I first met Benjamin Zephaniah in year 8. It wasn’t in the flesh, but an English teacher called Mr. Chambers gave me a worksheet and said: “this might keep you interested in English.” He was right; it was a selection of poems from Talking Turkeys.

After reading the poems, I instantly felt excited by a writer in the curriculum. Yet, that was just one of the many gifts Benjamin Zephaniah had. The ability to make Black British children to be seen and light a fire inside of us. He allowed teachers to have entry point in attempting to communicate that they see the Black British children they teach.