Professor Daniel G. Williams

Who, in your opinion, are the most important figures in British Black History?

There are many. It’s impossible to say ‘the’. As a literature Professor I would draw particular attention to Olaudah Equiano and his remarkable ‘Narrative’ of 1789. As a saxophonist I’d name Joe Harriott and Courtney Pine. As a Welshman I’d name the teacher Betty Campbell whose statue has just been unveiled in Cardiff.

How can we learn from the past (colonialism, racism) to avoid such problems in the future and ensure safety for people of colour?

The African American philosopher Cornel West evokes the metaphor of the pearl diver combing through the wreckage of the past to reclaim what can be saved. He is not in favour of drawing analogies with the past in order to understand the current situation but argues that we must, nevertheless, carry those gems with us, those conceptual ideas that have the ‘seeds of life in them’ (to quote Raymond Williams). African American, Black European, and postcolonial literatures contain a wealth of such pearls if we take the time and dedication to read the literature and let it speak to us. In the face of racism and colonialism Black cultures offer remarkable counter-narratives of hope.

What part of black history is the closest to your area of expertise and if you could describe it in a few words?

My Black Skin, Blue Books (2012) traces African American contacts with Wales. Who would have thought, for example, that Ralph Ellison began writing his seminal novel Invisible Man (1952) while stationed as a marine in Swansea during World War 2? His short story ‘In a Strange Country’ is a moving account of his time in Wales. It’s collected in Flying Home and Other Stories.

How can we, as allies, prevent acts of racism and support people of colour?

Racism must be defeated wherever it arises. This question raises fundamental issues for cultural critics which can be expressed in two questions. The first question is, ‘how can we protect spaces of freedom?’. The second question is, ‘are there ways of thinking that are not ultimately tyrannical?’ The literature of the ‘Black Atlantic’ (as Paul Gilroy described it) offers crucial resources for engaging with these key questions of our time. Fundamentally we need, as allies, to listen to the voices of our brothers and sisters of colour, both now and in the still contested history.