Mary Seacole statue unveiled

Mary Seacole became the first Black British woman to be honoured with a memorial statue, which was unveiled last week in London. The statue stands opposite the Houses of Parliament in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital.

Mary Seacole was a Jamaican-born nurse who cared for wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War in the 19th Century. Her courageous, selfless story is legendary but the struggle to honour her has been a constant battle.

The statue's completion follows a 12-year campaign which raised £500,000 to honour her. Supporters of Florence Nightingale fought a fierce battle with Seacole campaigners to ensure she was not recognised in any significant way. Thankfully activism from both Black and white Seacole supporters prevailed.

Tottenham MP David Lammy said it was a:

seminal moment for Londoners, and for the black community particularly".

Actress and broadcaster Baroness Benjamin unveiled the statue.

Emeritus Professor of Nursing Elizabeth Anionwu said the unveiling was "extremely significant" because it was believed to be the first memorial statue of a named black woman in the UK.

For somebody like myself, a nurse of mixed heritage - Mary was Jamaican-Scottish, I'm Nigerian-Irish heritage."

In another battle to preserve the importance of Mary Seacole in the consciousness of Britain’s history, OBV and others took on the then Education Secretary Michael Gove, who tried to remove Seacole from the Education Curriculum along with all other key Black British historical figures. With a landmark Change.org petition to save Seacole from being removed from school books, OBV and our supporters defeated Gove ensuring Seacole and other key figures remained on the curriculum for children to know and understand.

Simon Woolley