Recognising Black History at LendInvest

Throughout October, the LendInvest team came together to celebrate important figures of black history in recognition of Black History Month.

Unable to spend the month sharing stories about these icons in person as we continue to work remotely, the whole business came together through our slack channel to share inspiration from black history, with figures chosen and written about by individuals in the business. 

We celebrate Black History Month differently every year because, as a diverse business, we feel it is important to encourage learning and reflection among our team members. After a year when the experiences of black people in the UK, across the globe and in our company were thrown into sharp focus by the Black Lives Matter marches, this was a valuable opportunity to keep the lives and experiences of black people in the front of our minds, to understand their challenges and accomplishments and take that forward into our day-to-day work. 

To share what we learned, here is the full list of historical figures the team spent the month learning about.

Florynce Kennedy, 1916-2000 – American Lawyer, Feminist, Activist

“Flo campaigned for any sort of injustice. That’s what makes her so remarkable in my eyes. If you needed to fight, you could count on Flo being in the ring beside you. She didn’t just stop at civil rights, it was about rights for women, rights for the gay community & rights to think for yourself & be yourself.”

Kwame Nkrumah, 1909 – 1972 – Politician and revolutionary

“Kwame Nkrumah was born into poverty in a colony then known as Gold Coast. After studying at home and the United States and London. He then returned to Gold Coast where, after imprisonment, he became the elected Prime Minister. His position gave him no real power, and he sought out the constitutional reform that would. This quest for reform ultimately led to uniting the nation on 6th March 1957 when Gold Coast became the first of Britain’s African colonies to gain independence and was renamed as Ghana. He then helped other African nations achieve the same feat.”

Mary Jackson, 1921-2005 – Aerospace Engineer

“She was a mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA during the 1950s and 60s featured in the film ‘Hidden Figures’. She started off as a ‘human computer’ working in the engineering department.

“With segregation being prominent at that time, she petitioned the City of Hampton, VA to allow her to take night classes at the all-white high school in a class full of men. In 1958 she became NASA’s first black female engineer.”

Dr Jane C. Wright, 1919 – 2013 – Surgeon

“Dr Jane Cooke Wright – whether you’ve heard of her or not, her research changed the path of oncology, paving the way for cancer treatment as we know it.

“In a time when medicine and research were predominantly white and male, Jane and her family had challenged the preconceptions of what a scientist should be.”

Rosa Parks, 1913 – 2005 – Activist

“Rosa Parks helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. Her actions inspired the leaders of the local black community to organise the Montgomery Bus Boycott began the day Parks was convicted of violating the segregation laws.

“Led by a young Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the boycott lasted more than a year.”

Baroness Lawrence, 1952 – British Campaigner

“Baroness Lawrence is a British Jamaican campaigner and the mother of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager murdered in a racist attack in South East London in 1993. 

“From that point Baroness Lawrence has campaigned tirelessly, for what started out as justice for her son, but became a fight against the institutional racism that she encountered.  She channelled her grief and anger and through her tenacity put a spotlight on institutional racism that led to the reform of the police service.”

‘The Three Degrees’ – Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis, Brendan Batson – British footballers

“Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson helped West Brom stand out not only as a stylish football team but as the first team to regularly play more than one black player in the top division of English football. It was at the height of their powers that they were nicknamed ‘The Three Degrees’, after the American Pop Group.” 

Fela Kuti, 1938-1997 – Musician and political activist

“The sounds of Fela Kuti were stupendous: the range of instruments, the lyrics, the vocals. In hearing his music, I wanted to know more about the artist.

“Fela Kuti was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He was a political giant in Africa from the 1970s until his death in 1997.”

Dr Harold Moody, 1882 – 1947 – Doctor

“After finding it difficult to rent accommodation due to racial prejudice, Dr Moody found it impossible to find work as a doctor. Eventually, determined to serve the community, Dr Moody responded by setting up his own private practice in Peckham in 1913.  He treated poor children in the area free of charge and opened his home to black travellers denied lodgings elsewhere, cementing his local reputation for philanthropy.”

Michelle Obama, 1964 – Lawyer, Author, Political activist

“A number of degrees, a lawyer and an author. She has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. She helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history.”

Jimi Hendrix, 1942-1970 – Musician

“Jimi was far more than just a showman; at a time of racially-charged social and political upheaval, in a field populated almost exclusively by whit people, Jimi brought the blues into the mainstream, fusing it with his own unique style – yet somehow his music transcended race, drawing a diverse crowd of listeners.”

Akala, 1983 – Musician

“Akala (real name Kingslee James McLean Daley)  is a historian, author, social entrepreneur, poet, BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist. His ability to pull in a lot more young people to care about the injustices associated with race, class and privilege which is very powerful.”

Johnson Beharry, 1979 – British soldier

“His charity, the JBVC foundation, that works in partnership with leading practitioners to assist young people to leave street gangs and develop sustainable careers.

“During his time in the British Army, Private Beharry carried out two individual acts of great heroism by which he saved the lives of his comrades. Both were in direct face of the enemy, under intense fire, at great personal risk to himself (one leading to him sustaining very serious injuries).”

Dr. Don Shirley, 1927 – 2013 – Musician

“Don was a legendary Jamaican American classical and jazz pianist and composer. 

“Despite the obstacles of segregation and discrimination, he performed at prestigious venues and earned acclaim for his work with the Don Shirley Trio, who were famous for their unique style that mixed classical, spiritual and pop elements.”

Mark E. Dean, 1957 – Inventor and computer scientist

“At IBM, he was a lead engineer of the IBM Model 5150, released in 1981. This device is widely considered to be the very first PC.

“His work led to the development of the first colour PC monitor and, in 1999, Dean led a team of engineers at IBM to create the first gigahertz chip, a revolutionary piece of technology that is able to do a billion calculations a second.”

Marcus Rashford, 1997 – Footballer

“As a rugby fan who has never attended a football match (or even watched a full game on tv since the World Cup in 1996), I’d not heard of him until his remarkable efforts to help UK children reliant on free school meals that made the news during lockdown. Someone who has used their platform to exceptional good.”

Maya Angelou, 1928 – 2014 – Writer and civil rights activist

“Most people here have probably heard of Maya Angelou, for her critically acclaimed biography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, which made history as the first non-fiction bestseller by an African American woman. In 1972 she made history again by writing the first screenplay by a black woman for the film Georgia, Georgia. Not only was Angelou’s career inspirational, so too was her commitment to civil rights in the United States. During the 1960s she became known as a civil rights activist, close friends with both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, with whom she helped fundraise for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.”

Mae Jemison, 1956 – Astronaut

“Mae was the first black female astronaut to go to space in 1992.

“Growing up back then, you could say that there wasn’t much diversity in space, but she had been inspired by the TV character Nyota Uhura who was the only female and black crew member onboard the Star Trek Enterprise. Mae’s mind was made up and she decided at an early age she was going to go to space.”

Barack Obama, 1961 – Politician

“Possibly the most popular/influential black personality alive, his achievements in office included: The Paris Climate Accord, proposed gun reform, Iran nuclear deal, healthcare, war against terror and standing up for LGBTQ rights.” 

Leighton Rhett Radford “Darcus” Howe, 1943 – 2017 – Writer and activist

“Darcus was a writer and activist who was outspoken in promoting black self-determination, he was also an editor of Race Today, and chairman of the Notting Hill Carnival.. He is known for his involvement in the ‘Mangrove Nine‘ case.”