When I try to sleep at night/I can only dream in red
Steve Biko only wanted what was right.
As a student at University of Natal, he was an active participant in anti-apartheid rallies and demonstrations organized on campus and beyond. He was at the forefront of the Black Consciousness Movement, a vocal opponent of apartheid. Under the pseudonym “Frank Talk,” Steve wrote and published articles expressing his views.
In the late 1960s, Steve was instrumental in the development of South African Students’ Organisation (SASO), a group focus on unifying activities among black college students. He continued his efforts to promote equality, adopting the phrase “Black is Beautiful” from a movement in the United States and making it an international slogan for his cause.
The government of South Africa sought to stop Steve Biko.
Steve was arrested at a roadblock specifically set up to trap him. He was taken to a police station, where he was beaten and interrogated relentlessly. In early September 1977, Steve was transferred to a police facility in Port Elizabeth. He was shackled and beaten for approximately 22 hours. Police officers later claimed that Steve attacked an officer, but that was impossible. His movements were greatly restricted by the manacles on his wrists and ankles. A government doctor examined him, stating he could find no physical injuries.
Steve died alone in a cell on September 12, 1977. He was 30 years old.
Steve Biko’s dream was that the Black Consciousness Movement would not degenerate into anti-white racism. He wished for a positive course of black self-confidence, with no hatred of anyone.