Vernon, Patrick: 100 Great Black Britons

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.