Half of Britons can’t name a single Black British historical figure, new research shows

More than half of people living in Britain cannot name a single Black historical figure, a new study has highlighted.

Research, commissioned by Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), found that the UK knows “shockingly little” about Black British history.

While 75 per cent of British adults surveyed acknowledged that they did not know “very much” or “anything at all” about the subject, more than half (53 per cent) could not name any Black British historical figures, while just 7 per cent could name more than four.

Most people also underestimated the scale of Britain’s involvement in the mass enslavement of African people during the transatlantic slave trade. More than half (53 per cent) did not know how many people were abducted from Africa by the British.

Around half of those surveyed believed the number was 250,000 or fewer, and only 12 per cent 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.

Rebecca McNally, publishing director and editor-in-chief of Bloomsbury children’s books, said: “We believe it is important for all of us to play a role in shining a light on Black British history, not just in Black History Month but every day.

“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.”

Although Black people came to Britain about 12,000 years ago, with the first known people to come directly from Africa settling approximately 2,000 years ago, more than a third (36 per cent) of Britons surveyed believed that the first Black people migrated to Britain only in the past 200 years, with a further 29 per cent not sure.

One in four (25 per cent) believed that it was within the past 100 years and only 9 per cent thought that it was more than 1,500 years ago.

Bloomsbury recently published a book, Brilliant Black British History, celebrating the people who helped build Britain in the fields of science, sport, literature and law.

Commenting on the survey’s findings, Atinuke, the book’s author, said: “Half of UK adults cannot name a single Black historical figure and only 7 per cent can name more than four … I think disbelief is really the only word.

“There have always been people with black and brown skin in Britain – from the Stone Age, through every single era, to the present day.

“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.”

Atinuke called on 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. All British history needs to be taught as one history. It’s all our history.”

The survey was conducted by YouGov UK and split between two polls, the first between 26 and 27 September and the second between 2 and 3 October, with respective sample sizes of 2,268 adults and 2,506.