Leighton Rhett Radford "Darcus" Howe (26 February 1943 – 1 April 2017)"Civil rights activist Darcus Howe dies aged 74"
, BBC News, 2 April 2017. was a British broadcaster, writer and racial justice campaigner. Originally from

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, Howe arrived in England as a teenager in 1961, intending to study law and settling in London. There he joined the

British Black Panthers The British Black Panthers (BBP) or the British Black Panther movement (BPM) was a Black Power organisation in the United Kingdom that fought for the rights of black people and racial minorities in the country. The BBP were inspired by the US ...

, a group named in sympathy with the US

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...

. He came to public attention in 1970 as one of the nine protestors, known as the

Mangrove Nine The Mangrove Nine were a group of British black activists tried for inciting a riot at a 1970 protest against the police targeting of The Mangrove, a Caribbean restaurant in Notting Hill, West London. Their trial lasted 55 days and involved vari ...

, arrested and tried on charges that included conspiracy to incite a riot, following a protest against repeated police raids of

The Mangrove The Mangrove was a Caribbean restaurant in Notting Hill, London, England. It was founded in 1968 and run by civil rights activist Frank Crichlow, eventually closing in 1992. It is known for the trial of a group of British black activists dubbed ...

restaurant in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

, London. They were all acquitted of the most serious charges and the trial became the first judicial acknowledgement of behaviour (the repeated raids) motivated by racial hatred, rather than legitimate

crime control Crime control refers to methods taken to reduce crime in a society. Crime control standardizes police work. Crime prevention is also widely implemented in some countries, through government police and, in many cases, private policing methods such ...

, within the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

. In 1981, he organised a 20,000-strong "Black People's Day of Action" in protest at the handling of the investigation into the

New Cross house fire The New Cross house fire was a fire that occurred during a party at a house in New Cross, south-east London, in the early hours of Sunday, 18 January 1981. The blaze killed 13 young black people aged between 14 and 22, and one survivor took his ...

, in which 13 black teenagers died. Howe was an editor of ''

Race Today ''Race Today'' was a monthly (later bimonthly) British political magazine. Launched in 1969 by the Institute of Race Relations, it was from 1973 published by the ''Race Today'' Collective, which included figures such as Darcus Howe, Farrukh Dh ...

'', and chairman of the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1966

. He was best known as a television broadcaster in the UK for his ''

Black on Black ''Black on Black'' is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1982 in music, 1982. Background By 1981, Jennings excessive lifestyle had caught up to him financially. Despite a string of #1 albums and ...

'' series on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

, his current affairs programme ''Devil's Advocate'', and his work with

Tariq Ali Tariq Ali (; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and con ...

on '' Bandung File''. His television work also included ''White Tribe'' (2000), a look at modern Britain and its loss of "Englishness"; ''Slave Nation'' (2001); ''Who You Callin' a Nigger?'' (2004); and ''Is This My Country?'' (2006), a search for his West Indian identity.Vallely, Paul
"Darcus Howe: The bruiser"
, ''The Independent'', 21 October 2005. He was a

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

for the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' and ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

''.

Early life, activism and writing

Leighton Rhett Radford Howe"Darcus Howe Papers, 1965–2008"
, Columbia University Libraries.Bunce, Robin, and Paul Field
"Darcus Howe obituary"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 3 April 2017. . was born in

Moruga The village of Moruga lies on the central south coast of Trinidad at the western end of the Trinity Hills. It is in Victoria County, Trinidad and Tobago, and is served by the Princes Town Regional Corporation. The village is close to Trinidad' ...

in Trinidad, the son of teacher Lucille (''née'' Rudder) and Cipriani Howe, an Anglican priest. Howe was schooled in

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

Queen's Royal College Queen's Royal College ( St.Clair, Trinidad), referred to for short as QRC, or "The College" by alumni, is a secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Originally a boarding school and grammar school, the secular college is selective and noted for it ...

(QRC), where he won a scholarship. At the age of 18, after leaving QRC, Howe moved to England, arriving on the SS ''Antilles'' at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

on 11 April 1961, after a two-week journey, and taking a train on to

London Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a London station group, central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo, London, Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connecte ...

.Bunce, Robin, and Paul Field
''Darcus Howe: A Political Biography''
London: Bloomsbury, 2014, p. 23. He intended to study law, but after two years at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

he left, becoming more involved with journalism. In 1969, he returned to Trinidad, where his uncle and mentor, radical intellectual

C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, '' The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are i ...

, inspired him to combine writing with political activism. A brief spell as assistant editor on the ''Vanguard'', weekly newspaper of the

Oilfields Workers' Trade Union The Oilfields Workers' Trade Union or OWTU is one of the most powerful trade unions in Trinidad and Tobago. Currently led by Ancel Roget, the union was born out of the 1937 labour riots, the union was nominally led by the imprisoned TUB Butl ...

, was followed by a return to Britain.Howe, Darcus
"Nelson Mandela, CLR James and the Brixton radicals: how South Africa inspired South London"
, '' Red Pepper'', 6 December 2013. Howe became a member of the British Black Panther Movement, and adopted the nickname "Darcus" around that time. In the summer of 1970 he took part in a protest against the frequent police raids of the Mangrove restaurant in Notting Hill, where he worked on the till. The restaurant had become a meeting place for black people, serving as what Howe called the "headquarters of radical chic". It was raided 12 times between January 1969 and July 1970 by police looking for drugs, and so 150 demonstrators marched on the local police station in protest, a demonstration that ended in violence. Six weeks later, Howe and eight others (the Mangrove Nine) were arrested for riot, affray and assault. In what would come to be considered a landmark case, Howe elected to represent himself. He and four of his co-defendants were acquitted of all charges after a 55-day trial in 1971 at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

, which included an unsuccessful demand by Howe for an all-black jury, and fighting in the dock when some of the defendants tried to punch the prison officers. The judge stated that there was "evidence of racial hatred on both sides". From 1973 to 1985, Howe served as editor of the magazine ''

'' (1973–88), which was originally connected with the

Institute of Race Relations The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is a think tank based in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1958 in order to publish research on race relations worldwide, and in 1972 was transformed into an "anti-racist think tank". Proposed by ''Sund ...

. As Howe recalled in 2013:

When the institute set up ''Race Today'', it began by publishing mainly academic articles on the colonial territories. It later focused on British immigration, especially the children of the first generation, from India, Pakistan, Africa and the Caribbean. After a shift on the council in a more radical direction, they appointed me, the first black editor. We turned it into a radical black newspaper. We moved it to
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
, reoriented the whole journal, and worked with ex-Panthers who'd squatted in Brixton, including the writer and activist
Farrukh Dhondy Farrukh Dhondy (born 1944) is an Indian-born British writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist who resides in the United Kingdom. Education Dhondy was born in 1944 in Poona, India, where he attended The Bishop's School, and obtai ...
. The intention was to be aggressively campaigning, and to 'record and recognise' the emerging struggles in the black community.

The Brixton-based ''Race Today'' Collective also included

Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poet and activist. In 2002 he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series. His ...

, Barbara Beese, and others. Howe's successor as editor, Leila Hassan, would eventually become his third wife. In 1977, Howe was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

, after a racially motivated altercation at a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

Station, but was released upon appeal after protests over his arrest. Linton Kwesi Johnson contributed a song, "Man Free (For Darcus Howe)", to the campaign for his release. Howe was involved over many years with the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1966

, both as a participant — in 1971 he founded the Renegades steelband, sponsored by ''Race Today'' and eventually called Mangrove/Renegades — and as Chair of the Carnival Development Committee, elected in April 1977.

Broadcasting

In 1982, Howe began his broadcasting career on

's television series ''

'', was subsequently co-editor with

of '' Bandung File'' (1985–91) and later ''White Tribe'', a look at modern-day Britain and its loss of "Englishness". Howe continued to write in the ''

'' and fronted the

current affairs programme ''Devil's Advocate''. He was a

keynote speaker A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework f ...

at the 2005

Belfast Film Festival The Belfast Film Festival is Northern Ireland's largest film festival, attracting over 25,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1995, the festival has grown to include the Docs Ireland international documentary festival, as well as an Audi ...

's "Film and Racism" seminar and presented his documentary ''Who You Callin' a Nigger?'' at the festival. In October 2005, Howe presented a Channel 4 documentary entitled ''Son of Mine'', about his troubled relationship with his 20-year-old son Amiri, who had been caught handling stolen passports, shoplifting, and accused of attempted rape, of which Amiri was later found innocent at the

. Howe appeared on the discussion programme ''Midweek'' (on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

) to promote the documentary on 19 October 2005 and, live on air, became involved in an angry debate with American

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

. The dispute began when Howe suggested that Rivers was offended by the use of the term "Black"; Rivers objected strongly to the suggestion that she was racist and accused Howe of having a "chip on his shoulder". ''Is This My Country?'' ( Paul Yule, 2006) was a reflection on his life and a search for his West Indian identity in the face of strident calls for assertions of "Britishness" by the political elite. Howe was one of several public figures who fell foul of satirist and prankster Chris Morris on Morris's show ''

Brass Eye ''Brass Eye'' is a British satirical television series parodying current affairs news programming. A series of six episodes aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001. The series was created and presented by Chris Morris, written ...

'', in the final episode, "Decline". Instead of a legitimate interview, Morris hurled a volley of degrading insults at him, before quickly apologising and claiming to have mistakenly read out the introduction to

Robert Elms Robert Frederick Elms (born 12 June 1959) is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for ''The Face'' magazine in the 1980s and is currently known for his long-running radio show on BBC Radio London. His book, ''The Way We Wore'', ...

2011 BBC interview

Howe was interviewed by

Fiona Armstrong Fiona Armstrong, Lady MacGregor (born 28 November 1956), is a British television journalist and is Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries. She is also the author of several books and has written for newspapers and made television programmes on Scottish to ...

for

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

on 9 August 2011 at the time of the

2011 England riots The 2011 England riots, more widely known as the London riots, were a series of riots between 6 and 11 August 2011. Thousands of people rioted in cities and towns across England, which saw looting, arson, as well as mass deployment of police ...

. During the interview, Armstrong twice referred to him as "Marcus Dowe", then asked: "You are not a stranger to riots yourself, I understand, are you? You have taken part in them yourself." Howe denied this, saying: "I have never taken part in a single riot. I've been part of demonstrations that ended up in a conflict. Have some respect for an old

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

, and stop accusing me of being a rioter. Because you wanted for me to get abusive, you just sound idiotic—have some respect." The BBC apologised for any offence the interview caused, and said "it had not intended to show him any disrespect". Asked about the unfolding situation in London, Howe discussed the

death of Mark Duggan Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

: "What I am not – what I'm concerned about more than anything else, there's a young man called Mark Duggan. He has parents, he has brothers, he has sisters, and two yards away from where he lives, a police officer blew his head off."

Marriage, children and death

Howe was married three times and had seven children. Howe was married to the British editor and activist Leila Hassan, who succeeded him as editor of ''Race Today''. The 2005 Channel 4 documentary ''Son of Mine'' examines Howe's relationship with his 20-year-old son Amiri Howe, who faced jail for charges related to stolen passports. Howe's daughter

Tamara Howe Tamara Howe (born November 1965)"Tamara Howe"
at IMDb. is a British television production ma ...

was a director of production for

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 unt ...

before moving to the BBC, where she rose to be Controller of Business, Comedy & Entertainment, Television. Howe also had a relationship with fellow Black Panther and Mangrove Nine member Barbara Beese, and they have a son, Darcus Beese, who is president of

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. Howe was diagnosed with

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

in April 2007 and he subsequently campaigned for more men to get tested. He died aged 74 on 1 April 2017, at his home in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, London, where he lived with his wife Leila Howe. An event in his honour, "Tribute to Darcus, Man Free", took place at the Black Cultural Archives on Sunday, 9 April. On 20 April, his funeral service was held at

All Saints Notting Hill All Saints Notting Hill is a Church of England parish church in Talbot Road, Notting Hill, London. It is a Victorian Gothic Revival stone building with polychromatic decoration. The west tower has five stages with the stump of a spire, and the ...

Church, following the cortege's procession through Brixton, with wreath-laying at the

Railton Road Railton Road runs between Brixton and Herne Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth. The road is designated the B223. At the northern end of Railton Road it becomes Atlantic Road, linking to Brixton Road at a junction where the Brixton tube stat ...

building where the ''Race Today'' collective was formerly based. Those who gave spoken tributes and eulogies at the church included his daughter Tamara and

Farrukh Dhondy Farrukh Dhondy (born 1944) is an Indian-born British writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist who resides in the United Kingdom. Education Dhondy was born in 1944 in Poona, India, where he attended The Bishop's School, and obtai ...

. A note of condolence from

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...

was read out.

Academic legacy

''Darcus Howe: a Political Biography'', by Robin Bunce of

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and human rights activist Paul Field, was published in 2013 by

Bloomsbury Academic Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a ...

, and in a 2017 paperback edition entitled ''Renegade: The Life and Times of Darcus Howe''. The Darcus Howe Papers – containing "correspondence, writings, interview transcripts, court reports and transcripts, printed material, and audio and video tapes regarding the life and work of journalist and activist, Darcus Howe—a British citizen and native of Trinidad" – are archived at

Columbia University Libraries Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University and one of the largest academic library systems in North America. With 15.0 million volumes and over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources ...

In popular media

Howe appears in the 1973

Franco Rosso Franco Rosso (29 August 1941 – 9 December 2016)Bill Douglas Centre"Franco Rosso 1942-2016" ''Babylon'', 27 December 2016.Martin Stellman"Franco Rosso obituary" ''The Guardian'', 2 January 2017. was an Italian-born film producer and director ...

and

John La Rose John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

documentary film ''The Mangrove Nine''. Actor

Malachi Kirby Malachi Kirby is a British actor and writer. He gained prominence through his roles in the 2016 ''Roots'' remake and the ''Black Mirror'' episode " Men Against Fire". He earned a BAFTA for his performance in '' Small Axe'': ''Mangrove''. Early ...

portrays Howe in the ''

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

'' episode of

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

's 2020 film anthology/television miniseries '' Small Axe''.

wrote about Darcus Howe in the song “Man Free” on his album ''

Dread Beat an' Blood ''Dread Beat an' Blood'' is the debut album by Poet and the Roots released in 1978 on the Front Line label. It was produced by Vivian Weathers and Linton Kwesi Johnson. The "Poet" is dub poet Johnson and "the Roots" are Dennis Bovell, Lloyd "J ...

Selected bibliography

* ''Black Sections in the Labour Party'', London: Creation for Liberation, 1985. * ''President Nyerere in Conversation with Darcus Howe and Tariq Ali'', London: Creation for Liberation, 1986. * ''From Bobby to Babylon: Blacks and the British Police'', London: Race Today Publications, 1988. As editor * '' The Road Make to Walk on Carnival Day: The Battle for the West Indian Carnival in Britain'', London: Race Today Collective, 1977. * With

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

, ''C. L. R. James's 80th Birthday Lectures'', London: Creation for Liberation, 1984.

References

External links

*, BlackinBritain.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
"Darcus Howe and Britain's Black Power movement"
1900–2000s, ''Our Migration Story''. * Christian Høgsbjerg
"Darcus Howe: Black Power in the New Left"
(obituary), '' Socialist Review'' 424 (May 2017).
"A Political Life - Darcus Howe and Robin Bunce"
YouTube video, 10 August 2015. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Darcus 1943 births 2017 deaths Alumni of Queen's Royal College, Trinidad Black British activists Black British television personalities Black British writers British anti-racism activists British broadcasters British columnists British male journalists British people convicted of assault British television presenters British writers English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Members of the Middle Temple Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United Kingdom Trinidad and Tobago journalists