Legacy 90.1 – Manchester

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (nicknamed the Godmother of Rock and Roll) played a legendary gig in Manchester in 1964 at the at the height of the civil rights era.

Dr Erinma Bell was the first woman to be commemorated with a statue in Manchester Town Hall for her work campaigning to end to gun violence. The statue is made from 50 confiscated guns.

Lemn Sissey is an author, poet and broadcaster who is also the Chancellor of the University of Manchester, patron of AllFM community radio station and patron of Letterbox Club supporting children in care.

Sir David Adjaye, is an architect who won international acclaim for his innovative use of materials and light. He authored or coauthored several publications, and received an OBE in 2007. He was knighted in 2017 for his services to architecture.

Arthur Wharton, set the record for the 100 yard dash in 1886 and set a record time for cycling between Blackburn and Preston. He was a professional cricketer until his 50's and played rugby union but he is best known as Britain's first black professional footballer.

Dame Sharon Michele White DBE is Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership. She was the first Black person and only the 2nd woman to hold the post of Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury from 2013-2015. She was appointed (DBE) in 2020 for public service.

Raheem Sterling is a British professional football player who was the youngest player to score a competitive goal for Liverpool in 2014. He is vocal on racism and in 2020 demanded that Govt, social media platforms and football leaders take action to stop racial abuse online.

Funmi Olonisakin is a Professor of Leadership, Peace and Conflict at King's College London and an appointed member of the United Nations Security Council advisory group of experts on the UN Peace-building Architecture review. She is founder of the African Leadership Centre.

Dounne Alexander worked as a chemical and bacteriological technician and started a herbal food manufacturing business called 'GRAMMAS' in honour of her grandmother.  Dounne has won seven awards including 'Black Businesswoman of the Millennium'.

Marcus Rashford is an English professional footballer who lobbied Government and campaigned successfully for free school meals during summer 2020.

Ruth Ibegbuna is a powerful motivational speaker and storyteller and the founder of the Roots Programme which aims to bring people together who are from different lives, cultures and backgrounds .

Diane Modahl was a middle distance runner who won the 1984 English Schools 800 metres title and then went on to win three Commonwealth Games medals including a gold medal for the 800 metres in Auckland in 1990.

Len Johnson was the first non-white boxer to hold a major title during the British colour bar era pf the 1920's and was considered Britain's greatest middleweight boxer of that era. He also played a role in the African independence movements of the 1940's and campaigned against racism in Manchester.

Chuka Umunna is a politician who Shadow Minister and Shadow Secretary from 2011-2015. He helped lead a successful campaign against Pfizer's takeover of AstraZeneca to protect the UK's science industry. He is now works for investment bank JP Morgan.

Pablo Fanque was a master equestrian and tightrope walker who joined the circus as an orphan when he was 11 years old. His 'Benefit for Mr Kite' show was memorialised by the Beatles and he established the Knott Mill Easter Fair at the bottom of Deansgate.

Maggie Aderin-Pocockis is a British space scientist and science educator. She is an Honorary Research Associate of University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy. She was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to science education and she co-presents "The Sky at Night".

Malorie Blackman OBE is a British writer of literature and television drama who was awarded Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She was the first Black person to write for Doctor Who and her books have been translated into more than 15 languages and she is author of 'Nought & Crosses" and she was appointed OBE in 2008.

David Harewood became the first black actor to play the title role in Othello at the National Theatre in 1997. In 2012 he received an MBE. He was Ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation in 2018 and works with UNICEF and was goalkeeper for Soccer Aid in the same year.

Sir W. Arthur Lewis became Britain's first black professor at Manchester University at the age of 33. In 1979, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Louise da Cocodia MBE is an anti-racism campaigner who became the first black senior nurse in Manchester, when she was appointed as Assistant Superintendent of District Nurses in 1966.

Shevelle Dynott was the first black child to attend the Royal Ballet School in 1997 and one of the first children to be accepted on the Royal Ballet School's Junior Associates programme, going on to join the English National Ballet.

Charlie Casely-Hayford was the global face of Converse in 2010 and Dr Marten's in 2009. He was chosen by Esquire Magazine as a 'Brilliant Brit', a prediction of 75 young talents who were shaping 2010 and was named one of the most influential people under 40 by GQ magazine.

Jamal Edwards sadly died in 2022 but during his short life he achieved more than most being founder of SB.TV, publishing an e-book, collaborating on a range of caps for Topman and being awarded an MBE for services to music. He was ambassador for the Prince's Trust.

Sir Trevor McDonald became the first Black reporter for ITN and has hosted a range of hard hitting 'with Trevor McDonald' He is also an author. Trevor is considered a national treasure by the UK public and was knighted in 1999 for services to journalism.

Diane Abbott served as Shadow Home Secretary from 2016 to 2020 and was the first black woman elected to Parliament. She was the longest serving member of the House of Commons and in 2019, became the first black MP at the dispatch box at Prime Minister's Questions.

Michael Fuller QPM was the first black police officer, and so far the only black police officer, to hold the role of Chief Constable. He published a book in 2019 'Kill the Black One First' about his policing experiences and in the same year, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Arden University.

Harold Moody was a civil rights activist, founding, and becoming president, of the League of Coloured Peoples (LCP) which was a civil rights organisation that campaigned for racial equality across the world. He was also a respected and influential doctor in Peckham.