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100 Great Black Britons : 2013 Campaign Re-Launch
In 2002, the BBC devised a campaign and television series called 100 Great Britons where the public voted for Winston Churchill as the Greatest Briton of all time. Every Generation developed an alternative campaign and poll to raise the profile of the Black contribution to Britain and to challenge the notion of Britishness that excludes racialised communities
 In October 2003, the website and campaign 100 Great Black Britons was launched. To date, this has become the most successful UK campaign to raise the profile, history and achievement of the African and Caribbean community over the last 1000 years.
Nine years after its launch, the website is still the most popular site in Britain on the black presence and achievement. 100 Great Black Britons is extensively used by schools (recommended in the national curriculum), adults for educational purposes and the general public. The site has received over 25 million hits during this period, averaging two million a month between September and December each year.
The Jamaican nurse and businesswoman Mary Seacole was voted the greatest Black Briton. The campaign helped revive a closer examination of the life of this extraordinary woman leading to a number of biographies, a Channel4 documentary, the discovery of a portrait that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, and an exhibition at the Florence Nightingale Museum.
Sir Trevor McDonald and Patrick Vernon at the launch of the Mary Seacole exhibition at the Florence Nightingale Museum - 2005
In 2013 we plan to relaunch the campaign and develop a number of high profile activities and education resources for a new generation of young people.
Every Generation is seeking to work with a number of major sponsors and key stakeholders to revitalise a public dialogue and campaign on black achievement. Please contact Patrick Vernon for further information and details of our sponsorship package and programme.
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Mary Seacole and the national curriculum
 
Following the launch www.100greatblackbritons.com in 2003 and a nationwide voting campaign Mary Seacole was elected the 'Greatest Black Briton' by members of the voting public.
Michael Grove, Secretary State for Education wanted to remove her from the National Curriculum along with Olaudah Equiano.
The OBV petition @ www.changes.org to stop the Government denying the real history of Britain for future generations of children and young people, was succesful with a total of 36,015 supporters signing the petition.
To read the open letter to Rt Michael Gove MP by the undersigned
Click Here (.doc)
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