Diversity Built Britain

The West India Committee worked with The Royal Mint to launch its first ever diversity coin, in the form of both a circulating and commemorative 50 pence piece. This marks the beginning of a four year strategic plan in which the contribution of Britain’s diverse communities will be commemorated in the nation’s coinage. As a consulting NGO of UNESCO on Heritage, The West India Committee’s work has focused on the production of educational material, the launch of which has corresponded with Black History Month 2020. This involved the creation of a short overview of Black British history from prehistory to the modern day, an education pack with fact files on Black British History, an interactive map with short biographies of 100 figures from Black British History, all of which are free to access on The Royal Mint’s website. A copy of the education pack, and the new 50 pence coin celebrating diversity, was sent to every primary school in England and Wales. The initiative of The West India Committee and The Royal Mint was congratulated by both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.