Image Credit: Ellie (anonymous)
The late Dr Benjamin Zephaniah is set to be the first ever recipient of the City of Birmingham Medal in a private ceremony led by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor Zafar Iqbal, MBE, JP, and hosted by Birmingham City University.
Taking place at the recently opened Benjamin Zephaniah Building on 11 March 2026, this invite-only event will be attended by Zephaniah’s family, friends and supporters, as well as a host of dignitories, community groups and organisations that have worked with the Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy Group (BZFLG) over the last two years.
There will be displays and visual presentations of Benjamin’s work, as well as the first public viewing of a short film created by his family in conjunction with Flexible Films, which was recorded at his first memorial event held in December 2024.
Students from the University will also talk about the designing the medal and how Benjamin continues to inspire young people at BCU.
Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Handsworth and became a trail-blazing poet whose work was featured in the national curriculum. As well as his huge body of poetry he was a writer, musician, actor, campaigner and more.
He published his first poetry collection, Pen Rhythm, in 1979. He started performing poetry at demonstrations and youth gatherings and his writing often responded direct to events. He was heavily influenced by Jamaican music and poetry and released a number of albums.
