Emeritus nursing professor Elizabeth Anionwu grew up in care and went on to be named one of the most influential nurses in the history of the NHS. Her career was distinguished by her pioneering work in the understanding of sickle cell disease. Following her retirement she spent nine years fundraising and campaigning for a statue to Mary Seacole.

Mary Seacole (1805 – 1881) was a British-Jamaican entrepreneur and nurse whose adventures are related in one of the earliest autobiographies by a mixed-heritage woman. The statue, unveiled in 2016, was the UK’s first statue to represent a named black woman. Elizabeth will be discussing her and Seacole’s lives in this conversation with journalist and broadcaster Shyama Perera.

This event was part of Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights, a UK-wide exhibition by the British Library and public libraries, and will be screened at The Hive."