Black History Month in the UK has now officially started, and given Britain’s painful record with its own racial injustices in recent months, this year’s event maybe more important than ever
To mark the occasion, the Google Doodle team celebrated a black figure who pioneered racial equality at a time when it was virtually non-existent
Google will change its iconic search engine logo on Thursday to a sketch of Ignatius Sancho, the first person of African descent to vote in the UK general election
British artist Kingsley Nebechi’s artwork depicts Sancho facing towering waves and a slave ship
British writer, composer, business owner and abolitionist, Sancho called for the abolition of slavery through letter writing and campaigning, often reflecting on his own experience as a former slave
Born in Africa circa 1729, Ignatius Sancho was enslaved for the first five years of his life on the Caribbean island of Grenada before being taken to England as a child
Upon arrival he was forced to serve as a slave for three sisters in Greenwich, but eventually managed to escape and worked for an aristocratic family for the next two decades.
Having taught himself to read and write, Sancho used his employers’ extensive library to further his self-learning
Sancho wrote a large volume of letters, many of which contained critiques of 18th century politics and society His work gained popularity
Dazzled by his flair as a writer, newspapers published his calls for the abolition of slavery, which gave many British readers their first exposure to writing a black man.
The versatile Sancho has also released four collections of musical compositions He also opened a grocery store with his wife in Westminster
His status as an independent male owner himself allowed him to vote and he made history by becoming the first black to vote in 1774
A collection of letters from Sancho was published posthumously in 1782, garnering a huge readership and wide recognition for the abolitionist cause
Kingsley Nebechi’s sketch will be viewed by millions of internet users, so finding the right tone was a tall order
« I wanted my work to honor his contributions and become a tool to reintroduce his great work to a new generation, » he said
Nebechi researched the art, typography, and images of Ignatius’s time, including his photos and paintings, to create the image
« I hope the Doodle can spark people’s curiosity so that they can search for Ignatius and other essential dark figures in history, » he said
Ignatius Sancho
World News – UK – Google Doodle remembers the first Anglo-African to vote for Black History Month
