Tony O'Connor (born 1921 or 1922) was a Jamaican teacher. His 1967 appointment as a headteacher in

Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire and then Worcestershire before bei ...

England—he was the first black person to hold such a post—caused a

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

backlash.

Early life

O'Connor was born in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

in 1921 or 1922. He joined the RAF in 1943, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, achieving the rank of

flight sergeant Flight sergeant (commonly abbreviated to Flt Sgt, F/Sgt, FSGT or, currently correctly in the RAF, FS) is a senior non-commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structur ...

and moving to the United Kingdom.

Career

After the war, O'Connor took a teaching diploma at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

, then worked as a teacher, serving at two schools in Smethwick, including three years as deputy head at Albion School. He specialised in the Nuffield method of teaching mathematics, and trained other teachers in its use. In September 1967, he was appointed head teacher at Bearwood Road Junior and Infants School in Smethwick, a town which had recently experienced racial tensions. He is widely held to have been the first black person to be a head teacher in the United Kingdom. He was reported as saying that he did not care if he was the "first, second, third or 250th West Indian headmaster". In December 1967, days after his appointment became public, racist slogans, high, and

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

s were painted on the walls of the school, and threats were made against him.

Personal life

At the time of his Bearwood appointment, O'Connor was living at

Hall Green Hall Green is an area in southeast Birmingham, England, synonymous with the B28 postcode. It is also a council constituency of Birmingham City Council, managed by its own district committee. Historic counties of England, Historically it lay wit ...

, Birmingham. His wife Marjorie was also a teacher. They had two daughters. Because of the racist threats directed at him, their daughters had to stay with relatives. He retired in 1983.

Legacy

A quote by O'Connor featured in a calligraphic artwork by the artist Linett Kamala, which was included in her 2018-2019 "Excellence – A Celebration of Pioneering Headteachers" exhibition at the

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The University traces its r ...

, commemorating black head teachers. Among O'Connor's pupils at Smethwick was Doreen Foster, subsequently director of

Warwick Arts Centre Warwick Arts Centre is a multi-venue arts complex at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. It attracts around 300,000 visitors a year to over 3,000 individual events embracing all types of theatre and performance, contemporary and ...

. Papers relating to O'Connor's headmastership are held by Sandwell Archives.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Tony Possibly living people 1920s births Year of birth uncertain Heads of schools in England Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Alumni of the University of Birmingham Schoolteachers from the West Midlands Royal Air Force airmen Black British military personnel