Agent for Change.

Mrs Betty Campbell MBE.

The artwork of Betty, Wales’ first Black headteacher. This beautiful mural is a symbol of positive representation at Mount Stuart primary School commissioned by Cardiff Council by acclaimed Welsh street artist Bradley Rmer.

Mrs Campbell is best known as Wales’s first Black headteacher, working within her community at Mount Stuart School in Butetown. The unique teachings of Mrs Campbell were her unwavering passion for her pupils to experience and learn about the lives of powerful people from diverse communities, she wanted every child in her school to be seen and heard within the lessons that her staff prepared. Mrs Campbell was an agent for change and received an MBE for her services to education and community life and founded Black History Month. She understood that for her pupils to be excellent they must see and hear about excellence from people who looked like them, she understood the importance of representation and encouraged her pupils to set no limitations. They were taught to reach for the moon and throw in the stars for good measure.

"We were a good example to the rest of the world, on how you can live together regardless of where you come from or the colour of your skin". -Mrs Betty Campbell

Today, we hear Mrs Campbell’s message loud and clear, and her influence in ensuring her pioneering work was not just a drop in the ocean, but one that has ripples, creating ponds of influence around Wales and the world. Soon we will see yet another unveiling in honour of Mrs Campbell, to match with the beautifully illustrated statue that sits in Central Square in the city, but this time forever present at Mount Stuart School. Cardiff Council has commissioned a mural, which is currently being installed at the very school that was home for her. The work is being created by Welsh graffiti artist, Bradley Rmer, who is responsible for Mymuna, ‘my city, my shirt’ which is on James Street in Butetown. The new headteacher at Mount Stuart School is Mrs Helen Borley, who has been a champion of the work and legacy of Mrs Campbell, responded to our questions:

How did the idea for the mural come about?

We, as a school community, wanted to have a memorial to Mrs Campbell’s memory as such an important figure locally, nationally and internationally. The idea has come from the pupils at the school and been driven by the school council and the governors. Who chose the image? We talked to the family and asked for photos of Mrs Campbell that they would like to be considered, we then worked with the artist to choose an image that we considered would work in the space.

Why is it important to keep Mrs Campbell's memory alive?

She was Wales’s first Black headteacher, someone who battled racism and prejudice throughout her life in order to achieve. She didn’t let anything stand in her way and wanted the best for the children of Butetown and the wider world, that is worthy of both recognition and memory.

Be Good, Mrs Campbell Is Watching You!

Interview with: Headteacher of Mount Stuart School,- Mrs Helen Borley

The legacy of Mrs Campbell’s work can be seen in the new DARPL project, which stands for Diversity and Anti-racism Professional Learning, which is funded by the Welsh Government. DAPRL is managed by Chantelle Haughton an ex-pupil of Mrs Campbell. See how the ripples of influence have created waves and Wale is, thankfully, riding them.

Through the DARPL website, schools can find blogs, lesson plans, live workshops, and have access to key stake holders, who are championing this work, by creating content. They are also available as consultants, offering advice for schools to support their journey in Anti-Racist Professional Learning. The feedback, so far, has been that some schools were nervous about approaching these subjects, owing to a lack of cultural competency and, possibly, fearful of ‘getting it wrong’. DARPL, was created to combat these fears to help schools go boldly where very few were willing to go before. Jeremy Miles said, ‘Wales is the first part of the UK to make the teaching and contribution of Black, Asian and minority ethnic curriculum mandatory. He said the most important part of DARPL is to support our education workforce to gain confidence, knowledge, skills and experiences and to be able to do that properly, and to also help us meet our objective of being an Anti-racist nation by 2030’. So, what we are launching today is an exciting set of free high-quality resources'.