Blue plaque for David Oluwale would be powerful statement about ending racial injustice - Anthony Clavane

Oh, those heady days in early March when you could still enjoy an elbow bump, foot tap or even a reticent Yorkshire nod with fellow lovers of the spoken word ­– and experience seeing and hearing your favourite writers in the flesh.

In the two events I took part in, and another I was in the audience for, my lifelong curiosity in blue plaques was piqued.

Statues have been in the news of late, with the Black Lives Matter movement prompting an important national conversation about Britain’s colonial past, but I like my public landmarks to be more discrete and less in your face.

One of the talks, in which I interviewed the distinguished sportswriter Duncan Hamilton, took place at Leeds Library. Established in 1768, it is the oldest surviving subscription library of its type in the country.

Despite its location on one of the town centre’s busiest shopping streets, the plaque – commemorating a cultural hidden gem – is so discrete you would miss it if you blinked.

In complete contrast I enjoyed a drink or two with Jonny Magnanti at Holbeck Working Men’s Club after the actor’s moving performance of Tony Harrison’s epic poem V.

The south Leeds venue, which opened its current premises in 1878 and is now home to the magnificent Slung Low theatre company, boasts a plaque which marks the oldest continuously-opened working men’s club in the UK.

And finally, at Hunslet Community Hub, I nervously climbed a stepladder – as I get older my fear of heights intensifies – to unveil a blue plaque celebrating local-boy-made-good Keith Waterhouse.

The acclaimed novelist, playwright and journalist is one of my literary heroes and, as I made a short speech in his honour, it crossed my mind that there were other figures equally deserving of such recognition.

Earlier this week I read that all statues of historic figures in Leeds were being subject to a city-wide review by the council.

In one story the first black Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor, was quoted as saying: “We want everyone to know that Leeds is a diverse city that celebrates every single one of its residents and is extremely proud of the wide range of cultures, ethnic backgrounds and differences that make the city the wonderful place it is.”

With London mayor Sadiq Khan announcing a commission to ensure public landmarks represent the capital’s diversity, now would be a perfect moment to support the blue plaque campaign for David Oluwale.

For those unaware of this tragic story, can I recommend Kester Aspden’s brilliant award-winning book about the first black man to die in police custody in the UK.

Oluwale’s body was recovered from the River Aire in 1969; as Aspden so shockingly reveals, the homeless British-Nigerian man had been “hounded to his death” by police in Leeds.

There have been 1,741 deaths in police custody, or following contact with officers, in England and Wales over the past 30 years; according to the charity Inquest, black men have been disproportionately affected. Astonishingly, not one officer has been prosecuted, let alone convicted, for deaths of this type since Oluwale’s death.

In his recent blog, Max Farrar, secretary of The David Oluwale Memorial Association, wrote: “In Leeds, we must re-double our struggle to transform the structures of this great city so that it becomes one where everyone is cherished, irrespective of their ethnicity; where everyone is treated equally, irrespective of their status; where diversity is negotiated, respectfully;

and the arts, joy and hope flourish.”

David Oluwale’s story remains one of my home city’s most shameful episodes. Remarkably, some commentators have argued that the issues Black Lives Matter activists are protesting about are specific only to the US. They seem to forget that, since 2015, 33 BAME people have died in police custody in the UK.

At a time when protest has erupted all over the world following the horrific killing of George Floyd, the erection of a blue plaque in memory of Oluwale would surely make a powerful statement about ending racial injustice.

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