In 2025, BLMUK had three goals:

1. To build capacity

2. To strengthen community power to create safety

3. To repair colonial harm

2025 was a year where we watched the far-right grow from strength to strength. Racist rhetorics have been rampant in the media, with our own prime minister echoing the words of Enoch Powell, describing Britain as 'an island of strangers'.

However, we also watched BLM UK make a big impact, thanks to your support and donations, we were able to do more.

Building Capacity:

We Organised our Festival of Collective Liberation.

The theme of our festival in 2025 was building Black power brick by brick.

800 people were in attendance, as we navigated sessions on abolition, Sudan, surviving prison and surviving Britain as black people today.

Our Festival was a space of Joy and healing, and we were fortunate enough to have the entire building of Friends House gifted to us by Quakers in Britain.

It is increasingly more difficult to be Black and/or a migrant in Britain. This space allowed people to get respite but also imagine and rehearse new possibilities and start to build freedom together. 

Repairing Racist Harms:

We Assisted the Workers of St Helier’s Hospital to Unionise and Receive a £10m Settlement.

The majority Black cleaners, porters, and hospitality staff of St Helier Hospital contacted BLMUK after facing institutional racism in their workplace. These workers had been transferred in-house four years ago, but were still excluded from the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay/conditions structure. This meant lower pay, fewer holidays and smaller pension contributions than other colleagues. 

This resulted in £32m being lost in pay and benefits and £6m in withheld pensions. Employer pension contributions are currently 3%, compared with 23.7% for other NHS workers.

Within 3 months, we got the workers to leave their existing  union and join United Voices of the World. In November 2025, they won a £10 million settlement (around £2,000 for each worker), and enhanced pensions and annual leave.

We Worked with the Windrush Commissioner on New Frames for Justice for Windrush Scandal Victims.

We have been able to convince the Commissioner to make comparisons between the existing failing Windrush Compensation Scheme and better statutory compensation schemes such as Post Office or Infected Bloods.

We are keeping the Commissioner accountable for transforming this framing into action, and organising actions for 2026.

Establishing Communities of Care:

Project Timbuktu:

So far, over 200 people have participated in the sessions we run across the country. Our learning circles are founded around collective learning and political education. We also provide free food, so participants can not only learn together, but also establish community through food.

93% of participants stated that they now feel closer to BLM UK. As a result, some participants established a South London action group.

88% of participants have said they will go further than the course content in order to develop their deeper understanding and appreciation of Black liberation.

The Anti-Racist Movement (ARM):

We are at a crossroads, having had 150,000 people march with Tommy Robinson in the streets of London.

We knew it was necessary to create power in our communities, against fascism, and for collective liberation; and so, ARM was born.

ARM is a multicultural coalition established by BLMUK, Right to Remain, and Maslaha, in order to build dignity for everyone in Britain.

In 2025, we established 9 local groups, 5 in London, and 4 outside of London.

These groups now meet regularly and organise within their communities, in order to build the necessary infrastructure for change.

You can watch the livestream of ARM’s launch event here.

What’s Next?

2025 was a challenging year. We watched the rise of the far right, but also witnessed how BLM UK and other organisations grew under the radar.

With strategy, and looking at how we can provide relief, repair, and restructure for our communities, we saw BLMUK go from strength to strength in 2025.

It was especially through our Festival of Collective Liberation, Project Timbuktu, and ARM, that we saw how important it has been for people to come together and fight against fascism and for their communities.

We need your support to carry that power through to 2026 and make this our most impactful year yet.

Your support and donations are crucial to sustaining the work that we do here at BLMUK. If you have already donated, please continue to do so.

You can support us in 2026 by:

Donating to us

Joining our Anti-Racist Movement

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to the ways we will continue to work together towards collective liberation in 2026.

Love, the BLMUK team.