Introduction

Rising out of the need for self-representation and the fight against European colonialism, the black British press has since its inception been rooted in several connected struggles. They are: the push for African and Caribbean independence, and the creation of a collective cultural and political black identity based in African roots; the formation of community and belonging for largely Caribbean immigrants following the post-Second World War mass migration, and the reflection and reinforcement of identity for black British-born citizens outside of white political, social, economic and cultural hegemony.

However, it has not only played a pivotal role in addressing issues of liberation and community building, but also in helping to define the public discourse surrounding the definition of what it means to be both black and British, not just for blacks, but for the entire British society.

This chapter examines the history of black British newspapers and periodicals through these three distinct periods of social change and the critical role they have played in each of them.

The Beginnings

The dawn of the twentieth century heralded a new era for black people in Britain. They were beginning to form a collective identity. Key to that formation was the emergence of a black-owned and oriented press transmitting black experiences. The first such publication, the Pan African, was created by Trinidadian lawyer and activist Henry Sylvester Williams in 1901, a year after he organised the first pan-African Conference in London in 1900 and, like many of its successors, the journal served primarily as a tool for a political and social movement. Its aim was to speak on behalf of Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora. At the top of its agenda was securing freedom from British rule. However, focus was also given to addressing negative stereotypes of blacks all over the world (Vassell and Burroughs 2014).

Williams, who had studied at King's College London, was secretary of the African Association. Supporting himself by lecturing for the Church of England Temperance Society and the National Thrift Society, Williams denounced colonial rule as a ‘heartless system … a synonym for racial contempt’ (Kegan as cited in Fryer 1984).