Nov 29

Nov 29 10 Black British Civil Rights Activists

The Black British civil rights movement was an undeniable force for change. The courage and fight of these men and women that brought about racial equality for Black people in Britain must be remembered and celebrated.

1. Dame Jocelyn Barrow (1929-2020)

Barrow was an educator, community activist and politician. She is mostly remembered for her position as the General Secretary of the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD), being the first Black woman to be Governor of the BBC and founder and Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council.

2. Altheia Jones- LeCointe (b.1945)

Jones-LeCointe is a Trinidadian physician and research scientist. She was also the formidable leader of the British Black Panther Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

3. Darcus Howe (1943-2017)

Broadcaster, writer, journalist and civil rights activist. Howe was mentored by his uncle the great writer C.L.R. James. He was a member of the British Black Panthers. And he led the protest for the famous Mangrove 9.

4. John La Rose (1927-2006)

La Rose moved to Britain in 1961 from Trinidad and in 1966 founded the New Beacon Books; which was the first specialist Caribbean publishing company in the UK. That same year he co-founded the Caribbean Activist Movement (CAM). He was also heavily involved in the Black Education Movement.

5. Olive Morris (1952 -1979)

Morris was a Jamaican born activist and community leader. During the 1970’s Olive Morris became a member of the youth section of the British Black Panther Movement. She was also a founding member of the Brixton Black Women's Group and the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD).

6. Louis Mahoney (1938-2020)

Mahoney was a Gambian born actor, that lived in London. He was a long-time campaigner for racial equality within the acting profession. He represented African-Asian members on the council of the actors' union, Equity, becoming joint Vice-President between 1994 and 1996. He was also one of the first Black actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

7. Alex Pascall (b.1936)

Pascall is a Grenadian born cultural activist, known for his groundbreaking BBC Radio London show Black Londoners first aired in 1974, giving a voice to Black Britain. Over the 14 years on air, guests included Muhammad Ali, Bob Marley, C.L.R James, Jeremy Corbyn and Angela Davis. Pascall also co-founded Britain’s first Black weekly national newspaper The Voice.

8. Obi Benue Egbuna (b.1938)

Egbuna was a Nigerian born novelist, playwright and political activist. He lead the UCPA (Universal Coloured People’s Association) & was a member of the British Black panthers movement

9. Lenford Alphonso Garrison (1943-2003)

Garrison was an educationalist, community activist and historian. He spent his years devoted to cataloguing the development of Black British identity and its history. Garrison founded the Afro Caribbean Educational Resource (ACER) and co-founded the Black Cultural Archives.

10. Leila Hassan Howe (b.1948)

Tanzanian born Leila Howe is a British editor and activist. She founded the Race Today Collective and was a member of the British Black Panthers. Howe was also the wife of activist Darcus Howe.