2008
October
2015
3
7
19 oenix
1999 2002 2008 2013
A task force published the first report on racism in UK football. The
inquiry found that racism was deeply entrenched in the game. At a
time when black footballers were succeeding at the highest level,
the number of black spectators was decreasing.
Sir William Macpherson’s report into the police handling of the murder
of black teenager Stephen Lawrence contained a withering attack on
racist attitudes within the Metropolitan Police force. It introduced
the expression ‘institutional racism’ and sparked the most profound
reappraisal of race relations and the justice system since the Brixton
riots in 1981.
Paul Yaw Boateng was elected as the first Black cabinet minister
in May 2002.
On 4th November 2008, Barack Obama, becomes the first
African American to be elected president of the United States.
5th December 2013, Nelson Mandela, the first President of South
On
Africa elected in a fully representative democratic election, died at the
age of 95.
illiam W
ilberfor
ce
1994 1995 1996 1997 In 1993 footballer Paul Ince became the first black player
to captain the England football team. Stephen Lawrence was
murdered, aged 18 on 22nd April 1993 in a racist attack. In
2003, Doreen Lawrence (mother of Stephen Lawrence) was
awarded an OBE for services to community relations. The
Stephen Lawrence Centre is located in Deptford.
Bishop Desmond Tutu won the Nobel peace prize. The South
African Anglican General-Secretary was awarded it in recognition
of his non-violent opposition to the oppressive apartheid regime
Riots broke out in Brixton after Wayne Douglas died in police
custody. Cars were set on fire and around £1m worth of damage
was caused by looters who petrol-bombed and stoned shops.
Several people were injured and others arrested.
President Nelson Mandela came to Britain. It was the first state visit
by a South African President. He did a walkabout with Prince Charles
in Brixton, south London and was mobbed by thousands of people.
Mandela addressed tens of thousands of people in Trafalgar Square
from the balcony of South Africa House.
Oona King became the second black female MP in the House of Commons
for Bethnal Green and Bow in 1997.
1986
1987
1989 1991 1992
Muhammad Ajeeb became the UK’s first black Lord Mayor. He was
installed as Lord Mayor of Bradford.
Black History Month was first held in the UK in 1987. Dianne
Abbott was first Black female MP, she was elected to Hackney
North and Stoke Newington in 1987 and has represented them
since that date. Bernie Grant was appointed as Britain’s first black
council leader in Haringay.
This was the year of the Funki Dred with high twists and shaved
dreadlocks popularised by Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B. Afro-centricity
was in, with Kente clothing, African leather medallions and the
colours red, black, yellow and green.
Bill Morris was elected the first black leader of a British trade
union. Morris took up the post of General Secretary of the Transport
& General Workers’ Union. Ian Wright, signs for Arsenal FC in
1991. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace
and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years
with the latter also earning 33 caps for England. Ian Wright grew up
in Brockley and Crofton Park.
inford Christie won the sought-after 100m gold medal at the 1992
L
Olympics in Barcelona.
7
8
19
1965
N
otting H
ill Carn
3
6
19
”
m
a
e
r
d
a
e
v
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h
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“
Desmond Tutu won
the Nobel peace prize
1980
1981
1982
1984
1985
In London, the first ever black music radio station, Dread
Broadcasting Corporation, began. Initially set up as a reggae
station on a medium wave transmitter, it quickly grew and became
an FM station playing music like soca, soul, funk and African
flavours. The team of DJs included the likes of Neneh Cherry and
BBC London’s Ranking Miss P.
In the UK, 13 young black people were killed in a fire during a
birthday party celebration in Deptford, London. It’s suspected
that racists deliberately started the blaze - a motive the police
quickly dismissed. As a result thousands took part in a series of
demonstrations to protest against the police. Tensions between
the police and black people grew across the country culminating
in riots in Brixton, Toxteth, Birmingham, Preston and Hull. As a
result, the season is labelled The Summer of Unrest. A report by
Lord Scarmen later concluded that much of the troubles were
caused by poverty and racial discrimination.
The UK’s Daley Thompson became only the second competitor
in history to win the decathlon at two Olympic Games, winning
gold medals in the 1980 and 1984. He equalled the achievement
of the American Bob Mathias, who won Olympic decathlon gold
medals in 1948 and 1952.
Bishop Desmond Tutu won the Nobel peace prize. The South
African Anglican General-Secretary was awarded it in recognition
of his non-violent opposition to the oppressive apartheid regime.
1985 was a year of racial unrest. Riots broke out in the Broadwater
Farm estate in Tottenham, triggered by the death of Cynthia Jarrett.
She collapsed after four policemen burst into her home on a raid. PC
Blakelock was murdered during the riot. His colleague PC Richard
Coombes was also attacked. There were also riots in Peckham, Brixton,
Birmingham, Coventry, Bristol, Liverpool and Wolverhampton.
First ever black
music radio station
1973
1976
1977
1978
the UK a Race Relations at Work section is added to the Race
In
Relations Act, so that employers can no longer discriminate on
the grounds of colour.
David Michael became Lewisham’s first black police officer in 1973.
Trevor McDonald was Britain’s first black newsreader, paving the
way for many others including Moira Stewart, Zeinab Badawi and
Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Sybil Phoenix was the first black woman to
be awarded the MBE – Sybil opened the Moonshot in New Cross, the
first black youth club in Britain, she also was foster parent to many
children and in the 1980s started the Marsha Phoenix Trust.
Alex Hayley’s book ‘Roots’ is published and becomes one of the
most important books in black history. It received many awards
including the National Book Award and a special Pulitzer Prize
for making an important contribution to the literature of slavery.
The leader of South Africa’s Black Consciousness Movement Steve
Biko died in police custody after being arrested and detained under
the Terrorism Act. His death causes outrage in South Africa and
almost immediately doubt is cast over the alleged cause of his
death. His funeral is attended by more than 15,000 mourners.
Thousands more are barred from going by security forces. Steve
Biko’s contribution to the fight for freedom from apartheid is often
placed as second only to Nelson Mandela’s.
Viv Anderson became the first black British footballer to play for England
in an international tournament against Czechoslovakia.
1965
1967
1968
1969
1971
1965 was the year that the Notting Hill Carnival took off. Originally
held in several halls, it was a showcase for Caribbean talent
considering the slogan, ‘A people’s art is the genesis of their freedom’.
During the 60s it got closer to the Trinidadian carnival roots with
street processions, costumes and Masqueraders. The Jamaican sound
systems joined in and the carnival as we know it today took shape.
The first black Police Officer joined the Metropolitan Police in 1967.
The American black civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King, was
assassinated in the southern US city of Memphis. Tennessee. He
was about to lead a march of sanitation workers protesting against
low wages and poor working conditions. He was shot in the neck as
he stood on a hotel balcony and died in hospital soon afterwards.
Sislin Fay Allen was London’s first female black Police Officer in 1969.
Britain’s home secretary Reginald Maudling announces that
Commonwealth citizens lose their automatic right to remain in the
UK under the government’s new Immigration Bill.
First female black
Police Officer
1948
1939 - 1944 1948
1961
1962
1963
The Second World War: Ulric Cross is thought to have been the
most decorated Caribbean airman of World War II, he went on to
enjoy a distinguished career in Trinidad as a judge and diplomat.
Cross trained as a navigator at Cranwell before joining No 139
(Jamaica) Squadron, equipped with the Mosquito - many of the
aircraft were paid for by donations made by the citizens of Jamaica.
Cross was the only West Indian on the squadron, where his
comrades gave him the fond nickname ‘The Black Hornet’.
HMS Empire Windrush is a ship that is remembered today for
bringing the first large group of post-war West Indian immigrants
to the United Kingdom. The ship carried 492 passengers and one
stowaway on a voyage from Jamaica to London in 1948. British
African-Caribbean people who came to the United Kingdom in
the period after The second World War are sometimes referred to
as the ‘Windrush Generation’.
Footballer Albert Johanneson makes his first appearance for Leeds
United. The South Africa born left winger scores 68 goals for them in
the 1960s. At a time when black players were a novelty in England, he
endured racist taunting from opposing players and the crowd. He went
on to be the first black player in an FA Cup Final. In 1961 Maxi Priest
was born. Maxi Priest grew up in Lewisham and he is one of only two
British reggae acts (along with UB40) to have an American Billboard
number one: “Close to You” in 1990. A duet with Roberta Flack, “Set
the Night to Music”, reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet
with Shaggy in 1996, “That Girl”, was also a hit in the United States,
peaking at number twenty.
Jamaica attains full independence, Trinidad declares independence.
“ I have a dream”
Martin Luther King is the author of one of history’s most memorable
speeches. On 28 August 1963, he stood up at the Lincoln Memorial
in Washington DC, USA and told 250,000 euphoric supporters of
his dream for racial equality. Dr King’s words are still instantly
recognisable even four decades later.
492 passengers go on
a voyage from Jamaica to London
ival tak
es off
1997
Oona King be
came the sec
ond black
female MP in
the House of
Commons
1972
Employers can no
longer discriminate on
the grounds of colour
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First Black cabinet
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1993 UK’s first black
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1564
1672 1759 J ohn Hawkins set sail on a slave trading voyage to the West African
coast with Sir Francis Drake. Hawkins is generally considered the
first English person to profit from the slave trade.
Slavery is legalised - the Royal African company is granted a charter to
carry slaves to the Americas.
William Wilberforce was born in 1759. In 1789, he made his first
speech as one of the campaign leaders to the House of Commons
urging for the slave trade to be ceased. In 1807 Abolition of the Slave
Trade Act was passed although some argued that it did not go far
enough. Wilberforce died in 1833, one month before the revised act
came into force and slavery was abolished.
The Admissions and Student Support Team have created this
Black History timeline, it is a small selection of significant
black history including some local London historical events.
Slavery was
abolished in Britain
1913 First elected black mayor: the Mayor of Battersea - John Richard Archer.
1914 -1918 The First World War: One hundred years after the outbreak of this
global war, it is important to remember that black soldiers and auxiliary
personnel from different parts of the world were involved: for instance,
South African and Caribbean soldiers in the British army; African
Americans in the American Expeditionary Force; North and West
Africans in the French army; and East Africans in the German army.
Overall, at least 80,000 black Africans fought for one side or the other.
Of these, more than 10,000 died.