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Reposted by Bert Williams MBE

Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Brighton holds a quiet link to her story. At St Paul’s Church, a plaque records a gift from Haile Selassie in 1947. More information @ www.echoesofbrightonspast.co.uk/haile-selass...

echoesofbrightonspast.co.uk

Haile Selassie’s granddaughter in England

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Brighton holds a quiet link to her story. At St Paul’s Church, a plaque records a gift from Haile Selassie in 1947. More information @ www.echoesofbrightonspast.co.uk/haile-selass...

echoesofbrightonspast.co.uk

Haile Selassie’s granddaughter in England

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Forced into exile, Aida came to England with other members of the imperial family. She would spend around five years here — far from home, but beginning a new chapter.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

In 1936, Italy invaded Ethiopia. Aida’s father, Ras Desta Damtew, resisted the occupation but was captured and executed in 1937. Aida was just 10 years old.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Born in 1927, Aida grew up in Ethiopia’s imperial family. Her early life was one of tradition and privilege — but war soon changed everything.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Princess Aida Desta was the granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie — and her story connects Ethiopia to Brighton in a powerful and little-known way.

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Ranked News @rankednews.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Lola Young performs at Elton John's Oscar party as he gifts her with 'protection' ring: Singer Lola Young performed at Elton John's annual Oscar viewing party on Sunday night, an event that successfully raised $10.6 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Young, w… ranked.news/332879?u=b

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Reposted by Bert Williams MBE

Ranked News @rankednews.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Blake Lively Is ‘Great’ and ‘Soldiering On' amid “It Ends with Us ”Legal Drama, Says Friend Paul Feig: Director Paul Feig provided an update on Blake Lively, stating she is "soldiering on" amidst her ongoing legal battle with director Justin Baldoni. Lively sued Baldo… ranked.news/332881?u=b

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Reposted by Bert Williams MBE

Suchitra Chatterjee - Wheelchair Queen @suchidot.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

@bhblackhistory.bsky.social in what When did England appoint its first Black Police Officer? Was it in the 1700s 1800s 1900s

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

The history of Brighton is not just local. It is part of a long human story of movement, exchange, and shared history that stretches back thousands of years.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

From the Whitehawk Woman to later figures such as Sake Dean Mahomed, Thomas Highflyer, James Henry Howard and George Bridgetower, Brighton’s story has always been connected to the wider world.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

This means that from the very beginning, the story of Britain and Brighton was part of a much wider human journey across continents. Over the centuries Brighton continued to see people arriving from many parts of the world: sailors, soldiers, musicians, students, workers, and families.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

The first farmers in Britain did not originate here. They migrated gradually from regions connected to the Eastern Mediterranean or North Africa and Anatolia, bringing farming, pottery, and new traditions into Europe

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Among the burials discovered there was a woman now known as the Whitehawk Woman. Archaeological reconstructions suggest she may have had dark hair and a darker complexion, reflecting the ancestry of early farming peoples. Possible from North Africa.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Whitehawk Camp, on the hills above Brighton, dates to around 5000 years ago It is one of Britain’s earliest Neolithic causewayed enclosures, used by early farming communities for gatherings, trade, and ceremonies.

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Brighton and Hove Black History @bhblackhistory.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Our first meeting in 6 years.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Before the Romans, before the Saxons, before the Normans, before the Windrush, people were living at Whitehawk in Brighton over 5 millennia ago. One burial, the Whitehawk Woman, has been reconstructed with dark skin and dark hair. History is often more complex than we imagine. #Brighton

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Brighton’s history did not begin with the Windrush generation. It stretches back thousands of years. One of the earliest known people linked to the area is the Whitehawk Woman, buried over 5,000 years ago at Whitehawk Camp, the site was excavated in 1933.

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Brighton and Hove Black History @bhblackhistory.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

www.efdss.org/whats-on/26-... a special performance celebrating the life of black regency busker Billy Waters featuring narration from our very own @suchidot.bsky.social 🇯🇲

efdss.org

Jump Billy!

A celebration of English folk's diverse history, through the life of celebrity Black Regency busker Billy Waters.

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Reposted by Bert Williams MBE

Brighton and Hove Black History @bhblackhistory.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Photos from our recent #brighton #blackhistory group meeting. Quite emotional. A young homeless Muslim man turned up and we made him a cup of tea. He felt welcomed perhaps for the first time for a while 🖤 #blackhistory #challengeracism

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Reposted by Bert Williams MBE

Suchitra Chatterjee - Wheelchair Queen @suchidot.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

First face to face get together of Brighton and Hove Black History Project members since #COVID19 a celebration of diversity, life and friendship.

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, visited Brighton in April 1938 during his exile in Britain. One of the most striking images shows him seated on Palace Pier — a powerful reminder that Brighton is connected to global Black history. #BrightonHistory #BlackHistory #HaileSelassie

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Bert Williams MBE @lashabert.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, visited Brighton in April 1938 during his exile in Britain. One of the most striking images shows him seated on Palace Pier, a powerful reminder that Brighton is connected to global Black history. #BrightonHistory #BlackHistory #HaileSelassie

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