Revealed: our hidden history

Where are the role models for young black and Asian Britons? They're everywhere, says Dotun Adebayo - and a landmark scheme could mean recognition at last for their achievements

In 1789, a West Indian man buys land in Brighton and, over 18 years, builds a terrace of grand sea-facing houses, now known as Royal Crescent. What was this property-developer's name?

Can you name the Asian man who, in 1892, became Britain's first MP of colour?

In 1959, this Trinidadian-born honky-tonk pianist was the first British recording star to have three million-selling hits. One of her compositions was the signature tune for 'Pot Black'. Who was she?

Apart from regular players of the board game Nubian Jak (the "black Trivial Pursuit", as it is often described), few people will be able to correctly answer more than one of these questions. This is unsurprising, because much of the black and Asian contribution to this country's heritage over the past 500 years remains unknown to most Britons. But all that may be about to change. Last week, in Brixton, south London, a group of 30 people gathered at St Matthew's church. Their meeting could result in the introduction of commemorative plaques, dedicated to the achievements of black and Asian people, in high streets from Glasgow to Essex.

Friday's gathering brought together several groups representing black and Asian interests nationwide. But, crucially, it was the presence of English Heritage and its apparent about-turn on the question of race-specific commemorations that made the event groundbreaking. After a decade of resistance, the body in charge of immortalising the lives of historic figures on the walls of buildings connected to them, has agreed to formally recognise the unique contribution of black men and women to this country, by backing a scheme to introduce "black plaques".

The black plaque aims to do for black British and Asian British history what English Heritage's blue-plaque scheme has done for - almost exclusively - white British achievement.

Last week's historic decision took place as part of "Destination Brixton", an international trade exhibition aimed at promoting black tourism and business in Britain. One of the people behind it was Devon Thompson of the Black British Heritage Group. "It was a historic day, not just for black and Asian Brits but for the whole country," he says. "All of our lives will be enriched by such a high-profile acknowledgment of the role that black and Asian people have played here for hundreds of years."

The historian S I Martin agrees that such a scheme for recognising the black presence in Britain is long overdue, and is confident that there are more than enough figures in history who warrant such a testimonial. "Every child needs role models. Young, black Britons look around them and see no evidence of black people having played any role in the building of this country. It's demoralising. Even I have trouble finding more than two statues in London portraying black people - one being Nelson Mandela; the other the fabled "black friar" of Blackfriars. We can do better than that."

S I Martin was one of those present at the Brixton conference. Others included the children's author Valerie Bloom, representatives of the Olaudah Equiano Foundation, the Windrush Foundation and the Black History Foundation. Many of these groups and individuals have been trying for years to set up a black-plaque scheme - I myself am one of several people who lay claim to the original idea, having announced weekly black-plaque tributes on my BBC London radio programme back in 1993.

But the idea has only really taken off with the inspiration and determination of Devon Thompson and Jagwant Johal, of the Black History Foundation, who were alarmed by the fact that, of the 20,000 plaques already dedicated by English Heritage, only eight represent Asians; and of the five blue plaques to black people, two are to Americans who spent only a short time here (Jimi Hendrix and Paul Robeson). The other three are to Dr Harold Moody, Mary Seacole and Sol Plaatje. EH has also considered mounting blue plaques to Haile Selassie and Olaudah Equiano, but has been unable to find addresses connected to them (for their information, Haile Selassie spent most of his time in Bristol). They have also considered a blue plaque for C L R James in Brixton. "Even when you get a blue plaque for a black Briton, such as Dr Harold Moody, English Heritage doesn't mention that he was black," says Martin. "So nobody knows. It's vital that we know that black people are among the blue-plaque recipients."

English Heritage's new position on the introduction of black plaques has not been universally endorsed. "There's still a lot to be ironed out," says Jagwant Johal. "If they continue to insist that recipients of the black plaque must have been born at least 100 years ago, or dead for more than 20 years, it will rule out a lot of recent black and Asian contributions." He has good reason to be cautious. English Heritage's previous correspondence with him was negative. Dr Tracy Borman, its education and outreach director, wrote: "English Heritage has not distinguished its plaques commemorating people of different ethnicity and origin because we view the scheme cohesively and seek to ensure that it is representative of the diverse history and culture of England." Trevor Phillips of the Commission for Racial Equality also has reservations: "I'm delighted that EH is recognising black and Asian people as a crucial part of Britain's history, but hopefully, those black and Asian people deserving of a blue plaque will continue to be honoured with one."

This goes to the heart of the debate about black plaques. Can great black and Asian Britons be given the due respect of a wider community once they've been "ghettoised"? It won't be an easy question to answer, but on the oppposite page, I highlight some of the candidates whose recognition is long overdue in the form of both a black and a blue plaque.

GLASGOW

IRA ALDRIDGE, 1807-1867

Ira Aldridge wanted to act, but in his native United States it was impossible for a black actor to achieve real success. At the age of 17 he came to Britain, first attending the University of Glasgow. He made his theatre debut a year later. The London press didn't take to the untrained actor, but he persevered and, having played almost every black role, began to play white parts. He took over the role of Othello at Covent Garden in 1833, and went on to become one of the most celebrated actors of his day.

PRESTON

ARTHUR WHARTON, 1865-1930

Wharton was the first black professional footballer and a great goalkeeper. Born in Ghana, his father was half-Grenadian and half-Scottish, and his mother was from Ghanian royalty. In 1882, he went to school in England, and shone at sport. In 1886 he set a world record for the 100-yard sprint. He joined Preston North End as a semi-professional that year, and turned professional in 1889 with Rotherham United. He was namedfor England in 1887, but was not selected by the Football Association because of racial prejudice. He retired in 1902, and died a penniless alcoholic.

LIVERPOOL

JOHN ARCHER, 1863-1932

Born in Liverpool, the son of a Barbadian seaman and an Irish mother, in 1913 John Richard Archer became the first black mayor in Britain when he won the election in Battersea, London. He made use of his position to speak out against the increase in racism in the country at the time.

CARDIFF

DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY, b1937

For the first two generations of postwar black Britons, Shirley Bassey was a huge icon. She had her own weekly TV show in the Seventiesand appeared as a guest star on many prime-time shows. With her style andpowerful voice, she symbolises glamour and accomplishment. In the Nineties, her records spent more weeks in the UK charts than those of any other British female singer.

BRISTOL

PAUL STEPHENSON, b1937

In the early 1960s, segregation was rife in Bristol. Bars often refused to serve blacks, and advertisements for rooms would stipulate "No Irish, dogs, children or blacks". In 1963, the Bristol Omnibus Company was maintaining a bar against black crews (no law existed against racial discrimination). Romford-born Stephenson, then 26, led a campaign, acting as spokesman for local West Indian activists and backed by figures such as Tony Benn. After four months, the ban was lifted.

CROYDON

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR, 1875-1912

The composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in Holborn, central London. His father was a Sierra Leonean doctor and his mother was English. As a child, he studied the violin and sang in a choir in Croydon. In 1890, at 15, he continued with the violin at the Royal College of Music, where he also did composition. In 1898 he wrote the piece that brought him fame: Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, later expanded to The Song of Hiawatha. He became conductor of the Handel Society in 1904. He died in Croydon.

LONDON

WINIFRED ATWELL, 1913-1983

Known as "Wonderful Winnie" and "Queen of the Keyboard", Atwell was one of the biggest "pop" artists of the 1950s, performing honky-tonk piano pieces such as "Britannia Rag" and "Coronation Rag", her fingers were reputedly insured for £40,000 - a fortune then. She was the first British recording star to have three million-selling hits, and is the most successful female instrumentalist to be in the charts. Her "Black and White Rag" was the signature tune for the BBC's Pot Black.

LONDON

DADABHAI NAOROJI, 1825-1917

Born in Bombay to a poor family, a brilliant academic career led Naoroji to become a professor of Gujarati at University College, London. In 1892, he became Britain's first Asian MP, representing Central Finsbury as a Liberal and advocating political reform and justice for India. He was one of the first leaders of the Indian nationalist movement, and Mahatma Gandhi often sought his advice. From 1903, India started celebrating his birthday, 4 September, as Dadabhai Day.

LONDON

QUEEN CHARLOTTE, 1744-1818

King George III's wife, whose features have been described as "unmistakably African", is the subject of debate as to how black she really was. Black people point out that she was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, from a black branch of Portuguese royalty.She is thought to have brought the custom of decorating Christmas trees to Britain.

ESSEX

KAMAL CHUNCHIE, 1886-1953

Chunchie came to Britain in 1915 from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and served in the First World War with the Middlesex Regiment. He played cricket for the Essex County 2nd XI. He also rented a hall in Canning Town to use as a church: this may well have been the first black church in England.

OXFORD

CORNELIA SORABJI, 1866-1954

A convert to Christianity, Cornelia Sorabji was the first woman to study law at a British university, at a time when the Bar was not open to women (she studied at Somerville Hall, Oxford), going on to become India's first woman barrister. She later moved to London. Sorabji was a prolific writer; along with her memoirs, India Calling, she published works of fiction and biography.

MANCHESTER

LORD KITCHENER, 1922-2000

Lord Kitchener - whose real name was Aldwyn Roberts - was probably the greatest calypso artist to have resided in Britain. Born in Trinidad, he arrived in this country on the Empire Windrush in 1948, on the voyage often cited as the beginning of modern immigration into Britain. He lived for more than 50 years in Manchester, during which time he recorded many calypso classics and taught others the musical style. For calypsonians, it was like having Elvis Presley living among them.