Harry Edward, Britain’s First Black Olympic Medallist, To Be Commemorated With Blue Plaque
The inspiring story of Harry Edward, Britain’s first black Olympic medallist, honored with a blue plaque in London for his historic achievements.
Harry Edward, Britain’s first black Olympic medallist, will be recognised with a blue plaque at his London house.
In 1920, Harry Edward represented Britain in the 100 and 200-meter races at the Olympics in Antwerp, where he took home bronze in both events. In 1922, he made history by winning the 100, 220, and 440-yard finals in under an hour.
The memorial will be erected on his previous residence on Huntley Street in Bloomsbury, London, according to confirmation from English Heritage. It’s an extremely exciting idea, according to a representative for English Heritage. Harry will become a part of an elite group of Olympians honoured with blue plaques.
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They include the following athletes who competed for Great Britain in 1920: rower Jack Beresford, middle-distance runner Philip Noel-Baker, tennis player Kitty Godfree, and boxer Harry Mallin.
Harry Edward’s narrative was found in a little-known New Orleans archive, which led to his memorial. Under the title When I Passed the Statue of Liberty I Became Black, it was released this year by Yale University Press and tells the remarkable account of his life in addition to his outstanding sports career.
Marlene Dortch and Julia-Vanessa Long, the granddaughters of 1936 Olympic heroes Jesse Owens and Luz Long, attended the book’s launch on Monday at the Paris Olympics in the OLY House, home of the World Olympians Association at the Games.
Harry Edward: Post-War Life and Contributions to Society
Harry Edward, the son of a Prussian piano teacher and a Dominican maître d’, was born in Germany. If the First World War hadn’t broken out, he most likely would have represented his country in the 1916 Berlin Olympics. Rather, he spent the whole war being held captive in a prisoner of war camp, and upon its liberation, he was relocated to England.
He spent his four years in England living in a home close to Bloomsbury’s University College before leaving for the United States, where he worked alongside Orson Welles in the theatre, oversaw food and milk programs in Harlem, opposed school segregation, and offered his services as a volunteer in the fledgling UN in Germany and Greece. He oversaw a foster children program in Vietnam as well. Dedicated to promoting civil rights, he passed away in 1973 while visiting Germany with his family.
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