A major campaign launched today to lobby the Bank of England to put an historic figure from a black and minority ethnic background on a new note In 400 years, no person of colour has appeared on a Bank of England note.
Britain is the most diverse nation in Europe. London, home to the central bank, will soon become the first capital city in Europe to be majority people of colour.
The campaign says that Britain’s public institutions should reflect modern multicultural Britain.
The Bank’s Governor, Mark Carney, in a 2017 speech, spoke powerfully of the need to go beyond diversity, to inclusiveness.
The campaign urges the Governor and Bank to live up to this ideal, and ensure that an achiever of colour features at the earliest opportunity on a banknote.
"It's time our Black heroes and heroines were recognised for their contributions to our society. Now more than ever, we need to celebrate the rich diversity of UK society: representation on bank notes is a great way to do this."
Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director, The Equality Trust
Over 200 celebrities, cultural leaders, politicians and many others in public life have signed a letter in the Sunday Times to support the campaign https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/letter-to-the-editor-take-note-about-lack-of-diversity-h8g8qr9mx
They include: Susie Symes (Museum of Immigration), Omar Khan (Runnymede Trust), Sunder Katwala (British Future), David Oyelowo OBE, Adrian Lister OBE, public poets Benjamin Zephaniah and Salena Godden, Afua Hirsch, Lord Herman Ouseley, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah (UK Black Pride),Trevor Phillips OBE, Simon Woolley (Operation Black Vote), Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Professor Dame Alison Peacock, the UK’s first Black Professor of History, Professor Olivette Otele, internationally acclaimed award winning filmmakers Amma Asante MBE and Deeyah Khan, Ed Vaizey MP, Tom Tugendhat MP, David Lammy MP, Stella Creasy MP, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE and Trevor Sterling, Chair of Mary Seacole Trust.
The campaign is led by Zehra Zaidi (Director, Stand Up) who wants to see Noor Inayat Khan on the new £50 note and Patrick Vernon OBE (Director, Every Generation Media) who launched the 100 Great Black Britons campaign in 2003, and wants to see Mary Seacole on the next £50 note.
"Britain has been shaped over centuries by inward and outward migration," said economist Susie Symes, chair of Britain’s Immigration Museum "so it’s time our Central Bank, the world’s oldest, reflects our diversity of heritage and culture."
"Showcasing brilliant British diversity on the banknote, not only tells relevant stories for all our society, but it also tells our international visitors this who we are, what's more we so proud of them we've put them on one of bank notes."
Simon Woolley, Chair of 10 Downing Street Race Disparity Unit Advisory Group
Both felt strongly that after 400 years it was time for a minority ethnic achiever to be acknowledged, and feature on the country's currency: so they rapidly joined together to launch this campaign.
Within hours, actors, activists, poets and politicians signed up in support!
Their letter:
"Since William Shakespeare appeared on the £20 note in 1970, our banknotes have featured figures from our past — those who, in the Bank of England’s words, “have shaped UK society through their thought innovation, leadership or values”.
Ethnic minority communities represent 14% of the British population. We do not lack candidates, and arguably their achievements were the greater for having been made at a time when many careers and were effectively closed to them (whether through colonial rules, racism, or the legacy of enslavement). However, no one from an ethnic minority has yet featured on a banknote.
Changing this would send a message that the contribution of ethnic minorities to Britain’s history, culture and economy is recognised and valued. What better representation of “global Britain” could there be?
Our public institutions should reflect modern Britain. Last year the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, spoke of the need for inclusiveness. We ask him to stand by those words and actively seek strong ethnic minority candidates to feature on the next reissue of any banknote."
Pen Mendonca, award winning graphic facilitator created a mock up banknote for the campaign.
“The issue of representation is far too important for rivalries. We want to see fine Intentions on diversity and inclusion translate into the most visible form of representation the Bank of England can offer: a banknote that each of us can hold, which reflects our shared history and contribution to the UK. It is time the historic gap regarding ethnic minority representation on banknotes is corrected."
Zehra Zaidi, Director, Cities of Hope
“My life long mission is to ensure Black British history is fully part of our national narrative. I campaigned for Windrush Day, and for amnesty after the Windrush scandal. Public institutions such as the Bank of England, must take seriously their duty to promote race equality and inclusion. After 400 years of existence, including its own connections with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Bank must move to issue future bank notes that will reflect 21st century multicultural Britain and inspire future generations of all Britons into a new era’
Patrick Vernon OBE, Founder of 100 Great Black Britons
BACKGROUND
The Bank of England in November sought public nominations for the person to appear on the new polymer £50 note.
Nominations closed on Friday 14 December.
The final choice will be made by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, in spring 2019.
The campaign leaders, Zehra Zaidi and Patrick Vernon, were concerned to learn that out of 114,000 initial nominations for science, less than 1 per cent were people from black and minority ethnic communities.
Both Zehra and Patrick are looking for their supporters to sign the new petition to put further pressure on the Bank of England.