Kmflett's Blog

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Black History Month. Still no monument of the leader of London Chartism in 1848,William Cuffay

I posted this five years ago. Despite all the hype about Wokeness and DEI and also despite campaigning nothing substantive has happened on this

William Cuffay, (1788-1870) was the leader of London Chartism in 1848, and the press of the time referred to the ‘black man and his party’.

Yet despite efforts there is still nothing to mark the role that this black Londoner played in the Year of Revolutions,1848, in central London. There has been a recent successful campaign to create a memorial in Medway where Cuffay was born and spent his youth.

The failure to recognise one of the most significant black figures of the nineteenth century by any form of official public presence is just a small part of understanding why Black History Matters and why its important to have a Black History Month.

Red Saunders Hidden from History Tableau remains perhaps the best virtual memorial to date. This was created in a day with a cast of many at Chats Palace, Homerton, a good while ago now, I provided some historical advice*

*I’m in the picture wearing a false beard that was glued on to my actual beard, hair by hair

More on Cuffay:

Black History Month: the Leader of London Chartism in 1848, William Cuffay (1)