To celebrate Black History month here is a list of famous individuals with remarkable and sometime unbelievably educating lives.
The list of 100 people is a mixture of royals, saints, politicians, musicians, sportsmen, entrepreneurs and all things praiseworthy.
(List of names appears in alphabetical order of last names)
- Diane Abbott, first black woman MP
- Ira Aldridge, 19th century actor, Theatre Company
- Duonne Alexander, entrepreneur
- Baroness Amos
- Viv Anderson, footballer
- John Archer, UK’s first black mayor
- Joan Armatrading, singer
- Francis Barber, assistant to Dr Samuel Johnson and writer of the first dictionary
- John Barnes, footballer/broadcaster
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
- Dame Jocelyn Barrows, educationist and BBC governor
- Shirley Bassey, singer
- Brendan Batson, Secretary of the Professional Footballers
- Floella Benjamin, broadcaster
- Nigel Benn/Chris Eubank, boxers
- Patrick Berry, managing director of Choice FM
- Paul Boateng, MP
- Ozwald Boateng, designer
- Nana Bonsu, community leaders
- Yvonne Brewster, founder of The Talawa
- George Bridgetower, violinist
- Errol Brown, singer
- Frank Bruno, boxer
- Naomi Campbell, supermodel
- David Case, RAF commander
- Queen Charlotte, consort of George III and Queen Victoria’s grandmother
- Linford Christie, athlete
- Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, composer
- Leary Constantine, England’s first black peer
- John Conteh, boxer
- William Cuffay, politician
- Ottobah Cugoano, 18th-century abolitionist
- Craig David, singer
- Des’ree, singer
- Desmond Douglas, table tennis player
- Niger Val Dub, Pict king
- Miss Dynamite, singer
- John Edmonstone, taught Charles Darwin taxidermy
- Olaudah Equiano, political activist
- Mike Fuller, Britain’s first black police chief
- Gabrielle, singer
- Lenn Garrison, community leader
- Goldie, musician
- Bernie Grant, MP
- Jeremy Guscott, rugby union player
- Queen Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III
- Professor Stuart Hall, academic and broadcaster
- Lord Pitt of Hampstead, Labour peer
- Ellery Hanley, rugby player
- Lenny Henry, comedian
- Peter Herbert, chairman of the Society of Black Lawyers
- Baroness (Rosalind) Howells, community activist
- Paul Ince, footballer
- Colin Jackson, athlete
- Lee Jasper, activist
- Jazzie B, musician
- Linton Kwesi Johnson, poet and activist
- Claudia Jones, founder of the Notting Hill Carnival
- Janet Kay, musician
- Oona King, MP
- Kanya King, founder of MOBO Awards
- Beverley Knight, singer
- Cleo Laine, singer
- David Lammy, MP
- Stephen Lawrence, murdered teenager
- Angie Le Mar, comedian
- Denise Lewis, athlete
- Lennox Lewis, the most successful British sportsman of all time
- George of Lydda, saint
- Phil Lynott, singer
- OA Lyseight, founder of the New Testament Church of God
- Val McCalla, publisher
- Jenette McDonald, politician
- Sir Trevor McDonald, newsreader
- Harold Moody, athlete and entrepreneur
- Sir Bill Morris, trade unionist
- Martin Offiah, rugby player
- Ben Okri, writer
- Bruce Oldfield, designer
- Herman Ouseley, first black head of the Commission for Racial Equality
- Mica Paris, singer
- Trevor Phillips, politician
- Courtney Pine, jazz musician
- Mary Prince, first black woman author published in England
- Sade, singer
- Ignatius Sancho, writer, musician and businessman
- Tessa Sanderson, athlete
- Baroness Scotland, first black woman peer along with …
- Mary Seacole, Crimean War nurse
- Seal, singer
- Septimus Severus, Roman emperor
- Zadie Smith, writer
- Moira Stuart, newsreader
- Carroll Thompson, musician
- Daley Thompson, athlete
- Randolph Turpin, boxer
- Rudolph Walker, actor
- Lord Taylor of Warwick, Conservative peer
- Andrew Watson, first black footballer to play for Scotland
- Robert Wedderburn, anti slavery campaigner
- Arthur Wharton, England’s first professional black footballer
- 1Henry Sylvester Williams, politician
- Wilfred Wood, first black bishop
- lan Wright, footballer
- Benjamin Zephaniah, poet
