Norris Chrisleventon "Buzz" Johnson (2 November 1951 – 11 February 2014), generally known as Buzz Johnson, was a

Tobago Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...

-born publisher and activist who in the 1970s relocated to England, UK. There he set up a small publishing company called Karia Press, based in

east London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

, producing books relevant to community and race relations, and making available and better known the work of many key writers, including

Claudia Jones Claudia Vera Jones (; 21 February 1915 – 24 December 1964) was a Trinidad and Tobago-born journalist and activist. As a child, she migrated with her family to the United States, where she became a Communist political activist, feminist and bla ...

, whom he is credited with having "rediscovered". Johnson was involved with such organisations as

Caribbean Labour Solidarity Caribbean Labour Solidarity (CLS), founded in 1974, is a group that "sets itself the task of informing the concerned about labour issues in the (Caribbean) region as a whole", and "continues to support the national and anti-imperialist fight in ...

(CLS), Liberation and the Institute of Race Relations, and helped set up community support centres, such as the Claudia Jones Organisation, and supplementary schools. His other campaigning work included support for the

anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...

and for progressive politics in

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

and Saint Vincent.Godfrey J. Martin
"Eulogy: Remembering "Norris Buzz Johnson"
1 March 2014.

Early years and move to England

Norris Johnson was born in the small fishing village of Buccoo on the island of

in 1951. At a young age, along with his two sisters, and their parents, Adwina (née Phillips) and Cornelius Arthur Johnson, he moved to

Fyzabad Fyzabad is a town in southwestern Trinidad, south of San Fernando, west of Siparia and northeast of Point Fortin. It is named after the town of Faizabad in India. Colloquially it is known as "Fyzo" by many people. History Fyzabad was founde ...

in the south-west of Tobago's sister island,

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

, where his father worked in the oilfields and, "having been politicised by the trade unionist legacy of powerful local labour leaders such as Tubal Uriah 'Buzz' Butler, bestowed on his son the name by which everyone came to know him."

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

and Nia Reynolds
"Buzz Johnson obituary"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 5 March 2014. Johnson was educated in Trinidad, attending San Fernando Government Secondary School and then technical college in

Point Fortin Point Fortin, officially the Republic Borough of Point Fortin, the smallest Borough in Trinidad and Tobago is located in southwestern Trinidad, about southwest of San Fernando, in the historic county of Saint Patrick. After the discovery of ...

.Chris Searle
"'We are our own educators!': Buzz Johnson, People's Publisher"
Institute of Race Relations, 13 March 2014. He subsequently worked with

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

in north Trinidad and with the Neal and Massey group, which manufactured cars. He won a scholarship to continue his studies as a mechanical engineer in Britain, where he migrated in 1971, living in London variously in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

, Clapton and

Homerton Homerton ( ) is an area in London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bordered to the west by Hackney Central, to the north by Lower Clapton, in the east by Hackney Wick, Leyton and by South Hackney to the south. In 2019, it had ...

.Philip Nye
"Buzz Johnson obituary"
''Hackney Citizen'', 3 April 2014. He studied at Middlesex Polytechnic (now

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

) and gained a master's degree at

City of London Polytechnic London Guildhall University was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002, established when the City of London Polytechnic was awarded university status. On 1 August 2002, it merged with the University of North London to form Londo ...

, subsequently becoming a student at the London School of Printing.

Karia Press

Having learned about publishing and printing, Johnson set up the small venture Karia Press as an outlet for black and progressive writers. Among his early publications was the one for which he is particularly noted, ''"I Think of My Mother": Notes on the Life and Times of Claudia Jones'' (1984; ), which Johnson himself compiled — the first book on journalist and activist

, who had been largely forgotten at the time. Though operating with meagre resources, Johnson managed to command respect for his publishing imprint. '' The Voice'' newspaper noted:

"Fiercely independent and fearless, his Karia Press, which he ran virtually single-handed, was an autonomous voice challenging neo-colonialism, injustice and all forms of discrimination, as well as promoting self-awareness, culture and the arts. With very little money, the publisher managed to box above its weight, publishing more than 50 books during a period when so-called 'Third World' publishing enjoyed its heyday of speaking truth to 'First World' power; demanding international human rights, an end to
Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
, social justice. Karia managed to more than hold its own alongside John la Rose's New Beacon Books, Eric and Jessica Huntley’s Bogle L'Ouverture,
Allison and Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in May ...
, and Karnak House, the other pioneering black publishers."Nia Reynolds
"Obituary: Norris ‘Buzz’ Johnson 1951 – 2014"
''The Voice'', 4 March 2014.

The press published influential titles dealing with community relations in the UK, including Lord Gifford's independent report into the Broadwater Farm uprising, ''The Broadwater Farm Inquiry'' (1986), followed by ''Broadwater Farm Revisited'' (1989).

Activism

Johnson continued his concern with the struggles of Black people in Britain and elsewhere, as Chris Searle has written:

"I first met him when we were both involved in the campaign to free the trade union militant and organiser of the unemployed, Desmond Trotter of
Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
, who had been framed on a murder charge and condemned to hang by the neocolonial government of
Patrick John Patrick Roland John (7 January 1938 – 6 July 2021) was the first Prime Minister of Dominica as well as its last Premier. He led Dominica to independence from the United Kingdom. He was leader of the Waterfront and Allied Workers' Union and may ...
, much dominated by the
Geest Geest (, , ) is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outw ...
and Cadbury/Schweppes monopolies which owned most of the island's banana, cocoa and citrus plantations. We worked closely with Liberation (formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom) and frequently met at its north London office in Caledonian Road.... Trotter was eventually reprieved and released, largely through intense international pressure, in April 1976."

Johnson worked closely with such organisations as

(CLS),Dennis Bartholomew
"BUZZ JOHNSON, 1951 to 2014 — A Tribute"
, CLS. Liberation, and the Institute of Race Relations and was involved with the setting up of the Claudia Jones Organisation of

, founded in 1982 to provide support for women and families of African-Caribbean heritage, Hackney Black People's Association, supplementary schools and community advice centres. Johnson was also an original member of the award-winning Ebony Steel Band in London.

Death

Johnson died 11 February 2014. A memorial service was held in London on 1 March 2014 at All Saints Church, Haggerston Road, Hackney, followed by a reception at the West Indian Cultural Centre in

Haringey The London Borough of Haringey ( , same as Harringay) is a London borough in north London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three forme ...

, and his funeral took place in Tobago on 11 March 2014.

Awards

In September 2014, Buzz Johnson was posthumously given the Adiaha Antigha Lifetime Achievement Award by

Hackney Council Hackney London Borough Council, also known as Hackney Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Hackney, in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority c ...

for Voluntary Service (Hackney CVS) in tribute to his work as a "community champion".Ella Jessel
"Community champions honoured at Hackney CVS achievement awards"
''Hackney Citizen'', 25 September 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Buzz 1951 births 2014 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople Alumni of the London College of Printing Alumni of London Metropolitan University Alumni of Middlesex University Black British activists British community activists British publishers (people) People from Siparia region People from Tobago Trinidad and Tobago human rights activists