Fanny Eaton: The Woman in the Pre-Raphaelite Studio
Fanny Eaton appears in some of the best-known circles of Victorian art, yet her life extends beyond the figures she was paid to represent. Drawings, paintings…
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Read the article: Fanny Eaton: The Woman in the Pre-Raphaelite Studio
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William Cuffay: The Tailor Who Fought for Political Rights
Read the article: William Cuffay: The Tailor Who Fought for Political RightsWilliam Cuffay’s political life stretched from the workshops and meetings of London to the public platforms of Tasmania. A Black tailor and Chartist organiser, he campaigned…
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Mary Prince: The Woman Whose Testimony Challenged Slavery
Read the article: Mary Prince: The Woman Whose Testimony Challenged SlaveryMary Prince’s 1831 narrative brought the labour, family separations and resistance of an enslaved Black woman before British readers. Her struggle to return freely to her…
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Olaudah Equiano: A Life in Print and the Campaign Against Slavery
Read the article: Olaudah Equiano: A Life in Print and the Campaign Against SlaveryOlaudah Equiano made his life story part of the campaign against slavery. His 1789 book joins seafaring, commerce, faith and political argument, while continuing debate about…
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How Black History Month began in Britain in 1987
Read the article: How Black History Month began in Britain in 1987Britain’s first Black History Month grew from an idea into a public programme through community work and local government. The roles of Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, Ansel Wong…
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Claudia Jones: A Newspaper, a Carnival and a Life in Politics
Read the article: Claudia Jones: A Newspaper, a Carnival and a Life in PoliticsClaudia Jones brought a lifetime of political experience to London. Through the West Indian Gazette and indoor Caribbean carnivals, she helped create spaces for debate, performance…
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The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963: How a City Challenged the Colour Bar
Read the article: The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963: How a City Challenged the Colour BarIn 1963, campaigners challenged the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ Black and Asian bus crews. A rejected application became a public campaign, sustained by community…
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Black Presence in Britain Before Windrush
Read the article: Black Presence in Britain Before WindrushA royal trumpeter, a woman recorded in a London parish, an eighteenth-century shopkeeper and Caribbean prisoners all belong to Britain’s history before Windrush. Their stories, alongside…
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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: A Composer at Work
Read the article: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: A Composer at WorkSamuel Coleridge-Taylor built a musical career through composition, teaching, conducting and collaboration. From the success of Hiawatha to his arrangements of African and African American melodies,…
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Ignatius Sancho: Writing, Music and a Life in Georgian London
Read the article: Ignatius Sancho: Writing, Music and a Life in Georgian LondonIgnatius Sancho’s letters open a window onto Georgian London: its shops, friendships, literature and political arguments. A composer and Westminster voter as well as a writer,…