Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Leeds Beckett History and Media students create digital resource to honour David Oluwale’s life and ensure his story continues to be told
The website, ‘Remembering Oluwale’, was created by students on the Public History Project module earlier this year, led by Professor Henry Irving and supported by Leeds Beckett and the David Oluwale Memorial Association.
David Oluwale was a British Nigerian living in Leeds for most of his adult life, who died from drowning in April 1969 after being assaulted by two police officers.
At the time, Oluwale’s death briefly caused a national scandal and highlighted serious brutality in the police, raising important questions about race and racism in post-war Britain. However, his story was soon forgotten until the release of police files 30 years later, and the theft of his blue plaque suggested that Oluwale’s story was still being contested even today.
The website will be officially launched and opened to the public on Tuesday 25 April, the anniversary of the unveiling, and theft, of the first blue plaque commemorating Oluwale. The launch is taking place at the Leeds School of Arts on Portland Street and will feature two films about Oluwale made by Leeds Beckett graduates.
It will be followed by a panel discussion from Emily Zobel Marshall (Reader in Postcolonial Literature and Co-Chair of the David Oluwale Memorial Association), Ashleigh Pinnock (Interim President of the Leeds Beckett Students’ Union) and student Bethany Benge, who contributed towards the project.
The Black Lives Matter protests, which occurred following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, reflects the continued relevance of David Oluwale’s story. However, the project came about after the theft of a blue plaque commemorating Oluwale on 25 April last year.
The Remembering Oluwale resource includes a timeline providing the most comprehensive account of the way David Oluwale has been remembered to date, featuring a list of over 50 different sites of memory, from which 12 moments were identified as being particularly significant.
The students conducted detailed research into each of the chosen moments and oral history interviews with those responsible. They were able to clarify some previously unknown details, such as the first meeting date of the group that became the David Oluwale Memorial Association.
The research also confirmed that David Oluwale’s story was overlooked between 1979 and the early 2000s, emphasising the concerted efforts needed to keep historical events alive today. The website was created in the hope it will make people think about David Oluwale and the issues that he faced, placing the events of April 1969 within their longer history.
Bethany Benge, BA History and Media student, said: “Our project shows how important it is that David Oluwale’s story is told in various forms so all sections of the community can learn from it.”
James Eccles, BA English and History student, said: “It is important to remember David Oluwale as his life encompasses a variety of issues from racism to homelessness”.
Abbie Morris, BA History student, said: “I have learned so much from this project, including how people have come together to remember a man they never met. It is important people remember the brutality faced by a man who just wanted peace in the place he had his home”.
The students hope others will be encouraged to add to the website in future.
Project lead and Senior Lecturer in Public History, Professor Henry Irving, said: “David Oluwale’s story is hugely significant, but the Remembering Oluwale project shows that cannot be taken for granted. The Public History Project students approached their take with a great deal of compassion and creativity. I am confident that the timeline they have co-produced will spark new ideas and help to keep David Oluwale’s story alive”.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the murder of Black British teenager Stephen Lawrence. Despite 24 years separating them, both Stephen’s and David’s deaths share disturbing similarities of police racism, incomplete convictions and defiled memorials.
View the ‘Remembering Oluwale digital resource.
Book tickets to the 'Remembering Oluwale event.