UK Civil Rights Hero Roy Hackett Dies At 93

The Jamaican-born civil rights activist organised bus boycotts in 1963, campaigned for rights of ethnic minorities.

Roy Hackett, UK's civil rights agent, dies at 93. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter photo from Member of UK Parliament for Battersea, Marsha de Cordova)

Roy Hackett, a famous civil rights campaigner in the United Kingdom, has died at the age of 93.

Most well-known for campaigning for the civil rights of the ethnic minorities in the city of Bristol in the 1960s, Hackett was born in Jamaica and moved to the UK in the 1950s.

He lived in the southern English city of Bristol and organised the famous Bristol bus boycott which was a movement against the ban on employing bus drivers and conductors from ethnic minorities, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

"So very sad to hear Bristol civil rights legend Roy Hackett, organiser of the Bristol bus boycott 1963 and founder of St Pauls Carnival has passed away. My thoughts are with Roy's family and friends at this difficult time."

Bristol Lord Mayor Paula O'Rourke.

The port city of Bristol has a sizeable West Indian population. Back in the early 1960s, transport authorities would ban the employment of ethnic minorities. These minorities would be discriminated against on the basis of the colour of their skin and country of origin.

Hackett and his fellow campaigners such as Paul Stevenson, Owen Henry, and Guy Bailey launched the Bristol bus boycott in 1963 wherein many ethnic minorities jointly and successfully were able to boycott the city's bus services.

The national press caught wind of this popular boycott thus forcing the Bristol Omnibus Company to change its employment policies. Hackett's leadership was crucial in laying the groundwork for the Race Relations Acts of 1965 and 1968.

Hackett was instrumental in organising a first of its kind boycott in the United Kingdom.

Hackett was also the co-founder of the Commonwealth Coordinated Committee which was one of the primary representative bodies for West Indians in Bristol. It also went on to set up the annual St Paul's Carnival.

He founded the West Indian Parents and Friends association which became a hub for West Indian migrants who were establishing their lives in a city which was simmering with racial prejudice and discrimination.

According to an interview with the BBC News, he had said that Bristol was a challenging place to live in and for a Black man to find work.

"I walked down Ashley Road looking for housing and found one house which didn't have a card on it to one that said 'no gypsies, no dogs, no Irish, and no coloureds'. The lady opened the door, saw me, and without saying a word, just slammed the door. It was a struggle, people were blatantly racist."

Roy Hackett, UK Civil Rights Legend, in an interview with the BBC News.

In 2019, Hackett was honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2020 with the Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his lifelong commitment towards stamping out racism in Bristol.

(With inputs from the BBC News and Al Jazeera)

Politicians and leaders from different walks of life expressed their tribute upon the death of Hackett.

In 1959, Hackett married his childhood sweetheart Ena, who arrived in Bristol in 1958. He leaves behind three children, according to a report by The Guardian.

(With inputs from The Guardian, Al Jazeera, BBC News)