Olive’s biography in Face2Face Africa

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/she-was-a-pioneer-black-female-activist-who-fought-for-womens-rights-in-britain-but-died-at-27

Claudette Johnson poster of Olive Morris

Taking the Women’s Suffrage movement as a point of departure, Camden VOX has commissioned four women artists to produce a series of posters that explore ideas of Equality, Place, Power and Identity. The first project, by Claudette Johnson, features a series of posters she created in homage to leading black women activists, including Olive Morris. The posters are exhibited in the atrium at Swiss Cottage Library from June to 8 August at Swiss Cottage Library, free entrance, 10am-8pm.

Claudette Johnson first heard of Olive Morris (1952 – 1979) on a visit to the Abasindi Co-Op during a residency at Manchester Art Gallery in 1986. When walking into the centre, Johnson was told “You look like Olive.” Morris was a vibrant and fearless activist on all kinds of fronts: for women, for black people, for the poor and for the dispossessed. The experience of attending the OWAAD (Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent) conference, which Morris co-founded, had a profound effect on Johnson’s thinking as a first year Fine Art student in Manchester. Johnson describes Morris as an inspirational figure who illustrated what courage, intelligence and compassion can achieve in even a short period of time.

http://www.lovecamden.org/camden-vox-presents-claudette-johnson

Squatters’ homage

A nice tribute to Olive painted in the wall of the London Queer Social Centre on 432 Coldharbour Lane (ex-Joy). Photo: Alex Molano

Olive’s picture in Disobedient Objects

 

A copy of the Squatter’s Handbook, where Olive appears climbing up the side of Railton Road’s squat, is included in Disobedient Objects at the Victoria and Albert Museum: “an exhibition about the art and design produced by grassroots social movements. It will show exhibits loaned from activist groups from all over the world, bringing together for the first time many objects rarely before seen in a museum”.

The exhibition runs from 26 July 2014 – 1 February 2015. There you can read short articles from the organisers and those who lent objects for the exhibition: http://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/section/disobedient-objects

Remembering Anne Ward

Anne Ward – Photograph courtesy of Lambeth Archives.

Testimonial by ROC read at Anne’s Ward Memorial Service, 4 April 2011, St George’s Church. Anne Ward was Archivist at Lambeth Archives and a member of ROC from its inception.

On behalf of all the women who made up the Remembering Olive Collective (ROC), we’d like to express our deep sadness at the passing away of Anne Ward and share a few words in her honour.

As some of you may know, Anne was instrumental in putting together the Olive Morris Collection now deposited at Lambeth Archives.

All of us at ROC have fond and vivid memories of Anne. She was an incredibly generous, encouraging, and positive woman. Always ready to help and humbly share her time and knowledge, Anne trained us all in archiving and cataloguing.

Anne expressed genuine kindness, compassion, and great humour at all times. And she was a very supportive member of the group.

Her dedication to the Do you Remember Olive Morris oral history Project was unwavering, and she was a great source of advice for all aspects of ROC’s archiving work.

Apart from sharing her fabulous wealth of archiving knowledge, Anne also shared with us her own research tracing and recording the oral histories of Irish women – another courageous and important project that she worked on tirelessly.

A feminist by example, Anne was a true inspiration to many of us younger women and we will miss her terribly. It won’t be the same to go to Lambeth Archives without her being there. But her memory lives on and, like we remember Olive Morris, we will always remember her – the ever so cheerful Anne Ward.

Olive Morris in the Black Achievers Wall at the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool

To celebrate International Women’s Month 2011, the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool have selected Olive Morris to take pride of place this year in their Black Achievers Wall, along side Liverpool activist Ebony Gray.

The Black Achievers Wall in the Legacy gallery at the International Slavery Museum is a celebration of Black Achievers past and present. These people represent a real mix of backgrounds, eras and disciplines, from civil rights campaigners and politicians to rock stars and poets. Some are household names like Bob Marley. Others, like rebel slave leader Gaspar Yanga, are virtually unknown to the general public, but all are inspirational.

On March 10 last year, and as part as the Celebrating Women season at the Museum, former ROC member Nadja Middleton made a presentation about Olive Morris and the work of ROC at the unveiling of three new plaques on the Black Achievers Wall. Watch out this space for further news about the dedication of Olive’s image on the Achievers Wall. It is likely there will be a repeat talk by Nadja or some other former member of ROC.

Olive in poster for Goldsmiths’ event

Our good friend Red Chidgey sent us in the post a poster featuring Olive that she found at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Red Pepper – Do you remember Olive Morris?

CHIDGEY, Red (August/September 2010) Do you remember Olive Morris?. London: Red Pepper, no. 173, pp. 34-35.

An article by DIY feminist historian Red Chidgey, on using blogs to reclaim feminist histories, focusing on the Remember Olive Collective.

You can read full article in Red’s blog.

absolute Feminismus

ANKELE, Gudrun (Ed) 2010. absolute Feminismus. Freigburg: Orange Press.

The image of Olive Morris is gracing the cover of a new book published in Germany. The book contains texts, manifestos, poems and songs by women activists from all times, including Simon de Beauvoir, Rosi Braidotti, Guerrilla Girls, Sushila Mesquita, Beatriz Preciado, Joan Riviere and Sojourner Truth.

It can be purchased online but be warned, it is written in German!.

Do you remember Olive Morris? Publication

COLIN, A., FORD, T., LOPEZ DE LA TORRE, A., SPRINGER, K. (eds) 2010. Do you remember Olive Morris?. London: Gasworks and Remembering Olive Collective.

The publication was the final outcome of the Do you remember Olive Morris? project, and was launched on Saturday 23 January 2010 with an event in Gasworks. The texts, articles, essays and inteviews included in this publication are organised in two categories: History and Remembrance/Legacy. The fist part provides a context to Olive Morris’ life and times, her work as an activist and that of her contemporaries. While the contributions largely focus on the British context, some draw parallels with movements and actions that took place in the 1970s in the US. The second part records the work and experiences of the many contributors to Do you remember Olive Morris? The publication also includes a selection of poems celebrating the spirit of Olive Morris and of her times, and is illustrated with historical photographs of the UK Black Panther Movement by Neil Kenlock, and of the many activities that made up the Do you remember Olive Morris? project.

The publication can be purchased at:

Lambeth Archives, Minet Library, 52 Knatchbull Road, London SE5 9QY
Black Cultural Archives, 1 Othello Close, London SE11 4RE

The publication is available on loan from all public libraries in Lambeth and for reference at many other libraries and resource centres including:
Iniva Library – London
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre – Manchester
Chelsea College of Art and Design and Camberwell College of Arts Libraries – London
Institute of Race Relations – London
56a Infoshop Social Centre – London

We are hoping to publish the book in the blog as a series of dowloadable PDFs and to make sales available online.