What can you do? Allyship and Black History Month

Charles Richard Drew

Drew developed large-scale blood banks in WWII which saved thousands of lives. Drew protested against racial segregation in the donation of blood, as it lacked scientific foundation, and resigned his position with the American Red Cross, which maintained this policy until 1950.

Annie Lee Cooper

The 1965 civil rights March on Selma is considered one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s crowning moments in building racial equality. He was accompanied by Annie Lee Cooper, without her tireless efforts, many black Americans might not have the right to vote today.

Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens is best known for his performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics where he won four gold medals. He overcame racial barriers to become one of history’s greatest Olympic athletes by disproving Adolf Hitler’s theory of Aryan athletic superiority through his success in track and field.

Ignatius Sancho

Sancho was the first Briton of African heritage to vote in the general election. To many, Sancho was a symbol of the humanity of Africans and the immorality of the slave trade.

Mary Prince

Mary wrote the first account of the life of a black woman to be published in the UK. Her first-hand description of slavery, at a time when it was still legal, had a galvanising effect on the anti-slavery movement.

Olaudah Equiano

His 1789 autobiography helped secure passage of the British Slave Trade Act 1807, which abolished the slave trade. The book sold so well that nine editions were published during his life.

John Edmonstone

A former enslaved person from Guyana, John was living in Edinburgh when he met a young Charles Darwin and taught him the skill of taxidermy. This skill helped Darwin preserve the birds that fermented his ideas about evolution.

Mary Seacole

Mary Seacole’s reputation after the Crimean War rivalled Florence Nightingale’s. She took herself to war by her own efforts and at her own expense and risked her life to bring comfort to the wounded and dying soldiers. But while Florence Nightingale has gone down in history as a legend, Mary Seacole was relegated to obscurity until recently.

Mary Ellen Pleasant

Mary Ellen Pleasant was arguably the first self-made millionaire of African-American heritage. She was a civil rights activist and entrepreneur who used her fortune to further the abolitionist movement.

Samuel Coleridge Taylor

Having studied at the highly respected Royal College of Music in London, Samuel went on to write many beautiful pieces of music which are still enjoyed today. It was unusual for black composers of classical music to enjoy success like he did.

Black-ish (Amazon Prime)

With help from his dad, Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family.

I May Destroy You (BBC)

Arabella, a young woman, struggles to remember the events that took place during her night out with friends.

Dreaming Whilst Black (BBC)

Can Kwabena swap his dead-end job for his movie mogul dream? The trouble is, he’s black, broke and his mum wishes he was an accountant.

Noughts and Crosses (BBC)

In a dystopian London, Sephy and Callum fall in love despite the odds. Can they breach the divide between the black elite and white underclass?

Atlanta (BBC)

Comedy drama following Earnest ‘Earn’ Marks as he pursues rap success with his cousin Alfred.

When They See Us (Netflix)

This crime drama series examines the role that race played in the incrimination of five young boys and the effect the wrongful convictions had on them and their families.

Blood and Water (Netflix)

After crossing paths at a party, a Cape Town teen sets out to prove whether a private-school swimming star is her sister who was abducted at birth

First Encounters (BBC)

Historian David Olusoga explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa. From the African Romans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall in the 3rd century AD to the black trumpeter of the Tudor courts, David uncovers a history that is as surprising as it is revealing.

Black Nurses: The women who saved the NHS (BBC)

Documentary which tells the story of the thousands of Caribbean and African women who answered the call 70 years ago to come to the UK to save the then ailing health service. It’s a tale of a struggle to overcome racism, their fight for career progression and their battle for national recognition.

Black Power: A British story of Resistance (BBC)

An examination of the Black Power movement in the late 1960s in the UK, surveying both the individuals and the cultural forces that defined the era.

For Crown and Country (BBC)

McBean earned the title ‘hero’ after suffering life-changing injuries in Afghanistan. However, despite the recognition he received for his effort, McBean sets about exploring why other Black servicemen and women from across the ages have never been truly recognised.