Chapter 1 presents Eddo-Lodge’s personal history alongside British history, a structure that invites readers to draw connections between racism in contemporary Britain and the country’s racist past, notably its treatment of colonial subjects. The chapter begins with the author’s first experiences studying Black British history. Eddo-Lodge was introduced to the subject in a course on the transatlantic slave trade during her second year of university. The course not only made Black British history more immediate and relevant to Eddo-Lodge but also drew attention to power imbalances that allow some individuals and groups to negatively impact the lives of others. Eddo-Lodge wanted to continue studying Black British history, but soon learned courses on the subject were rare. The lack of offerings reflects the erasure of people of color from British history as does the absence of Black British history courses from the curriculum of British primary and elementary schools.

Eddo-Lodge interweaves information about the transatlantic slave trade with her university experiences. Britain was directly involved in the buying and selling of Africans for profit. Slaves were expensive commodities, valued for their labor and for their ability to produce more slaves. Eddo-Lodge uses visceral language to describe the conditions on the slave ships: