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A CELEBRATION OF THE LIVES, STORIES AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK BRITISH PEOPLE
From abolitionists to rap icons, from pioneers of modern nursing to Turner Prize-winning artists, and from nineteenth-century social reformers to LGBTQI activists, 100 Great Black Britons celebrates the many ways in which Black Britons have challenged and overcome racial barriers to make notable advances in their fields.
The arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in Britain from the Caribbean has been mythologised as the defining moment that changed Britain from an exclusively white country into a racially diverse one. Yet Africans have been present in Britain since Roman times and there has been a constant Black presence in Britain since the sixteenth century.
In 2003, Patrick Vernon and Dr Angelina Osborne, frustrated by the almost complete exclusion of the Black British community from mainstream education and popular media, launched the 100 Great Black Britons project inviting the public to vote for the Black Briton they most admired. This book marks a timely relaunch of this vital campaign.
In the wake of Brexit, the ongoing Windrush Scandal, the rise of right-wing populism and the disproportionately devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black communities throughout the UK, 100 Great Black Britons recognises and celebrates Black Britons who have surmounted racial and social obstacles to empower others. They are an integral part of Britain's rich history.
About the author
Patrick Vernon OBE is a Clore and Winston Churchill Fellow, a fellow at the Imperial War Museum and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Patrick was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work in tackling health inequalities affecting ethnic minority communities in Britain. In 2018 Patrick received an honorary PhD from Wolverhampton University for his work on migration and cultural history. Since 2010 he has been leading the campaign for national Windrush Day and in 2018 kick-started the campaign for an amnesty for the Windrush Generation as part of the Windrush Scandal. In 2020 Patrick was selected by British Vogue as one of Britain's top twenty campaigners and was included in the 2020 Power List of 100 influential Black people in Britain.DR ANGELINA OSBORNE is an independent researcher and heritage consultant. She received her PhD in History from the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation, University of Hull in 2014. Her interests focus on Caribbean enslavement and proslavery discourses, and the history of community and education activism.
Summary
A long-overdue book honouring the remarkable achievements of key black British individuals over many centuries, in collaboration with the 100 Great Black Britons campaign founded and run by Patrick Vernon OBE.
Foreword
A long-overdue book honouring the remarkable achievements of key black British individuals over many centuries, in collaboration with the 100 Great Black Britons campaign founded and run by Patrick Vernon OBE.
