Bradford leads Black History Month celebrations in Parliament

The celebrations were organised by Tony Fernandez, who lives in Wyke, and he was joined by a group of Bradfordians who spoke to an audience in the Jubilee Room.

Tony, founder of Bradford community organisation Africa4U, has been organising Black History Month celebrations at Westminster since 2013.

He invited Jerry Crawford – who heads up Bradford community group Collective Impact – to speak, as well as local artist Sinead Campbell, who performed a rendition of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come.

Other guests included Anthony Peltier – a former headteacher and policeman who was born in Bradford but moved to London aged 11 – and Roland Butcher, the first black cricketer to play for England.

Anthony Peltier speaking at the event (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

The Telegraph & Argus was invited to London to report on the event.

Speaking in Parliament, Tony said: “Today is a historical day – everyone here should feel proud.

“What we do today will make a difference tomorrow. Black History Month is not just about celebrating our past successes, but also about working for a better future.”

Tony Fernandez opens the event (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

Tony, of Nigerian descent, added: “I moved to Bradford from London five years ago. There’s this narrative that there are no jobs up north and that it’s boring there – but that’s completely untrue.

“I urge everyone here who hasn’t been to Bradford to go. Bradford is a great city – it will blow your mind.”

Jerry Crawford, of Kittitian heritage, also spoke – opening his speech with a joke about his northern accent.

“Growing up was difficult, I got called racist names at school, and had to ask my mother what they meant,” he added.

“It was a different time, and I was angry for a while. But my mother told me that not everyone is the same and most people only go off what they’ve been taught.

Jerry Crawford speaking in Parliament (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

“The murder of George Floyd was a reminder of how black people have been treated for centuries. But through that sad moment, good things happened.

“Some of my white friends couldn’t understand and were complaining about black people’s reaction to it. I was going to delete them off social media – I thought I’d be deleting 400 friends.

“But instead, I spoke with them, and we came to an understanding. I ended up deleting nobody.

“Through Black History Month we learn from one another. I don’t believe we’re ever going to end racism, but we can work to reduce it.”