Olive Morris Print

My chosen item is a piece of artwork depicting Olive Morris, a community leader and activist who had a significant impact on the Black British community in the short time that she was alive.

I actually discovered Olive Morris and her story on Twitter via Black History Month UK, and felt a strong connection as we also share the same birthday. I read more about Olive Morris’ story and her commitment to striving for equality and improving lives of black women and diverse communities in the UK in the 70s, through the Remembering Olive Collective project.

Sadly Olive Morris passed away at just 27 years old, and I wanted to find something that would help me to remember and share her legacy. This artwork by Greg Bunbury is based on an original photo of Olive Morris at a Black Panther Movement demonstration in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton in 1969, where Olive Morris once lived, and close to where I grew up in south west London. It’s great to be able to share this object and have it form part of this online archive to showcase Black History in Britain.

Jiselle | London