Peter Blackman (1909–1993) was a Caribbean communist, scholar, civil rights activist, and Christian missionary. After challenging a racist rule in which white missionaries earned more than their black counterparts, Blackman resigned as a priest and dedicated himself to both communism and black civil rights activism. He was a key member of the

Negro Welfare Association The Negro Welfare Association (NWA) was one of the most prominent Black British organizations in the 1930s. Calling "for the complete liberation and independence of all Negroes who are suffering from capitalist exploitation and imperialist dominati ...

and the

League of Coloured Peoples The League of Coloured Peoples (LCP) was a British civil-rights organization that was founded in 1931 in London by Jamaican-born physician and campaigner Harold Moody with the goal of racial equality around the world, a primary focus being on bl ...

, and an active member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). During his career as a Communist Party activist, he became close friends with American civil rights leaders

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...

and

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...

. Blackman worked as a radio broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for their Caribbean services; however, in 1950 he was fired from his job for having communist beliefs. Afterwards, he joined the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and volunteered to write letters for people with learning disabilities. In his later life he dedicated his time to writing poetry.

Early life and education

Blackman was born in

Saint John, Barbados The parish of Saint John (St. John) is a parish of Barbados on the eastern side of the island. It is home to one of its secondary schools, The Lodge School. It is home to the St. John's Parish Church, which has a scenic view of the Atlantic Ocea ...

, in 1909, his mother was a laundress and his father was a stonemason, all of whom lived in one of the poorest parts of Barbados. Their family lived on the grounds of a Caribbean Anglican Church, which influenced Blackman's religious beliefs at a young age. The church provided Blackman with an education of a far higher quality than most of his black peers in Barbados were able to access, and he was given an education at Harrison College, where he learned

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and also was educated in theology. He later attended

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

where he obtained a degree in

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

Anglican priesthood

Blackman became an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

in 1933, and was sent as a missionary to the country of

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

in 1935. Soon he realised that black priests such as himself were being paid less than their white counterparts as a part of a racist rule upheld by church officials. Not only were black priests paid less but they were also being forced to sit at the back of churches during services. Blackman attempted to fight this racist rule, though he did not succeed in overturning it. As a result, he returned to Barbados and resigned from the priesthood.

Life in Britain

Joining the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)

In 1937, Blackman moved back to Britain and chose to live in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he threw himself into African-related political issues. He became the editor of '' The Keys'', the journal of the

. He also joined the communist-led

and the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

(CPGB). Blackman spent much of his time at the CPGB headquarters on King Street, London, and was asked to work on the party's ''Colonial Information Bulletin''.

Second World War

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Blackman worked in a factory that made parts for

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...

airplanes for the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, where he was promoted to the position of factory floor manager. His skills as a writer were noticed by the

British Broadcasting Company The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. (BBC) was a short-lived British commercial broadcasting company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Licensed by the British Genera ...

(BBC), who hired him to help the BBC's Caribbean radio broadcast services in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. Blackman continued to work on BBC radio broadcast services until 1950, when he was fired for his political beliefs. After the war, Blackman became an engine fitter for the Willesen Works railway and became active in the

National Union of Railwaymen The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement. History The NUR was an industrial union ...

(NUR). He gained fame within the NUR for helping workers with learning difficulties write letters. Blackman continued to work as an active member of the CPGB throughout the 1940s and 1950s; however, at an unknown date during the 1960s, he left the party, due to feelings that his talents were not being fully utilised. Despite leaving the CPGB, he remained a lifelong socialist and trade unionist.

Arts career

In 1949,

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

entertainer and civil rights leader

toured Britain, during which the CPGB suggested that Blackman organise Robeson's tours and that the two black civil rights activists travel together. Blackman accompanied Robeson on his travels across Europe, and the two attended the World Peace Congress in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France, where Blackman met American black civil rights leader,

. Blackman wrote the long poem ''My Song Is For All'' (published by

Lawrence & Wishart Lawrence & Wishart is a British publishing company formerly associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain. It was formed in 1936, through the merger of Martin Lawrence, the Communist Party's press, and Wishart Ltd, a family-owned Left-wing ...

, 1952), during these travels across Europe, after being inspired by his visit to the site of the

Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (german: Warschauer Ghetto, officially , "Jewish Residential District in Warsaw"; pl, getto warszawskie) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the G ...

. In homage to fellow communist and civil rights leader

Claudia Jones Claudia Vera Jones (; 21 February 1915 – 24 December 1964) was a Trinidad and Tobago-born journalist and activist. As a child, she migrated with her family to the US, where she became a Communist political activist, feminist and black national ...

, Blackman wrote ''In Memory of Claudia Jones'', and in a tribute to the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

wrote "Stalingrad". In 1979, Blackman read his poem "Stalingrad" (about the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

's fight against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

) to an enthusiastic audience that included

Jack Dash Jack O'Brien Dash (23 February 1907 – 8 June 1989) was a British communist and trade union leader, famous for his role in London dock strikes. Born in Southwark to a family which was often in poverty, Dash grew up on Rockingham Street. ...

, a famous communist trade unionist and leader of many British dock workers. After hearing Blackman perform "Stalingrad", the musician

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

convinced him to record it. Blackman's recording of "Stalingrad" was the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of Wyatt's 1981 single " Stalin Wasn't Stallin'", a cover of a

Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet The Golden Gate Quartet (a.k.a. The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet) is an American vocal group. It was formed in 1934 and, with changes in membership, remains active. Origins and early career The group was founded as the Golden Gate Jubilee Singe ...

song that was originally released in the 1940s during World War II. Wyatt covered the song to remind the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

that although they were foes of the Soviets during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

during the 1980s, they had been their allies against the bigger enemy of the Nazis during

in the 1940s, when the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet wrote and recorded the original "Stalin Wasn't Stallin, the lyrics including praise for the Soviet people and especially

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

(then Soviet leader and namesake of the city of

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...

, where the battle took place) for their deeds during the Nazi invasion of their country. Blackman's poem "Stalingrad" was included to further drive the message home. "Stalingrad" later ended up on the album '' Nothing Can Stop Us'' (1982), which compiled Wyatt's singles from the early 1980s.

Death and legacy

Blackman died in 1993. After his death, a book containing a collection of his works, titled ''Footprints'', was published. In 1994, a conference was held in honour of Blackman, attended by teachers, local historians, activists and students.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackman, Peter 1909 births 1993 deaths Alumni of Durham University BBC people British civil rights activists British newspaper editors British poets Communist Party of Great Britain members National Union of Railwaymen People educated at Harrison College (Barbados)