Migrants In Britain: 4.4

Question 1

Describe Bristol’s slave trade history and its significance for Bristol

Answer 1

• was a MAJOR port during the slave trade
  [] transported almost 500 000 African slaves to work in British colonies in America
• most of Bristol’s initial economic success came from slave traders and the sale of raw materials like tobacco and sugar grown on plantations by slaves
  [] slave traders were responsible for large investments in the city due to their wealth, and often buildings or streets were named after them
• black migrants after the end of the slave trade being constantly reminded of Bristol’s oppression of their ancestors and fellow black people causes tension even to this day
  [] allows racism to be overlooked in favour of the economic good that slave traders did for Bristol
  [] minimises the impact of past racism and slavery, erasing the negative impacts on black people and working to continue racism being condoned subconsciously and consciously
• Bristol’s government (MPs etc.) working to properly and wholly address the negative legacy of slavery and racism in Bristol, without erasing history
  [] some argue that historical plaques, statues and so on that celebrate slave traders or the slave trade should be stored in museums with explanations of both the good and bad that they did for the cities they’re in
  [] some argue that it was so long ago that it had just simply become a fact of Bristol’s history and should be left alone
  [] some argue that any memorabilia celebrating the slave trade or slave traders should be destroyed to demonstrate the non-condoning of racism in Bristol and cities like it, prioritising the sensibilities of actual people who live in Bristol and whose (family’s) lives have been affected by slavery, racism and so on over explicit remembrance of horrible historical events

Question 2

Who was Edward Colston ?

Answer 2

• 17th century slave trader
  [] oversaw the transport of 84 000 slaves
  [] worked in a senior position for the Royal African Company (significant slave trading business)
• gave millions to charities in Bristol to build schools, hospitals etc. for the poor in the city
• had a statue of him erected in Bristol’s centre
  [] 2020, BLM protesters tore down the statue and threw it in the harbour; shows the tensions that continue even until present day surrounding racist benefactors of areas like Bristol

Question 3

Why did many people migrate to Bristol after the 1948 British Nationality Act ?

Answer 3

to help rebuild Britain and access job opportunities; many viewed Britain as the “motherland” as a result of being from countries colonised by Britain and being taught to idolise British ways of life, British culture and so on

Question 4

Between 1958 and 1962, how many people migrated to Bristol and why is this significant ?

Answer 4

• 1500
• so many migrants in a relatively short period of time was likely to cause tension amongst the original non-migrant inhabitants
  [] fear of change
  [] fear of taking jobs
  [] racism

Question 5

Describe the experiences of Caribbean migrants in Bristol in terms of housing from 1958

Answer 5

• like in Notting Hill, many faced a lot of prejudice when trying to find homes
  [] white landlords often refused to rent to Caribbean migrants, making people desperate and having to take what little housing available there was, regardless of its state
  [] landlords converted many of their properties into HMOs and exploitation of renters for as much profit possible was very common
  [] the cramped, often unsanitary and bomb-damaged condition caused many tensions amongst partners and families
• landlords tended to rent out bomb-damaged houses for ridiculously high rents, especially in the St Paul’s area
  [] no other market, so the majority of migrants to Bristol flocked to St Paul’s
  [] by the 1960s, half of the Caribbean population in Bristol lived within a few streets of each other

Question 6

Who was Princess Campbell ?

Answer 6

Jamaican migrant who arrived in Bristol in 1962 and eventually founded the United Housing Association to help black people find housing
[] worked as a nurse in the NHS and became the first black ward sister in Britain

Question 7

Describe the social attitudes and prejudice towards Caribbean migrants in Bristol and their significance

Answer 7

• many migrants terrified of falling victim to racist violence
  [] felt safer living together; impacted the distribution of black migrants living in Bristol
  [] the fact that the black community in Bristol was so concentrated gave them more power and protection; any violence would spiral easily and there would be mass publicity, thus better protections for the black community in Bristol to prevent further violence; however didn’t stop racism and violence from occurring altogether
• white residents believed that migrants were taking jobs from them, EVEN THOUGH BRITAIN DESPERATELY NEEDED LABOUR TO REBUILD AFTER THE WAR, AND MANY WHITE PEOPLE DIDNT WANT TO TAKE THE JOBS THAT BLACK MIGRANTS WERE DOING IN THEIR STEAD
  [] any voicing of these beliefs may have persuaded the government to reduce black/Caribbean immigration to Britain, as shown by the Commonwealth Immigrants Act of 1962, causing a lot of tension and feelings of unwelcomeness amongst the Caribbean community in Bristol

Question 8

Who were the WIPAFA, formerly WIDC, and what did they do ?

Answer 8

• established November 1962, four months after the signing of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act
  [] Roy Hackett and Owen Henry founded it
• first = West Indian Development Council, then = West Indian Parents and Friends Association
• aims:
  [] to give the Caribbean community in Bristol, particularly St Paul’s, a voice against racism (many were too scared to do anything, particularly after hearing about events in Notting Hill etc.)
  [] to help black people find better jobs, housing and education
• campaigned against racism in housing, education etc. and against colour bars in employment, similarly to the work of Claudia Jones in Notting Hill

Question 9

Describe and date the key events of the Bristol Bus Boycott

Answer 9

• 29 April 1963
  [] WIDC called for the black community of Bristol to boycott the Bristol Omnibus Company’s buses until their colour bar was lifted
• 6 May 1963
  [] Paul Stephenson, Roy Hackett and Owen Henry led the first black-led protest march in Britain through Bristol
  [] the protest had 200 supporters
• Roy Hackett leads protest to block buses from using main road into Bristol’s centre
• Bristol’s MP Tony Benn and PM Harold Wilson spoke in favour of the boycott
• Sir Learie Constantine (Trinidadian High Commissioner and famous ex-cricketeer) wrote to the Bristol Omnibus Company to condemn the colour bar
  [] gained lots of publicity, putting pressure on the bus company to overturn the colour bar as more and more people, including white people, joined the boycott and plummeted its profits
  [] also put pressure on the British government to legally protect black and coloured people in Britain from discrimination in employment so that no future events similar to those in Bristol would occur
• TGWU (Transport and General Workers’ Union) attacked Paul Stephenson and the leading boycotters in the press
  [] Stephenson sued for libel and won; first black person to do so
• 28 August 1963
  [] Bristol Omnibus Company scraps the colour bar
• September 1963
  [] the first coloured bus conductor in Bristol (Raghbir Singh) since the colour ban in 1955 hired

Question 10

Describe the impacts and significance of the Bristol Bus Boycott, 1963

Answer 10

• the support for the boycott across race in Bristol contributed to the government passing the Race Relations Act of 1965, banning discrimination and colour bars in employment
  [] meant that more opportunities in higher positions of work were available to migrants from all over the world; led to an increase of migration to Britain in the following years
  [] though banning legal discrimination, didn’t ban unofficial colour bars via racism of company employees in charge of interviewing candidates etc., so actual progress in terms of increasing opportunities for the non-white population of Britain and Bristol was slow
• raised a lot of publicity about racism in employment and in Bristol generally, leading to a shift in (younger) British public opinion towards racism and those who perpetuated it
  [] shown by white participation (largely Bristol University students and tutors) in the Bristol Bus Boycott
• led to Bristol becoming one of the first cities in Britain to have a Race Equality Council
  [] Roy Hackett served on this for 40 years
  [] worked to improve housing and education for the migrant community
• increase of rights and protections for the non-white communities in Bristol led to some tension between white residents and the coloured residents
  [] April 1980, riot after police raid on a café in St Paul’s; shows the effect of authorities supporting or acting in racist ways for legitimising and perpetuating racism - led to government placing more emphasis on clearing racism from the police force and law etc. - 1981, sus law repealed (affected many black people as shown by the police raids on black cafes, so was huge win)
• encouraged celebration of diversity in Bristol
  [] made Bristol a popular place for prospective non-white migrants due to the safety and community present

Question 11

Describe the causes for the Bristol Bus Boycott and their significance

Answer 11

• 1955, Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU) introduced a colour ban on bus officials, supported by the Bristol Omnibus Company
  [] rare; elsewhere in Britain, black transport workers were commonplace
• October 1961, manager of the BOC told the Bristol Evening Post that the Bristol black population weren’t good enough to work with the company
• WIDC advised by Paul Stephenson to expose definitively the BOC’s racism by putting forward a candidate so good that the only reason for not hiring him would be racism
  [] put forward Guy Bailey, who was immediately accepted for an interview upon a reading of his resume due to glowing references and dedication as a student
  [] Stephenson called the BOC upon hearing that Bailey had secured an interview and informed them that he was black; Bailey’s interview was immediately cancelled, PROVING the racism

Question 12

Describe the legacies of the migrant communities in Bristol today

Answer 12

• 1990s, around 5000 Somali refugees moved to Bristol to escape violence after a coup
  [] now, around 20 000 people in Bristol are of Somali descent
  [] annual Somali festivals hosted in Bristol
• murals for the “seven saints of St Paul’s” commemorating those who led the Bristol Bus Boycott and fought against racism in Bristol can be seen
  [] Owen Henry, Roy Hackett and Barbara Dettering (a WIDC/social worker in St Paul’s for 18 years) are 3 of the 7 commemorated
• 1968, Roy Hackett set up first St Paul’s festival
  [] music played and home-cooked food sold out of St Paul’s residents’ gardens and homes
  [] by 2010, attracted thousands of people annually
  [] July 1979, African and Caribbean music artists invited to play and some of the festivals had themes like “Survival” and “Resistance” responding to current events involving Britain’s black community
  [] from 1991, became known as the St Paul’s Carnival