My grandmother was Wales’ first Black Headteacher (Picture: The Family of Betty Campbell / Mirrorpix / Western Mail Archive)
Elated, delighted, overjoyed, proud; and disappointed.
I feel all this simultaneously when I think about how, in the 1970s, my grandmother – Betty Campbell – was Wales’ first Black headteacher.
Of course, I’m honoured to be related to someone who achieved such a monumental feat.
But at the same time: I’ve worked in education for 18years, and I know the structural racism my grandmother faced in her desire to become a teacher – let alone a headteacher – is still very much present today.
Research conducted by the Education Workforce Council in Wales showed no Black Headteachers or Black assistant headteachers in Wales between 2018 and 2022; and just one Black deputy headteacher was listed during those years.
The EWC’s 2024 stats, meanwhile, showed there were no headteachers, no assistant headteachers and just one deputy headteacher in Wales who identified as Black/African/Caribbean/Black British.
That’s not to say my grandmother didn’t give us hope – she did. She changed the face of education in Wales, incorporating Black History into her school curriculum. Today, children are going on school trips to visit her statue and learn about her life, because of the legacy she left.
In fact, my grandmother gave us more than a ripple effect of hope. I’d call it a tidal wave of power and possibility in the face of structural racism.
My grandmother was born in 1934 in Butetown, Cardiff – one of the country’s oldest diverse communities – and although Butetown is classed as a ‘disadvantaged’ area, my grandmother would have described her childhood and upbringing as very rich and nurtured.
What a legacy she left behind – a legacy we, in her family, are all so proud of (Picture: Simon Campbell/PA Wire)
Challenges were experienced, but my grandmother would always describe her childhood as full of love, understanding, knowledge, cohesion and warmth. Her community was exceptionally tight-knit and she had support from everyone around her to thrive and excel. It was a community that prioritised heartfelt relationships, as she would go on to do throughout her life.
She won a scholarship to Lady Margaret High School for Girls in Cardiff, where she expressed a desire to teach one day – but was told by a teacher that the problems would be ‘insurmountable’.
Thinking about my grandmother being told this, I feel heartbroken.
I was a deputy headteacher myself, for seven years. My mother and godmother were both headteachers; I’ve come from a background of really strong female Black leadership.
But I know being told that being a teacher is an ‘insurmountable’ goal is something that many young children from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds are still told today; if not verbally, then through lower teacher expectations.
My grandmother opened up so many people’s worldviews to different cultures, languages and lives (Picture: Mirrorpix / Western Mail Archive)
The overriding systemic racism my grandmother faced is still very much present; and it’s the experience of too many children today.
But my grandmother didn’t give up. In 1960, she …read more
Source:: Metro
