Pat Regan When I think about black history my thoughts usually look to the American Civil Rights movement and as my daughter has started school I see her studying the same heroic American figures, like Rosa Parks, that would also come into my mind... but Black History Month is not about this. Thirty years ago as part of a London council initiative, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, proposed to introduce the American idea
In London in 1948, Alice Coachman became the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, when she won the high jump competition. She was also the only female American athlete to win a medal at these Olympics. A fine sprinter as well as a superb high jumper, there’s little doubt she would have won more medals had the 1940 and 1944 games taken place. During the war years no
Born John Henry Clark on January 1, 1915, in Union Springs, Alabama, John left the family farm in Columbus in 1933 to Harlem, New York during the period some historians refer to as; The Great Migration. This period refers to the time between 1910 and 1970, where African Americans moved from the southern states, to the northern states in search of work and a better quality of life. There he pursued scholarship and
Frank Arthur Bailey, a man who’s legacy has been remembered by a glistening career in the London Fire Brigade, passed away in 2015 aged 90. Born in Guyana, Frank came to England in 1953 as a political activist, joining the West Indian Standing Conference. Whilst a member of WISC, he heard about the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), to which a representative explained that Black people ‘were not employed by the
Join us to celebrate some of the many great achievements of the Black African and Caribbean community in your local area, in Leeds, the UK and across the world. Monday 30 October, 1-5pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub, 190 Dewsbury Rd, LS11 6PF We invite you to share your story or a story about a friend, relative or someone in your community. Help us build a history of fascinating facts and
A Great Britain and Wales international winger, Clive Sullivan played with both Hull and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, and also played for Oldham, and Doncaster. He was the first black captain of the Great Britain Lions and for any national British sporting side. Clive A. Sullivan MBE (born 9 April 1943 in Cardiff, died 8 October 1985 in Hull) was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League
Muhammed Ali was ‘more than just a Boxer’. He was a Black, Muslim man in Pre-Civil Rights Era America and he would go on to be an activist for the remainder of his life. Erasing these facts not only erases his importance to Black people worldwide, but the prejudice and struggles Ali endured. When asked why he would not join the US Army draft to fight in Vietnam, Ali said;
In 1936 African American sprinter Jesse Owens amazed the world by breaking Olympic records and winning four gold medals in Berlin, the headquarters of Hitler’s Nazi regime. However, Owens became known not only for his athletic triumphs, but for his friendship with German competitor Luz Long and for the social barriers he broke down in the face of Hitler’s Nazi regime. Childhood James Cleveland Owens was the youngest of ten
Born in Accra in the Gold Coast to parents with roots in Barbados, Trinidad and Dominica, she became Britain’s youngest and first Black woman book publisher, when in 1967 she co-founded Allison & Busby with Clive Allison (1944-2011). “We started off with virtually no money and thought we would go into making volumes of poetry accessible and affordable to young people like ourselves. So we printed 15,000 paperback poetry books
James Peters (August 1879 - 26 March 1954) was an English rugby union player and, later, a rugby league player. He is notable as the first black man to play rugby union for England. He was also known as "Darkie Peters". James Peters (August 1879 – 26 March 1954) was an English rugby union player and, later, a rugby league player. He is notable as the first black man to