A mural to commemorate Wales' first black head teacher has been completed at the school where she held the role for several decades. Work on the striking painting has been ongoing since mid-February and has now been finished.
Mrs Campbell was the head teacher at Mount Stuart Primary School in Butetown, Cardiff, from 1965 to 1999. She will now be permanently commemorated at the school thanks to artwork from Bradley Rmer, who painted the My City, My Shirt mural nearby.
Helen Borley, the school's current head teacher, said: "We are immensely proud of our school’s connection to Mrs Campbell as Mount Stuart’s first head teacher and Wales’s first black head teacher. She is a continued inspiration to us and our community. Mrs Campbell’s legacy is a powerful message of what you can achieve given determination and drive.”
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Mrs Campbell, who was awarded an MBE, was a pioneer in multi-cultural and diverse education and a founder of Black History Month. She helped put the teaching of black history on the school's curriculum.
The mural follows a statue of Mrs Campbell near Central Square which was unveiled in 2021 and voted the best in the UK in late 2022. Betty Campbell's granddaughter Michelle Campbell-Davies wrote for WalesOnline after the unveiling to describe the "emotion, pride, and joy" of seeing her trailblazing grandmother commemorated with a statue – you can read that here.
The 10m-tall mural was completed with support from the school's governing body and funding from Cardiff University. Children at the school have been learning about Mrs Campbell's legacy and wanted something permanent to remember her,
Pupils Aqueel and Joudi said: "It reminds us that Mrs Campbell was the first black head teacher in Wales. She inspires us to never give up and follow our dreams no matter what your skin colour is or what is in your way. This mural is like a cherry on the top of the school. If visitors come they will admire it."
Damian Walford-Davies, deputy vice-chancellor at Cardiff University, said: "Cardiff University is a proudly Welsh institution located in our diverse and thriving capital city. We are on our own journey towards achieving race equality in our university and are committed to becoming an anti-racist institution and to supporting race equality across Wales."
Cardiff council's cabinet member for education, employment, and skills Sarah Merry added: "Betty Campbell is an iconic figure whose approach to education and diversity has had an outstanding impact on the people of Butetown, Cardiff, and beyond.
"I know that many children from the school helped in the design process for the Betty Campbell statue in Cardiff’s Central Square and now they have they own reminder of Betty taking pride of place at the school. This wonderful painting is a reminder to the whole community of the local heritage and the significant part Betty played in it.”
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