Black Welsh people

Dame Shirley Bassey, singer

Black Welsh people are inhabitants of Wales who have an African or an Afro-Caribbean background and are black. Wales is home to one of the United Kingdom's oldest black communities, and Tiger Bay in Cardiff has housed a large Somali population since the development of the port in the 19th century. The 2011 census reported that there were more than 18,000 Welsh-African people in Wales (0.6% of the Welsh population). ^[1]

The first recorded black person to live in North Wales, of whom historians have detailed knowledge, was John Ystumllyn (died 1786), a Gwynedd gardener whose origins are unrecorded. ^[2]

Demographics

Historical Population

Year	Pop.	±%
1991	9,492	—
2001	7,069	−25.5%
2011	18,276	+158.5%
2021	27,554	+50.8%
Source: Office for National Statistics

Black Welsh people by census data

Ethnic group	2021 [3]		2011 [4]		2001 [5]		1991 [6]
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Black Welsh people	27,554	0.89%	18,276	0.60%	7,069	0.24%	9,492	0.33%
—Black African	19,907	0.64%	11,887	0.39%	3,727	0.13%	2,671	0.09%
—Black Caribbean	3,700	0.12%	3,809	0.12%	2,597	0.09%	3,348	0.12%
—Other Black	3,947	0.13%	2,580	0.08%	745	0.03%	3,473	0.12%
Wales	3,107,494	100%	3,063,456	100%	2,903,085	100%	2,835,073	100%

Notable black Welsh people

Sports

Association football

• Ethan Ampadu ^[7]
• George Berry
• Nathan Blake ^[8]
• Ben Cabango
• Robert Earnshaw ^[9]
• Danny Gabbidon ^[10]
• Ryan Giggs ^[11]
• Adam Henley
• Brennan Johnson
• Joel Lynch
• Rabbi Matondo
• Eddie Parris ^[12]
• Jazz Richards
• Tyler Roberts
• Hal Robson-Kanu
• Sanchez Watt
• Sorba Thomas
• Ashley Williams ^[13]

Athletics

• Jamie Baulch, sprint athlete ^[14]
• Colin Jackson ^[15]
• Christian Malcolm, track and field athlete ^[16]
• Nigel Walker, former Welsh track and field athlete and Wales international rugby union player ^[17]

Rugby League

• Billy Boston, represented Great Britain ^[18]
• Regan Grace
• Clive Sullivan, the first black athlete to captain Great Britain in any sport ^[19]

Rugby Union

• Aled Brew
• Nathan Brew
• Leon Brown
• Mark Brown, became the first known player of black origin to represent Wales in 1983. ^[20]
• Colin Charvis, the first black captain of the Wales national rugby union team ^{[21] [22]}
• Rio Dyer
• Jason Forster
• Ashton Hewitt, Hewitt has also become known for speaking out against racial abuse. ^{[23] [24]}
• Martyn Madden
• Mackenzie Martin
• Richard Parks, former Wales international rugby union player turned extreme endurance athlete and television presenter ^[25]
• Anthony Sullivan
• Ben Thomas
• Gavin Thomas
• Christ Tshiunza, became the first black & African born player to represent Wales in November 2021. ^[26]
• Eli Walker
• Nigel Walker ^[17]
• Glen Webbe, often stated to be the first black player to play for Wales, Webbe was the first black player to represent Wales at a World Cup, and is considered by many to be Wales' "first black icon". ^{[27] [28]}

Boxing

• Steve Robinson ^[29]

Music

• Dame Shirley Bassey, singer ^[30]
• Jason Camilleri (Dregz), ^{[31] [32]} rapper and former BBC presenter ^[33]
• Kizzy Crawford, singer-songwriter and producer ^[34]
• Eädyth, producer and singer-songwriter ^[35]
• Patti Flynn, jazz singer and founder and patron of Black History Wales ^[36]
• Benji Webbe, musician, frontman of the alternative metal band Skindred ^[37]

Film and television

• Josie d'Arby, TV presenter ^[38]
• Rakie Ayola, actress ^[39]
• Rungano Nyoni, film director and screenwriter ^[40]
• Suzanne Packer, actress ^[41]
• Jessica Sula, actress ^[42]
• Tayce, RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 2 contestant ^[43]
• Darragh Mortell, actor ^[44]
• Gabin Kongolo, actor

Others

A video of Vaughan Gething representing the First Minister in a COVID-19 press conference in January 2021

• Betty Campbell, headteacher ^[45]
• Abdulrahim Abby Farah, diplomat ^{[46] [47]}
• Vaughan Gething, former First Minister of Wales ^[48] in the Welsh Government, first black leader of a European nation ^[49]
• Uzo Iwobi, equalities practitioner and former Commissioner for the Commission for Racial Equality ^[50]
• Louise Watkins Kelton, United States Marshal ^{[51] [52]}

See also

• Black British people
• Black Scottish people
• Black people in Ireland

References

1. "Office for National Statistics: Wales 2011" . Retrieved 8 February 2021.
2. Green, Andrew (10 October 2019). "Ystumllyn, John (d. 1786), gardener" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.112797.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
3. "Ethnic group - England and Wales regions". Office for National Statistics. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
4. "QS201EW: Ethnic Group". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
5. "KS006: Ethnic group". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Retrieved 30 June 2003.
6. "1991 census - local base statistics". Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Retrieved 14 June 2023.Tables L01 to L18: Demographic and economic characteristics > L06 Ethnic group
7. Abbandonato, Paul (10 August 2016). "The 15-year-old wonderkid England want to poach has just become big news". Wales Online.
8. "Nathan Blake, sportsman with a Welsh connection!". www.famouswelsh.com. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
9. "Profiles: Robert Earnshaw". Cardiff City F.C. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012.
10. "D. Gabbidon: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
11. "Giggs 'proud' of mixed race heritage". BBC Sport.
12. Article in Chepstow Free Press Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
13. "Ashley Williams". Premier League. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017.
14. Welsh athletes Baulch and Thomas finally hold the gold. BBC Sport (11 May 2010). Retrieved on 2010-06-04.
15. Who Do You Think You Are – Colin Jackson. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 18 June 2009.
16. Williams, Clive (January 2017). "Christian Malcolm". Welsh Athletics . Retrieved 8 February 2021.
17. "Nigel Walker at EIS".
18. "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
19. "Clive Sullivan remembered during Black History Month". BBC News. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
20. Thomas, Simon (14 August 2021). "Meeting Mark Brown, the first black man to play rugby for Wales". WalesOnline. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
21. "Colin Charvis puts 'Grannygate' scandal to bed as DNA reveals he IS Welsh". Wales online. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
22. Hitt, Carolyn (19 April 2014). "Have Colin Charvis achievements as a pioneer for black rugby players in Wales been properly recognised?". Wales Online. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
23. Media, P. A. (2020-12-29). "Argentina's Pablo Matera ordered to undergo anti-discrimination training". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
24. "Ashton Hewitt: 'People think rugby doesn't have society's problems'". the Guardian. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
25. "Injury forces Parks to quit rugby". BBC News. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
26. Baldock, Andrew (13 October 2021). "Exeter forward Christ Tshiunza called up by Wales for Autumn Nations Series". The Independent. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
27. Jeremiah, Rhodri (16 October 2011). "Glenn Webbe: Welsh Rugby's Black Icon". SkySports. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
28. "Dealing with racism and the one major incident of my career: Wales' first black rugby icon Glenn Webbe tells all". Wa. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
29. "Steve Robinson – World Featherweight Champion". www.johnnyowen.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
30. Artist Biography by John Bush (1937-01-08). "Shirley Bassey | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
31. admin (2018-07-17). "Meet Flameholder, aka Ruffstylz, aka Dan Lloyd – hip hop pioneer, emcee, activist". We Are Cardiff. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
32. "WELSH HOMES: Oasis is music lover's dream; DJ Dregz's home reflects his individuality. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
33. "BBC Wales - Radio Wales - Mixing It". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
34. Mark Smith (24 January 2013). "Young singer Kizzy Crawford, from Merthyr Tydfil, wins Arts Connect Original Singer-Songwriter prize". Wales Online.
35. "BBC Wales - Horizons - EÄDYTH". BBC. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
36. "EMWWAA Awards 2019". Ethnic Minority Welsh Women Achievement Association (EMWWAA). Retrieved 2020-12-03.
37. Rawlins, Kirsten (4 August 2017). "Music saved me: Benji Webbe of Skindred talks ahead of Bloodstock appearance". Shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
38. "City star's 'overwhelming honour'". South Wales Argus. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
39. "BBC - Press Office - Sea of Souls Rakie Ayola". BBC Online . BBC . Retrieved 5 September 2007.
40. "About Rungano Nyoni" . Retrieved 8 March 2018. born in Lusaka, Zambia and grew up in Wales, UK.
41. Abbie Wightwick (28 September 2018). "Brilliant, Black and Welsh: A celebration of 100 African Caribbean and African Welsh people". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
42. March, Polly (29 January 2011). "Swansea actress beats 8,000 to Skins role". BBC News . Retrieved 12 February 2012.
43. "Who is Tayce? Meet the RuPaul's Drag Race UK star who wants to "give 'em the razzle dazzle"". 6 January 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
44. Mansfield, Ruth (30 January 2011). "Actor set to become part of TV history". southwaleargus.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
45. Marsden, Harriet (25 October 2017). "Betty Campbell: Wales's first black headteacher took civil rights history into classrooms". The Independent . London. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
46. "Abdulrahim Abby Farah: Tributes to Wales-born Somali diplomat". BBC News. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
47. Hayes, Simon (14 June 2018). "Abdulrahim Abby Farah obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
48. "Vaughan Gething MS: Minister for Economy".
49. Owen, Paul (3 August 2009). "Black Welshman aims to take the fight to the BNP". The Guardian. Manchester: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
50. "Uzo Iwobi OBE". www.100welshwomen.wales. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
51. "Cardiff roots of new US marshal". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
52. "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve as US Marshals". whitehouse.gov. 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2023-09-17.

External links

• "Black History Month: The People That Shaped Our Nation". Cardiff City Foundation.