Bernie Grant MP

Bernie Grant came to the UK from Guyana in 1963 to be a mechanical engineer, and as a student joined protests against racism suffered by black students. 

In 1985, Grant became the focus of a tabloid hate campaign and was condemned from all sides after saying the police had got a hiding during the Broadwater Farm uprisings in the borough, as black youth rebelled against the oppressive ‘Sus’ laws. 

The controversy surrounding the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots did not prevent Bernie from being elected as MP for Tottenham at the 1987 general election - one of the UK's first Black British MPs. Bernie Grant (pictured) arriving at the Palace of Westminster, his first day as an MP.

When Bernie Grant was elected to parliament in 1987, he posed outside the palace of Westminster in an African gown - an image of harmony and defiance. He was the political standard bearer for fighting racial inequality. Read more

Labour MPs sit together during the heated debate on Labour Black Sections on the final day of the party conference in Brighton, 1987. (l-r) Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz and Diane Abbott. Read more

In 1989, Bernie established and chaired the Parliamentary Black Caucus, modelled after the Congressional Black Caucus of the United States. The organisation was committed to advancing the opportunities of Britain's ethnic minority communities.