Black History Month is an annual event in the UK that runs throughout October which was first celebrated in the UK in 1987. The event recognises the contribution and achievements of those with African or Caribbean heritage, allows an opportunity for people to learn more about the effects of racism and how to challenge negative stereotypes.
People from African and Caribbean backgrounds have been a fundamental part of British history for centuries and their value and contribution to society is often overlooked, ignored or distorted. Black History Month gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage.
Below are just a small collection of influential black British people.
Victor Adebowale
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Victor Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, was born 21st July 1962 in the UK to Nigerian parents. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the New Deal, the unemployed, and homeless young people. In 2009 he was listed as one of the 25 most influential people in the housing policy over the past 25 years, as well as being in the top 100 most influential people in the English NHS in 2015.
Ade Adepitan
Ade Adepitan was born in Nigeria on March 27th 1973, and is a British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. He contracted polio as an infant which resulted in damage to his legs that left him in a wheelchair. He moved to the UK when he was three, and in 2004 he was part of the team that played at the 2004 Summer Paralympics and secured a bronze medal. In 2005 he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to disability sport.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock was born in London on 9th March 1968 and is a space scientist and science educator. She is an honorary research associate of University College London’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. In 2020, she was awarded the Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize for her public engagement in physics. She is the first African woman to win a gold medal in the Physics New Award.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, born July 2nd 1947 in Birmingham, is a former nurse, health care administrator, lecturer and Emeritus Professor of Nursing at University of West London. She is the UK’s first sickle-cell and thalassemia nurse specialist. She created the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice at the University of West London in 1998. She has been appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and has been awarded a Pride of Britain Award.
Dame Jocelyn Barrow
Dame Jocelyn Barrow, born 15th April 1929 in Trinidad and Tobago, was an educator, community activist and policitian, who was the Director for UK Development at Focus Consultancy Ltd. She was the first black woman to be a governor of the BBC and was founder and Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council. She was also a founding member of Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD) which was the organisation which was responsible for the Race Relations Act of 1968.
Johnson Beharry
Johnson Beharry, born 26th July 1979, is an army soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, in 2005. He saved members of his unit from ambushes in 2004 in Iraq and sustained serious head injuries.
Malorie Blackman
Malorie Blackman, born February 8th 1962, is a writer who has used science fiction to explore social and ethical issues. Her critically acclaimed ‘Noughts and Crosses’ series uses the setting of an alternative reality to explore racism. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008. She held the position of Children’s Laureate from 2013 to 2015.
Aggrey Burke
Aggrey Burke is a retired psychiatrist and academic that was born in Jamaica in 1943. He spent the majority of his medical career at St George’s Hospital in London, specialising in transcultural psychiatry and writing literature on changing attitudes towards black people and mental health. He is the first black consultant psychiatrist appointed by the NHS.
It’s vital to remember that whilst we celebrate Black History Month, people from ethnic minorities are still discriminated against and marginalised. Everyone has a responsibility to eradicate racism, and improve diversity and inclusion. It’s not as simple as hiring more black people, but bridging the ethnicity pay gap, promoting black employees to senior level and introducing diversity strategies within the hiring process.