IT was a horrible summer.

Rioting in the streets, libraries torched and asylum seekers taunted outside the simple refuge of a bed and breakfast hotel.

The disgraceful scenes spread fear across the country about which town or city could be next – or which community.

There was a tonic, however. In response to what they saw, people took to the streets in great numbers, all in solidarity with those under threat.

The message was clear that hate will not win – that the sensible majority want to live in a society where differences are celebrated, not a point of division, blame and persecution.

It is in this spirit that we present our Black History Month special. It’s something we have produced for many years now, but feels all the more important after the turbulence we have lived through in 2024.

Rather than seeing this month as the celebration that is, there will unfortunately be those who use that terrible word “woke” when picking up this week’s Tribune or seeing the wide range of events being put on.

They are misguided, spooked by seeing “wokeness” everywhere and whipped up by irresponsible culture warlords.

Let’s not go down that route.

We are proud of Islington’s diversity and while we agree that an interest in black history shouldn’t just be for a month, let’s dive in and celebrate what we have.

It’s a big thank you to the sponsors who have helped us clear regular advertising from our pages to make room for more features.

We hope we’ve included a real mix of articles.

So much has changed for the better, we’ll stand together as we keep on walking down that road.