Emmett Till – Life and death
The brutal abduction and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till on 28 August 1955 brought nationwide attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in Mississippi. It also spurred the emerging …
Articles
Black and Asian Soldiers in World War One
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 …
Madam C J Walker
Madam C J Walker was an entrepreneur best known for inventing Black haircare products. She was a political social activist, philanthropist and the first female self-made millionaire.
Early …
Watch: Steve McQueen’s Uprising docuseries on BBC
Last year, Sir Steve McQueen impressed audiences with Small Axe, a five-part anthology series set within London’s West Indian community during the late 1960s and early 1980s.
The five short …
Constance Mark – Caribbean Women in WW2 Britain
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 …
Frank Bailey: London’s First Black Firefighter
Born in Guyana, Frank Bailey came to England in 1953 as a political activist, joining the West Indian Standing Conference (WISC), an umbrella organisation formed in 1958 to promote the interests of …
Lilian Bader – One of the first black women to join the British Armed Forces
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 …
The humanitarian crisis in Palestine
For over 70 years, the Palestinian people have suffered under Israel’s occupation. And today, the humanitarian crisis in Palestine is worse than ever. Over 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza, which …
Everything you need to know about chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also called Myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a debilitating disorder characterised by long-term fatigue and other symptoms that can make it hard to do everyday …
The history of Benin: From pre-colonial times to colonial rule
Benin, located in the western African forest region, has a rich history that spans several centuries. From its origins as a collection of independent states in the pre-colonial period to its eventual …
Onesimus – the slave who helped quell the Boston smallpox outbreak
Onesimus was an enslaved West African man whose African teachings helped to reduce the impact of the smallpox outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts.
Little is known about Onesimus before he was …
Claudette Colvin – the teenager that inspired Rosa Parks
You’ve heard of Rosa Parks, but what do you know of Claudette Colvin? Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, 15-year-old Claudette did the …