Black lives
The extraordinary stories of the people at the forefront of social change and civil rights
Mother of modelling: how Bethann Hardison got frank about fashion’s racism – and changed the industry for ever
She starred in the Battle of Versailles show in 1973, partied at Studio 54 and became a renowned model agent. Now 80, she has always advocated for respect, recognition and equal pay for Black talent, with a passion and power that could never be ignored
‘Martin Luther King told me I wouldn’t see 50’: the long, momentous life of Clarence B Jones
Jones was 29 when he went to work for the civil rights leader. As King’s friend, adviser and speechwriter, he was at the heart of the attempt to reform the US. Six decades on, he remembers their battles and their triumphs
History-making footballer Viv Anderson, the TV makeover’s chequered past, and the slow running revolution – podcast
Viv Anderson: the phenomenal Black footballer who changed England for ever, the chequered history of the TV makeover show, and the slow running revolution: how to really enjoy the race.
Jason Arday: he learned to talk at 11 and read at 18 – then became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor
Diagnosed with autism as a child, Arday found his voice through speech therapy and his mother’s unflagging support. Now he is using it with the same tenacity that saw him run 30 marathons in 35 days
Tessa Sanderson: how the first Black British woman to win an Olympic title fought her way to the top
In 1984, she became the only Briton ever to win gold in an Olympic throwing event – then went back to work as a typist. She describes her rivalry with Fatima Whitbread, struggles to find funding and life after athletics
‘It seems so corny!’ How Jennifer Hosten became the first Black Miss World – and an international diplomat
An audience of 100 million watched as Hosten was crowned in 1970. It was just the start of a remarkable career that took in tea with Joan Crawford, a tour with Bob Hope and a violent coup in her home country of Grenada
‘I wanted success – and I got it quickly!’ How Bruce Oldfield went from foster care to fashion royalty
The designer is about to make history with Camilla’s coronation dress. He talks about growing up a Barnardo’s child, finding his way in fashion, and dressing Bianca Jagger, Charlotte Rampling and Princess Diana
‘We were made to feel like outcasts’: the psychiatrist who blew the whistle on racism in British medicine
Aggrey Burke was the NHS’s first Black consultant psychiatrist. Rather than becoming a pillar of the establishment, he was forced to challenge it when he saw how other people of colour were treated
Dwayne Fields, the first black Briton to reach the north pole: ‘I spotted this polar bear stalking us’
A familiar face on Countryfile and other TV shows, Fields escaped being shot when he was barely out of his teens. Now 37, he’s determined to keep exploring the world – and open it up for young people
