonen Tesfaye and Samrawit Hailu, immigrated from Ethiopia to Canada. He's a multi-platinum, 7x Diamond certified artist who reshaped R&B and pop, and he's one of the most listened-to musicians globally, with over 105 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Liya Kebede is an Ethiopian-born model, clothing designer, actress, and maternal health advocate. She’s been the face for many global fashion campaigns, appeared on the cover of Vogue multiple times, and has served as the World Health Organization's Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
WATCH
Interview with Dr. ZereSenay Alemseged on the discovery of New Tool Interview with Dr. ZereSenay Alemseged on the discovery of New Tool
Duration: 22:34
The Weeknd | Before They Were Famous EPIC Biography | Abel Tesfaye From 0 to Now
Duration: 11:10
The Weeknd - THE SHOW Documentary Film (2021) | SHOWTIME
Cartier Women's Perspectives: Changemakers in Fashion with Liya Kebede
Duration: 25:47
Liya Kebede THE SUPERMODEL TOM FORD PLUCKED FROM CHICAGO.
Duration: 5:07
READ
LISTEN
A Conversation with Liya Kebede | Fashion Culture
The Weeknd 286M monthly audience
2. AFRO-GUATEMALANS
Language
Most Afro-Guatemalans speak Spanish, but many also speak Garífuna, an Arawakan language with African and Caribbean influences, particularly along the Caribbean coast in the Izabal region (e.g., Livingston).
Culture & Traditions
Afro-Guatemalan culture is strongly shaped by Garífuna traditions, including communal storytelling, oral history, ancestral worship, and dance rituals. Celebrations like Garífuna Settlement Day highlight their Afro-Indigenous identity.
Religion
The community practices a blend of Christianity (mainly Catholicism and Protestantism) and Garífuna spirituality, which includes ancestral rites, spirit possession, and ceremonies like the Dügü ritual.
Occupations
Afro-Guatemalans are often employed in fishing, agriculture, tourism, and music and arts. In urban areas like Livingston, many also work in hospitality and crafts.
Diaspora
Afro-Guatemalans have migrated to Belize, Honduras, the U.S., and Canada, often for economic opportunities or due to marginalization. Many Garífuna communities in the diaspora work to preserve their language and culture.
Music and Dance
Afro-Guatemalan music is rich with Garífuna drumming, punta, paranda, and traditional songs that express ancestral memory and resistance. Instruments include primero and segunda drums, maracas, and turtle shells.
Clothing
Traditional Afro-Guatemalan (Garífuna) clothing features brightly colored fabrics, headwraps, and cultural embroidery reflecting Caribbean and African heritage. Modern attire blends with regional Guatemalan fashion.
WATCH
The Black Community of Guatemala: The Garifuna
Duration: 9:43
The Garifuna of Guatemala
Duration: 3:30
A Story About the Garifuna Documentary
Duration: 18:33
READ
Gloria Núñez: "We must empower young Garifuna women to take leadership roles."
LISTEN
3. HOUSE MUSIC MAVERICKS
House music is rooted in Black musical traditions like soul, disco, gospel, and funk. Originated in the early 1980s in Chicago, primarily in underground clubs like the Warehouse—from which it takes its name. It was created and pioneered by Black and Latino DJs such as Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and Larry Heard, who blended disco, soul, funk, and electronic beats using drum machines.
The sound emerged as a response to the decline of disco and served as a form of liberation and expression for Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities, often providing safe spaces in clubs. House music became a powerful form of expression and joy, and later spread globally, influencing scenes in New York, Detroit, LA and Europe—particularly in the UK. House music became a global movement, creating garage, 2-step garage, techno to EDM, IBHM celebrates the roots of House Music and icons such as Frankie Knuckles and trailblazers like Carl Cox—all who turned struggle into sound and nightclubs into sanctuaries.
WATCH
Pump up the volume: A history of House music [Documentary] • 2001, Channel 4
Duration: 2:52
How House Music Was Born
(Music Documentary)
Duration: 2:52
The Origins of House Music House Music: A Cultural Revolution – A Chicago Stories Documentary
House Music Guide: A Brief History of House Music
READ
THE HISTORY OF HOUSE MUSIC AND ITS CULTURAL INFLUENCE
What is House Music? History, Artists, and Subgenres" – Splice Blog
THE ORIGINS OF HOUSE MUSIC BY @COOKIEVALENTINE
Exploring the subgenres of house music: A comprehensive guide
LISTEN
CULTURE-OLOGY
UAL
University of the Arts London (UAL) have launched the Black Creatives Hub – an innovative online space dedicated to showcasing and celebrating the exceptional talents, achievements and contributions of the Black creative community.
FTB
Fade to Black Arts Festival A groundbreaking innovative festival celebrating African-American creativity in film, theatre, music, visual arts, poetry and more.
Kult
We’re proud to partner with groundbreaking platform Kult. The social platform for culture lovers to discover, share and organize content. Founded on the belief in building a platform that values culture in its diversity, through a healthy exchange between people above algorithms. This International Black Heritage month community channel exists on Kult to share and promote diverse voices from across the Afro Diaspora, Africa, and beyond because media content is a window to see the world.
MANSA
Explore a world of free, premium content from MANSA. Celebrating Black stories, voices, and perspectives.Stream original series and independent films to thought-provoking documentaries and more.
Virtual Experiences (VE):
Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture
Click into a realm where culture, history, and creativity converge to form a rich virtual experience.
Celebrate Black joy through photography, videos, and poetry in this virtual museum dedicated to uplifting and honoring the beauty of Black life.
Discover virtual exhibits showcasing the history and culture of African Americans in Iowa.
The Barbados Museum
Explore the complicated past of Barbados, and get a glimpse of the optimistic future they’ve created
PARTNERS + SUPPORTERS (PAST + PRESENT)
