Betty Campbell: Statue honours Wales' first black head teacher

A monument to honour Betty Campbell, Wales' first black head teacher and black history campaigner, has been unveiled in Cardiff.

It is believed to be the first statue of a named, non-fictional woman in an outdoor public space in Wales.

Mrs Campbell, who died in 2017, proved her doubters wrong after being told as a child that her dream job as a head teacher was "insurmountable".

The statue was commissioned following a BBC Wales Hidden Heroines poll.

Prof Uzo Iwobi, founder of Race Council Cymru, said: "Wales has shown that this black woman truly matters to us all."

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Geraldine Trotman, Black History Patron for Wales, said the unveiling of the statue of Mrs Campbell would be one of the greatest moments for Butetown and everyone who lives in Wales.

Betty Campbell, Wales' first black head teacher, was told as a child her dream job was unachievable

A UK-wide survey of statues, carried out in 2018, found that just one in five statues in Britain were of women, with most of fictional characters or unnamed figures.

Last year an audit, commissioned in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, found there were no statues of any named individual of black heritage in outdoor public spaces in Wales, with just "an anonymous statue group in Cardiff Bay".

The statue of Rachel Elizabeth Campbell - known as Betty - was unveiled in Central Square on Wednesday.

The statue is believed to be the first of a named, non-fictional woman in an outdoor public space in Wales

It had been due to take place in 2020, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands voted for a statue of Mrs Campbell from a shortlist of five Welsh women.

It came after a panel of experts made a list of 50 historic Welsh women, after finding there were no statues celebrating heroines in Wales.

Betty Campbell pictured with her parents Simon and Honora

Helen Molyneux, founder of Monumental Welsh Women, said she hoped the statue would "inspire the next generation of Welsh women".

"Betty's impact during her life was incredible, but, as with so many women throughout history, likely to be forgotten or overlooked by future generations unless something was done to bring her to people's attention," Ms Molyneux said.

"The monument created by Eve Shepherd will certainly achieve that. It is a truly iconic, beautiful piece that will attract the world's attention to Cardiff."

Who was Betty Campbell?

Betty Campbell taught at Mount Stuart school in Butetown for 28 years and helped found Black History Month

Betty Campbell was born in 1934 in Cardiff's docklands area, better known as Tiger Bay, to a Jamaican father and Welsh Barbadian mother.

She worked as a teacher in deprived multi-racial areas of the city, first in Llanrumney and then at her local Mount Stuart Primary School.

She became the head teacher there, despite being reduced to tears as a child when her teacher told her there were too many barriers for her to become a head teacher.

Throughout her life, she championed her nation's multicultural heritage, and put black culture on the curriculum at her school.

She was a county councillor for Cardiff's Butetown ward and was a member of the preparation committee for the opening of the National Assembly in 1998.

She was on the race relations board between 1972 and 1976, a member of the Broadcasting Council for Wales from 1980 to 1984, a member of the Home Office's race advisory committee and served in many educational roles.

A positive role model

Her daughter, Elaine Clarke said she was extremely proud and privileged to have her mother remembered in such an iconic way.

"Through her sculpture, [sculptor] Eve encapsulates Betty's legacy of determination, aspiration and inspiration that reflected her passion for diversity and equality making her a truly positive role model for many in the community and beyond," she said.

Betty Campbell's face was projected on the side of BBC Wales' Central Square building as the winner was announced

Chantelle Haughton, who attended Mrs Campbell's school as a pupil, said she had been a pioneer for change, decades before black history is set to be taught in all Welsh schools under the new curriculum.

"The thought of Betty's statue fills me up and the wonderful opportunity this memorial brings for Mrs Campbell's story to reach so many more from here on," she said.

You can watch Betty Campbell: Statue for a Heroine on BBC One Wales at 19:30 BST on Wednesday, or on BBC iPlayer afterwards.

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