100 Great Black Britons book becomes an instant bestseller

‘100 Great Black Britons’ by Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne has become an instant bestseller on the Amazon book charts after its launch on 24th September 2020. With a foreword written by David Olusoga, and an endorsement written by the Mayor of London, this book includes a list of Black British 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.

Patrick Vernon said: “It is great that, as part of relaunching 100 Great Black Britons, we will be producing a publication to support the campaign celebrating a thousand years of Black British history and achievement. It is even more crucial that our history is seen as part of the national narrative, especially in the context of Brexit, as British identity is going through change and we have a legitimate right and voice in the shaping of this economic, social and political transformation which will have an impact on future generations. By learning about our shared history and the impact of Black British history and successes, I hope we will no longer be marginalised or erased out of public consciousness for the next generation.”

100 Great Black Britons
by Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne
Publisher : Robinson (24 September 2020)
Language: English
Hardcover : 464 pages
ISBN-10 : 1472144309 (Hardcover)
ASIN : B07TMCC9ZV (Kindle)
Guide Price: £9.99 - Kindle Edition, £14.70 - Hardcover Edition
Click to buy Hardcover Edition | Kindle Edition

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 this book, 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.

In the wake of the 2018 Windrush scandal, and against the backdrop of Brexit, the rise of right-wing populism and the continuing inequality faced by Black communities across the UK, the need for this campaign is greater than ever.

From abolitionists and Industrial Revolution-era social reformers to pioneers of modern nursing, beloved children's authors and recipients of the Victoria Cross, ‘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.

Alongside renowned and barrier-breaking Black artists, actors, musicians and politicians, Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne tell the stories of less well known or forgotten Black Britons, unravelling the pernicious myth that there is no Black British historical past. ‘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 authors

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.

Patrick Vernon OBE is a Clore and Winston Churchill Fellow, a fellow at the Imperial War Museum, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a former associate fellow for the Department of the History of Medicine at Warwick University. Patrick was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work in tackling health inequalities for ethnic minority communities in Britain. Since 2010 he has been leading the campaign for Windrush Day and in 2018 kick-started the campaign for an amnesty for the Windrush Generation as part of the Windrush Scandal which led to a government U-turn in immigration policy.