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1562
First documentation of the slave trade in Britain
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The anti-slavery movement grows in Britain.
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London Population
Over half the free black people in Britain, live in London. -
Rights for black citizens
More laws are introduced to protect the rights of black people in Britain. -
Ignatius Sancho
Sancho is the first known black voter in the UK, he later becomes the first black writer to be published in Britain. -
Integration in London
White, black and asian people are living in mixed communities in areas like Mile End, Stepney and Paddington. -
Low income welfare
Many black and south-east asian people are excluded from welfare laws, a special committee is set up to help them. -
Toussaint Louveture
Louverture helps to lead the slave revolution in Haiti against Napoleon. -
More black soldiers and sailors return from war and settle in London
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The British slave trade is abolished.
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Ira Aldridge
Aldridge becomes one of the most well-known black actors in Britain. He is the only black actor honoured at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. -
Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire
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Alexandre Dumas
Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers is published, he has since become one of the most widely read French authors. -
Harriet Tubman
Tubman escapes from slavery and later helps over 300 other slaves to use The Underground Railway to get to freedom. -
George Speck
Speck invented modern crisps while working as a cook in the USA. -
Andrew Watson
Watson becomes the first black British international football player. -
Lewis Latimer
Latimer receives his patent for a more efficient, cheaper version of the light bulb. -
Dadabhai Naoroji
Naoroji becomes the UK's first Indian Member of Parliament. -
Madam C. J. Walker
Walker incorporates her company selling hair products for black women. She becomes the first self-made black millionaire. -
Black communities in London grow throughout World War 1.
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Bessie Coleman
Colman becomes the first black person to have an in international pilot licence. -
Garrett Morgan
Morgan receives a patent for the modern gas mask. -
Althea Gibson
Gibson is the first black player to take part in the All-England tournament at Wimbledon. -
Richard Spikes
Spikes is awarded a patent for his version of an automatic gear shift. -
Percy Lavon Julian
Julian was a pioneer of creating synthetic drugs from plants, this lead to the development of birth control, steroids and cortisone. -
Ernest Wilkins Jr.
Wilkins receives his Ph.D. in mathematics at the age of 19. He went on to work on the atomic bomb during World War 2. -
Matt Baker
Baker joins the S.M. Igor Studio as a comic-book artist, he becomes known as one of the first successful comic-book artists. -
Otis Boykin
Boykin invents the pacemaker control unit which makes modern pacemakers possible. -
The SS Empire Windrush brings around 500 Caribbean immigrants to London.
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Mass migration from the Caribbean to London continues.
Migrants were invited to help rebuild Britain after the war. -
Eugene Allen
Allen starts working at the White House as a "pantry man", he continues to work there for 34 years before retiring as Head Butler. -
Kenneth Clark
Clark gives evidence, as a social psychologist, to the U.S. Supreme Court on the need to end segregation in school. He later becomes the first black President of the American Psychological Association. -
Ruth Carol Taylor
Taylor is the first black person to be hired as cabin crew. -
Race riots happen in Notting Hill, London.
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The West Indian Gazette, is founded and is the first major black newspaper.
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The first Notting Hill Carnival
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Katherine Johnson
Johnson works for NASA on the Friendship 7 mission, without her calculations this mission would not have been successful. -
New laws limit the number of black immigrants able to enter Britain.
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Martin Luther King Jr. makes his famous "I have a dream" speech.
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Muhammad Ali
Ali becomes the first boxer to be 3 time heavyweight champion of the world. He speaks out against racism in the US and the Vietnam War. -
Stuart Hall
Hall becomes the Director of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham University. -
Maya Angelou
Angelou publishes her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She went on to write books, poems and plays as well as being an actress, singer, dancer and civil rights activist. -
Henry Sampson
Sampson invents the gamma-electric cell which is still used in mobile phones today. -
Jerry Lawson
Lawsons helps to create the first games console that allows players to choose from a variety of games. -
Sir Trevor McDonald
McDonald becomes Britain's first black TV news reporter. -
New laws make racial discrimination illegal in the UK.
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Neil Kenlock
Kenlock cofound's Root, a black British lifestyle magazine. He was also the official photographer of the UK Black Panther Movement. -
Ben Kingsley
Kingsley becomes the first Asian to win an Oscar for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. -
Marc Hannah
Hannah co-founds the SGI, the company responsible for the graphics used in movies like Jurassic Park and Aladdin. -
Sam King
King is elected as the first black Mayor of Southwark. He also helped to establish Notting Hill Carnival and is awarded an MBE for services to Britain. -
The first four black Members of Parliament are elected.
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Stephen Lawrence is murdered in Eltham on his way home from school.
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First MOBO awards are launched to promote the achievements of black music and artists.
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Karan Reshad (A1one)
Reshad pioneers street art in Iran by starting a project in his hometown Tehran. -
Linda Dobbs DBE
Dobbs becomes the first black person appointed to the High Court of England and Wales. -
Harish Sodha
Sodha becomes Executive Chairman of Diversity Travel, a global travel management company for charities, non-profits and academic organisations. -
Paul Ainsworth
Ainsworth receives his first Michelin star for his restaurant Number 6 in Padstow. -
Baroness Patricia Scotland
Baroness Scotland is appointed the first Attorney General of England and Wales and Advocate General of Northern Ireland. She is currently Commonwealth Secretary General. -
Nathaniel Peat
Peat becomes the first double winner of the Enterprising Young Brits Award. He has since co-founded and been CEO of a renewable tech company and has won many awards for leadership and charity work and has been on several BME influential lists. -
Biram Dah Abeid
Dah Abeid founds IRA-Mauritania, an organisation which works to eradicate modern day slavery in Mauritania. He went on to win a UN prize in the Field of Human Rights in 2013. -
Ric Lewis
Lewis founds the Black Heart Foundation which helps underprivileged children to access education. He is also Chairman of Tristan Capital Partners, one of the largest black-led companies in Britain. -
Monica Galetti
Galetti starts working as a judge on the BBC show MasterChef: The Professionals. She's also Chef-Patron of the London restaurant, Mere and a UK Tourism Ambassador for Samoa. -
Nelson Mandela is freed from prison after 27 years for campaigning against apartheid in South Africa.
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Barack Obama becomes the first black President of the US.
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Demis Hassabis
Hassabis co-founds DeepMind, this leads to the creation of AlphaGo a computer programme which was able to defeat one of world's best players at Go, an ancient and complex game from Asia. -
Leila de Lima
De Lima becomes the Philippine Secretary for Justice (until 2015). She has repeatedly spoken out against the President, Rodrido Duterte and is known globally as a human rights activist. -
Olivier Rousteing
Rousteing becomes the Creative Director of the international fashion house Balmain at the age of 25. -
Tewodros Melesse
Melesse becomes the Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation which provides and enables services relating to sexual and reproduction health and rights. -
Rohan Gunatillake
Gunatillake launches Buddhify; a mindfulness and meditation app designed to be used on the go and fit in with the users lifestyle. -
David Adjaye OBE
Adjay is named Britain's most influential black person. He had already been awarded an OBE for services to British Architecture and has designed buildings all over the world. -
Karen Blackett
Blackett is awarded an OBE for services to Media and Communications. She is also the first woman to top the Powerlist 100 Most Influential Black Britons and CEO of MediaCom UK. -
Chi-Chi Nwanoku OBE
Nwanoku establishes the Chineke! Orchestra and Junior Orchestra to provide opportunities for BAME classical musicians. -
Rachel Choong
Choong wins triple gold medals in World Para-Badminton Championships. A year later she wins the UK Sport Inspirational Performance of the Year. -
Raed Saleh
Saleh is awarded the Mother Theresa Award for his humanitarian work, including as leader of the White Helmets, a group of volunteers which rescues civilians from the rubble of buildings damaged by air raids in Syria. -
Laverne Cox
Cox is awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The New School for her work around gender equality. She was the first openly trans person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, to win a Daytime Emmy award and to be on the cover of Time Magazine. -
Ukonwa Ojo
Ojo joins Coty as Senior Vice President of CoverGirl (known as Max Factor in the UK). She is later promoted to Chief Marketing Officer. -
Colson Whitehead
Whitehead wins the Pulitzer Prize for his No.1 best selling novel The Underground Railway. -
Precious Adams
Adams is made 1st artist of the English National Ballet. She has spoken out against discrimination in ballet. -
BTS
Their single Idol becomes the first K-Pop single to enter the UK Top 40 Chart. They are the first K-Pop group to become mainstream in western music.
