Tapestry of Black Britons: launch event

Join us for the vibrant launch of Tapestry of Black Britons exhibition featuring panel discussions and poetry.

The exhibition features a series of tapestry panels highlighting the long presence of Black people in Britain. Among them is a panel created with the Royal School of Needlework that depicts local resident Esther Bruce, who served as a fire guard at Fulham Hospital during the Second World War. Another, designed by Adwoa Botchey and Solomon Adebiyi of Adeche Atelier, draws on African mythology to depict a Yoruba Creation Story.

This event will featuring panel discussions with Eddy Smythe (WW2 Descendant) and George Amponsah (Director, “Erased”), alongside poetry by Jenny Mitchell.

About the speakers

Eddy Smythe • WW2 Descendant

Eddy Smythe’s father, Johnny Smythe, was a navigator on a Lancaster. He was originally from Sierra Leone. On one operation he was injured when anti-aircraft fire damaged their aircraft but they continued to the target. One engine had been damaged and so was easy prey for the night fighter that shot them down. Johnny parachuted out of the aircraft over Germany and became a prisoner of war. After the war he did not talk about his experiences despite his son’s evident curiosity. It was only much later on in life that Johnny started to talk about what happened during his interrogation and during his time as a prisoner of war. Eddy relates the information that was told to him and how it felt to have missed the chance to talk more about these experiences.

George Amponsah • Director, ‘Erased’

George Amponsah is a multiple award-winning, BAFTA-nominated filmmaker whose mission as a director is to make bold, popular and diverse content, groundbreaking documentaries, and innovative specialist factual series. Some of his most recent work includes “Black Power,” a 90-minute film executive-produced by Oscar® winner Steve McQueen for the BBC, and “Enslaved,” a six-part documentary series for the BBC hosted by Samuel L Jackson that tells the story of the trans-Atlantic slave trade through underwater archaeology. Amponsah’s debut feature film, “Gassed Up,” was announced for launch on Amazon Prime in 2024.

Jenny Mitchell

Jenny Mitchell is an award-winning poet with three poetry collections. The debut, Her Lost Language, was joint winner of the Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize/her second collection, Map of a Plantation, won the Poetry Book Awards and is on the syllabus at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her most recent collection, Resurrection of a Black Man, contains three prize-winning poems and was featured on the US podcast Poetry Unbound. Her poem ‘Notes Inside the Library’ is on permanent display at Sussex University, and her poetic tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah is on the syllabus at the University of Connecticut. Her poem ‘Overproof Jamaican’ Rum won the Southword Subscribers’ Poetry Competition 2025. She’s performed at the Houses of Parliament, and was Artists in Association at Birkbeck University of London. She was also Poet-in-residence at Sussex University, and the Inaugural Poet-in-the-Community at the British Library working with the Engagement Team. She’s currently the first Poet-in-the-Community for Cork City Libraries, from June to October 2025.

Event details:

• This is a free event, pre-booking is recommended.
• This event is suitable for all ages.
• This event is part of the Tapestry of Black Britons exhibition.
• This exhibition is part of Fulham Palace’s Black History 365 series.