{{Short description|British social commentator and political activist (born 1961)}} {{Use British English|date=June 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Patrick Vernon | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|OBE}} | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Patrick Philip Vernon | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1961}} | birth_place = Wolverhampton, England | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = | other_names = | education = Manchester Metropolitan University; Warwick University | occupation = Social commentator and political activist | known_for = Successful campaign for Windrush Day | awards = Honorary degree of Doctor of Letters, University of Wolverhampton | website = {{URL|https://patrickvernon.org.uk/}} }} '''Patrick Philip Vernon''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}}<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/honours-list/9335524/Queens-birthday-Honours-list-in-full.html "Queen's birthday Honours list in full"], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 16 June 2012.</ref> (born 1961)<ref name=Sankofa>[http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/Sankofa-teachers-pack.pdf "Patrick Vernon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801174533/http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Assets/Documents/Sankofa-teachers-pack.pdf |date=1 August 2014 }}, Sankofa 2013: Teachers' Resource Pack, p. 41.</ref> is a British social commentator and political activist of Jamaican heritage, who works in the voluntary and public sector. He is a former Labour councillor in the London Borough of Hackney. His career has been involved with developing and managing health and social care services, including mental health, public health, regeneration and employment projects. Also a film maker and amateur cultural historian, he runs his own social enterprise promoting the history of diverse communities, as founder of Every Generation and the "100 Great Black Britons" campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/robinson-acquires-vernon-and-osbornes-100-great-black-britons-book-1020501|title=Robinson snaps up 100 Great Black Britons book|work=The Bookseller|first=Mark|last= Chandler|date=10 June 2019|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=Timeline>[http://www.everygeneration.co.uk/index.php/about-us/9-every-generation-media-timeline "Every Generation Media Timeline".]</ref> He is also an expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rgs.org/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?nodeguid=39ecf5de-61c7-40d9-82e7-53de54e78d0f&lang=en-GB|title=African Diaspora Approaches to Family History & the Collections of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)|first=Patrick|last=Vernon|publisher=Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=SS /> He was appointed a Clore Fellow in 2007,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.migrationmuseum.org/distinguished-friends/patrick-vernon-obe/|title=Distinguished friends: Patrick Vernon OBE|publisher=Migration Museum, London|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for "services to the Reduction of Health Inequalities for Ethnic Minorities",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hsib.org.uk/news/influential-health-equality-advocate-patrick-vernon-obe-joins-hsib/|title=Influential health equality advocate Patrick Vernon OBE joins HSIB|publisher=HSIB|date=21 February 2020|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> and in 2018 was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cumberlandlodge.ac.uk/about-us/people/patrick-vernon-obe|title=Patrick Vernon OBE|publisher=Cumberland Lodge|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref>
Vernon led a successful campaign for 22 June to be recognized annually as Windrush Day, a national day acknowledging the migrant contribution to UK society,<ref name="A fitting way">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jan/25/bank-holiday-celebrate-windrush-generation|title= Windrush Day: a fitting way to celebrate our immigrant population|first=Patrick|last=Vernon|newspaper=The Guardian|date=25 January 2010|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="The Windrush shaped Britain">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/09/windrush-shaped-britain-70-years-immigration-national-holiday|title=The Windrush shaped Britain. Why not recognise that?|first=Patrick|last=Vernon|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 May 2018|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> which was officially backed by the British government in 2018.<ref name=UKGov>Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/annual-day-of-celebrations-for-the-windrush-generation "Annual day of celebrations for the Windrush Generation"] (Press release), UK Government, 18 June 2018.</ref>
In 2019, he was appointed associate director of Communities at the Centre for Ageing Better,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ageing-better.org.uk/about-us/our-team/patrick-vernon|title=Patrick Vernon – Associate Director for Communities|publisher=Centre for Ageing Better|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> a National Lottery Community funded charity looking to improve the lives of those approaching later life.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ageing-better.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do|title=What we do|publisher=Centre for Ageing Better|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref>
==Biography== ===Education and early years=== Patrick Vernon was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire (now in the West Midlands), England, to Norris and Avis Vernon,<ref name=BlackHistoryHeritage>[http://www.blackhistoryandheritage.com/history/stories/vernon.html "Patrick Vernon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035339/http://www.blackhistoryandheritage.com/history/stories/vernon.html |date=1 December 2017 }}, Black History & Heritage Wolverhampton.</ref><ref name=JObs /> who had migrated to the UK from Jamaica in the 1950s.<ref name=Broughton /> Vernon traced his lineage as far back as the 1800s,<ref name=Supper /> to a village in Senegal called Kédougou.<ref name=Sankofa /><ref name="How I Tried To Trace My Roots">{{cite news|first=Patrick |last=Vernon|url=https://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110518/news/news3.html |title='How I Tried To Trace My Roots Back To Africa'|newspaper=The Gleaner|date=18 May 2011|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>
He grew up in the All Saints and Penn Fields areas of Wolverhampton,<ref name=BlackHistoryHeritage /> attending Grove Junior School, Colton Hills, and Wulfrun College,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wlv.ac.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/2018/september-2018/award-for-community-activist.php|title=Award for community activist|publisher=University of Wolverhampton|date=20 September 2018|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> before going on to study law at Manchester Metropolitan University.
He later undertook postgraduate studies at Warwick University.<ref>[http://www.reconnectafrica.com/5-minute-interview/library-of-article/library-article-home/careers/5-minute-interview/5-minute-interview-patrick-vernon-chief-executive-the-afiya-trust "5 Minute Interview – Patrick Vernon – Chief Executive, The Afiya Trust"], ReConnect Africa.</ref> He moved to London in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gelliwig.org.uk/Archives/September2018.php|title=Doctor Patrick Vernon, OBE|publisher=Gelliwig Outdoor Residential Activities Centre|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref>
===Health and social care work=== Vernon initially worked in health and social care, where he was a manager for Citizens Advice Bureau and a civil servant at the Department of Health and Local Government Association. He later served as director of the Brent Health Action Zone (Brent Primary Care Trust), and Regional Director for charity MIND. He later worked in the third sector for a number of organisations focussing on the mental health of refugees, immigrants and prisoners.<ref name=Guardian>[https://www.theguardian.com/profile/patrick-vernon Patrick Vernon profile] at ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref name=Supper />
He was associate member for the Department of History of Medicine at Warwick University,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/chm/news/?newsItem=094d43a23c7170c7013c8ae8e7410a1e|title=Patrick Vernon, OBE - Associate Member|website=News at the Centre for the History of Medicine|date=30 January 2013 |publisher=University of Warwick}}</ref> an advisory board member for the mental health campaign Time To Change, and a former ministerial adviser for mental health.<ref name=Guardian /> He was a member of the independent Metropolitan Police inquiry on Mental Health and Policing.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lord Victor|last=Adebowale|author-link=Victor Adebowale|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/lord-victor-adebowale/mental-health-and-policing-independent-commission_b_2676755.html |title=Independent Commission's Public Consultation on Mental Health and Policing|website=HuffPost|date=14 February 2013|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref>[http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/exposed-truth-about-policing "Exposed: The Truth About Policing"], ''The Voice'', 25 May 2013.</ref>
===Every Generation Media and family history work=== In 2002, Vernon founded Every Generation Media<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.everygeneration.co.uk/ |title=Every Generation Media. |access-date=14 June 2017 |archive-date=7 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607062408/http://everygeneration.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> to develop education programmes, publications and films on cultural heritage and family history,<ref name=SS>[http://www.specialistspeakers.com/?p=7711 "Patrick Vernon OBE"], Specialist Speakers.</ref> with the Every Generation website becoming one of the main sites on family history for African and Caribbean communities in Britain.<ref name=JObs>{{cite news|first=Kimone |last=Thompson|url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2011/09/24/patrick-vernons-journey-home/ |title=Patrick Vernon's journey home – A Jamaican Briton traces his roots|newspaper=Jamaica Observer|date=25 September 2011|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> In 2003, he launched the successful "100 Great Black Britons" campaign, in response to a television series broadcast by the BBC called ''100 Greatest Britons'' (a list topped by Winston Churchill through public nomination), in order "to raise the profile of the Black contribution to Britain and to challenge the notion of Britishness."<ref>[http://www.everygeneration.co.uk/index.php/black-british-history/100-great-black-britons/100-great-black-britons-campaign "100 Great Black Britons Campaign"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015105652/http://everygeneration.co.uk/index.php/black-british-history/100-great-black-britons/100-great-black-britons-campaign |date=15 October 2016 }}, Every Generation Media.</ref>
The campaign received wide coverage in the national print and television media, with Mary Seacole eventually announced as having been voted the greatest Black Briton.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/real-stories/patrick-vernon-and-one-hundred-great-black-britons/ |title=Patrick Vernon and One Hundred Great Black Britons|website=Black History Month 365|date=28 September 2016|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> In 2019, the decision was taken to relaunch and update the poll,<ref name="brixtonblog contributor windrush">{{Cite web|last=|date=2 November 2019|title=Windrush Day pioneer relaunches Great Black Britons campaign|url=https://brixtonblog.com/2019/11/windrush-day-pioneer-relaunches-great-black-britons-campaign/|access-date=6 December 2020|website=Brixton Blog|language=en-GB}}</ref> and the results of the updated poll were revealed in a new book entitled ''100 Great Black Britons'', written by Vernon with Angelina Osborne, that was published on 24 September 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Robinson snaps up 100 Great Black Britons book |work= The Bookseller|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/robinson-acquires-vernon-and-osbornes-100-great-black-britons-book-1020501|access-date=3 July 2020|first=Mark|last= Chandler|date=10 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://100greatblackbritons.com/|title=100 Great Black Britons – The Book|date=2020|access-date=6 December 2020|archive-date=12 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212152530/https://100greatblackbritons.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Windrush Day and community activism=== Vernon was among the first to call for the national celebration of "Windrush Day" on 22 June, to recognise the migrant contribution to UK society, marking the day in 1948 when the ''Empire Windrush'' docked at Tilbury, bringing the first big group of post-war migrants from the West Indies to Britain.<ref name="A fitting way" /><ref name=BritishFuture>{{cite web|first=Patrick |last=Vernon|url=https://www.britishfuture.org/windrush-day-matters/ |title=Why Windrush Day matters|website= British Future|date=21 June 2013|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Patrick |last=Vernon|url=https://brixtonblog.com/we-need-a-windrush-day-to-celebrate-the-migrant-contribution-to-uk/ |title=We need a Windrush Day to celebrate the migrant contribution to UK|website=Brixton Blog|date=8 July 2015|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> He was appointed an OBE in 2012, in recognition of his work to promote health equality for Black and minority ethnic communities.<ref name=BlackHistoryHeritage />
In 2017, Vernon was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society (RHS)<ref name="RHS Fellow">{{cite web|url=https://files.royalhistsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/17205325/Report-of-Council-2017-18.pdf|title=Royal Historical Society Report of council Session 2017 – 2018|page=19|access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref> and he is a member of the RHS's Race, Ethnicity and Equality Working Group,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://royalhistsoc.org/policy/race/|title=Race, Ethnicity & Equality|website=Royal Historical Society {{!}} Working for history and historians|publisher=RHS|access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/iwm-institute/patrickvernon|title=Patrick Vernon|website=IWM|publisher=Imperial War Museums|access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref> which in 2018 published ''Race, Ethnicity & Equality in UK History: A Report and Resource for Change''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://files.royalhistsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/08171054/RHS_race_report_2018.pdf|title=Race, Ethnicity & Equality in UK History: A Report and Resource for Change|date=October 2018}}</ref>
In May 2018, following his earlier campaign for Windrush Day and his 2013 petition to the British government, Vernon relaunched a petition asking the Prime Minister to recognise 22 June as a national day to commemorate and celebrate migration and migrant communities in Britain.<ref>[https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2018/05/21/former-hackney-councillor-national-windrush-day/ "Former Hackney councillor renews call for national Windrush Day"], ''Hackney Citizen'', 21 May 2018.</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Erenata |last=Kadrolli|url=https://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2018/05/petition-launched-to-recognise-windrush-day/ |title=Petition launched to recognise Windrush Day|website=East London Lines|date=25 May 2018|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Patrick |last=Vernon|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/letters/the-reader-we-should-designate-a-day-to-celebrate-the-windrush-s-arrival-a3849961.html |title=The Reader: We should designate a day to celebrate the Windrush's arrival |newspaper=Evening Standard|date= 29 May 2018|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> It was later announced by the government that an annual Windrush Day would be celebrated, supported by a grant of up to £500,000, to recognise and honour the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants and to "keep their legacy alive for future generations, ensuring that we all celebrate the diversity of Britain's history."<ref name=UKGov /><ref>{{cite news|first=Nadeem |last=Badshah|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/18/uk-makes-windrush-day-official-500k-grant-support-events |title=UK makes Windrush Day official with £500k grant to support events|newspaper=The Guardian|date=18 June 2018}}</ref>
In April 2020, after his sister's partner died from the COVID-19 virus, Vernon set up a fundraising initiative called "The Majonzi Fund" which will provide families from Black & Minority ethnicities with access to small financial grants that can be used to access bereavement counselling and organise memorial events and tributes after the social lockdown has been lifted.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gelder |first1=Sam |title=Campaigner launches fundraiser to support BAME communities affected by coronavirus |url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/coronavirus-hackney-campaigner-launches-fundraiser-to-support-bame-communities-impacted-3658940 |website=Hampstead Highgate Express |date=23 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
Vernon featured on the August 2020 cover of British ''Vogue'' as one of 20 activists "ready to change the world".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/activists-british-vogue-september-2020|title=The 20 Remarkable Activists On Vogue's September Cover Are Ready To Change The World|author-link=Afua Hirsch|first=Afua|last=Hirsch|work=Vogue|date=3 August 2020}}</ref>
Vernon played a pivotal role in obtaining a Blue Plaque in memory of British immigrant rights activist Paulette Wilson, a member of the Windrush Generation.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-06-22|title=Plaque for Windrush campaigner unveiled at former office of Enoch Powell|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/22/plaque-honouring-windrush-campaigner-unveiled-at-enoch-powell-office|access-date=2021-06-25|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Amelia |last=Gentleman|author-link=Amelia Gentleman|language=en}}</ref> The plaque was launched with campaigners including Claire Darke MBE at the Wolverhampton Heritage Centre.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vukmirovic|first=James|title=Paulette Wilson: Windrush campaigner's life honoured with ceremony and plaque|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/wolverhampton/whitmore-reans/2021/06/22/paulette-wilson-windrush-campaigners-life-honoured-with-ceremony-and-plaque/|access-date=2021-06-25|website=www.expressandstar.com|date=22 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> The centre is a cornerstone of the area's local Caribbean community and was formerly the constituency office of Enoch Powell where the infamous Rivers of Blood speech was written.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-22|title=Paulette Wilson: Late Windrush campaigner, to be honoured with blue plaque|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paulette-wilson-windrush-blue-plaque-b1870184.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/paulette-wilson-windrush-blue-plaque-b1870184.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-25|first=Nadine|last=White|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>
===Political career=== Vernon served for eight years as a Labour councillor for the Queensbridge ward in the London Borough of Hackney, stepping down in May 2014, when the ward was abolished.<ref name=Supper>{{cite web|url=https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2014/06/05/patrick-vernon-spice-grill-interview/ |title=The last supper: Patrick Vernon dines with Hackney Citizen|website=Hackney Citizen\date=5 June 2014|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref>[http://mginternet.hackney.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=156 "Councillor Patrick Vernon OBE"], Hackney Council.</ref> He was appointed as chair of the Labour Party's Race Equality Advisory Group in December 2015.<ref>[http://www.rota.org.uk/content/patrick-vernon-obe-appointed-chair-labour-partys-race-equality-advisory-group "Patrick Vernon OBE appointed as Chair of Labour Party's Race Equality Advisory Group"], Race on the Agenda (ROTA), 14 December 2015.</ref>
===Controversy=== In 2015, Vernon was caught up in controversy after he asserted that the design of the flag of the Black Country, which features a chain motif, was offensive and insensitive.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/07/13/black-country-flag-offensive-and-insensitive-says-leading-racism-campaigner/ |title=Black Country flag 'offensive and insensitive' says leading racism campaigner|newspaper=Express & Star|date=13 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Henn|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/590780/Black-Country-flag-racist-campaigner-Patrick-Vernon-12-year-old |title=Activist sparks fury after he brands 12-year-old girl's Black Country flag as 'RACIST'|newspaper=Daily Express|date= 14 July 2015|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> Vernon has claimed that this led to him being "dragged into an online hate campaign after saying that the flag's chain motif represents an image of an industry which profited from the transatlantic slave trade."<ref>Brady, Poppy (17 July 2015), [http://voice-online.co.uk/article/slave-flag-row-historian-gets-invite-black-country?quicktabs_nodesblock=0 "'Slave Flag' Row Historian Gets Invite To Black Country"], ''The Voice''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041829/http://voice-online.co.uk/article/slave-flag-row-historian-gets-invite-black-country?quicktabs_nodesblock=0 |date=1 December 2017 }}.</ref>
===Cultural contributions=== As a film-maker, Vernon's work includes directing and producing '' A Charmed Life'', a documentary about the Caribbean contribution in the UK during World War II, focusing on Jamaican ex-serviceman Eddie Martin Noble.<ref name=BritishFuture /><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3473180/?ref_=nm_knf_t1 "Eddie Noble: A Charmed Life (2009)"], IMDb.</ref><ref>[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8d9bc67d "A Charmed Life (2008)"]{{dead link|date=October 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, BFI, Film Forever.</ref><ref>[https://charmedlifecampaign.wordpress.com/about/ "About"], ''A Charmed Life'' website.</ref>
Among the outlets for which Vernon writes are ''The Guardian'', ''The Voice'',<ref name=Supper /><!--<ref>[http://journalisted.com/patrick-vernon?allarticles=yes "Articles by Patrick Vernon"]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Journalisted.</ref>--> and Media Diversified.<ref>[https://mediadiversified.org/category/patrick-vernon/ Patrick Vernon page] at Media Diversified.</ref> In 2017, the 30th anniversary of Black History Month in Britain, he was appointed as guest editor for ''Black History Month Magazine''.<ref>[http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/about/ "Black History Month 2017 | As Black History Month celebrates its 30th Anniversary"], ''Black History Month 365''.</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=O'brien|url=https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/news-views/patrick-vernon-obe-appointed-editor-chief-black-history-month-magazine/ |title=Patrick Vernon OBE Appointed Editor-in-Chief of Black History Month Magazine|website=Black History Month 365|date=19 July 2017|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>
As MC Patrick Vernon, he presents ''Museum of Grooves'',<!--<ref>[https://www.mixcloud.com/patrick-vernon/ "MC Patrick Vernon"] at Mixcloud.</ref>--> a podcast that explores Afrofuturism.<ref>[https://www.list.co.uk/event/704694-revolution-600-revisited-imaginary-futures-revolutionary-pasts/ "Revolution 600 Revisited: Imaginary Futures Revolutionary Pasts"]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''The List''.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://podbay.fm/podcast/1355469484/e/1548497042|title=Patrick Vernon OBE|website=Busy Being Black|author=Josh Rivers|date=26 January 2019}}</ref>
==Publications== ===Books=== * With Angelina Osborne, ''100 Great Black Britons'', Robinson Press. 2020; {{ISBN|9 781 472 144300}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2020/10/27/100-great-black-britons-patrick-vernon-angelina-osborne-book-review/|title=100 Great Black Britons, Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne, book review: 'Inspiring and highly entertaining'|first=Sarah|last=Birch |date=27 October 2020|access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref> * Editor, with Yansie Rolston, ''Black Grief and Healing: Why We Need to Talk About Health, Inequality, Trauma and Loss'', Jessica Kingsley Publishers, September 2024, {{ISBN|9781839973277}}.<ref>[https://uk.jkp.com/products/black-grief-and-healing. "Black Grief and Healing"], Jessica Kingsley Publishers.</ref>
===Selected articles=== {{external links|section|date=October 2025}} * [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/nov/04/charmed-life-eddie-martin-nobl "Charmed life"], ''The Guardian'', 4 November 2009. * "Windrush Day: a fitting way to celebrate our immigrant population", ''The Guardian'', 25 January 2010.<ref name="A fitting way" /> * [https://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2011/mar/01/race-equality-mental-health "Put race equality in mental health back on the agenda"], ''The Guardian'', 1 March 2011. * {{"'}}How I Tried To Trace My Roots Back To Africa{{'"}}, ''The Gleaner'' (Jamaica), 18 May 2011.<ref name="How I Tried To Trace My Roots" /> * [https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2012/jan/18/mental-health-services-racial-inequality "Why we must tackle racial inequality in mental health services"], ''The Guardian'', 18 January 2012. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/pieces-past "Pieces Of The Past?"], ''The Voice'', 26 June 2012. * [http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/patrick-vernon-obe-problem-black-ephemera "The problem of Black ephemera"], ''Operation Black Vote (OBV)'', 29 June 2012. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/obama-puts-black-britain-%E2%80%98yes-we-can%E2%80%99-mood "Obama Puts Black Britain In The ‘Yes We Can’ Mood"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201222816/http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/obama-puts-black-britain-%E2%80%98yes-we-can%E2%80%99-mood |date=1 December 2018 }}, ''The Voice'', 28 January 2013. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/windrush-day-time-public-holiday-celebrate "Windrush Day: Time For A Public Holiday To Celebrate"], ''The Voice'', 22 June 2013. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/blog/origins-black-history-month-britain "Origins Of Black History Month In Britain"], ''The Voice'', 10 October 2013. * "Remembrance Sunday: Don't Forget Our West Indian Heroes", ''The Voice'', 10 November 2013. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/blog/how-nelson-mandela-inspired-black-britain "How Nelson Mandela Inspired Black Britain"], ''The Voice'', 9 December 2013. * [https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2014/feb/05/12-years-slave-black-mental-health "What 12 Years a Slave tells us about 21st century black mental health"], ''The Guardian'', 5 February 2014. * [https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/as-caribbean-nations-call-for-compensation-its-time-for-britain-to-examine-its-own-history-in-the-9187202.html "As Caribbean nations call for compensation, it's time for Britain to examine its own history in the slave trade"], ''The Independent'', 12 March 2014. * [https://mediadiversified.org/2014/03/28/the-price-tag-on-slavery-is-beyond-pounds-and-dollars/ "The Price Tag on Slavery is Beyond Pounds and Dollars"], ''Media Diversified'', 28 March 2014. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/blog/words-lest-we-forget-are-not-always-enough "The Words 'Lest We Forget' Are Not Always Enough"], ''The Voice'', 15 March 2015. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/protecting-legacy-windrush-generation "Protecting The Legacy Of The Windrush Generation"], ''The Voice'', 17 June 2015. * [https://mediadiversified.org/2016/03/30/where-are-all-the-black-historians/ "Where are all the Black historians?"], ''Media Diversified'', 30 March 2016. * [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/21/rubbishing-mary-seacole-hide-black-contributions-britain "Rubbishing Mary Seacole is another move to hide the contributions of black people"], ''The Guardian'', 21 June 2016. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/black-history-month-time-celebrate "Black History Month: A Time To Celebrate"], ''The Voice'', 8 October 2016. * [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/18/black-lives-bbc-shoot-the-messenger-black-and-british "We hoped to see more black lives on our screens. Our hopes were dashed"], ''The Guardian'', 18 November 2016. * [http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/2017-year-action-black-britons "Is 2017 The Year Of Action For Black Britons?"], ''The Voice'', 7 January 2017. * "The Windrush shaped Britain. Why not recognise that?", ''The Guardian'', 9 May 2018.<ref name="The Windrush shaped Britain" /> * [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/scandals-like-windrush-show-why-black-history-month-must-be-celebrated_uk_5bb35e9de4b00fe9f4fa7cdc "Scandals Like Windrush Show Why Black History Month Must Be Celebrated"], ''HuffPost'' (UK), 5 October 2018.
==Selected awards and recognition== *2003: CRE Race in the Media Awards for New Media<ref name=Timeline /> *2003: Buckingham Palace recognition as "Pioneer of the Nation" for Cultural History<ref>[http://culturalcompounds.org/patrick-vernon/ "Patrick Vernon OBE"], Cultural Compounds.</ref> *2004: Windrush Awards winners for Internet and Technology and Community Champion<ref name=Timeline /> *2005: National Ethnic Minority Social Enterprise Award<ref name=Timeline /> *2006: CRE Race in the Media Awards runner-up in New Media *2007: Clore Leadership Fellow<ref>[http://www.cloreleadership.org/person.aspx?p=78 "Clore Fellows"], The Clore Leadership Programme.</ref> *2009: a community space in the Chalkhill Health and Community Centre, near Wembley Stadium, was named "Vernon Hall" in 2010, in recognition of his work locally as a former senior NHS manager in Brent.<ref name=SS /> *2012: awarded OBE in Queen's Birthday Honours for services to the reduction of health inequalities in ethnic minorities<ref>{{cite web|first=Sarah |last=Ingrams|url=https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/22946974.hackney-councillor-health-campaigner-awarded-obe-queens-birthday-honours-list/ |title=Hackney councillor and health campaigner awarded OBE in Queen's Birthday Honours List|website=Hackney Gazette|date= 19 June 2012|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref><ref name=Broughton>{{cite web|first=Ellie |last=Broughton|url=https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2012/07/11/hackney-councillor-patrick-vernon-obe-queens-birthday-honours/ |title=Hackney councillor Patrick Vernon awarded OBE in Queen's birthday honours|website=Hackney Citizen|date= 11 July 2012|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> *2013: Visiting Fellow, Centre for History of Medicine, Warwick University *2014: ''Health Service Journal'', BME Pioneer for 2014<ref>[http://www.healthwatch.co.uk/news/healthwatch-england-committee-one-top-50-bme-health-pioneers "Healthwatch England Committee member one of top 50 BME health pioneers"], Healthwatch, 7 November 2014.</ref> *2014: ''Jamaica Times'' UK, Political Representative of the Year<ref>[http://patrickvernon.org.uk/the-jamaica-times-awards-2014/ "The Jamaica Times Awards 2014"], June 2014.</ref> *2017: Elected to Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society<ref name="RHS Fellow" /> *2018: Honorary degree of Doctor of Letters, University of Wolverhampton<ref>[https://www.wlv.ac.uk/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/2018/august-2018/university-announces-honours-list.php "University announces honours list"], University of Wolverhampton, 9 August 2018.</ref> <!--*2001: Aspire (NHS North West London Black Workers Group) Award for Innovation-->
==Other== * "Letter to My Brother" in ''Encounters with James Baldwin: Celebrating 100 Years.'' London: Supernova Books. 2024.
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://patrickvernon.org.uk/ Patrick Vernon] official website. * [http://journalisted.com/patrick-vernon?allarticles=yes "Articles by Patrick Vernon"]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Journalisted. * [https://alt-africa.com/2020/05/06/interview-with-windrush-justice-fund-founder-patrick-vernon-obe-on-new-generation-windrush-podcast/ "Interview with Windrush Justice Fund Founder Patrick Vernon OBE on new Generation Windrush Podcast"], ''Alt A Review'', 6 May 2020.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Patrick}} Category:1961 births Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester Category:Alumni of the University of Warwick Category:Black British activists Category:Black British politicians Category:Black British writers Category:British anthologists Category:British documentary film directors Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Hackney Category:English genealogists Category:British health activists Category:English male journalists Category:English people of Jamaican descent Category:Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Category:Living people Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Wolverhampton Category:Publishers (people) from London Category:Windrush