Black and British: A short, essential history

This adapted version of David Olusoga’s account of Black British history is essential reading is an accessible and informative non-fiction read for children and teens (and also a book I would thoroughly recommend for improving adults’ historical subject knowledge and especially those with input into their school’s curriculum design). It teaches readers to rethink assumptions about history and to question how culturally representative historical sources encountered might really be.

As expressed perfectly by Lavinya Stennett (CEO of the Black Curriculum) in the Afterword, ‘This book is a testimony to the rich experiences of Black people of Britain in different periods of our history, and a reminder of the dearth of Black history in our curriculums.’ 

In the book, Olusoga explains the overlooked history of Black people in Britain from Roman times to the present day. Readers may be surprised to imagine the multiculturally diverse make-up of Roman Britain – and indeed to question why sources of history in schools may paint a historically misrepresentative picture of Roman society. Equally interesting is the development of notions of race throughout the periods of history, as the book walks chronologically through key eras. Did you know that it was only during the time of James I that the term ‘white’ was used as a description of racial identity, or that long after the abolition of slavery, the Victorians were propagating their own racist theories to justify profiting from slave-powered commerce?

An illustrated version (Black and British: An Illustrated History) for younger children is also available.