100 Great Black Britons

The 100 Great Black Britons list was compiled as a response to the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons debate that took place the previous year (November 2002) in the United Kingdom. [cite press release
publisher=
date=
url=http://rastaites.com/news/hearticals/100greatest.htm
title=100 Great Black Britons Press Release
accessdate=2006-05-27 ]

Patrick Vernon, founder of black heritage website "Every Generation", pointed out that no black people had made it to the Top 100, saying that this was due in part to many people being unaware of the achievements and contributions of black people over the centuries.

While some in the Black community saw the project as providing useful role-models, the value of the project was challenged by others, including those nominated for the survey. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/feb/07/race.uk Guardian] Saturday 7 February 2004 debate between Tony Sewell and Amina Taylor]

The inclusion of some individuals in this list is disputed, as there are contradictory claims as to whether they were black or not (such as Philippa of Hainault or Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), not only because of the difficulties in defining what a black person is or is not, but also because some genealogical claims are strongly denied or lack sufficient sources. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/books/review/Goodheart-t.html NY Times] December 23, 2007 review by Adam Goodheart of "Foreigners": "...they included, on the basis of questionable evidence, a few long-dead Britons (like Elizabeth Barrett Browning) who would no doubt have been surprised to hear that they were black."]

Winners by category

Business

*Jazzie B "(Entrepreneur and music producer)"

port

*Daley Thompson "(1980 and 1984 Olympic Gold medal winner for the decathlon)"

Greatest Black British Woman

*Mary Seacole "(Crimean war veteran nurse and original lady of the lamp)"

Music

*George Bridgetower "(Renowned violinist and close friend of Beethoven)"

Arts and Culture

*Linton Kwesi Johnson "(Britain's first Dub poet and writer)"

Entertainment

*Lenny Henry "(Co-founder of Comic Relief and veteran comedian/actor)"

cience/Innovation/Design

*Mary Seacole "(Crimean War nurse)"

Nobility

*Queen Philippa "(Wife of Edward III and mother of the Black Prince)"

Public Life - Pioneers of the Past

*David Pitt, Baron Pitt of Hampstead "(Medic, political pioneer and Labour peer)"

Public Life - General

*Sir Bill Morris "(Former head of the Transport and General Workers Union)"

Politics

*Olaudah Equiano "(Black Britain's political founding father)"

Complete list

#Mary Seacole
#Wilfred Wood/O.A. Lyseight
#Mary Prince
#Olaudah Equiano
#Philippa of Hainault
#Courtney Pine
#Sir Bill Morris/Sir Trevor McDonald
#Dame Shirley Bassey
#Bernie Grant
#Professor Stuart Hall
#Ellery Hanley
#Sade Adu
#Stephen Lawrence
#Ms. Dynamite
#Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Queen Charlotte)
#Henry Sylvester Williams
#Daley Thompson
#Lenny Henry
#Joan Armatrading
#Benjamin Zephaniah
#Arthur Wharton/Andrew Watson
#Linton Kwesi Johnson
#Nana Bonsu/Len Garrison
#George of Lydda
#Septimus Severus
#Rosalind Howells, Baroness Howells of St Davids
#Harold Moody
#Lennox Lewis
#Diane Abbott
#William Cuffay
#Francis Barber
#Ignatius Sancho
#Phil Lynott
#Moira Stuart
#Frank Bruno
#Niger Val Dubh
#Learie Constantine
#Elizabeth Barrett Browning
#Robert Wedderburn
#Claudia Jones
#Herman Ouseley
#Craig David
#John Barnes
#Martin Offiah
#Des'ree
#Randolph Turpin
#Paul Boateng
#Cleo Laine
#John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick
#Ottobah Cuguano
#Trevor Phillips
#Ian Wright
#Linford Christie
#Bruce Oldfield
#Peter Herbert
#Mike Fuller
#Lee Jasper
#Beverley Knight
#Ozwald Boateng
#Viv Anderson
#Desmond Douglas
#Patrick Berry
#Brendan Batson
#Floella Benjamin
#David Pitt, Baron Pitt of Hampstead
#John Edmonstone
#Kanya King
#Val McCalla
#Dame Jocelyn Barrows
#David Lammy
#Oona King
#John Archer
#Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal
#Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos
#George Bridgetower
#Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
#Zadie Smith
#Jazzie B
#Ira Aldridge
#Colin Jackson
#Yvonne Brewster
#Duonne Alexander
#David Case
#Tessa Sanderson
#Seal
#Errol Brown
#Rudolph Walker
#Gabrielle/Naomi Campbell
#Goldie
#Mica Paris
#Angie Le Mar
#Ben Okri
#Denise Lewis
#Jeremy Guscott
#Paul Ince
#Nigel Benn/Chris Eubank
#John Conteh
#Janet Kay
#Jenette McDonald
#Carroll Thompson

References

External links

* [http://www.100greatblackbritons.com/ 100 Great Black Britons Website]