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Linton Kwesi Johnson, commonly known as LKJ, is a renowned reggae poet and recording artist whose work has impacted the world of literature, music, and politics. His unique fusion of Jamaican patois, reggae rhythms, and political themes has made him a leading figure in the cultural and political landscape. With a career spanning over four …
The 1778 case of Knight v Wedderburn is a significant turning point in the history of slavery and the fight for freedom in Scotland. Joseph Knight, an enslaved man from Guinea, challenged his master, John Wedderburn, in a series of court battles that would ultimately lead to the abolition of personal slavery in Scotland. This …
Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, also known as James Albert, is said to be the first published black author in Britain. His autobiography, A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, An African Prince, as Related to Himself, was the first slave narrative published in England. Gronniosaw was born in Bornu (now …
The Bristol Bus Boycott landmark event in Black British history. It helped to raise awareness of racial discrimination in Britain and influenced the passing of the Race Relations Act 1965, which made “racial discrimination in public places” unlawful. Background: The Windrush Generation After the Second World War, Britain experienced a labour shortage, so Caribbean colonists …
Roy Hackett, a remarkable figure in the civil rights movement, not only left an indelible mark on the city of Bristol, but he also played a crucial role in shaping its history. Born in Jamaica and later moving to England, his life’s experiences prepared him well for his role in one of Britain’s most significant …
When Caribbean migrants disembarked from the SS Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948, many of them had nowhere to live. Due to the shortage of housing in London following World War Two, temporary housing was scarce. As a result, 236 migrants from the merchant vessel were transported by bus from Tilbury docks in Essex to …
An organisation dedicated to advancing justice and equity for Black people has been launched in the UK. Some of Britain’s most influential Black figures from business, law, the arts, and social justice founded the Black Equity Organisation (BEO), including David Lammy MP, David Olusoga, Karen Blackett, Dame Vivian Hunt, and Kwame Kwei-Armah. The hope is …
Actor Janelle Monaé (Hidden Figures) is set to star as the iconic entertainer Josephine Baker in a new TV series titled De La Resistance. So who was Josephine Baker? Exotic cabaret dancer, operatic singer, comedienne, first black movie star, and bisexual celebrity. Although all these titles frequently appear in searches connected to entertainer Josephine Baker, …
In 1781 over 100 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard the Zong slave ship to allow the slave owners to collect insurance money on their human commodities. This is one of the most egregious acts of inhumanity in Black history. The slave trade brought vast wealth to British ports and merchants but conditions were horrific. Enslaved …
On 1 July 1962, the Commonwealth Immigrants Act came into effect, ending the automatic right of people of the British Commonwealth and Colonies to settle in the United Kingdom. The Act applied stringent restrictions on the entry of Commonwealth citizens into Britain. Only those with work permits (which were typically only for high-skilled workers, such …
Dido Elizabeth Belle was a unique figure in 18th-century England, a time entrenched in the transatlantic slave trade. Born in 1761 to an enslaved woman named Maria Belle and a British naval officer, Sir John Lindsay, her story tells of her rise from a difficult start to becoming an influential figure in her own right. …
We often think of the British Armed Forces as exclusively male, but it may surprise you to know that many Caribbean women served in World War II. Historically, most Armed Forces were almost exclusively composed of men. However, many women joined the British Armed Forces during WW2. The exact number of Caribbean women serving in …
Lilian Bader was born in 1918 in Liverpool’s Toxteth Park neighbourhood to Marcus Bailey, a merchant seaman from Barbados who fought for the British in the First World War, and Lilian, a British woman whose parents were Irish. The Baileys were married in 1913, and Bader was their youngest child. Bader and her older brothers, …
Windrush Day is observed in the UK on 22 June to mark the arrival of the Empire Windrush and to honour the contribution of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. Windrush Day was introduced in June 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the Windrush migration following a successful campaign led by Patrick Vernon. The arrival …
In 1990 Justin Fashanu stunned the football world as the first professional footballer to come out as gay. At this time racism and homophobia were endemic in football. Justin’s early years Justinus Soni “Justin” Fashanu was born on 19 February 1961. He was raised in the London area of Hackney, where his Nigerian father was …
What is Black Lives Matter? The Black Lives Matter movement started as a hashtag on social networks and officially began in the United States in 2013 after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin in Florida. The movement grew to protest not just the justice system in America but police brutality against …
What is the Windrush scandal? The Windrush scandal mainly affected UK citizens originally from the Caribbean. It came to light in 2018 after it emerged that hundreds of Commonwealth citizens, many of whom were from the Windrush Generation, had been wrongly detained, deported and denied legal rights. Who are the Windrush generation? The Windrush Generation …
In the 1960s and 1970s, hundreds of black children in Britain were wrongly classified as “educationally subnormal” and sent to special schools. These schools were designed for students with learning disabilities, but the children placed there did not belong. This discriminatory practice devastated the lives of these children, their families, and the black community as …
In February 1965, civil rights campaigner Malcolm X was in Britain to speak at the London School of Economics. Avtar Singh Jouhl, general secretary of the Indian Workers Association, invited him to speak at Birmingham University and visit Smethwick, a small town in the West Midlands, UK. Smethwick was a hotbed of racial tension. Just …
On Sunday 18 January 1981 a fire broke out in a house in New Cross Road, Deptford, South East London, killing 13 young people and marking a massive change for black people in Britain. Thirteen people died in the New Cross fire and another, committed suicide 18 months later in July 1983, aged 20, having …
Most people believe that black people came to Britain after the Second World War with the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948. But Black people have had a presence in Britain for as far back as Roman times. Even closer in history, there were Blacks in Britain during and after slavery. If white British …
Britain’s 1919 race riots started at the end of the First World War starting with an outbreak of violence in Glasgow in January, race riots happened around the United Kingdom until late in the summer, including in Liverpool, Hull, Cardiff, Salford, Newport and South Shields. There were several outbreaks in the East End of London, …
Charles Wotten was a 24-year-old ship’s fireman from Bermuda who was murdered by an angry white mob during the Liverpool race riots of 1919. What led to Charles Wotten’s murder? Since the 16th century, the Black presence in London and Liverpool had been noticeable but Liverpool’s Black population grew dramatically during the war as Black …
Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797) was an eighteenth-century African writer whose experiences as a slave prompted him to become involved in the British abolition movement. Early years Equiano was born in c1745 in what is now Nigeria to an Ibo chief. He was captured by slave traders and sold into slavery at the age of 11. He …
