SPEAKER_00: Hey y'all, I'm Erin Haynes. I'm the editor-at-large for The 19th News, a nonprofit newsroom reporting
on gender, politics, and policy. We look at where our democracy remains unfinished, where
women, people of color, and queer people are still not included. And later this month,
I'll be your host for a brand new podcast from The 19th News and Wonder Media Network called The Amendment. More on that soon. But for now, I'm excited to be your guest host
for this month of Womanica. This Black History Month, we're talking about revolutionaries,
the Black women who led struggles for liberation from violent governments, colonial rulers, and enslavers. These women had the courage to imagine radically different worlds, and
they used their power to try and pull those worlds into view. Today we're talking about
a woman who was at the forefront of radical Black politics in Britain during the late 1960s and early 70s. She stood trial for protesting police violence against the Black
community, and she was vindicated in the court of law. Let's talk about Althea Jones-Lacoint.
Althea was born in 1945 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Her mother was a dressmaker and
her father was a school principal, but those were just their day jobs. Outside of work,
both were active in the People's National Movement, a political party that was founded
by the man who would become Trinidad and Tobago's first prime minister after gaining independence from Great Britain. As a child, Althea was already a burgeoning young activist. In 1965,
when Althea was just 20 years old, she left Trinidad to study chemistry at University
College London. She wasn't exactly over the moon about leaving her home for the UK, but
at the time, Britain was a big colonial superpower, and studying there was seen as the best path to a high-quality education. As soon as Althea started classes, she was bombarded with racism.
At the beginning of the course, she went to an introductory meeting and the whole class stopped talking to stare at her. When someone mustered the courage to speak, they asked
Althea if she was sure she was in the right place. This ostracizing experience shaped
the way Althea viewed her new social and political reality in the UK. It wasn't just name-calling
or racial epithets. It was even deeper. There was an underlying sense of who belonged and
who didn't. There were even special lists of landlords who would rent to black students
and those who wouldn't. Later in life, Althea told a reporter, quote,
The whole thing is a physical, psychological, and emotional revolution that the human person has to make. Althea decided to take a stand against the inhumanity she was experiencing.
On campus, she got involved with student groups and protested her university's racist practices.
And despite the obstacles she faced at school, she earned her PhD in biochemistry.
It was already clear to Althea that the racist culture at the university was just a microcosm of greater British society. When she moved to England, it was a time when fascist groups
were violently attacking communities of color. There were murders and riots. White residents and the police regularly harassed their black neighbors.
Through her work as a student organizer, Althea had connected with the British Black Panther movement. In the beginning, the British Black Panthers were a small group of radical black
men who organized demonstrations and sent out a newsletter to promote their cause.
One of the men in this group, Eddie LaCointhe, would eventually become Althea's husband.
Althea quickly became a core member. Many, including the local police, came to see her
as a leader, though she has insisted the group was collectively lit.
Regardless, Althea got to work. She helped nearby schools teach black history and published
radical newsletters. She also canvassed to protest police brutality, discriminatory immigration
legislation, and the economic oppression of people of color.
The core group of Panthers also upheld a strict moral code and required that members study
a selection of foundational texts, including the Black Jacobins.
As the movement grew in popularity, resistance to it also increased. During this time, Althea and her fellow activists were subjected to intense government surveillance.
The police harassment and government surveillance reached fever pitch in 1970 at the mangrove, a restaurant in Notting Hill. At the time, the mangrove was a popular gathering place
for members of the Caribbean community. It attracted many famous visitors and was known
for being the site of black political activism. It was a place where the Black Panther movement
would dine, discuss, and organize. It was also a place that faced frequent police raids.
The cops claimed that there were drugs or criminal activity, though they never found
any evidence of that. After several invasive police raids, the Black Panther movement took
a stand. About 150 people poured into the streets of Notting Hill. The demonstrators
peacefully headed toward the police station, calling out Black Power Chants. However, two
hours into the protest, the demonstration took a dark turn. 700 police officers were
sent out to meet them, and several resorted to violence to stop the march. Activists used makeshift weapons to protect themselves while the police beat and arrested people in the procession. Althea was one of nine people who were arrested for inciting a riot, among several other charges. This group became known as the Mangrove Nine.
Althea chose to represent herself at the official court hearing. She was a compelling speaker
and used the ensuing 55-day trial to expose the corruption and institutional racism of
the police force. In the end, the Mangrove Nine were found not guilty. It was a huge
victory for the black community, and it was a strong message to the police and the British
government. Using violence to dismantle anti-racist activism is unacceptable.
Althea stayed politically active in the movement until 1974. After that, she turned to a more
private career as a physician and research scientist, which she continues today. Surveillance
and censorship kept Althea from speaking openly about her involvement for many years. Because of that, many people still don't know how vital she was to the success of the movement.
Althea's strong leadership and strategic brilliance helped the Black Power movement gain ground in Britain and forced a broader recognition of the institutional racism that people of color face all around the world.
