Brilliant Black British History

Did you know that the first humans in Britain were Black? Migrating from other parts of the world, about 12,000 years ago, they had dark skin and lived in Britain for 7,500 years before the first white Britons migrated there. About 6,000 years ago, people with brown skin brought farming – and built Stonehenge!

This book, beautifully illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi, is full of fascinating information like this. Beginning with these first migrants, going through the Romans, Tudors, Georgians, Victorians, World Wars, all the way up to the Windrush generation, colonial independence and current Black British culture, this is a comprehensive guide to British, and world, history. There are tough topics, such as slavery and colonialism, as is to be expected, and they are dealt with in a factual way that doesn’t pull any punches. Famous Black Britons such as Georgians Captain John Perkins and Bill Richmond and Victorian Olga Brown are highlighted, and there is a final page on Black Lives Matter, explaining that there is still work to do to fight racism. Informative, eye-opening and a must-have in any school library.