'If you don't know Pitman, you don't know Nottingham'

WHEN Doctor Pitman Browne released his book Inklings of a Black Christ in 1998, it is fair to say it was met with mixed reactions.

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

In it, the academic who moved from Kingston, Jamaica, to Nottingham in 1962, suggests Jesus Christ was black rather than a white European-looking man.

At the time, local churches were outraged, many of whom personally urged him to “leave history alone”. But for Pitman, who has lived in St Ann’s for decades, championing black voices has been his life's work.

Now 80, the academic, poet, pianist and activist has reflected on his life in Nottingham, with many around the city noting the huge impact he has had on young black people.

Pitman first arrived in the UK in September 1962 as a member of the Windrush generation, having left school with no qualifications. Looking back, he remembers a hostile country where he felt like an “alien”.

“When I landed here, it was the first time I'd ever seen snow in my life - I was so cold,” he told the Post

“We were coming out of the piping hot sun of Jamaica with dancing on the street and fresh fruit, so we were sad when we came here. On day one, we wanted to go home. But there is a perseverance that keeps you going”

Pitman lived in Nottingham for eight years until the early 1970s, when he moved to London and worked at the Post Office for three years.