Join us for this fascinating talk by authors Angelina Osborne & Patrick Vernon!

Patrick Vernon's landmark 100 Great Black Britons campaign of 2003 was one of the most successful movements to focus on the role of people of African and Caribbean descent in British history.

Frustrated by the widespread and continuing exclusion of the Black British community from the mainstream popular conception of 'Britishness', despite Black people having lived in Britain for over a thousand years, Vernon set up a public poll in which anyone could vote for the Black Briton they most admired.

The response to this campaign was incredible. As a result, a number of Black historical figures were included on the national school curriculum and had statues and memorials erected and blue plaques put up in their honour. Mary Seacole was adopted by the Royal College of Nursing and was given the same status as Florence Nightingale.

Children and young people were finally being encouraged to feel pride in their history and a sense of belonging in Britain.

Now, with their 100 Great Black Britons , Vernon and Osborne have relaunched the campaign with an updated list of names and accompanying portraits - including new role models and previously little-known historical figures.

Each entry explores in depth the individual's contribution to British history - a contribution that too often has been either overlooked or dismissed.

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Come along, this promises to be a fantastic treat for all history buffs.

About the speakers:

Patrick Vernon is a Clore and Winston Churchill Fellow, Fellow of Goodenough College, Fellow at Imperial War Museum, Fellow of Royal Historical Society, and former associate fellow for the department of history of medicine at Warwick University.

Patrick was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work on tackling health inequalities and ethnic minority communities.

In 2018 he received an honorary PhD from Wolverhampton University and was selected as one of 1000 Progressive Londoners by the Evening Standard. In 2020 Patrick was selected by British Vogue as one of Britain’s top 20 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.

Please note that booking here will allow you to join this event ONLINE. The talk will be presented via a Zoom webinar.

You'll be able to ask questions or make comments through the Q&A chat at the end of this presentation, which normally lasts for 45-50 minutes.

All those who book here will get the LINK TO JOIN 23hrs before and on the day of the event.

If you have any questions please email us on libraries@rbkc.gov.uk