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Opinion
and features
These
are Great Britons too
When
the BBC nominated 100 national heroes none of them was black or Asian.
Yet non-whites have helped to shape our nation in all areas, from politics
to poetry and football to fashion. Here are some notable examples.
(With
acknowledgement to the Guardian Unlimited. Sunday August 25, 2002 The
Observer}
Shami Ahmed 1962-
Burnley-born Ahmed, whose wealth is currently estimated at £75
million, is the kingpin behind the Manchester-based Joe Bloggs fashion
empire. The brand, founded in 1986, was endorsed by Take That and Prince
Naseem.
Baroness
Amos 1931-
Valerie Amos was born in Guyana, studied at the Universities of Warwick,
Birmingham and East Anglia, and was made an honorary professor at Thames
Valley University in 1995 in recognition of her work on equality and
social justice. She is a spokesperson on international development and
on social security and women's issues. She was created a life peer in
August 1997.
John
Richard Archer 1836-1932
Britain's first black mayor, Archer was born in Liverpool and in 1890
he settled in Battersea, London, where he opened an award winning photographic
studio. An outstanding public speaker, he was elected the tenth Mayor
of Battersea in 1913. He declared: 'You have made history tonight. Battersea
has done many things in its past, but the greatest is to show that it
has no colour prejudice, and that it recognises a man for the work he
has done.'
Jazzie
B (Beresford Romeo) 1963-
His musical collective Soul II Soul made 1989's landmark album, Club
Classics Vol. 1. Jazzie B's services as a producer and arranger were
later sought by Fine Young Cannibals and Neneh Cherry. He has pioneered
the musical imprint for black British dance.
Clyde
Best 1956-
A prolific goal scorer for West Ham from 1969 to 1976, Bermuda-born
Best was one of the first major black players in English soccer.
Ozwald
Boateng 1967-
Boateng was the first black fashion designer to open an outlet in London's
Saville Row, and his clothes are now shown in London, Paris and throughout
the world. He produces well cut and highly marketable clothing lines
in an industry notorious for failing to highlight minorities.
Paul
Boateng 1951-
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is Britain's first black Cabinet
Minister. He is Labour MP for Brent South, and opposes the legalisation
of cannabis. He previously worked as a barrister.
Linford
Christie 1960-
Christie has a forceful case for the title of Europe's greatest ever
athlete. He won the Olympic gold in 1992 and, in all, 23 major championship
medals. He remains the only European to have run 100m under 10 seconds.
Samuel
Coleridge Taylor 1875-1912
Taylor was 22 when he composed his most famous work, Hiawatha's Wedding
Feast, described by the Royal College of Music as 'one of the most remarkable
events in English musical history'. He promoted the cause of black people
worldwide and frequently travelled to America where he held workshops
for black musicians and composers.
Bernie
Grant 1944-2000
One of Britain's first black MPs, Grant was elected for Tottenham in
1987 and returned in 1997 with a majority of 20,200. A full time union
officer before entering politics, he courted controversy throughout
his career with his eloquent and impassioned criticisms of the police.
He was a titanic defender of civil rights.
Lenny
Henry 1958-
The comedian shot to fame after appearing in the 1975 TV talent show
New Faces. He helped raise funds for TV's Childline and won a Royal
Television Society medal for outstanding contributions to multi-ethnic
media.
Claudia
Jones 1915- 1964
The founder of Notting Hill Carnival was given asylum in England in
1955 following her deportation from New York. A feminist, communist
and black nationalist, she founded and edited The West Indian Gazette
and remained tireless in her fight for equal opportunities for black
people.
Imran
Khan 1965-
Khan came to national prominence when he represented the Stephen Lawrence
family. A former candidate for Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party,
Khan is now a member of the Socialist Alliance. He is seen as a leading
advocate for social justice and police reform and runs his own law practice.
Linton
Kwesi Johnson 1952-
The poet and singer/songwriter has written expertly about reggae for
the New Musical Express and been closely involved with the Race Today
newspaper. He considers his musical involvement secondary to his political
activities.
Neville
Lawrence 1942- Doreen Lawrence 1953-
In the aftermath of the Stephen Lawrence murder in 1993, his parents
have become the epitome of the quest for justice. Their composure, in
the wake of great adversity, is unparalleled.
Lennox
Lewis 1966-
In the often surly, corrupt world of boxing, Lewis has emerged as one
of the most likeable sports stars of the last century. The first British
boxer to unite all three recognised titles - IBF, WBA and WBC - Lewis
is now regarded as one of the world's most technically accomplished
heavyweights.
Sir
Trevor Mcdonald 1941-
Britain's foremost news broadcaster was knighted in the 1999 honours
list. He has won the title of newscaster of the year three times and
was awarded an OBE in 1992.
Ismail
Merchant 1936-
Merchant's films, made in partnership with James Ivory, have won six
Oscars. Merchant received a Bafta fellowship earlier this year. His
most successful films include A Room With a View, Howards End, The Remains
of the Day and The Mystic Masseur.
Dr
Harold Moody 1892-1947
Moody arrived in London in 1904 and studied medicine at King's College.
He was a medal-winning scholar and devout Christian who sought to alleviate
hardship of poor black people. The founding president of the 'League
of Coloured Peoples', a non-militant lobby group, he was instrumental
in the campaign to allow black people to join the armed forces.
Dadabhai
Naoroji 1825-1916
The first Indian ever to run for Parliament, Naoroji initially failed
in his bid, leading Prime Minister Lord Salisbury to comment that the
British had not yet reached the point where they would elect a 'black
man'. Undeterred, he stood again, this time successfully for Finsbury
Park in 1892.
Lord
David Pitt 1913-1994
Britain's longest-serving black parliamentarian was a close associate
of US black civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Pitt was chairman
of the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination, a founding leader of
the West Indian National Party and chairman of Greater London Council.
Salman
Rushdie 1947-
The Anglo-Indian novelist, Booker and Whitbread prize winner is still
best known for his 1989 novel The Satanic Verses which caused controversy
throughout the Muslim world and led to Iran's late Ayatollah Khomeini
offering a multi-million dollar award for the author's assassination.
The fatwa on Rushdie has since been lifted.
Ignatius
Sancho 1729-1780
Sancho was born a slave on a ship crossing the Atlantic from Africa
to the West Indies. He was then taken to Greenwich in London where he
worked as a child labourer. He was the first African writer published
in Britain and the first African to vote in a British election. His
collected writings were published in 1782. To abolitionists of slavery
he was a symbol of eloquence and humanity.
Tessa
Sanderson 1956-
Sanderson competed in five Olympics, debuting at Montreal in 1976. She
also won three Commonwealth titles, a World Cup and European gold. Sanderson
was awarded the MBE in the 1985 New Year honours list. She was appointed
a director of Brighton Bears basketball club in 2000.
Mary
Seacole 1805-1881
An unsung heroine of British history, Mary Seacole funded her trip to
help wounded British troops in the Crimean war after her application
to be a nurse was turned down by the War Office. Largely forgotten -
while Florence Nightingale remains lionised - she became a favourite
with troops.
Zadie
Smith 1976-
Smith has emerged as one of the most impressive literary newcomers of
recent years. Her debut novel, White Teeth, a Whitbread prize finalist
in 2000, was an extraordinary take on British multiculturalism.
Daley
Thompson 1958-
The gold medal-winning decathlete first qualified for the British Olympic
squad aged 17. He went on to win two Olympic golds and a world championship.
He set four world records and was voted sports star of the century in
a recent Channel 4 poll.
Andrew
Watson 1857-unknown
Andrew Watson was born in Guyana and began playing football in 1874.
At Queens Park, the Manchester United of the day, he excelled. He also
toured with England's elite amateur side, the Corinthians, and was capped
three times for Scotland.
Arthur
Wharton 1865-1930
Britain's first professional black footballer was also a runner and
a cricketer. In one year, 1885-86, he played football for both Preston
North End and Darlington, and ran for the Birchfield Harriers.
William
Wilson 1771-unknown
Born in Barbados, Wilson was enlisted in the British forces in April
1785. He served as a private at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and his
bravery was recognised with the Waterloo Medal.
Other
suggestions included:
Benjamin Zephaniah, writer; Nasser Hussain, captain of the English cricket
team; Prince Naseem Hamed, boxer; Madhur Jaffrey, chef; Tjinder Singh,
lead singer with Cornershop; Lord Desai, professor of economics at the
LSE; Ian Wright, TV host and former footballer; Fatima Whitbread, athlete;
Nitin Sawhney, award-winning musician; Michael X, 1970s activist; Saeed
Jaffrey, actor; Meera Syal, writer and comedian; Naomi Campbell, supermodel;
Frank Bruno, boxing champion; Lord Alli, leading Labour peer.
The
Observer sought advice from a host of prominent black and Asian organisations
and individuals including the Commission for Racial Equality, Operation
Black Vote, the Institute of Race Relations, Lee Jasper and Trevor Phillips.
Each was asked to nominate a list of heroes.
The results featured here document a 200-year stretch of black and Asian
achievements.
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