News
Doesn't it make you feel proud?
Comments 0
Sislin Fay of the MET
Over the decades since the arrival of Empire Windrush in 1948,
there have been many achievements and actions that have brought pride to the black community in the UK. The Voice lists 20 of the most inspiring moments.
1. OLYMPICS AND THE ‘BLACKWASH’ SUMMER
1984 was memorable for several reasons. Tessa Sanderson and Daley Thompson both won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics, in
javelin and the decathlon respectively. And the West Indies cricket team trounced England in the Test series by 5-0.
Proud Windies supporters dubbed the latter achievement a ‘blackwash’. There were celebrations in the stands at London’s Oval cricket ground, and in living rooms, as the West Indies cricket team won their fifth Test by 172 runs.
The Windies team were led by Clive Lloyd, who is still regarded as one of the most successful Test captains of all time.
Windies fan Delroy Green, 56, told The Voice: “The English love to pride themselves as the best cricketers, but the West Indies truly showed them up by thrashing them, making every black person, especially West Indians, proud. It was a
great day, one I still treasure today.”
2. KELLY HOLMES IN ATHENS
BRITISH ATHLETE Kelly Holmes secured a place in Olympic history by winning both the 800m and 1500m in Athens, in 2004.
Holmes’ triumph made her the first Briton in 84 years to achieve the Olympic middle-distance double since Ann Packer in 1964.
She set a new British record for the race, with a time of three minutes 57.9 seconds, finishing three metres ahead of Russian rival Tatyana Tomashova.
Holmes’ achievements on the track in 2004 made her one of the most successful British athletes in history.
Her successes were acknowledged through a series of high profile awards and accolades, including the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, European Athlete of the Year, Laureus World Sports Woman of the Year.
In 2005, she was made a Dame in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
3. LINFORD CHRISTIE WINS GOLD IN 1992, Linford Christie won a gold medal in the 100m at the Barcelona Olympics, after sprinting ahead of Frankie Fredericks and crossing the line in 9.96 seconds.
Christie is the only British man to win a gold medal in the 100m at all four major competitions: the Olympic Games and the World, Commonwealth, and European championships.
He was also the first European to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m, and still holds the British record in the
event.
4. ZEPHANIAH TURNS DOWN OBE
WHEN BRITISH writer and dub poet Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah rejected an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2003, many commended him for his decision. Zephaniah turned down his OBE from the Queen because he
said it reminded him of how his foremothers were raped and his forefathers brutalised.
The Rastafarian poet said: “The poem of mine called ‘Bought and Sold’ makes it absolutely clear that I am critical of anyone, especially creative people and intellectuals, who accept such honours. The fact that [then prime minister] Tony Blair had offered me an OBE reveals that he doesn’t really read my books, despite the fact that when I met him he told me
that he has some of my books.
“Have no doubt about it, if I had an OBE in my hand now and Tony Blair was in front of me, I would feed it down his mouth, and as he swallowed I would say, that’s for all the lives that have suffered under British rule.”
5. PROTEST OVER NEW CROSS FIRE
IN 1981, thousands of people took part in a series of demonstrations to protest against an alleged police cover up over the New Cross Fire, which took the lives of 13 black youngsters.
Victims of the fire were among guests celebrating a joint birthday party for two girls in a house in Deptford, south
London. The Met Police was accused of lacking urgency and were criticised for ruling out a racial motive.
6. HAMILTON WINS FORMULA ONE
MCLAREN-MERCEDES driver Lewis Hamilton made his Formula One debut in 2007 and almost won the World Championship in his
rookie season, narrowly losing out on the title by just one point. In 2008, the nation was gripped to their televisions as
Hamilton grabbed the title on the final day of the season in Brazil.
The 24-year-old is the youngest ever Formula One champion. Hamilton, the only black driver ever to race in Formula One since it was created in 1950, has brought a brand new audience to motor sport.
“Being black is not a negative,” said Hamilton. “It’s a positive, if anything, because I’m different. In the future it can
open doors to different cultures and that is what motor sport is trying to do anyway.”
7. THIAM MADE PRUDENTIAL HEAD
WHEN TIDJANE THIAM became the new boss of the Prudential in March he made history, becoming the first black chief executive of a FTSE 100 company.
The 46-year-old, who is highly regarded in the City, said he was delighted by the opportunity to lead Prudential. “It’s a privilege to work with the executive team to lead Prudential into its next stage of development. I feel truly blessed,” he said.
8. DOREEN AND NEVILLE LAWRENCE
THE STRENGTH of Doreen and Neville Lawrence, fighting for justice after their beloved son, Stephen, was stabbed to
death while waiting for a bus in 1993, has never left the minds of the black community. The couple’s struggle to bring their
son’s killers to justice highlighted racism within the Metropolitan Police. In 1999, an inquiry headed by Sir William MacPherson examined the original Met Police investigation and famously concluded that the force was “institutionally
racist”. It has been called one of the most important moments in the modern history of criminal justice in Britain.
9. RT HON BARONESS SCOTLAND OF ASTHAL, QC
THE RIGHT Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal, QC became the first black woman in Britain to take silk in 1991, and at the age of 35, the youngest person to be made a QC since William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806).
She is also the first black woman to be appointed a government minister and the first female attorney general, the country’s
chief legal adviser of the Crown, representing the Queen and the Government in court.
Born in Dominica in 1956, she arrived in Britain at the age of 2 along with 10 siblings. She later attended university and distinguished herself as a lawyer before entering the political arena in 1977. She was called to the bar and served two terms of government for Labour, firstly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then the Lord Chancellor’s Office.
10. FIRST BLACK HEAD TEACHER
CARIBBEAN WRITER Beryl Gilroy also made an impact as an educationalist, and in 1968 became Britain’s first black head
teacher.
Having trained as a teacher in Guyana, Beryl found employment in inner London, where she soon rose to head of a primary school. Beryl later joined the Institute of Education and the Centre for Multicultural Education.
She went on to secure a doctorate in counselling psychology and a fellowship at the Institute of Education.
11. SISLIN FAY ALLEN JOINING MET POLICE
SISLIN FAY Allen made the headlines when she became the Metropolitan Police’s first black female officer in 1969.
A follow-up to a newspaper advert for police officers led Sislin to be interviewed and then, to the surprise of her husband and family, her selection.
Allen received racist abuse from some in the white community who refused to be policed by a black officer.
But her tenacity was a source of inspiration for other black people to join the police and try to bring about a fairer criminal justice system.
12. DR SENTAMU BECOMING ARCHBISHOP
ARCHBISHOP OF York Rt Reverend Dr John Sentamu was born and raised in Uganda, where he studied law at Makerere University and later practised there.
Forced to move to Britain in 1974 due to the political conflict taking place in his homeland, he obtained a doctorate in theology at Cambridge University and was ordained in 1979.
He was vicar in Tulse Hill, south London, and later consecrated as the Bishop of Stepney. In 2002, he was appointed the eighth Bishop of Birmingham.
His appointment as Archbishop of York in 2005 not only gave him a seat in the House of Lords, but he’s now second in command to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the head of the Church of England.
Archbishop Sentamu is among the most powerful black religious leaders in the world.
13. BOATENG ON SAVILE ROW
RESPECTED DESIGNER Ozwald Boateng has achieved a great deal since entering the fashion business nearly two decades ago.
Known for his colourful, slim-fitting suits, Boateng was the youngest tailor — and the first black person — to open a shop in
London’s Savile Row.
The venerable French design house Givenchy named Boateng creative director of menswear and he was awarded an OBE in 2006.
The list of stars who have worn his bespoke creations include David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Robbie Williams, Will Smith, Forest
Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins, Spike Lee, Lenny Kravitz and Jamie Foxx, to name but a few.
14. BEHARRY AWARDED VICTORIA CROSS
GRENADIAN-BORN Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry of the First Battalion, the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, was awarded the highest military decoration for valour, the Victoria Cross in 2005, for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes
in Iraq.
Lance Corporal Beharry is the first recipient of the Victoria Cross since the posthumous awards to Lieutenant Colonel H. Jones and Sergent Ian John McKay for service in the Falklands War in 1982.
He is also the first living recipient of the VC in the British Army since Rambahadur Limbu.
15. THREE MPS ELECTED
IN 1987, Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant became the first black MPs to be elected to Parliament.
All three politicians were elected on a Labour ticket and promised to further the cause of better race relations.
Grant, who passed away in 2000, was known as an outspoken advocate of black and ethnic minority rights.
Published: 06 July 2009
Issue: 1379
