I wonder how many people reading this article have heard of Cyril Ewart Grant (better known as Cy)? I suspect not many, although he should be better known in his home country of Guyana – if only because of the significant impact he had on race relations and equal rights in the UK – far from his home country of Guyana.
I came across Cy’s name following a chance reference from a colleague as I was researching a Remembrance Day speech I was due give whilst British High Commissioner to Guyana. I was amazed to find the story of a man who was not only one of the first West Indian Officers in the RAF, but someone who also became the first person of African descent to appear regularly on UK television, and who later became a social activist dedicated to addressing racial inequality and encouraging multicultural understanding after the British inner-city riots of the early 1980s.
But who was Cy Grant and how did he end up having such an influence in the UK?
