Celebrating Impact:Betty Campbell

According to the Welsh government website, "Betty Campbell was told that a working-class Black girl could never succeed, and that her desire to become a teacher would face 'insurmountable' problems". She once said that such a negative response made her cry, being the first time she ever cried in school, but it also made her more determined and resilient. "I was going to be a teacher by hook or by crook”, she said.

She is now immortalised in a statue in Cardiff, the first Black headteacher in Wales, responsible for putting Black culture and history on Cardiff’s curriculum. I cannot think of a greater accolade for such a tireless pioneer, whose impact and influence spread far and wide during her lifetime, and whose legacy is so enduring.

I had not heard of this amazing teacher, community activist, and educator until a few years ago. I felt I had to include her in my 12 tributes to raise awareness of her work. As a former pioneering education manager myself, I do not have to think too deply to imagine what she would have gone through as a Black teacher in a highly monocultural system that treated Black students as invisible.

Betty Campbell MBE, was a Welsh community pioneering activist. Born in Cardiff, in 1934, to an immigrant mother from Jamaica, and a father who was a Welsh miner, she grew up in a poor household, where her mother "struggled to make ends meet after her father was killed during the Second World War". But she excelled in school, winning a scholarship to the Lady Margaret High School for Girls in Cardiff, and then training as a teacher at Cardiff Teacher Training College where she was one of only six female students.

When she was 36 years old, Campbell became headteacher of Mount Stuart Primary School in Butetown, Cardiff. A passionate advocate for equality and multicultural education, she was committed to a high-quality education for her students. As a pioneer in the field of multicultural education, she introduced innovative teaching methods, making sure that the school's curriculum reflected the diverse backgrounds of the pupils.

Campbell was also a strong advocate for community involvement in education. She worked closely with parents and local community groups to create a supportive learning environment for her students. She was also a mentor to many young black teachers, encouraging them to pursue careers in education. What she achieved at the time was remarkable, considering the absence of Black teachers in the education system as a whole, and the neglect of the presence and needs of Black students.

A vocal critic of racism and discrimination, she retired from teaching in 1991, but remained active in the community, serving as a councillor on Cardiff City Council, and a member of the Home Office's Race Advisory Committee and the Commission for Racial Equality.

Betty Campbell's work was recognised with an MBE from Queen Elizabeth in 2003, along with a lifetime achievement award from Unison Cymru's Black Members' group 12 years later.

She died in 2017 at the great age of 83, leaving a lasting legacy for her community. A pioneer and a role model for many people, she dedicated her life to fighting for equality and social justice, and is remembered as a champion of education and a tireless advocate for the rights of all people.

In 2021, she was given a stunning accolade when a statue of her was unveiled in Cardiff City Centre, making her the first Black woman to be commemorated with a statue in Wales. It was commissioned following a public vote from a shortlist of Welsh women, a great "testimony to her significance and influence in Wales".

Betty Campbell's life and work are a reminder of the importance of inclusion, education and social justice, especially in the determined way just one person can make the biggest difference where it really matters.

Sources: Cardiff Youth Services and CADW Govt, Wales

Tribute #4