Pupils want Mary put on a bank note (From Worcester News)
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Pupils want Mary put on a bank note
3:00pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News
BACKING MARY: Christopher Whitehead Language College pupils hand their petition to Worcester’s MP Robin Walker.
STUDENTS at a Worcester high school are campaigning for a hero of the Crimean War to get the recognition she deserves.
Members of Seacole House at Christopher Whitehead Language College handed a petition to Worcester MP Robin Walker calling for nurse Mary Seacole to be represented on a bank note.
Using the platform of Black History Month, they also held an assembly for fellow students explaining her important role in caring for the wounded.
Students felt it was unjust that while Florence Nightingale received the recognition she deserved, so few had heard of Mary Seacole, who had a Jamaican mother and a Scottish father.
Matthew Mobberley, director of studies for Seacole House at the school, said: “Every October, Black History Month aims to celebrate the contribution of black Britons to our country. Whilst the struggle for civil rights in the USA with individuals such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks is entrenched in the minds of many young people, many struggle to name notable black British individuals.”
A copy of the petition will also be sent to the Bank of England.
