Nominated by
FHALMA: Friends of the Huntley Archives at LMA Foundation
FHALMA’s vision is to amplify the legacy of Guyanese-born publishing pioneers, Jessica and Eric Huntley, their vital contributions to Black British and African heritage as exemplified by their radical black publishing company, Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications, and to make the stories of their leadership, engagement and involvement in educational initiatives and political activities widely available to an intergenerational audience. The Huntley Archives, deposited at City of London, London Metropolitan Archives, comprise one of the largest collections of Caribbean and African cultural heritage, reflecting fifty years of radical, Black British heritage.
FHALMA is proud to have nominated activist, educationalist, internationally-acclaimed writer and historian Stella Dadzie. Her deep level of influence has manifested itself across forty years as a constant, compelling radical voice, championing progressive black feminist perspectives – especially critical at a time when the prevailing climate supported aggressive racist behaviours and disenfranchisement of Black British communities.
Known for her early involvement in the black women’s movements in the 1970s, Dadzie was a founding member of the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD), through which her work in providing spaces and platforms for sharing the stories of womanist struggles acted as a politically authoritative banner in exposing ingrained attitudes and barriers to womanist empowerment. Together with Beverley Bryan and Suzanne Scafe, she co-authored The Heart of the Race (1985), a corrective approach that re-positioned and elevated the role of black women in Britain. Most recently, Dadzie wrote about enslaved West Indian women and their struggle for freedom in A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance.
An activist academic, Dadzie has written widely on curriculum development, advocating progressive anti-racist strategies as good learning practices within schools, colleges and youth services.