News

Vanley Burke, Honoured with Doctorate

Share this page

"I decided we needed to write our own history, to document our own history, because the life of Black people portrayed in the press wasn’t the life I was experiencing."

— Vanley Burke

Dateline: London, UK – 15 January, 2025

Award-winning Photography Vanley Burke – the ‘Godfather of Black British photography’ – has received an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University (BCU). This latest accolade celebrates his exceptional service to Birmingham and his outstanding contribution to public life.

Burke has created one of the most significant archives of Black British life and culture, driven by a commitment to documenting his community with honesty and authenticity.  With previous honorary doctorates from Leicester and Wolverhampton Universities, this new recognition brings him full circle, back to the place where his, now international, career began.

“It’s from my hometown, so it means more,” Burke shared.

Boy with Flag, Winford, in Handsworth Park 1970 · Vanley Burke · Silver gelatine print · 16 x 22” · The Wedge Collection · © Vanley Burke

Self-portrait, 2023 · Vanley Burke · Birmingham, England · © Vanley Burke

A Wide-Reaching Career

At 73 years old, Dr Vanley Burke continues to be a vital figure in documenting the struggles, triumphs, and culture of the Black community in Britain. Born in Jamaica and moving to Handsworth, Birmingham, at the age of 14, Burke’s journey with photography began with a Kodak Brownie camera, a gift from his mother on his 10th birthday.

Though his first photographs were taken in rural Jamaica, his passion for photography truly blossomed after arriving in the UK in 1965 to join his parents, who ran a grocery store in Handsworth. Burke transformed the cellar of the shop into a studio, attended evening photography classes, and began amassing an archive of images that captured the everyday lives of Birmingham’s Black community.

“I started taking photographs of anything and everything,” told BCU. “It wasn’t about informing white people. It was to serve our purpose – the Black community – from a historical perspective.”

Inspired by figures like James Van Der Zee, renowned for his portraits of Black New Yorkers during the Harlem Renaissance, and Gordon Parks, the iconic photojournalist and director of the 1971 film Shaft, Burke sought to document his community with authenticity and purpose. Despite limited opportunities for Black photographers at the time, with galleries and newspapers showing little interest in his work, Burke remained steadfast in his mission.

“I knew what I was doing was important, but it was never about me,” Burke said. “It was about us as a people, the Black community as it existed then and now. A group of people treated badly by the press and institutions.”

Today, Vanley Burke’s work is celebrated globally, and his ever-growing archive is housed at the Library of Birmingham, while his flat in Nechells holds thousands more of his images. His career has included documenting life in South Africa following Nelson Mandela’s release, receiving the Paul Hamlyn Award for visual art, and being featured on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. His iconic photographs have appeared in television programmes, books, and exhibitions, earning him worldwide recognition for preserving the stories of a community often overlooked by mainstream narratives.

 


 

References

Birmingham City University, 2025. ‘Godfather of Black British Photography’ receives honorary doctorate. [Accessed 15 JAN. 2025].

Banner Artwork : © Vanley Burke

Share this page