What was the Bristol Bus Boycott?

Civil rights activist Roy Hackett has died at the age of 93.

The Jamaican-born activist is known for his role in organizing the generation-defining Bristol Bus Boycott.

Bristol Lord Mayor Paula O’Rourke tweeted that her thoughts were with his “family and friends at this difficult time”.

In 1963, Roy Hackett led the country’s most influential campaign against racial discrimination with the Bristol Bus Boycott.

The Bristol bus boycott was instrumental in harnessing the reality of institutional racism, inspiring a generation of civil rights movements and social justice activism.

While it did not settle the issue, the Bristol Bus Boycott laid the foundations for the Race Relations Act of 1965 and 1968. It helped set the agenda against racial discrimination in the UK – which was still legal until the late 60s.

Mr Hackett was awarded an MBE in 2020.

Mr. Hackett was born in Jamaica, 1928.

He traveled to England in 1952 – first settling in Toxteth, Liverpool, and finally Bristol in the late 50s.

Unlike Liverpool – which had a significant African-Caribbean population – Hackett faced severe racial abuse while trying to settle in Bristol. While looking for shelter, it was not unusual to see signs in the windows that said “No blacks, no gypsies, no Irish and no dogs“.

Roy eventually settled in St Paul’s, which is now known for its thriving African-Caribbean culture. He was a founding member of the West Indies Development Council – an advocacy group known for setting up one of Britain’s biggest multicultural events, St Paul’s Carnival.

Until his death, Roy remained active in fighting racial inequality. The Jamaican High Commissioner awarded him for service to his community and in 1993 he received the Royal Maundy from the Queen at Bristol Cathedral.

Following the race riots of 1958 and the Immigration Act of 1962 – which brought tighter restrictions on the entry of Commonwealth citizens into the UK – Bristol’s privatized bus service the Bristol Omnibus Company decided to ban individuals with color to work as bus drivers or conductors.

In 1963, a black-led campaign group emerged to fight the racial policies employed by the bus service. The band consisted of Owen Henry, Roy Hackett, Audley Evans and Prince Brown.

The group – now under the name West Indian Development Council (WIDC) – partnered with Bristol’s first black youth officer, Paul Stephenson.

The West Indies Development Council was made up of a group of Jamaicans living in the area. Stephenson was born in Essex of a West African and English heritage.

In efforts to expose and test the policy, Stephenson proposed that the ‘well-spoken’ and ‘well-qualified’ Guy Bailey apply for a role as a bus driver. The company refused to interview him after discovering he was Black Jamaican.

The WIDC called for a boycott of all Bristol Omnibus Company buses. The boycott polarized residents across Bristol and later attracted national attention.

In August 1963, the “colour bar” was abolished, following support from political actors including Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Labor MP Tony Benn.

After the Second World War, Britain was a divided nation – divided along lines of socio-economic instability. More importantly, Britain was changing and restructuring along with the rest of the world.

In Bristol, a large immigrant population had settled. By 1962, about 3,000 Afro-Caribbean immigrants lived in the city.

This influx of migrants across the United Kingdom upset some white British communities. As a result, race riots began to occur in Nottingham and Notting Hill around 1958.

In 1963, under pressure from unions and its members, the Bristol Omnibus Company decided to impose a ban on black and Asian drivers.

The company’s manager, Ian Patey, revealed that staff simply refused to work with black employees. Black individuals were able to work as maintenance workers, but not as drivers.