Inspirational black British women you should know about

The black British women who have helped shape history 

By GEORGIA CHAMBERS  via https://www.standard.co.uk

Despite their incredible achievements and contributions to society, it has often been the case that black British women have been left out of the history books.

The arrival of the Windrush generation in 1948 is often seen as the starting point of black British history, but the stories of black people in the UK stretch much further back.

Take Mary Prince, for instance. Her personal account of slavery, printed in 1831, was the first account of a black woman to be published in the UK – an achievement which recently saw her commemorated through a Google Doodle.

And there are many other remarkable women who deserve recognition too.

As part of our Black History Month series, here, we shine a well-deserved spotlight on some of Britain’s most inspirational black women throughout history:

Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)

Born in West Africa, Wheatley was sold as a slave to the Wheatley family in the US.

It was during her time in slavery that she learned to read and write, penning her first poem aged just 14.

At the age of 20, she moved to England with her son and published her first volume of poetry in 1773, making her the first African-American…

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