David Olusoga – Black & British, Forgotten History

• Best Selling Author of ‘Black & British A Forgotten History, Named in the 100 Most Influential Black Britons
• Named in the 100 Most Influential Black Britons Power List
• Awarded an OBE in 2019 for his Services to History and Community Integration
• Author of the Best Selling ‘Black & British: A Forgotten History’
• Presented the BAFTA Award Winning Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners
• Professor of Public History at Manchester University
• Awarded PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for his Publication

David Olusoga is a pioneering historian, who has committed his career to bring racial issues to prominence and improving awareness of Black history.

From award-winning books to critically acclaimed television series, David’s truthful and insightful analysis of such issues as slavery, imperialism and the continued plight of ethnic minority communities has seen him named in the 100 Most Influential Black Britons on numerous occasions.

Drawing on his personal experiences of racism, and his historical education, as a speaker, David empowers audience with the knowledge to bring about progressive change with regards to diversity and inclusion.

Best known for his role as a presenter, David has fronted the likes of A House Through Time, The World’s War and The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files.

His series titled Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners was equally harrowing and educational for viewers, which saw him awarded the Specialist Factual BAFTA in 2016.

Additionally, David’s publications have also received global acclaim, most famously he authored Black and British: A Forgotten History, which explored the past of Black British people, and was awarded PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize. The book remains a sought-after academic guide.

Moving to the UK as a young boy, David had spent his early years in Jamaica, where his father was from, before immigrating to Newcastle.

However, the move was a turbulent one, with David being marginalised for his race in a predominantly white community and experiencing home attacks from the National Front. With racism rife in the early 80s, David’s family required police protection.

Such experiences of division and discrimination drive David’s speaking engagements, as he discusses the importance of inclusion and acceptance of diversity in wellbeing.

His personal anecdotes are deeply thought-provoking for audiences and support his teaching on the need for greater racial equality.

Currently, David is a Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and he was awarded an OBE in 2019 for his services to history and community integration.

A popular speaker, David is booked for his ability to transform the diversity policies and inclusion culture of corporate clients armed with his first-hand experience.

In November 2023 we sat down virtually with David Olusoga and discussed his views on the dismantling of British statues in the wake of the BLM movement and why history has become so political and controversial.

Testimonials

David was amazing. Everyone loved the session, people felt it was relevant, insightful, current with the world around us today and gave us food for thought. Please pass along our gratitude to David.

Jessica, Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion, RS Components

AMAZING! We were absolutely blown away, I’ve had amazing feedback already!… Just some of the feedback I have had: ‘An educational, interesting and thought-provoking start to Black History Month… it’s made me want to educate myself and find out more’, ‘it was really impactful, I’ve seen David Olusoga on a few programmes and he was just as engaging today, it felt special to have someone with recent facts and so much experience of study in this area to explain it all so eloquently’ and ‘one of the greatest speakers we have had in!’… some immediate snippets!

Jessica, International Technical Service Manager, Premier Foods

I wanted to follow up with you following David’s talk yesterday, the event was very successful and David was an absolutely brilliant speaker.
Myself and Oli would like to thank you for your support in getting him booked in for our event and please extend our thanks to David also.

Ella, MRCG, University of Exeter

David is such a wonderful speaker and of course very professional (which made all of the practical/tech stuff very easy!).
We had great engagement as well with over 100 people on the live stream and about 50 more joining to watch on the big screen in our office. Please do pass on our sincere thanks to David for giving up his time for such a compelling, insightful talk.

Jahnavi, Deliveroo