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 …
Activist
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 …
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the oldest and most prominent civil rights organisation in the United States. Founded in 1909, the NAACP has a long and …
Olive Morris: A powerful advocate for Black women’s rights in Britain
Olive Morris was a political activist and key figure in the fight for black women’s rights in Britain during the 1970s. In her short life, Morris raised awareness of inequalities by travelling, …
Rosa May Billinghurst – suffragette and women’s rights activist
Lewisham’s famous women: Rosa May Billinghurst ( 1875 – 1953)
Rosa May Billinghurst (commonly known as May Billinghurst) was born on 31 May 1875 at 35 Granville Park, Lewisham. She was the second …
Thurgood Marshall: Champion of civil rights and first African American Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall was an influential figure in American history, known for his groundbreaking work as a civil rights lawyer and the first African American Supreme Court Justice. His tireless efforts …
Black Power Salute and Peter Norman – the third man
The picture of Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black Power Salute is iconic and instantly recognisable to many. But few people know of the bravery and tragedy of the other guy, the third …
Darcus Howe: The radical voice of Black Britain
Darcus Howe, a Trinidad-born activist, writer, and broadcaster, played a significant role in the fight for racial equality in Britain. With his roots in the Black Power movement, Howe used his …
Rosa Parks – civil rights activist
Civil rights leader Rosa Parks was honoured with a commemorative statue in the US Capitol building in Washington DC, on Wednesday, 27 February 2013.
Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a …
W.E.B. Du Bois: Scholar, activist, and pioneer in the fight for African American rights
W.E.B. Du Bois, a prominent African American intellectual, writer, and activist, played a significant role in shaping the discourse around race and civil rights in the United States during the late …