The Museum of Liverpool is celebrating Black History Month with a guided tour entitled “Celebrating Black Scousers.”
The tour educates you on black scousers from sports, and music to dock workers. It begins by telling the story of Dick Benson who was a carter on the Albert Dock and was very respected amongst the trade workers, he was very skilled in teaching other workers how to use cargo.
Everyone knows the stories of the Beatles going to Hamburg before their international fame, but what many don’t know is that Derry and the seniors were the first to do this. They were also the first group in Britain to have an LP, making them very influential in the Merseybeat and instrumental scene of the Beatles success.
Another important group from Liverpool was The Real Thing, who were made citizens of honour earlier this month, they were also the first all-black UK group to have a number 1 single.
Lord Woodbine was another influential black figure in Liverpool. Woodbine was born in Trinidad, joined the RAF at the age of 14 and later came back to England on the M5 Windrush. He worked as a promoter and with The Beatles, but he eventually became so influential, he was known as the 5th Beatle. Liverpool wouldn’t be the same without him as he started the Jacaranda and the Blue Angel, which is loved across the region.
Sport is a huge element in the city and the tour shares the story of swimmer, James Clarke. Clarke was born in Guyana and arrived in Liverpool when he was 14 and was adopted by a family on Scotland Road. He pioneered for swimming lessons to be taught in schools and received many medals for saving children whilst swimming in the Liverpool-Leeds canal.
The guided tour runs until the 23rd of October at 11 am and 1:30 pm.
Featured images (c) Victoria Bannon
