JONES, Claudia
Culture
Claudia Jones was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1915 and arrived in Britain in 1955. A prominent activist campaigning for black people's rights in Britain she founded the West Indian Gazette, Britain's first black newspaper. When race riots broke out in London's Notting HiII in 1958, Jones defended the black communities by joining a committee that represented their interests.
Claudia Jones was also instrumental in launching the Notting Hill Carnival, one of Europe's largest street festivals, attracting visitors from around the world which includes the Harrow Road and the Westbourne area of Westminster. The Notting Hill Carnival takes place every year over the August Bank Holiday and is a great opportunity to see wonderful hand-made costumes and spectacular steel bands. Claudia Jones died in 1964 aged 49 of tuberculosis and a heart condition.
Claudia Jones talking to reporters
outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square,
London - August 1963.