Our central theme is around Black Power Women and their roles in Black Education Movements – featuring Jessica’s community leadership and educational legacy and drawing on other stories from the archives and experiences from feminist education activists

Jessica Huntley’s gaze reveals her passion for young people’s education. She believed in helping young people to learn about themselves and their heritage by advocating for an education in Black history.  Among the many activities that she got involved in included her galvanising of the Black community in countering the rise of the draconian, systemically racist and unfair practices that saw African Caribbean heritage pupils classified as educationally sub-normal, excluded from local schools and ‘bussed’ out of their neighbourhoods.

Through lobbying the Caribbean Education and Community Workers Association, Jessica was an instrumental force in fighting against the unfounded stigma of ‘sub-normal’. She supported the proposal for research to discredit those racist theories. This direct activism and her encouragement of Bernard Coard led to his seminal book, How the West Indian Child Is Made Educationally Sub-normal in the British School System, which was eventually published by New Beacon Books (1971).

Check back in November for updates on the programme

Acknowledgments

We are thankful for the generous support we have received from City of London/LMA. We could not stage the conference without the in-kind support, the skills and help from the amazing team of FHALMA volunteers and the generosity of our speakers and contributors. Huge Appreciation and thanks.