Olive Morris Blue Plaque Unveiling

On 30th October 2024, a new blue plaque was unveiled for Olive Morris at 121 Railton Road, London.

Read more to find out how we were involved!

We partnered with three local youth organisations, South Central Youth, The Advocacy Academy and The Black Curriculum, to help plan the unveiling with local young people and learn more about who Olive was.

We took part in sessions from July to October which focused on the life and legacy of Olive and got involved in the planning of the unveiling event itself. Did you know all English Heritage blue plaques are nominated by the public? Olive was first nominated back in 2020, so it takes a lot of planning from the very first nomination through to the final reveal!

Blue plaque unveilings are often a special opportunity to celebrate and commemorate the person being awarded with the plaque. On 30th October, we celebrated Olive’s life and legacy as well as the wider community she advocated for. We’d like to make a special mention of the work of the Remembering Olive Collective, who have enabled us to share Olive’s legacy with young people as part of this project.

We hope this English Heritage blue plaque can join the pre-existing tributes, including the Nubian Jak blue plaque at 2 Talma Road, and the memorial stone at Lambeth Archives, which commemorates Olive Morris House and Olive’s activism within the community. These tributes further acknowledge the profound impact of Olive’s life and the enduring efforts of those who knew her to champion the causes she deeply cared about.

Who was Olive Morris?

Olive Morris was an an anti-racist, feminist and housing rights activist. The blue plaque to Olive Morris is placed at 121 Railton Road, a site that has symbolised activism and advocacy for so many years. From its initial occupation as a squat for Olive and her friend Liz Obi during a housing crisis in 1972, this address was the focus of campaigning for housing, racial and gender equality rights, and it continued to be used as a site for other social campaign groups and advocacy work until 1999.

From the age of 16, Olive was involved in grassroots political activity, actively campaigning against the prejudice and injustice facing Black people in 1970s Britain. By the time of her death from cancer, aged 27, Olive was at the forefront of the Black women’s movement – she had co-founded Brixton Black Women’s Group, the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent, and the Black Women’s Mutual Aid Group in Moss Side, Manchester.

During our visit to the Lambeth Archives, we explored the Olive Morris collection (in the Olive Morris reading room!), and learnt that Olive loved to dance, had an interest in fashion and. according to comments from friends, brightened up every room she was in. It felt important to remember Olive as a person – a daughter, partner, sister, friend, as well as the incredible activist she was.

To find out more about Olive Morris, check out the English Heritage main website

Sessions from July to October

As part of our sessions on the project, we explored…

The Olive Morris Collection at Lambeth Archives and the work of the wider community Olive was supported by. We heard from local public historian Kelly Foster, who brought the Brixton community Olive grew up in and campaigned for, to life.

We had a session with Dr Carol Dixon on Black British history and the activists who came before and after Olive and their different approaches to activism, with a particular focus on how the arts can be used as a powerful means of resistance.

Finally, with the support of spoken word poet Shirley May, the group collaboratively wrote their own poem inspired by Olive, which was shared at the unveiling ceremony on the 30th October, titled Roots and Resilience.

Check out the behind the scenes on the day!

“We’ve really enjoyed working with young people from Lambeth to create an unveiling event for Olive Morris which is as community-focussed as possible. This event is a culmination of several months’ work and it’s been a privilege to support the participants as they’ve explored the life of Olive, the community that supported her, and the lasting impact her activism has had.”

Chania Fox, Youth Engagement Team, Youth Participation Officer

 

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