The UK's mental health landscape and medical establishment have lost a pioneering and courageous figure with the death of Dr Aggrey Burke. The consultant psychiatrist, who was the first Black person to hold such a role in the UK, passed away from prostate cancer at the age of 82. He leaves behind a profound legacy of challenging systemic racism and fighting for equitable treatment for Black communities within Britain's health and justice systems.
A Courageous Whistleblower on Racist Admissions
In a landmark act of professional bravery in 1986, Dr Burke, alongside his colleague Dr Joe Collier, exposed deeply discriminatory practices at the heart of London's medical training. Both were senior lecturers at St George's Hospital Medical School at the time. Their research provided clear evidence that St George's and other London medical schools were systematically discriminating against both women and applicants with "foreign-sounding names" in their admissions processes.
Choosing to blow the whistle, they published a paper that triggered a formal inquiry by the Commission for Racial Equality. This led to wholesale changes in admission policies across the capital's medical schools. Burke was acutely aware of the personal risk, later reflecting that they were made to feel like outcasts, as if they had "offended against the whole system". Many believe this act cost him further promotion at St George's, where he remained a consultant until retirement, though he was widely and affectionately known as the "people's professor".
Championing Justice and Community in Mental Health
Burke's work extended far beyond the lecture hall. He was a relentless advocate for fair treatment of Black people within mental health services and the criminal justice system. One of his most notable interventions was the case of Stephen Thompson in 1980. Thompson, a Rastafarian, had been sectioned in Rampton secure hospital after violently resisting prison officers cutting off his dreadlocks, an act which ignored their profound religious significance. Burke was part of a team of independent psychiatrists who successfully negotiated Thompson's release.
His commitment to community was visceral. He was on the ground following the New Cross house fire in January 1981, a tragedy that killed 14 Black teenagers and was a pivotal moment in Black British history. In the face of official silence, which sparked the massive Black People's Day of Action protest, Burke helped establish a support group for survivors and the bereaved community. He provided crucial support through both the 1981 and 2004 inquests and was still working with young people in the area as recently as 2022.
From Jamaica to a Life of Leadership and Activism
Born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, in 1943, Aggrey Burke moved to the UK in 1959 at age 16, joining his father Edmund, a civil servant sent to help ease tensions after the Notting Hill riots. After schooling at Jamaica College, he found his UK education at Shene grammar school alienating, feeling he could "never feel part of the thing".
He studied medicine at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1968, and found community volunteering with the Harambee Organisation in Handsworth. After psychiatric training in the West Indies, he returned to the UK, eventually taking up his post at St George's in 1976. His activism continued throughout his life; he was a co-founder and vice-chair of the George Padmore Institute archive in London and published extensively on Black mental health.
His contributions were finally formally recognised in later years. In 2019, he was named one of the 100 Great Black Britons. The Royal College of Psychiatrists awarded him its President's Medal in 2020 and, in 2023, established the Aggrey Burke fellowship for Black medical students. The University of Birmingham awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2024.
Dr Aggrey Burke is survived by his sister Marilia, three nephews and two nieces. His life stands as a testament to the power of principled courage in confronting injustice and building a more equitable society.
