Thank you. Every October, we celebrate Black History Month in Wales in order to give individuals and communities throughout Wales the opportunity to recognise the contribution of black people to the economic, political and cultural history of Wales. It's also an opportunity for the wider community to learn, celebrate and share our rich national history with the world.

We are extremely proud in Wales that our capital city was one of the first multicultural cities of its kind in the world, where people from diverse backgrounds live side by side happily and have done for decades. We take pride and share our diverse and rich history.

Unfortunately, we remember Wales's part in the horrific slave trade. We tell the tale of Somali and Yemeni sailors settling down in the docks of Butetown and Barry, and miners from the Caribbean working in the coal pits of the Valleys. We celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and pioneers such as Betty Campbell, the first black headteacher of a school in Wales, and also individuals’ contributions today, such as Uzo Iwobi, who is the race relations champion; Rungano Nyoni, the Welsh and Zambian film director; and the poet from Cameroon, Eric Ngalle Charles.

Without a doubt, black people’s history is an integral and significant part of the history of Wales and the world and it belongs to us all. We will continue to celebrate and remember the contribution made by black people today, tomorrow and throughout the year.