Benjamin Zephanaiah is posthumously awarded the first City of Birmingham medal

You can’t help but smile, when you look at the homepage on Benjamin Zephanaiah’s website. Under his name at the top are the words “Poet, writer, lyricist, musician and naughty boy”
Born in Handsworth in 1958, Zephaniah grew up during a time that faced huge challenges with prejudice and integration. He witnessed racism, inequality, and the struggles of working-class life and he turned them into fuel for his art. His poetry reflects the rhythms of Birmingham’s streets, blending Caribbean roots with a distinctly British experience, and addressing issues that continue to be relevant—from social justice and racial equality to love, resilience, and unity.
"Birmingham shaped me, rough but kind,
Its smoky skies live in my mind.
It taught me dreams, it gave me fears,
This city’s rhythm flows through my years."
When he burst onto the scene in the 1980s, his authentically urban poetry wove stories of hardship and reality. His words were written not for the page but for the stage, and he performed in schools, clubs, and community centres, reaching people who may never have felt a connection to traditional poetry.
Through his poetry, Zephaniah became a voice for Birmingham’s diverse communities, celebrating their resilience, culture, and identity while challenging the systems that made people feel marginalised and excluded. His works were critiques of injustice, racism, and oppression. But they are also conveyed hope, humour, and a vision for a better, more inclusive world.
During Covid, one of his poems, became an anthem for describing how a nation felt. Here are a few lines:
To please
To tease
To put you at ease,
People will always need people.
To make life appealing
And give life some meaning,
It’s useful to have other people.
It you need a change
To whom will you turn.
If you need a lesson
From whom will you learn.
If you need to play
You’ll know why I say
People will always need people.
In recent years, Zephaiaiah put on a fantastic performance in the Peaky Blinders series, as Jeremiah Jesus; a trusted ally of Tommy Shelby, a show that despite the violence and dark dealings has really put Birmingham on the map worldwide.
With his authentic portrayal of a man of faith in a world of gangsters and tricksters, he helped bring to life the stories told by fellow brummie, Stephen Knight. In the words of Zephaniah himself, “We can all be poets if we feel free to tell our stories.”
Amen to that.