4 Black Trailblazers That Have Shaped British Culture

JB Simmons, Guest Contributor

The history of Black people in Britain is a long and storied one, since the days of the Roman Empire and the impact on British culture has been profound.

Learning about Black culture is one way to understand deeper the dynamics and attitudes in today's society. Looking into the most notable Black figures in UK history is one way to start, as their stories are deeply intertwined with the country's history.

Today, we'll look into four Black trailblazers that have shaped British culture:

1. Paul Stephenson

Image @ vintageblackbritain

Paul Stephenson is an activist who has dedicated his life to fighting for social justice. He is most famous for being one of the lead organisers of the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, a response to the bus company's discriminatory colour bar policy. Inspired by Rosa Parks' example in Alabama, USA, Stephenson rallied the entire community to speak out against the prevailing racist culture in Britain at that time. The boycott was influential in passing the Race Relations Act, which made discrimination on the basis of race unlawful in public places, employment, and housing. Stephen's actions paved the way for the more inclusive British culture we see today.

Read our subject guide on Protest and Campaigns.

2. Margaret Busby

Image @ mockingbirdwestend

Margaret Busby is most known as the first Black female book publisher in Britain. Her work challenged the publishing world, which white men have traditionally dominated. Across many traditional fields, leadership is becoming more demanding, and the principles associated with diversity and inclusion are now expected of business leaders across the country. Through the work of industry leaders like Busby, UK society gets exposed to various published work across gender, nationality, and ethnic origins. Her literary activism stems from her belief that the dominant white male community has controlled book circulations, schools, libraries, and publishing houses. For her, creating a demand for books celebrating society's heterogeneity will make the publishing industry reflect the true diversity of British culture.

Read our subject guide on Publishing.

3. Diane Abbott

Image @ newnham_associates

British society has come a long way from the uprisings of forty years ago, in response to the discriminatory policing of Black people. Now, there are Black people that hold positions of power in government. Diane Abbott, a British politician, has made her mark on British history by becoming the first Black woman elected to the Parliament and the longest-serving Black MP in the House of Commons. Abbott graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge, and then rose from her city council to national politics. Her distinguished career as a politician and broadcaster inspires young Black women across the country who want to fight modern racism and make their indelible mark in British culture.

Read our subject guide on Uprisings.

4. Harold Moody

Image @ msrcleeds

Harold Moody was a Jamaican-born physician. He went to London to study medicine in 1904 and started his practice in Peckham in 1913. Despite having a successful medical practice, he delved into civil rights after experiencing racial prejudice as a student and immigrant in the UK. He poured much time and energy into campaigning for the rights of Black people and is even dubbed the Martin Luther King Jr. of the country. In 1931, Moody founded the League of Coloured Peoples, which focused on Black rights in the UK. The work of civil rights pioneers like Moody has brought on lasting changes in British culture, particularly in the area of civil liberties.

Black people have and continue to shape British culture in countless ways, and collecting and preserving these stories is one way to honour the struggles and continue building better futures. These four Black trailblazers are only some of the figures that contributed to the formation of modern Britain and its contemporary culture and development.

Check out our ‘Black Britons in the Archive’ online exhibit on Google Arts and Culture.