Amy Barbour-James Explained

Amy Barbour-James
Birth Name:	Caroline Amy Aileen Barbour-James
Birth Date:	25 January 1906
Birth Place:	Acton, London
Death Place:	Harrow, London
Known For:	Civil rights activist

Amy Barbour-James (25 January 1906 – 4 May 1988) was a British-born Guyanese Black civil rights activist and civil servant.

Early life and family

Caroline Amy Aileen Barbour-James was born in Acton, London,^[1] on 25 January 1906^[2] to Guyanese parents, John and Caroline Barbour-James,^[3] one of their eight children. The Barbour-James family were a middle-class family who lived in west London in the early 20th century. Her father, John Barbour-James, worked as administrator in West Africa and had access to a large network of contacts throughout the continent. In 1918, he founded the African Patriotic Intelligence Bureau.

Activism

Inspired by her father, Barbour-James became active in the civil rights movements and was involved in the African Progress Union and the League of Coloured Peoples, becoming secretary of the latter organisation in 1942.

In 2011, a short drama based on Barbour-James's life was broadcast by BBC Radio 4.^[4]

Death

Barbour-James died in Harrow on 4 May 1988, aged 82.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 005: Amy Barbour-James & the League of Coloured Peoples 1942 « Jeffrey Green. Historian . Jeffreygreen.co.uk . 5 January 2010. 15 February 2016.
2. Book: Green. Jeffrey. Black Edwardians: Black People in Britain, 1901–1914. 1998. Frank Cass. London [u.a.]. 0714644269. 71.
3. Web site: Photograph of Amy Barbour-James: About the object . Teaching History with 100 Objects . . 13 February 2016.
4. Web site: Writing the Century 11: 1963–1966 - All My Trials, Episode 1, Excerpt from: All My Trials . BBC Radio 4. 15 Minute Drama. 18 March 2011. 2016-02-15.