The History Hotline

"This was a continuation of the British Caribbean Experience: fighting with Britain during global wars, and during times of peace fighting British authorities for justice."

This week I am joined by author Colin Douglas discussing his book 'The Caribbean and the Second World War'. We discuss the long military history in the region and the various ways the Caribbean were a part of the global conflict. We discuss the Caribbean as an im...

In November 2023, Hannah Gaffey on her flight to Kingston, Jamaica witnessed what she believed to be a deportation. After standing with other passengers to stop the plane taking off, the passenger then unknown to her was removed from the flight along with the 6 security personnel that were attempting to restrain him across the back row of a packed flight full of holiday makers.

In this episode we'll be talking about the deportation,...

This week I'm joined by Rebecca Adams, archivist at the Stuart Hall Archives housed at the University of Birmingham. We talk about the importance of archiving Black life in Britain and how it informs our historical research. The life of the educational psychologist Mollie Hunte and why she remains relatively unknown despite her tremendous contribution to British society. We also talk about access and the way you as members of the p...

Live events: The Imperial War Museum live show, 4pm, 19th October 2024.

This week I'm joined by Paul Henriques to speak about the financial savings system Pardna, it's been successfully used all over the world and now it's in app form. Listen in to find out more about how Caribbean people in Britain used pardna to achieve their money savings goals and how it can be used a financial literacy tool today.

To find out more about Pardna:

W...

Live events: The Imperial War Museum live show, 4pm, 19th October 2024.

Articles Cited: Amelia Gentleman: 'Home Office forced to release critical report on origins of Windrush scandal'

Wawrick Mansel, 'Jamaican teachers at leading UK academy chain paid less than their British colleagues'

Prof. Gus John, 'Jamaica needs teachers, yet England poaches them and classrooms lie empty. How can that be right?'

Keep up with us here. Episodes wil...

Live events: The Imperial War Museum live show, 4pm, 19th October 2024

Just an episode full of the books I'm currently reading, some Black British History and some not so much. Books mentioned:

1. Blazing Trails: Stories of a Heroic Generation - Gus John
2. Multicultural Britain: A People's History - Kieran Connell
3. The Caribbean and the Second World War - Colin Douglas
4. Black Women Always: Conversations on Life, Culture & Creativity
5. The...

Live events: The Imperial War Museum live show, 4pm, 19th October 2024.

On today’s episode I will be thinking about the far right. I’ll be continuing to think about this idea of 'little change' from last week and into next week. We'll be looking at the longer history of anti-immigrant sentiment in politics and the history of far riot uprisings.

Racism Runs Riot by Dr Lambros Fatsis

The Windrush story was not a rosy one even before th...

Live events: The live podcast show at Kings Place, 2pm on 15th September 2024. The Imperial War Museum live show, 4pm, 19th October 2024.

On today’s episode I will be thinking about policing Notting Hill Carnival. I’ll be continuing to think about this idea of 'little change' from last week and into next week. We'll be looking at media portrayals as well as the 1976 and 1977 Notting Hill Carnival riots.

Keep up with us here. Episodes...

Live events: The live podcast show at Kings Place, 2pm on 15th September 2024. The Imperial War Museum live show, 4pm, 19th October 2024.

On today’s episode I will be thinking about policing and how little has changed since my grandparents came in the 1950s and 1960s. I’ll be thinking about this idea of 'little change' in the next few episodes. The next two episodes will largely focus on policing and then we will look into politics,...

This week's episode discusses the current racial climate in the UK with the far-right taking to the streets in the name of 'protecting Britain', whilst burning hotels and libraries, vandalising public and private property and causing chaos and inflicting violence. We talk about this within the context of Jamaican Independence (shoutout to all those who celebrate) and what it means for the descendants of formerly colonised people to...

This week we are joined by special guest Donald Campbell of The Forgotten Generations. TFG founded June 2021, is a not-for-profit organisation with aims and objectives to provide historical and current information of British African and Caribbean people for educational purposes. It was a pleasure to talk to Donald about his work collecting the stories of generations past and present and his own life migrating to Britain as a child ...

On this week’s episode of The History Hotline, I am joined by Kandace Chimbiri, children’s author and speaker dedicated to teaching children (and adults) about modern and ancient Black history. We spoke about her love of Black History, from ancient African civilisations to the post-war migrations from the Caribbean to Britain and everything in between.

UK listeners can get Kandace's books at Black and anti-racist bookshops such as N...

The Black People's Day of Action (1981) was a direct response to the New Cross Massacre that led to the deaths of 14 young Black people in New Cross, South London, 1981. This week I am thinking about the mobilisations and uprising of people we are currently witnessing across University campuses and in wider society... the response to a people that do not feel heard or seen. I will be contextualising these thoughts in the wider hist...

This week's episode features the brilliant Alexandria Miller who is a historian, writer, and multimedia documentarian who is passionate about capturing Caribbean stories. This episode we talk about our academic journeys, doing a PhD and some of the differences in studying Caribbean history for a US vs UK perspective. We discuss Alexandria's work on Jamaican women and her motivations for researching a community so close to home. You...

On Thursday 14th March, in a landmark decision the UK’s privy council overturned the murder conviction of the Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, impacting also the ruling on his three co-defendants: Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John. 

It was overturned due to findings that the original conviction was compromised due to juror misconduct, during the 2014 trial. Vybz Kartel at this point has been in prison since 2...