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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 …
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 …
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 …
It is often thought that World War I (WW1) was a European War fought exclusively by Europeans, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not often mentioned is the fact that there were Caribbean, Asian and African soldiers who served in the war. Walter Tull is the most celebrated Black British soldier of the …
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 …
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 …
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 huge tourist attraction and an opportunity for everyone to come together and enjoy music, parades, food and other aspects of black culture. The carnival follows …
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 21 February 1915 in Belmont, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. At the age of eight, her family emigrated to Harlem, New York, following the post-war cocoa price crash …
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. Just like Brixton and Notting Hill, Lewisham has experienced its share of racism and fascist uprisings. It was in Lewisham that British fascism suffered …
Black British and African Americans may share a common ancestry, but their cultural experiences and perspectives are shaped by different historical, social, and political factors. Let’s look at what it means to be Black in Britain and Black in America. Defining Black British and African American Black British refers to people of African and Caribbean descent who were …
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. Much like the 1919 race riots, the growing Black presence in Britain was a major factor in these events. Although dubbed the Notting Hill race …
A 32-year-old black man from Antigua named Kelso Cochrane was brutally murdered in a racist attack in the early hours of 17 May 1959. After receiving treatment at Paddington Hospital for a fractured thumb, Kelso Cochrane was walking home shortly after midnight when a gang of white youths surrounded him, called him derogatory names, beat …
Ever since the Conservative government came into power in the UK in 2010, they have been deliberately using UKIP tactics to stoke the flames of culture wars. This has been done to distract from the various failures of their government, as well as to try and wedge the Labour party by playing on old-fashioned ideas …
A documentary by director Menelik Shabazz called The Story Of Lover’s Rock, received a limited release in a handful of London cinemas. But it’s popularity took cinema’s by surprise as tickets sold out in advance and the screenings were extended. The film tells the story of an era and a music that defined a generation …
The 1981 UK riots were spurred by police handling into the investigation of the New Cross fire where 13 young black people lost their lives as well as serious social and economic problems affecting Britain’s inner cities. Following the New Cross Fire and Black People’s Day of Action march, and after several years of blatant …
The arrival of the SS Empire Windrush at Tilbury Dicks, Essex, in June 1948 was a pivotal moment in British History. The ship carried 1,027 passengers from several Caribbean countries. The Empire Windrush was on its way from Australia to Britain when it docked in Kingston, Jamaica, to pick up servicemen who were on leave. …
