League of Coloured Peoples
Encyclopedia
The League of Coloured People was a British
civil rights
organization. The league was founded in 1931 in London
with the goal of racial equality around the world. Though the league's primary focus was black rights in Britain, it also was involved in other civil-rights issues, such as the persecution of the Jews
in Germany
. In 1933, The League of Coloured Peoples began publication of the civil-rights journal The Keys
, and was a powerful civil rights force until its dissolution in 1951.
, a physician
and devout Christian
, was frustrated with the prejudice he experienced in Britain, from finding employment to simply obtaining a residence. Through his involvement with London Christian Endeavour Federation, Moody began to confront employers who were refusing jobs to black Britons. On March 13, 1931 in a London
YMCA
, Moody called a meeting with the contacts he had made over the years. On this night, they formed The League of Coloured Peoples.
The inaugural executive committee of The League of Coloured Peoples included:
Also present at the inaugural meeting was Stella Thomas, who would go on to become the first woman magistrate in West Africa.
In 1937, a fifth aim was added:
, the primary focus of The League of Coloured Peoples was eliminating the colour bar in the British workplace, in social life, and in housing. The colour bar refers to the restrictions placed on a group of people due to their race (or colour). Throughout Britain in the 1930s, black people were refused service in many restaurants, hotels, and lodging houses. They also found it extremely difficult to find employment in many industries; the medical profession in particular drew the attention of the league, most likely due to founder and president Harold Moody's
personal struggles in that area. By 1935. a branch of the league focusing on equality in the shipping industry had grown to over 80 members. During the 1930s, The League of Coloured Peoples struck many blows for blacks in the workplace.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
organization. The league was founded in 1931 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the goal of racial equality around the world. Though the league's primary focus was black rights in Britain, it also was involved in other civil-rights issues, such as the persecution of the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1933, The League of Coloured Peoples began publication of the civil-rights journal The Keys
The Keys (Journal)
The Keys was the quarterly journal of the League of Coloured Peoples founded in 1933. It took its title from James Aggrey's parable which used the black and white keys of the piano as an image of racial harmony.-References:...
, and was a powerful civil rights force until its dissolution in 1951.
The beginning
Harold MoodyHarold Moody
Harold Arundel Moody was a physician in London who established the League of Coloured Peoples in 1931 with the support of the Quakers.Moody was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1882, the son of a pharmacist...
, a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, was frustrated with the prejudice he experienced in Britain, from finding employment to simply obtaining a residence. Through his involvement with London Christian Endeavour Federation, Moody began to confront employers who were refusing jobs to black Britons. On March 13, 1931 in a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, Moody called a meeting with the contacts he had made over the years. On this night, they formed The League of Coloured Peoples.
The inaugural executive committee of The League of Coloured Peoples included:
- Dr. C. Belfield Clark of BarbadosBarbadosBarbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
- George RobertsGeorge RobertsGeorge Roberts may refer to:*George Roberts , American trombonist*George Brooke Roberts , civil engineer*George E. Roberts , Director of the U.S. Mint*George Henry Roberts , British Labour MP, Minister of Labour...
of TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in... - Samson Morris of GrenadaGrenadaGrenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
- Robert Adams of British GuianaBritish GuianaBritish Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
- Desmond Buckle of The Gold CoastGold Coast (British colony)The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
Also present at the inaugural meeting was Stella Thomas, who would go on to become the first woman magistrate in West Africa.
Aims
At the inaugural meeting, the The League of Coloured Peoples established four main aims:1. To protect the social, educational, economic and political interests of its members
2. To interest members in the welfare of coloured peoples in all parts of the world
3. To improve relations between the races
4. To cooperate and affiliate with organisations sympathetic to coloured people
In 1937, a fifth aim was added:
5. To render such financial assistance to coloured people in distress as lies within our capacity
The Colour Bar in the Workplace
From the league's inception in 1931 until the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the primary focus of The League of Coloured Peoples was eliminating the colour bar in the British workplace, in social life, and in housing. The colour bar refers to the restrictions placed on a group of people due to their race (or colour). Throughout Britain in the 1930s, black people were refused service in many restaurants, hotels, and lodging houses. They also found it extremely difficult to find employment in many industries; the medical profession in particular drew the attention of the league, most likely due to founder and president Harold Moody's
Harold Moody
Harold Arundel Moody was a physician in London who established the League of Coloured Peoples in 1931 with the support of the Quakers.Moody was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1882, the son of a pharmacist...
personal struggles in that area. By 1935. a branch of the league focusing on equality in the shipping industry had grown to over 80 members. During the 1930s, The League of Coloured Peoples struck many blows for blacks in the workplace.