Meeting of the Parliamentary Black Caucus

About this item

This document records a meeting of the Parliamentary Black Caucus held on March 7, 1989, featuring key Black British politicians including Bernie Grant and Diane Abbott. The meeting included a presentation by Hon. Julian Hunte MP from St Lucia on the economic impact of the Single European Act on the Windward Islands. It highlights early discussions of global trade concerns affecting Caribbean nations within a Black British political context.

Key points:
– The Parliamentary Black Caucus meeting took place on March 7, 1989, with Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz, Diane Abbott, and Chris Grant present.
– Julian Hunte MP, leader of the opposition in St Lucia, attended and presented on the Single European Act's effects on Windward Islands economies.
– Hunte brought letters from opposition leaders of Dominica and St. Vincent, confirming his mandate to speak for them.
– The presentation emphasized the Windward Islands’ reliance on banana exports, constituting 90% of St Lucia’s exports.
– Concerns included governments' unwillingness to address issues on a bipartisan basis and fears that the Single European Act could increase unemployment to 40% in the Caribbean region.

Bernie Grant was a pioneering figure in Black British politics and trade unionism, committed to international solidarity and anti-racist campaigns. This meeting reflects the Caucus’s engagement with global economic issues affecting Black communities, demonstrating early Black British political activism’s concern with internationalism and the economic disenfranchisement of postcolonial nations such as those in the Caribbean.

Source note: The OCR quality is generally good for names and main points, though some formatting artifacts (like '00000') appear. This does not significantly affect the interpretation of the record.