And this, after all, is the beginning of change one must first identity the location of the problem before one can set about addressing it.”Īfter teaching, Braithwaite moved to social work, finding foster homes for children of colour. In an introduction, Caryl Phillips wrote: “The author is keen for us to understand that the Ricky Braithwaites of this world cannot, by themselves, uproot prejudice, but they can point to its existence. To Sir, With Love has been hailed as a seminal work for immigrants from the colonies to postwar Britain. He wrote: “The rest of the world in general and Britain in particular are prone to point an angrily critical finger at American intolerance, forgetting that in its short history as a nation it has granted to its Negro citizens more opportunities for advancement and betterment, per capita, than any other nation in the world with an indigent Negro population.” The book also contrasted his experience of race relations in Britain with those in the US, where he studied before joining the RAF.
When the film adaptation was made in 1967, Braithwaite criticised it, saying the love affair had been downplayed. It also revealed his love affair with a fellow teacher – controversial at the time because the other teacher was white. Gritty and unsentimental, the book shows Braithwaite gradually turning his class around through a mix of affection and respect.
Hardest to bear was the self-hatred the racism brought out in him and the low expectations of colleagues for their charges. This experience formed the basis of his autobiographical novel To Sir With Love, his 1959 book later adapted into a film of the same name starring Sidney Poitier.Īt the school, renamed Greenslade School in the film, the well-educated middle class graduate was confronted with casual racism, violence and antisocial behaviour by a group of disadvantaged pupils. Unable to find an alternative, he took a job as a teacher at St George-in-the-East school in London’s East End, which was recovering from the battering it had taken during the war. On graduating, he found himself barred from work as an engineer because of racism.
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