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𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗺𝗮𝗻 has written over seventy books for children and young adults, including the award-winning Noughts & Crosses series, exploring love, racism and violence. Her work has won over 15 awards. Blackman's television scripts include episodes of the long-running children's drama Byker Grove as well as television adaptations of her novels Whizziwig and Pig-Heart Boy. Malorie also became the first person of colour as a writer to work on Doctor Who ever. In 2008 she received an OBE for her services to children's literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children's Laureate. In 2022, Blackman was chosen as winner of the PEN Pinter Prize, becoming the first writer of children's and Young Adult books to receive the accolade. |
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𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻-𝗣𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗕𝗘 is a British space scientist and science educator. Margaret grew up bouncing from one part of the country to another. In fact, she attended 13 different schools before she turned 18 and was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 8. Her constant moving made her hate school but she did not let this hold her back and with the strong support of her father, she progressed well in her classes. Margaret studied at Imperial College London, graduated with a BSc in physics in 1990, and completed her PhD in mechanical engineering in 1994. Since February 2014, she has co-presented the long-running astronomy television programme 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 with Chris Lintott. In 2020 she was awarded the Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize for her public engagement in physics. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. She has also earned the title of the president-elect of the British Science Association. Aderin-Pocock is committed to inspiring new generations of astronauts, engineers, and scientists and she has spoken to approximately 25,000 children, many of them at inner-city schools, telling them how and why she became a scientist, busting myths about careers, class, and gender. Through this Aderin-Pocock conducts "Tours of the Universe," which she set up to engage children and adults around the world in the wonders of space |
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Olive Elaine Morris was born St Catherine, Jamaica. She moved to London at the age of nine with her parents and her five siblings. Olive studied social sciences at Manchester University and was an active member of the Manchester Black Women's Cooperative. After graduating, Morris returned to Brixton and worked at the Brixton Community Law Centre In 1968 Olive became part of the British Black Panther Movement. She was central to the squatters' campaign in the 1970s, opening the 121 Railton Road squat in 1973. The campaigner was passionate about the struggle of black women and in 1974 she co-founded the Brixton Black Women's Group and the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent (OWAAD). Olive's work wasn't just restricted to London and Manchester. She travelled often and enjoyed visiting China to see how people were building a socialist society in Asia. Olive first became ill during a trip to Spain in 1978. When she returned to the UK, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Unfortunately treatment was unsuccessful and Olive died on July 12 in 1979 at the age of 27. Lambeth Council has named a building after the social activist and in 2011 a memorial award was launched in her name to support young black women with bursaries. |
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Theresa Ione Sanderson CBE is a British former javelin thrower. She appeared in every Summer Olympics from 1976 to 1996, winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1984 Olympics. She was the second track and field athlete to compete at six Olympics, and the first Black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Theresa Ione Sanderson was born on 14 March 1956 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica and came to England with her parents when she was five. She was the UK's leading javelin thrower from the mid-1970s, winning silver in the 1978 European championships and gold in the Commonwealth Games three times (1978, 1986, 1990), but was eclipsed during the 1980s by the up-and-coming Fatima Whitbread,with whom she shared a long standing rivalry. Sanderson won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in the javelin, becoming the first British black woman ever to win Olympic gold.She competed at senior international level until 1996 and served as Vice-Chairman of Sport England from 1999 to 2005. |
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𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝘀 is a British politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. She has consistently sustained an interest in, and a commitment to, development issues, and to equality and human rights When Valerie was appointed 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟯, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺. After a further period in the Lords as spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Office she became Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council between 2003 and 2007. Valerie served as UK High Commissioner to Australia before joining the UN in 2010 as Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. In 2015, Valerie was appointed Director of SOAS, University of London, becoming the first Black woman to lead a university in the UK. |
