Black and white days

SIR – We publish Minstrel Magic, Eleanor Pritchard’s biography of George Mitchell, whose choir formed the Black and White Minstrels.

Although Sir Lenny Henry (Features, August 22) was the first black person to appear consistently with the Black and White Minstrels, he was never the “star”. The stars were the Minstrels, and Henry played second comic for much of the time.

He wasn’t even the first black person on the show. The very first show included Isabelle Lucas, the well-known actress and singer, who continued to support the show. The Clark Brothers appeared in several television shows, and there were black Minstrels in the Sixties and Seventies.

Cast members recall Henry’s family visiting the stage show several times. Records show that black people attended the show in droves. The West Indies Test cricket team visited several times, with the great Sir Learie Constantine calling it the best example of integration. Penny Reeves

Saron Publishers Mamhilad, Monmouthshire