That this House notes October is Black History Month; welcomes the opportunity to highlight some of those people largely forgotten in history but who have made a significant contribution nonetheless; celebrates the tale of Scots Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole who set up her own convalescent home named The British Hotel, to tend wounded soldiers with traditional herbal remedies in the Crimean war of the 1850s; considers it all the more impressive that she did so after being rejected by the War Office and by fundraising for the costs herself; understands she was so well loved for the voluntary work she carried out that when she returned to London in 1857, destitute, and a fundraising gala in her honour on the banks of the River Thames attracted 80,000 guests; understands that Mary Seacole then disappeared from history books for over a century; finds it inexplicable that when her contribution began to be acknowledged in more recent times, there were campaigns against doing so; and considers it fitting that she is now considered one of the greatest black role models and has been remembered with a community hospital named after her in Surrey and a statue erected in her honour outside St Thomas’ Hospital.

That this House notes October is Black History Month; welcomes the opportunity to highlight some of those people largely forgotten in history but who have made a significant contribution nonetheless; celebrates the tale of Scots Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole who set up her own convalescent home named The British Hotel,...

That this House recognises the results of the recent 100 Great Black Britons poll organised through the Every Generation website; notes that the poll plays a vital role in celebrating the United Kingdom's black culture and heritage; further notes that the campaign is an excellent medium through which citizens of the United Kingdom can learn about the contributions made by black people to the country; pays tribute to the poll winner, the late Mary Seacole; recognises the valuable work undertaken by the West Indian-born nurse tending to wounded soldiers during the Crimean War; further recognises that her dedication to providing assistance to the wounded is exemplified in the effort she made to overcome discrimination and prejudice which led her to travel to the Crimea at her own expense; notes that other than being awarded a Crimean medal for her work, Mary Seacole has been largely unrecognised for over a century; supports the recent calls by the Royal College of Nursing for a statue to be erected in London in her honour; and calls on the Government to provide funding for such a statue.

That this House recognises the results of the recent 100 Great Black Britons poll organised through the Every Generation website; notes that the poll plays a vital role in celebrating the United Kingdom's black culture and heritage; further notes that the campaign is an excellent medium through which citizens of...

That this House recognises that insufficient attention is paid to the contribution of ethnic minorities to Britain today and in the past, and especially to the role of black women; believes that a statue of Mary Seacole should be erected on the vacant plinth in Trafalgar Square, in keeping with its 19th Century military history; notes the words of the celebrated Times journalist William Russell, who said 'I trust England will not forget one who nursed her sick, who sought out her wounded to aid and succour them and who performed the last offices for some of her illustrious dead'; recalls that the fund set up on her behalf in 1867 was chaired by Colonel Henry Daniell of the Coldstream Guards, had as patrons the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh, and that its committee included senior officers of some of Britain's most famous regiments and her Royal Navy; concurs with the gratitude and approbation expressed by Queen Victoria for her services; and therefore feels that her place in the Square would be well deserved and a fitting tribute to a women from Jamaica whose work in the Crimea was so highly regarded.

That this House recognises that insufficient attention is paid to the contribution of ethnic minorities to Britain today and in the past, and especially to the role of black women; believes that a statue of Mary Seacole should be erected on the vacant plinth in Trafalgar Square, in keeping with...