63 years ago today a vicious series of racist attacks were launched on the Black Caribbean population of the Notting Hill area of North Kensington in west London. White mobs led by groups of youths known as "Teddy Boys" attacked the homes of Black people while making threats to kill them. As a result, local Black men organized themselves to defend their community. The London Metropolitan Police completely ignored the racist nature of the violence, blaming it on "hooliganism" leading to a culture of distrust towards the police amongst London's Black community which continues today. In 2002 documents were released that revealed that the police had deliberately ignored the racist nature of the violence.

Following the end of the Second World War Britain faced a severe labor shortage and Black migrants from the Caribbean were invited to fill vacancies in crucial jobs in transport and the new National Health Service amongst others. Under the 1948 British Nationality Act those living in British colonies had the same rights as British citizens including the right to settle in the United Kingdom. Those who arrived from the Caribbean during this period became known as The Windrush Generation after the famous ship that brought Caribbean migrants to Tilbury Docks in 1948. However rather than being welcomed for their contribution they faced fear, suspicion, and hostility tensions that exploded in August 1958.

Following the riots efforts to exploit the unrest by the fascist Oswald Mosley failed and The Notting Hill Carnival organized by Caribbean communist Claudia Jones emerged, eventually becoming one of the largest street parties in the world. However, the area caught the world's attention again in 2017 when the Grenfell Tower disaster happened just over the road from where the 1958 riots started.

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#BlackHistory #Riot #AntiRacism