Olive Morris
Photo: by unknown photographer, c.1978 © London Borough of Lambeth
Country: Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica/London, Brixton, United Kingdom
Location: United Kingdom
ABOUT
Olive Morris (June 26, 1952-July 12, 1979) was a Jamaican-born, British political activist, and feminist leader who was active in the British Civil Rights Movement and the feminist and squatters' movements.
Biography by Jaedyn Griddine
Photo of Olive Morris. Retrieved from “My heart will always be in Brixton: Olive Morris; An exhibition of artwork by Linett Kamala inspired by the activism of Olive Morris.” Black Cultural Archives.
Olive Morris was a political force to be reckoned with. She’s known by her loved ones and her found communities as determined and selfless, with a boundless consideration for the lives of poor, Black and unhoused communities. Though her countless actions toward social justice are documented today, as they will be here as well, Morris worked somewhat anonymously during her life, caring more about the impact than any recognition.
Morris began her life in Harewood, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, as one of five children to Doris and Vincent Morris. She was partially raised by her maternal grandmother during her youth, as her parents left the island for Great Britain during her early years; her and her brother later joined them when Morris was 9 years old. Young Morris entered into a highly tumultuous British society, as fascist groups like the National Front and segregationist politicians like Enoch Powell were gaining popularity, and there were racial disparities in housing and the workforce. Though Morris received a formal education, she left secondary school at age 16 before completion. She was recruited by the Black Panther Youth League just a year later. It was at this time when she exhibited one of her first instances of ground-level activism; at the young age of 17, Morris intercepted an arrest attempt during a case of racial profiling under the British ‘sus’ law against Nigerian diplomat Clement Gomwalk. Morris and several others were brutalized and reprimanded by police. This incident, along with Morris’ own personal experiences with racism and racial profiling, and her newfound membership in the Black Panther Party, radicalized her and gave her the impetus to center her life around political activism.
Morris’ life, albeit short, was full of establishing moments. In 1973, after some time in the British Black Panther Movement (BPP), Morris created the Brixton Black Women’s Group (BBWG) as a forum to discuss Black women’s experiences in the BPP. In this same year, Morris became a leading figure in the squatters’ rights movement, as she squatted in a building with her friend, Obi, that later became a hub for squatter activists to organize, and eventually became Sabaar Bookshop, a Black community bookstore and social center. She, along with other activists, also helped create the Manchester Black Women's Co-operative and the Black Women's Mutual Aid Group, and even helped found a supplementary school for disadvantaged Black children.
In addition to engaging in praxis, Morris also made significant contributions to radical literature and academia. She resumed schooling in 1975 at Manchester University, where she worked with the National Coordinating Committee of Overseas Students. After graduating, she co-founded the Organization for Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD), where she became editor of their magazine entitled FOWAD!. She also contributed to the BBWG’s newsletter, entitled Speak Out!, most notably with her article A Sister’s Visit to China, which explored community organization in the Communist nation. She continued writing, organizing, and working at the Brixton Community Law Centre to abolish the ‘sus laws’ until her untimely death in 1979. She is survived by the Lambeth Archives, which house her manuscripts at the Minet Library in South London, UK. The Remembering Olive Collective (est. 2008) continues to remember her legacy, and she is even featured on the Brixton pound note.
Graphic of Olive Morris by Sed Miles.
Graphics of Olive Morris by Sed Miles.
Sources:
Olive Elaine Morris by Virgillo Hunter
Remember Olive Morris Collective. Do You Remember Olive Morris?
Overlooked No More: How Olive Morris Fought for Black Women’s Rights in Britain by Amie Tsang
Olive Morris, Activist, and Feminist born by African American Registry
Olive Elaine Morris by Emma Allotey
Sus Law by Wikipedia
Brixton Black Women’s Group. (1984). Black Women Organizing. Feminist Review, 17, 84–89. https://doi.org/10.2307/1395018
Archives of Olive Morris:
London Consortium TV. "Do You Remember Olive Morris?" Vimeo .Leandro Cardoso and James Wilkes.
Papers related to Olive Morris. Black Cultural Archives.
