The History Hotline

13th August 1977, the National Front clashed with anti-fascist and anti-racist organisations in the heart of South East London. To find out about the national front in the 1970s in Britain, how this clash happened and why... tune in!

We often think about war as a time of personal sacrifice for the 'greater good' but have you ever thought about the economic costs of the world wars from the perspectives of former British colonies? This episode we will be exploring the 'men, money and materials' sent by the West Indies to Britain during WWI.For more information on the Black Poppy Rose: https://www.blackpoppyrose.org/

This week I'm joined by a very special guest Kayleigh Oliver, who is currently developing an app called FOBBS (Figures of Black British History) in order to help educate school children on some of the key figures within Black British history. Tune in to find out her motivation for the app and what she hopes to achieve with it. The History Hotline is in partnership with FOBBS for the creation of this app.The website: https://fobbs.uk/To sign up for the app: https://fobbs.uk/#signupInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fobbsplatform/Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOBBSPlatform Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fobbs-platform/

Every October, Black History Month rolls around again, but will there be a time where we no longer need it? Here's my 10 Things I Hate About Black History Month. Disclaimer: Please take this episode with a pinch of salt, it is meant to be somewhat lightheartedly.

This episode we're thinking about the importance of people in studying history or if this a problematic erasure of other more important factors in history. With a special focus on the life of Claudia Jones and announcements on upcoming exhibitions curated by me.https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/latest-news/all-news/exhibition-at-wesleys-chapel-leadership-on-a-journey/

This episode we will be discussing these five texts:1) Letters from London - C. L. R James2) Small Island -Andrea Levy3) The Lonely Londoners -Sam Selvon4) Second Class Citizen -Buchi Emecheta5) Things Fall Apart -Chinua AchebeI won't be spoiling any of the books, but I hope they will give you some fiction titles that help understand Black Britain.Buchi Emecheta interview I wanted to add but didn't want the copyright violation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJPIJ8JpOFk

Black History Month 2021 started off with news of the unveiling of a statue of Betty Campbell, Wales' first Black headteacher. We'll be exploring her life as well as the significance of statues as a way of memorialising people and understanding history. Are they necessary? Are they for the moment they were unveiled in, or is their purpose to stand for eternity?

With Britain contemplating relaxing current immigration rules we discuss the immigration acts and laws that have shaped who and who isn't welcome in Britain. Starting in 1905 and ending in 1981... we'll be exploring several different laws and their historical context and reasons for existence. Whilst looking at how immigration policy 'othered' different migrant groups and continues to do so.

Following the recent announcement that OCR has included more texts written by Black authors on the A-level and GCSE specification we're discussing:-Who the new authors are.-Why curriculum change is important.-Sam Selvon's The Lonely Londoners-Problems with GCSE/A-level specification changes with no changes in KS3.-The role of teachers in these changes.

Britain's first Black bus driver -Joe Clough. We'll be exploring his life and experiences in Victorian Britain, his role as a serviceman in WWI and his subsequent career as a taxi driver.Call for information:“We are also trying to make contact with descendants of Joe Clough,” said Louise Townsend of Townsend Theatre Productions.“We know that one of their daughters married into the George family of Bedford, so we’d be grateful if anyone knows any of Joe’s descendants and could put us in touch.”If you can help, please email [email protected] or phone 07949635910.From: https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/thebedfordclanger/2021/debut-for-new-play-about-bedfords-joe-clough-britains-first-black-bus-driver/

When the Bristol Omnibus Company refused to hire Black or Asain bus crews, Roy Hackett, Owen Henry, Audley Evans, Prince Brown and Paul Stephenson formed an action group and decided that a boycott was the only way to force the bus company to change.

Exploring the roots of Notting Hill Carnival, back to its Trinidadian traditions through slavery, its growth in the UK from St Pancras Hall, to a mini street party to the biggest "street party" in Europe.

This weeks episode will set the context for Notting Hill carnival, we'll be thinking about:Racial tensions in the 1950sThe Notting Hill Riots in 1958The murder of Kelso Cochrane in 1959

On 22nd June 1948 the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury docks bringing over 1000 passengers from the Caribbean and 73 years later, it's the 2nd ever Windrush Day!Tune in to hear 25 facts about the ship, the passengers, its voyage and the reception it got as it touched British waters.

During the summer of 1981; major UK cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Leeds were overcome with “race riots.” After decades of police harassment, brutality and racist attacks from numerous far right and fascist groups, as well as racist individuals.We will be exploring the reasons for the riot: the political, social and economic climate. The role of policing in the build up and during the riots and the aftermath of the uprisings across the country.

A conversational episode with special guest Montel Gordon, discussing 'protesting racism' in a modern day context and in comparison to the 1981 riots which forms part of a long history of anti-racist protests/riots/uprisings in Britain.Montel's article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/george-floyd-black-lives-matter-b1853451.html

This week's episode is all about Caribbean women serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during WWII. The spirit of resistance that lives through Caribbean women from Nanny of the Maroons to Mary Seacole and all those 20th Century Caribbean women that paved the way in migration to Britain will be explored.

An episode exploring the colonial education system in the British Caribbean and the impact that had on class hierarchies in Britain and the long lasting legacy this had one Caribbean children, educated in Britain, in the post war era.Documentary mentioned: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w81h

This week we're exploring African and Caribbean solidarity in Britain and on a global level, with special guest Seun Matiluko. Pushing back against the currently quite divisive conversations that can happen around African and Caribbean individuals... we talk about the British Black Panthers, Olive Morris and the Nigerian diplomat, the 1986 Commonwealth games boycotts, Marcus Garvey and his political beefs and the points of diplomatic solidarity in a more modern context.

We're thinking about the second test match in the four match series between the West Indies and England in the summer of 1950. Immortalised by the calypsonians Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner, this match 'it bound to go down in history'.To listen to Victory Calypso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFl9x3XzKSw

This is the last episode in our migration series where we will be looking at Nigerian migration into Britain with our special guest history student Abigael Fagbolagun!We'll be discussing a brief history of Nigerian and also looking at the main ways Nigerian's in Britain created community and settled: Faith and the Church and Access to home.

Another episode in our migration series this week, with special guest, history PhD student Satya Gunput. He will be exploring his PhD research and his role as a historian currently working within the structures of UK academia. This is a part 2 to episode 31 and follows on from the discussions that took place in part 1.Together we continue discussions on migration, focusing on the Punjabi community in Southall, the Southall Black sisters, the radicalisation of Asians in Britain, the recent (March 2021) government report on racial disparities, the 'war on British History' and systemic racial issues vs. individual racial struggles.https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/https://twitter.com/hisnameissatyahttps://vimeo.com/476804477/89cf852f8c

Another episode in our migration series this week, with special guest, history PhD student Satya Gunput. He will be exploring his PhD research and his role as a historian currently working within the structures of UK academia.Together we continue discussions on migration, focusing on the Punjabi community in Southall, different forms of anti-racist struggles, the Southall riots, the organisation of the Southall black Sisters and the case of Kiranjit Ahluwalia.https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/https://twitter.com/hisnameissatyahttps://vimeo.com/476804477/89cf852f8c

The first episode in the three part migration series... this week we're looking at the islands of the Seychelles and the waves of migration into Britain with special guest Vanessa Stewart.

Is Britain still institutionally racist? This episode will focus on the recently published by the Commission for Race and Ethnic Disparities. Primarily, thinking about what this means for race relations today...

The daughter of the Alake of Abeokuta, a King in the southern region of Nigeria. Omo-Oba Adenrele Ademola arrived in Britain in 1935 and started her training as a midwife.She balanced her role as a princess with the demands of her professional nursing career. Balancing royal social events in Britain with a nursing career that spanned 30 years. However, records of her life bear little significance in British archives. We'll discuss why that is and the significance of her life regarding empire, Britain's historical memory and the place of Black women in British history.

This episode is about Queen Nanny of the Maroons (c. 1686 – c. 1755). The Maroons were a group of formerly enslaved Africans, featuring in many Caribbean islands, forming separate communities and antagonising the colonisers on the island. They consistently resisted Spanish and then British colonialism and fought a guerrilla war over many years against British. Queen Nanny legacy is that of a military, spiritual and cultural leader.Sisters Uncut: https://www.sistersuncut.org/

This episode we will be looking at instances of Black women resisting, in the context of women's current struggles to come to voice and be heard. Using Stella Dadzie's 'A Kick in the Belly' we'll discuss the women that resisted British and Portuguese colonialism, transatlantic slave ship rebellions and the military prowess of African women in the 17th and 18th Century.

The Grandmother of Black feminist movements in Britain. This episode we discuss OWAAD, its roots, aims, achievements and legacy. We also look at the book born out of the movement: 'The Heart of the Race' (1985) and discuss the importance of Black women writing their own historical narratives.

As we jump into Women's History Month (March 2021) we are thinking about the trailblazing British-Jamaican Mary Seacole. The doctress, healer and nurse who travelled across the world from the Caribbean to the Crimea to heal wounded soldiers on the battlefield. We'll be exploring her legacy and the way in which history often excludes Black women from its records.To donate to Sistah-Space: https://uk.gofundme.com/f/httpsyoutubeCNDFliY7lk4

This week I am joined by Orisha, creator of The Reader's Collection. We discuss African American literature and the portrayal of 'Blackness' across several texts by authors and poets such as: Maya Angelou, Ralph Ellison, Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.Our conversation goes from the representation of Black masculinity and fatherhood to the portrayal of women and how Black authors have subverted these narratives.

Ira Aldridge often remembered as a Black Briton was an American born actor that moved to Britain aged 17 to peruse his dreams of acting. He took to theatre stages across Europe wowing audiences. He is most widely known for his role of Othello but he took on a range of roles across many genres. Whilst the critics were hostile, audiences loved him. His acting career highlighting 19th Century expectations for Black people in society and on stage.

In this episode we going back to WWII, over 2 million US service personnel passed through the British isles during WWII. Whilst the American's acclimatised to the British way of life, their mannerisms and personalities. The British welcomed them and their contribution to the war effort, but also welcomed the racial prejudice, colour bar and Jim Crow laws they were so fond of... especially in the Southern States. This led to racial tensions and 'The Battle of Bamber Bridge' in Lancashire, 1943 . One of the many race riots between African-American soldiers and white commanding officers and military police, we discuss in this episode.

On the 12th February 1965, Malcolm X visited the infamous Marshall Street in Smethwick, Birmingham. Invited by the Indian Worker's Association to come and see witness the forced segregation in the areas pubs and other social settings. Marshall Street, was the street that was meant to be kept for 'whites only'. Faced with growing racial tension over immigration, a the conservative led council with MP Peter Griffiths at the helm decided, it would buy up any properties that came onto the market and let or sell them to white families only. In comes Malcolm X to witness the sorry state of affairs, only 9 days before he was assassinated.

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of The New Cross Fire on 18th January 1981... This week's episode will look at the fire and place it into the context of race relations in Britain in the 1980s.The fire led to the tragic deaths of 14 young Black people, after a fire broke out at 439 New Cross Road during the early hours of a 16th birthday party. Whilst inquests have ruled the fires cause unknown, the aftermath illuminated just how little British society cared about Black lives. An important message for us to understand in the era of the BLM movement, as we honour those lives lost in the fire by educating ourselves on what occurred that night and in the following days, months and even years.Articles mentioned:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/15/how-the-new-cross-fire-became-a-rallying-cry-for-political-actionhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/15/race.londonDocumentaries mentioned:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThykFdpuFkAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0WnoGdTkqw

This week we'll be exploring the Christmas breakfast staple in any Jamaican household and Jamaica's national dish: Ackee and Saltfish. Its improbable history takes us on a journey along the triangular trade route, from West Africa to Northern Europe and finally the tropic climates of Jamaica. The dish embodies the nation full of 'pieces that don’t seem to fit together,' but somehow work.

This week we're looking at the Brockwell Three, the creation of Black Sac and the collective protests against another incidence of police injustice, upheld by the legal system. We'll be exploring this within the context of the racial injustice system in the US with reference to Brandon Bernard and the impact of this on how we view capital punishment.

In line with Victorian standards of beauty, the idealised artistic muse, was white and pale skinned. But Jamaican Fanny Eaton (c.1835-1924) was one of the most influential muses to the Pre-Raphaelites during the 19th Century. Eaton came to Britain as a child only a few years after the abolition of slavery in the British colonies and went on to model for some of the most influential artists of the period. This episode will explore her life and her legacy.

Following on from the third instalment from Steve McQueen's Small Axe series: Red, White and Blue. This episode continues the story of Leroy Logan, a Black police officer, who made it his mission to fight racial inequality from within. We'll explore the policing of Black communities, the racism he faced, and his work fighting for racial equality.https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000pzmb/small-axe-series-1-red-white-and-blue

The history of immigration, exploring the acts dating back to 1905. We also have a special guest Hannah Gaffey recent Cambridge masters graduate who has conducted research on the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees in Britain. We explore the systemic and historical failings of the home office and how politics, the media and public opinion influence immigration policy.

In the aftermath of WWI, many ex-servicemen were left without work in many of the major port cities. We'll explore how this led to race riots in cities such as Cardiff, Glasgow and: Liverpool and look at the treatment Black ex-servicemen received after the war. TW: Violence, Lynching, Murder.

During World War One Black officers in the British armed forces faced a system with prejudice at its core. We'll be highlighting the stories of three servicemen: David Louis Clemetson, George Bemand and Walter Tull, who were all at some point thought to be the first Black officer in the forces. Their stories in some ways run parallel but also highlight, how societies defined race and your personal identity, might not match.

Learie Constantine, MBE was a West Indian cricketer, lawyer and politician who served as Trinidad's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and became the UK's first black peer. This week we'll be looking at his landmark case in British race relations against the Imperial London Hotel.

On this weeks episode we will be reacting to Kemi Badenoch's (MP and Minister for Equalities) speech at the parliamentary Black History Month debate. Exploring BLM, white privilege, critical race theory and the way they exist within society today. We'll also be briefly looking at the way these things are taught in schools and how they should be taught... and the consequences of that.

This week will be shifting our focus to Nigeria and contextualising the current End SARS protests within the colonial history of the country. We'll be exploring the links with colonialism and corruption, which continues to plague countries within the continent of Africa. We will also be hearing from Nigerians across the diaspora about what the movement means to them and what we can do to help further it.Opening track by Fikky: @Fikkyofficial on Instagram and Twitter//TW: violence, torture, rape.

As the Presidential campaign rages on in the US, and debates of who can identify as 'Black' rage on we'll be discussing the social construction of race. This episode will take us on a global journey of how race has been classified in different parts of the world, from Caribbean slave societies to the American South and ending up in Modern Britain.

Britain had Black Panthers? Who were they? What did they stand for? This week's episode is about the British Black Panthers, we'll be exploring their influences, their politics and what they managed to achieve as a community organisation.

Why is it important to celebrate Black History Month? What should those celebrations look like? How does that impact the teaching of Black History throughout the rest of the year? This episode is asking and answering questions about Black History Month in Britain, and tapping into some of the key debates surrounding its existence.

This week's episode is centred around Beryl Gilroy who was one of Britain's first Black Headteachers. We contextualise her story based on her autobiography Black Teacher (1976) by studying the way Britain remembers Black women in the pages of their history books.

Today we're looking at Educationally Subnormal (ESN) schools that were opened in Britain in the 1960s and the impact they had on Black children. We're also exploring the impact and importance of Bernard Coard's 'How the West Indian Child is made Educationally Subnormal in the British School System?' and studying the legacy of the supplementary school.