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John Blanke’s tenacity is shared among many Black Brits fighting for equitable pay and other workers’ rights todayToday, the struggle for equitable pay and promotion is widespread among Black workers in Britain. However, it is worth reflecting on the contemporary significance of John Blanke, the renowned Black Tudor, who successfully convinced a King to approve his petition.
When a more senior trumpeter, an Italian man named Domynck Justinian, died Blanke began to reconsider his own contributions and the worth of his labour. In a petition, he writes: “It may therefore please your Highness in consideration of the true & faithful service which your servant daily doeth […] to give and grant unto him the same room [position] of Trumpet which Dominic deceased late had”. Blanke’s daily wage (8d.) was not considered inequitable by any means and he was already playing in royal courts. But his determination, which is shared among many talented Black workers today, resulted in his promotion to a more senior rank and the doubling of his wage (16d. per day). According to a 2022 report by the Living Wage Foundation, “the ongoing cost of the living crisis means those in insecure and low-paid jobs are struggling more than ever before. However, it is minority ethnic workers who are disproportionately paid the lowest wages in the UK who are being hit the hardest.” Chattel slavery saw the unethical free labour of Africans across the Atlantic, and today racial injustices in the workforce stand as a harrowing echo of the colonial economic system. Hailing from a time that precedes the enslavement of African peoples, John Blanke stands as an example that Black people can be promoted to senior positions due to their merit. He was not “too ambitious”, nor did he have “unrealistic expectations”, he was worthy like many Black Brits today who deserve to be compensated and rewarded fairly for their contributions. |
| The John Blanke Project | Renée Landell |