Mary Seacole
Born in 1805, Mary Seacole spent her formative years in Jamaica. Her father was a white Scottish army officer, while her mother was black. Seacole’s mother was a healer who used traditional Jamaican medicines, and as a youngster, Seacole inherited this passion. She used her dolls to practise medicine and became her mother’s keen student. In 1821, she began to travel the world, soaking up medical knowledge at each stop. She sailed to England and asked to be an army nurse to wounded British soldiers in Crimea (now part of Ukraine). The War Office refused her request. Undaunted, she funded her own trip and set up the British Hotel – a place of respite for sick soldiers. She also nursed the wounded on the battlefield. The soldiers dubbed her ‘Mother Seacole’ and back in Britain, her popularity rivalled Florence Nightingale.

Dianne Abbott
Former shadow home secretary Dianne Abbott was born in London in 1953. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, Abbott worked as a civil servant, a reporter and a Labour party press officer. In 1987, Abbott decided to run as Labour’s candidate for the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency. She made history as the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, and she is currently the longest-serving black MP in the House of Commons.

Justin Fashanu
Justin Fashanu was born in 1961, Justin Fashanu began playing for Norwich City FC. As a 19-year-old, his stunning volley against Liverpool was voted Goal of the Season in 1980, and it’s still considered one of the best goals ever scored at Norwich City’s home ground. With his move to Nottingham Forest in 1981, Fashanu became the first black footballer to command a £1 million transfer fee. He never lived up to his potential at the club, and his relationship with manager Brian Clough soured before he was transferred to rivals Notts County in 1982. Fashanu made frontpage news after revealing in The Sun newspaper that he was gay – becoming the first openly homosexual footballer in the process. He spent the rest of his playing days being subjected to both racist and homophobic taunts. In 1998, Fashanu took his own life in an East London garage in 1998 after being accused of sexual assault in the US.