The 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott
The Bristol Bus Boycott 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” …
Black in Europe
The Windrush passenger’s underground accommodations
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 …
The Black Equity Organisation: A new civil rights group launches in the UK
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 …
I Spy: The Josephine Baker Story
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 …
The Zong Massacre
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 Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962
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 …
Windrush Day
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. …
Celebrating Pride Month: Justin Fashanu – First out gay footballer
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 …
5 facts about the Black Lives Matter movement
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 …
The Windrush scandal and the hostile environment
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, …
Malcolm X visits Smethwick, West Midlands
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 …
Remembering the 13 young people killed in the New Cross fire
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 …
The life of Francis Barber
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 …
1919 race riots in Britain
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 …
UK race riots – The murder of Charles Wotten
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? …
Olaudah Equiano – Writer and abolitionist
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 …
History of Notting Hill Carnival
What is Notting Hill Carnival? Notting Hill Carnival is a 3-day annual event that takes place on the streets of Notting Hill during late August bank holiday weekend. It’s a …
Claudia Jones – Activist and Mother of Caribbean Carnival in Britain
Claudia Jones was a feminist, political activist, pioneering journalist, and visionary. She is known for being the ‘Mother of Caribbean Carnival in Britain’. Early years Claudia Jones was born on …
The Battle of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a multicultural borough with a large Black and Asian community as many of the Windrush generation settled in Lewisham from the late 40s onwards. …
Notting Hill Riots of 1958
The Notting Hill Race riots were the result of a campaign of attacks on the Caribbean residents in a bid to drive them out of their homes and ultimately out of Britain. …
Sybil Phoenix OBE – community leader
Sybil Phoenix is a community leader who has devoted her life to helping other people, especially in Lewisham, the town she made home. Early years She was born Sybil Theodora …
Walter Tull: First British-born black army officer
Walter Tull was one of Britain’s first black footballers and a First World War hero. Walter Tull was born in Folkestone, Kent on 28 April 1888. His father Daniel Tull, …
How David Starkey got it wrong – London’s evolving language
After the riots in August 2011, David Starkey appeared on Newsnight and ranted about white people becoming black as they spoke the same language as black people. Back then we …
Princess Sara Forbes-Bonetta-Davies
Sarah Forbes Bonetta was the princess, born into the Egbado royal family of south-western Nigeria, who became a favourite of Queen Victoria and a regular visitor to Windsor Castle. Sarah …
