Heritage Heroes: How a self-taught historian is changing what Leeds knows about its past
As part of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s new Heritage Heroes series we’re recognising those who are keeping the city’s stories alive for future generations. Today we speak to Danny Friar - he’s a researcher, writer and historian who focuses on local black and Asian history prior to the 1950s.
As a child growing up in Leeds, Danny Friar would sometimes spend his bus fare on history books instead
“We never had loads of money. We were a working-class family, and I’m proud of that. It’s made me who I am,” he said.
History, however, didn’t always feel like it was made for people like him.
He said: “The people in the history books, kings, queens, prime ministers, they weren’t relatable to me as a working-class lad.
“And nobody really explained what kind of career you could have in history or heritage.”
Danny, who lives in Armley, didn’t take history at GCSE.
“It just felt pointless at the time,” he admitted.
“I remember thinking, what job does this actually lead to? In a way, I felt like the education system failed me a little bit - but I wasn’t willing to fail myself.”
Everything he knows about research, archives and storytelling, he has taught himself. Now 39, Danny is a Leeds-based researcher, writer and historian who focuses on local black and Asian history prior to the 1950s.
His work challenges the idea that diversity is a recent chapter in the city’s story, and instead reveals a shared, working-class past that stretches back centuries.
He said: “I’ve always loved history. As a child, I spent a lot of time in museums, and I still do.”
His first publications weren’t about Leeds at all. Danny began by writing about the Beatles, becoming a published writer at 24 in the British Beatles Fan Club magazine.
He went on to write articles marking the 50th anniversary of the band’s UK tours, including a piece for the Yorkshire Evening Post.
A turning point came in 2017, when he began working with Leeds West Indian Carnival during its 50th anniversary year.
Through that, he met actor and historian Joe Williams, whose work on local black history and Yorkshire’s connections to Africa had a lasting influence.
“I always wanted to tell the stories nobody else was really telling,” Danny said.
He began researching early black presence in Leeds and Bradford, initially widening his scope because he wasn’t sure Leeds alone would yield enough material.
“As it turned out. I probably didn’t need Bradford at all,” he said.
What he found surprised him.
“The amount of people, and the range of backgrounds, was incredible. People from Africa, the Caribbean, North America, Australia, New Zealand, especially during the Victorian period,” he said.
Danny said the earliest known black person in Leeds arrived in 1707.
He said: “That really shocked me. I wasn’t expecting it to go back that far.”
Much of what he uncovered were working-class stories, people living, working, worshipping and raising families in the city.
He said: “It wasn’t hidden history at the time. It’s forgotten history.
“People back then knew they were sharing streets, workplaces, churches and schools with people of colour. It was written about in newspapers all the time.”
One story that stays with him is that of Alexander Harris, a Salvation Army band leader in Bramley in the 1880s.
When a neighbour complained that the band’s outdoor rehearsals were too noisy, Harris took the case to court, arguing the complaint was about race, not volume.
Danny said: “He brought evidence. He showed that other bands were louder and nobody minded.
“In the 1880s, racism was common, so that took real guts. Stories like that matter. That’s why I do what I do - to make sure every voice is heard.”
Danny describes himself as a “people’s historian”, a label that fits his grassroots approach.
Much of his time is spent in archives, poring over old books and newspapers, including historic editions of the Yorkshire Evening Post.
He said: “Newspapers often mention a person’s race when other records don’t. But it’s about more than research. It’s about making people feel they belong in history when they might not think they do.”
His work has taken many forms: talks, school visits, exhibitions, blog posts, videos, podcasts, a book chapter, even a published poem examining the historical context around the death of David Oluwale.
Oluwale was a British-Nigerian man who lived in Leeds and died in 1969 after being chased by police towards the River Aire. His death, and the conviction of two officers for assault, has become a significant moment in Leeds’ social history and a symbol of racial injustice.
Danny has worked with organisations including the BBC, Leeds Museums and Galleries and Leeds City Council, and is one of the youngest council members of the Thoresby Society: The Leeds Historical Society.
He said: “Grassroots historians can tell stories others don’t know, or don’t see as important.”
Despite growing recognition, much of Danny’s work has been unpaid.
“I once did a piece of research and got paid in a hot meal,” he laughed.
“It’s only in the last year or so that I’ve started to be properly paid.”
For young people who love history but don’t see university as their route in, his advice is direct.
“Just start doing it. Do the research. Put yourself out there. If you’re good at it, people won’t care what qualifications you’ve got,” he said.
After years of uncovering Leeds’ past, the city now looks different to him.
“I can’t walk around Leeds without thinking, ‘That person lived there. That person worked there. Every major building has some hidden black or South Asian history attached to it,” he said.
And for Danny, that is exactly why it matters.
He said: “We have a shared history. Even if there was only one black person living in Victorian Leeds, that story still matters. It’s part of who we are.”