Black Country flag row: Spirit of Enoch Powell lives on, says historian Patrick Vernon
A historian who branded the Black Country flag 'offensive' has claimed the 'spirit of Enoch Powell still lives' after Express & Star readers said they did want him at events in Wolverhampton.
Patrick Vernon made the comment on Twitter before he returned to the city on Saturday – but he refused to discuss it or the region's flag during his visit.
He tweeted: "80% of Express&Star readers do not want me to speak at Black History Month events. Spirit of Enoch Powell still lives."
It followed an online poll of readers after his previous comments.
Mr Vernon declined to discuss the flag issue when he arrived at Wolverhampton Art Gallery to give a talk entitled: 'From Windrush to Grime: The Rise of the Black Community in Wolverhampton.' He explained that he felt the Express & Star had given an unnecessary 'slant' to its reporting of his earlier comments but would not go into detail. Mr Vernon said he regularly visited Wolverhampton as he still has relatives in the city and would be returning again soon to celebrate the 56th wedding anniversary of his parents.
And while at the event he met his old school teacher, and posed for a photo with him afterwards. Mr Vernon tweeted: "Thanks to everyone who came to my talks. Even my school teacher Mr Francis came."
He added: "It is a great honour to contribute to Black History Month in Wolverhampton, a city that my parents and many others came to from the Caribbean in the 1950s to make a home and contribute to the local economy.
"The Caribbean community has made significant contributions to the Midlands during the Second World War and over the last 60 years which often get overlooked in local history and the regional media. I hope that these events will kick start more work on local history and a permanent legacy for the Windrush generation."
Later in the day Mr Vernon was at the Light House Media Centre in the city where he presented A Charmed Life, a documentary film he co directed which profiles the life and times of Eddie Martin Noble, the Jamaican airman whose life had a major impact on Andrea Levy's award-winning novel Small Island.
The film is also credited with being the catalyst for Windrush Day which celebrates the contribution of immigrants, and was started by Mr Vernon – who now lives in London where he is a Hackney Councillor – in 2009.
He sparked fury when he described the Black Country flag as 'insensitive.' He argued that its chains were a 'disturbing' image of an industry that profited from the transatlantic slave trade and colonial rule in Africa.
