Windrush campaigner and cultural historian Patrick Vernon will deliver a virtual lecture about his and Dr Angelina Osborne's new book 100 Greatest Black Britons. The book builds on his wider campaign to raise the profile of the contribution that Black Britons have made throughout the generations.
Patrick was born in the constituency where Enoch Powell was an MP. His family still lives in Wolverhampton and he is proud of his roots and the contribution of migrant communities from the Windrush Generation have made to Britain which forms a larger of his values and principles – Windrush Day Matters.
Since 2010 Patrick has been leading the campaign for Windrush Day and in 2018 kick started the campaign for an amnesty for the Windrush Generation as part of the Windrush Scandal which led to a government U-turn in immigration policy and resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary. Patrick was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work in tackling health inequalities for ethnic minority communities in Britain. In 2018 Patrick was an honorary PhD by Wolverhampton University for his work on migration history and equalities.
Patrick is a Patron of ACCI a long established black mental health charity in Wolverhampton and Patron of Santé a social enterprise in Camden which supports and befriends refugees and asylum seekers across London. Patrick is Vice Chair of the Bernie Grant Trust and a board member of 38 Degrees.
