Black History Month: 3 October 2020
Darcus Howe, recognised for his commitment to battling racial injustice, was a British broadcaster and writer. Originally from Trinidad, Howe arrived in England as a teenager where he experienced racial tensions, sparking him to become an active member of the 'British Black Panthers' movement. He came to public attention in 1970 as one of the "Mangrove Nine", who marched to the police station in protest against police raids of the Mangrove restaurant which existed in a decolonised area of Notting Hill, London. Once again, he came to attention in 1981 when he organised a 20,000-strong "Black People's Day of Action" in protest of the handling of the investigation into the New Cross Fire, in which 13 black teenagers died.
Howe used his broadcasting and journalism career to confront issues of race in Britain and explore ways in which all communities can flourish. He argued that despite progress made following the inner-city uprisings of the 1980s and the publication of the Macpherson Report, in many ways, Britain has changed for the worse for black communities. When diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, Howe examined how black men were three times more likely to suffer from it than white men and thus worked with the NHS and Channel 4 to encourage black men to have check-ups. In 2017, he passed away, aged 74, and is remembered for his lifetime work, activism and achievements.
Want to find out more about Darcus Howe's achievements? Click here for more information, including his obituary.
No comments:
Post a Comment