She would have expected people to name figures such as Quintus Lollius Urbicus, who became governor of Roman Britain

Look, I know everyone in Britain is required to know the names and dates of all the monarchs going back to the 9th century, but expecting everyone to be able to come up with that name when put on the spot is going a little too far.

Whilst I am sympathetic to the overall aim of this, things like this:

She would have expected people to name figures such as Quintus Lollius Urbicus, who became governor of Roman Britain

...do stand out as being a a bit unrealisitic. I mean, how many governors of Roman Britain of any race or nationality can the typical Briton actually name? I'd be surprised if it was more than 1 and probably less than that.

And if the expectation is that anyone would know of this guy only because his chief contribution to history is "being black" then I am not sure what we are gaining here.

three quarters couldn't name a white one either.

Okay. So half of britons can't name a black british historical figure? So what? That means HALF of britons CAN name a black british historical figure.

Personally I cannot name a single black british historical figure off the top of my head. But I also kind of find it offensive that people want to separate historical figures into "black" and "white" (and maybe others.. who knows?). Do we need to have a catagory for every type and mix? Like ffs.

It’s Scary that they can’t name one black Spice Girl.

I'm no Briton and i just know a few bits here and there of British history, but isn't the UK a traditionally mostly white country ?

I'm guessing half of say, Norwegians, also can't name a black Norwegian historical figure either. I'm betting it's even more than that and they're the most immediate neighbors of the UK.

I'm not saying they're not important to be remembered, or that there weren't black people in Europe since the Roman times, here and there, but statistically speaking, black people were the overwhelming minority.

This isn't just a race issue, how many historical figures in general can people name?

I'd gamble that 7% of British people think Winston Churchill signed the Magna Carta at the end of the first world war, and I include former prime ministers in that.

I'm American so I thought I didn't know any Black British historical figures. Thanks, OP, for posting about this because it's inspiring me to educate myself on the subject.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41433196

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41775249

I'm from the US. I wouldn't have gotten many, but brits didn't even get Samuel Coleridge-Taylor? Sad.

I've only heard of Mary Seacole out of the black Britons from history we're expected to know of.

I actually googled the musician and he has a relatively interesting story but it's also not at all surprising people don't know who he is today - he had one piece which was very popular called the Feast of Hiawatha which according to Google was played regularly until 1939 and then doesn't seem to have been revived. Seems he was much better regarded as a conductor.

Anyhow, historically this country's establishment has made it hard for black people to get famous until the 20th century, something that this academic surely knows. She's either naive or deliberately skewing her results for headlines by asking for names from a time when her top rankings include a Roman Governor!

99% of American can't either.

Yeah, I couldn't name one either (I'm from the US). The first name that popped into my mind was Jimi Hendrix but he wasn't British. I guess Othello wasn't British either, and may not have even been historical. I had heard of Idris Elba but didn't realize that he was British. No idea about the Spice Girls.

There is a story (maybe apocryphal) that former US Vice President Dan Quayle (famous for malapropisms) once referred to Nelson Mandela as a "great African-American", fwiw.

that makes sense for a country where the few black folks that did live there were usually not exactly living it up

Winston Churchill in silhouette

As an American, I can name Idris Elba and Ncuti Gatwa. But not going any further back in history than that.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Around half believed the number was 250,000 or fewer and only 12% of Britons thought that more than 1 million people were taken, “despite the true figure being more than three times that amount”, the report found.

Atinuke, the book’s award-winning Nigerian-born author, said of the survey’s findings: “Half of UK adults cannot name a single Black historical figure and only 7% can name more than four … I think disbelief is really the only word.”

She would have expected people to name figures such as Quintus Lollius Urbicus, who became governor of Roman Britain; the formerly enslaved Olaudah Equiano, who became an abolitionist and writer; Mary Seacole, who provided sustenance and care for British soldiers during the Crimean war, and the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

More than that, the forced contribution of millions of Black people before and during the Georgian era changed the course of British history – helping Britain to become the first industrialised nation in the world, and a superpower.”

She called for the government to drive more integration of Black British history in schools and universities, noting that, “as our world becomes more polarised and divided, increased inclusivity is needed now more than ever.

The results of this survey demonstrate an urgent need for books … that spotlight integral parts of our history that have been pushed to one side for far too long.”

The original article contains 593 words, the summary contains 228 words. Saved 62%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

Andy Peters

Pish-posh! Obviously every true briton should know of their one and only Black Prince!

How many people could recognize any but the 3-5 most repeatedly displayed historical figures from significantly before their own birth by sight or describe their appearance? I mean in Britain it might be a few more because they are so obsessed with their past monarchs but I doubt it would reach double digits.