Racist graffiti defaces Birmingham black history sculpture

Marcia Dunkley and artist Luke Perry cleaned the sculpture on Thursday following vandalism

A sculpture marking black history has been vandalised with racist graffiti.

The piece, named Black British History is British History, was targeted after being unveiled earlier this month at the Soho Loop Canal in Winson Green, Birmingham.

It was a community project with the Canal and River Trust, Legacy West Midlands and Black Heritage Walks.

The damage was by a "small-minded percentage of the population", the Black Heritage Walks Network, said.

The piece - designed by sculptor Luke Perry and Canaan Brown - took several months to create before it was installed on 13 May.

It represents "the wealth" of black British history, dating back from the Roman era into the modern day and includes references to black sailors, soldiers and nurses.

Part of the piece depicts a boy sitting on the sign of Marshall Street in Smethwick where Malcolm X visited in 1965.

The graffiti was removed by hand with sandpaper in just a few minutes

Marcia Dunkley, from the Network, said: "It's a public art piece to present a message, which is an untold history but a history that we now need to start recognising and embracing."

She added: "We are a massive multi-racial, multicultural, multi-faith city, we are the second city in the UK with a high population of everyone.

"Every nationality is here, so we're not going to let this worry us. It's minor."

Mr Perry said the graffiti was "disappointing" but he was "really proud" of the sculpture.

"The wonderful thing about the Black Country and Birmingham is its incredible diversity," he said.

"It's what makes us strong, it's what makes us colourful and flavoursome, it's beautiful, and so this is one of the most perfect places in the country to have this piece."

He added: "It is part of a conversation, and as with all conversations, there are some people on the other side of it, but we've created this piece to educate people, so the ignorance that causes the graffiti that's on it, that's on the way out."