The History Hotline

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 1950s

The Notting Hill Riots in 1958

The 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