Darcus Howe, Trinidadian-born British civil rights activist, Died at 74

  Activist

Darcus Howe was born on February 26, 1943 and died on April 1, 2017.

He was a British broadcaster, writer, and civil liberties campaigner.

Howe was originally from Trinidad, Howe arrived in England intending to study law.

While he was there, Howe joined the British Black Panthers, a group named in sympathy with the eponymous US organization.

Howe came to public attention in 1970 as one of the Mangrove Nine, when he marched to the police station in Notting Hill, London, to protest against police raids of the Mangrove restaurant, and again in 1981 when he organised a 20,000-strong “Black People’s Day of Action” in protest at the handling of the investigation into the New Cross Fire, in which 13 black teenagers died.

Howe was an editor of Race Today, and chair of the Notting Hill Carnival.

Howe was best known in the UK for his Black on Black series on Channel 4; his current affairs programme, Devil’s Advocate; and his work with Tariq Ali on Bandung File.

Howe’s television work also included White Tribe (2000), a look at modern Britain and its loss of “Englishness”; Slave Nation (2001); Who You Callin’ a Nigger? (2004); and Is This My Country? (2006), a search for his West Indian identity.

Howe wrote columns for the New Statesman and The Voice.

Darcus Howe passed away at 74 years old.