Celebrating Black History Month

Their Service, Our History - The Story of Walter Tull - British Football Pioneer and War Hero. Walter Tull was one of Britain’s first Black professional footballers who broke racial barriers on the pitch and, during WWI, became one of the first officers of mixed heritage commissioned to lead white troops in battle. He served bravely at the front, was recognised for his gallantry, but tragically died in action in 1918 aged 29.

Pride in our Roots - The Story of Mary Seacole - Mary Seacole was a Jamaican-British nurse, entrepreneur and healer who, after being refused formal nursing posts during the Crimean War, travelled at her own expense to set up the “British Hotel” near the front line to care for wounded soldiers. Undeterred by prejudice, she visited battlefields under fire, tended to the sick, and became affectionately known to soldiers as “Mother Seacole.”

Power in Protest - The Story of Paul Stephenson - Paul Stephenson led a 1963 boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company after it refused to employ Black or Asian drivers and conductors, and after 60 days, the company reversed its “colour bar” policy. He later challenged racial exclusion in public houses by refusing to leave until he was served—a bold act that helped push for Britain’s first Race Relations Act in 1965.

Truth to Power - The Story of Martin Luther King - Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader in the United States who advocated nonviolent protest to challenge segregation and racial injustice. His iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered during the 1963 March on Washington, envisioned a future where people would “not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Standing Firm in Parliament - The Story of Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon - Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon turned her personal tragedy — the racist murder of her son Stephen in 1993 — into a force for change, campaigning tirelessly for justice, police reform, and recognition of institutional racism in the UK. Her work led to the landmark Macpherson Report, she founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust (and later the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation), and she was honoured with an OBE and made a life peer in the House of Lords for her services to community relations and equality. 

Creativity. Courage. Change - The Story of Trevor Nelson - Trevor Nelson, born in Hackney in 1964 to St Lucian parents, became a pioneering DJ and broadcaster who helped bring Black music—R&B, soul, hip-hop—into Britain’s mainstream via radio and television. He used pirate radio, shows like The Lick on MTV Base, and roles with BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra to champion new artists, curate emerging sounds, and create space where Black British cultural voices are heard and respected.