The Foundation of Settlement Support (FSS) has reiterated the need to recognise and celebrate black heroes in the build-up to the 2020 Black History Month.

According to FSS, the historical trend of events has proved that the very survival of global development is dependent on the contributions of black/African and minority groups.

FSS in a statement signed by founder, Byron Nana Taylor noted, “We cannot look further in the past but to recognise how minorities especially Africans and black people have generally been abused to fuel the productive engines of global progress.”

The statement recounted the era of slave trade and colonialism which saw the engineered manipulation and use of black people for the economic growth of Europe and other parts of the developed world. 

Events which FSS believes enviable justifies black lives do not only matter but is indispensable to the very foundations of global progress. 

“The year 2020 is significant for black people. There has been a reincarnation and re-emergence of the negative insurgence of how black people have been abused by our own or by other negative and ignorant human specimens of society.

“The death of George Floyd which is symbolic of official bigotry in the United States and the unfortunate and sad disturbances in Nigeria are just but two issues that call for a new awakening of black people,” Foundation pointed out.

It added the advent of the coronavirus pandemic should even mark the reckoning of black people to wake up to the call of contributing to the rescuing of the global society as we [FSS] have always been known to do. 

However, the Foundation bemoaned some challenges which have one way or another demean the image of black people and Africans at large.

“Unfortunately, Africa and black people continue to be identified with the world's gravest challenges of poverty, underprivileged and underdevelopment.

"The cliché still stands that Africa remains endowed with nature's most productive resources of minerals, fertile land and indeed the African mind. 

“As we celebrate black history month, we wish to recognise and indeed celebrate the achievements of all black heroes and heroines, and even more importantly, energise the clarion call for black people and indeed, for all positive species of human society to fight prejudice, racial ignorance, underprivileged and underdevelopment,” it urged.

The Foundation a part of the celebration also wishes to replicate the words of the indefatigable black personality, Nelson Mandela that black people “must strive to be moved by a generosity of spirit that will enable us to outgrow the hatred and conflicts of the past.”

FSS is a “not for profit” organisation that seeks to serve as an intermediary to provide settlement and integration support service and guidance for the social, economic and environmental integration of African migrants into the United Kingdom.

One of the flagship programs of the foundation includes youth empowerment to get them the appropriate foundations necessary for successful adulthood.

Settlement support for FSS in this context also means empowering Africans with the right skills and attributes to work efficiently and responsibly and to become agents of positive impact in the community in which they live.