"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." Education, oppression, liberation. Postcard. [This additional info. about Steve Biko is NOT printed on the card] Steve Biko (1946 – 1977) was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the anti-apartheid movement. While living, his writings and activism attempted to empower blacks, and he was famous for his slogan "black is beautiful", which he described as meaning: "man, you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being".