George The Poet, Jazzie B, Sonia Boyce DBE sign petition to bring Black British music history into the curriculum

12 December 2024 - Press release

Launched by the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU), part of the University of Westminster, the petition calls for Black British music to be integrated into the national curriculum in schools. Currently the UK government is undergoing a review into the curriculum, and is due to publish its recommendations in 2025.

The petition has so far been signed by performers including George The Poet, Jazzie B of Soul II Soul and Michelle Gayle, leading British artist Sonia Boyce, renowned race theorist Paul Gilroy, and industry figures including Michelle Escoffery (PRS and Ivors) and Charisse Beaumont (Black Lives in Music). 

Building on the recent success of the British Library’s “Beyond The Bassline” exhibition that documented 500 years of Black British music (curated by Mykaell Riley, director of the BMRU), the petition also calls for a permanent exhibition recognising the contribution of African and Caribbean communities to shaping British music and culture.

The petition has now been opened to the public here, where you can read it in full.

It has so far been signed by:

• George The Poet - Poet and musician
• Jazzie B - Producer and DJ, Founder of Soul II Soul
• Michelle Gayle - Singer-songwriter, actor, writer
• Sonia Boyce DBE RA - Artist and educator, Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London. Winner of the Gold Lion prize at the 2022 Venice Biennale.
• Michelle Escoffery - Ivor Novello and BRIT-winning songwriter, President of PRS Members Council and Chair of the Ivors
• Dr Charisse Beaumont - CEO of Black Lives in Music (BLIM)
• Ben Wynter - Co-founder of POWER UP and Director of Business Development & Partnerships at the Association of Independent Music (AIM)
• Paul Gilroy – Leading race theorist and founding director of UCL’s Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism & Racialisation
• Neal White - Head of University of Westminster's Centre for Research and Education in Art and Media (CREAM)
• Kenny Monrose - Author and researcher at University of Cambridge
• Amber Lascelles - Lecturer in Global Anglophone Literature, Royal Holloway University of London
• Paul Bradshaw - Writer and former editor/publisher of Straight No Chaser Magazine