Post by Black Empowerment Initiative

Bantu Stephen Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was a South African anti-apartheid activist born in King William's Town, South Africa, in what is now the Eastern Cape province. In 1966, he became active with organizations advocating for the improvement of Black citizens' rights in South Africa. In 1968, he co-founded the South African Students' Organization (SASO), focusing on the resistance of apartheid, and subsequently spearheaded the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) in South Africa. In 1973, among other restrictions by the Apartheid regime, Biko was forbidden to write or speak publicly or to speak to more than one person at a time. In August 1977, he was arrested and held in Port Elizabeth, located at the southern tip of South Africa. The following month, on September 11, Biko was found shackled several miles away, in Pretoria. He died the following day, from a brain haemorrhage - later determined to be the result of injuries he sustained while in police custody. No charges were brought against the police officers who had held Biko in custody. We celebrate an icon of Africa whose legacy lives on through the work of a number of institutions in South Africa and the international community. #BlackExcellence #BlackHistory #Empowerment #PositiveChange