100 Great Black Britons is a poll and public campaign that seeks to identify and celebrate the most significant Black Britons in history. It was first undertaken in 2003 and later relaunched in an updated form in 2019–2020. The initiative is closely associated with the accompanying book 100 Great Black Britons (2020), co-authored by Patrick Vernon OBE and Dr Angelina Osborne, with a foreword by historian David Olusoga.
Origins and Background
The campaign was initiated by Patrick Vernon in 2003 as a direct response to the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons poll and television series (2002), which, in its published listing of 100 nominees, featured no Black Britons. Vernon launched the alternative campaign during Black History Month in October 2003, in collaboration with the organisation Every Generation, with the stated aim of "raising the profile of the Black contribution to Britain." The accompanying website received more than one million hits during the online campaign, and more than 100,000 people voted in the poll over a three-month period.
2003 Poll Results
The results of the original poll were announced in February 2004, with British-Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole voted the greatest Black Briton of all time. Other leading figures in the top ten included Bishop Wilfred Wood, Dr Oliver Lyseight, writer and abolitionist Mary Prince, abolitionist and author Olaudah Equiano, jazz musician Courtney Pine, trade unionist Sir Bill Morris, broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald, singer Dame Shirley Bassey, politician Bernie Grant, and cultural theorist Professor Stuart Hall.
The poll attracted some criticism. Some commentators argued that it was derivative of the BBC concept, while the inclusion of certain historical figures—such as Queen Philippa of Hainault and poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning—was disputed by historians, who questioned whether these individuals could be considered "Black" in any modern sense.
2019–2020 Relaunch
In 2019, 16 years after the original campaign, Vernon and Osborne relaunched the initiative. The relaunch was prompted by factors including the Windrush scandal, the 2016 European Union membership referendum, and broader concerns about the visibility of Black British history. Members of the public were invited to nominate and vote for admired Black Britons, and thousands of nominations were received. A panel of experts, chaired by Vernon, selected the final list of 100.
The updated, unranked list of 100 Great Black Britons was published in the book released on 24 September 2020. It includes figures from across politics, the arts, science, sport, academia, and activism, such as Diane Abbott, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Dame Floella Benjamin, Idris Elba, Stormzy, David Olusoga, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Seacole, Claudia Jones, John Blanke, and Benjamin Zephaniah, among many others. The book was reported to have reached the top of the Amazon book charts shortly before its publication, and a fundraising campaign was launched to supply a copy to every secondary school in the United Kingdom.
Book Publication
The book 100 Great Black Britons was published by Robinson (London) in 2020 with ISBN 1472144309. It presents biographies of the selected individuals and contextualises their contributions to British history, including their experiences of structural racism and the legacy of the British Empire.
Significance and Legacy
The 100 Great Black Britons campaign has been described as a landmark moment and one of the most successful movements focused on the role of people of African and Caribbean descent in British history. Its impact reportedly included the addition of Black historical figures to school curricula, the installation of blue plaques honouring individuals from the list, and the 2016 unveiling of a statue of Mary Seacole in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital in London. The campaign has also been supported by figures including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the National Education Union.
