George Powe
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Oswald George Powe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 August 1926 Spanish Town, Jamaica |
| Died | 9 September 2013 Nottingham, England |
| Education | Electrical engineering, Kingston Technical School |
| Known for | Labour activism, anti-racism |
Oswald George Powe (known as George Powe[1]) was a Jamaican-born, England-based, radar operator, electrician, teacher, writer and racial equality activist.[2][3][4]
Early life
Oswald George Powe was born on 11 August 1926 in Spanish Town, Jamaica. His parents were, Richard Pow, a Chinese migrant to Jamaica, and Leonora Sinclair.[5] At the age of five he attended the Kingston Chinese school, thereafter St Ann's Elementary School in Kingston. Later he studied electrical engineering at Kingston Technical School before volunteering to join the Royal Air Force (RAF). He joined the RAF at the age of 17 by lying about his age, in 1944.[5][6]
Work
Upon joining the RAF Powe was first posted to Scotland, and later relocated to Wiltshire where he was trained as a radar operator. Later the RAF posted him to Filey, Yorkshire. He stayed working for the RAF until he was demobilised in Jamaica in 1948.[5][1][7][6] On 2 October 1948 he travelled on the SS Orbita to Liverpool, and later got a job as an electrician’s mate in Birmingham.[8] In 1969 he trained as a teacher and subsequently taught mathematics at Robert Mellors School in Nottingham.[5] He retired in 1983.[1]
Activism
In 1956 Powe campaigned for bike manufacturer Raleigh Industries to improve their recruitment policies for Black workers. His successful campaign, which included arranging the threat of a Jamaican trade embargo,[5] resulted in Raleigh eventually becoming one of the major employers of Black people in Nottingham.[9][2][3][4]
In 1956[5] Powe authored Don’t Blame the Blacks, a publication about the UK's complicated relationship with other Commonwealth countries.[9][3] In the 1960s he was a leader in the campaign against a local pub that refused to serve Black people.[9] In 1964 Powe was a key part of a campaign to push Nottingham City Council to abolish their practice of channeling all labour complains from Black workers though a specific welfare officer, rather than deal directly with the complainants.[9] He was a key part of founding the African Caribbean National Artistic Centre, now one of the UK's oldest Black community centres.[9] In 2011 Powe donated to the Nottingham Black Archive.[9]
Political career
After initially joining the Communist Party,[1] from 1963 to 1966 Powe was elected as the Labour Party local councilor for Long Eaton in Derbyshire. From 1971 he was the Labour councilor for Nottinghamshire County Council,[1][10] making him one of the first Black Labour Councilors in the UK[9] and the first in Greater Nottingham.[5]
In 1972, Powe was the chairman of a committee who successfully campaigned for better treatment of Pakistani workers at Nottingham textile company Crepe Sizes Ltd.[11]
Personal life
Powe had five children with Barbara Florence Pool, who he met in 1948, one of whom died at a young age. They separated in 1970 and divorced in 1977. He married Jill Westby in 1982.[5][1] Powe died on 9 September 2013,[5] aged 87.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Westby, Jill (2013-11-04). "George Powe obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b Pittam, David (2018-08-22). "'Historic' Notts manufacturing giant's HQ becomes listed building". NottinghamshireLive. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b c "Don't Blame the Blacks Exhibition Highlights Extraordinary Activism of Oswald George Powe". LeftLion. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b Jessel, Ella (2018-08-22). "Art Deco airport terminal in Birmingham among latest batch of listings". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Oswald George Powe - RAF Recruits". African Stories in Hull & East Yorkshire. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b "Issue 15 Extra - Powe meets Africanus". Dawn of the Unread. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "BBC Radio Nottingham - Reya El-Salahi, Pilots of the Caribbean: honouring the RAF servicemen - Nottingham". BBC. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "The Discovery Service". The National Archives. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g Banjoko, Panya. "The UK needs more regional Black archives so it can celebrate Black British history in its entirety". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Nottinghamshire County Council - Election Results 1973-2009" (PDF). The Elections Centre, Plymouth University.
- ^ "Pakistani Workers Win Lenton Strike" (PDF). Nottingham Worker. 29 June 1972.
External links
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