London Is the Place for Me: Black Britons, Citizenship and the Politics of Race

Black people in the British Empire have long challenged the notion that "there ain't no black in the Union Jack." For the post-World War II wave of Afro-Caribbean migrants, many of whom had long been subjects of the Empire, claims to a British identity and imperial citizenship were considered to be theirs by birthright. However, while Britain was internationally touted as a paragon of fair play and equal justice, they arrived in a nation that was frequently hostile and unwilling to incorporate Black people into its concept of what it meant to be British. In London Is The Place for Me, Kennetta Hammond Perry brings together a variety of sources including calypso music, photographs, migrant narratives, and records of grassroots Black political organizations to explores how Afro-Caribbean migrants navigated the politics of race and citizenship in Britain. Her examination expands our understanding of race and the Black experience in Europe and uncovers the critical role that Black people played in the formation of contemporary British society.


About the Author
Kennetta Hammond Perry is Associate Professor of History at East Carolina University.