Dorothy Padmore
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Dorothy Pizer or Dorothy Padmore (c.1906 – 22 November 1964) was a British working-class anti-racist activist, secretary and publishing worker. In the 1940s and 1950s she was the partner, supporter and collaborator of
Pan-African Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the Trans-Sa ...
activist and
Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
George Padmore George Padmore (28 June 1903 – 23 September 1959), born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a leading Pan-Africanist, journalist, and author. He left his native Trinidad in 1924 to study medicine in the United States, where he also joined the C ...
.


Life

The daughter of a
tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
who had left school at 15, Dorothy Pizer grew up in a household without books in London's East End.Leslie Elaine James
"'What we put in black and white': George Padmore and the practice of anti-imperial politics"
PhD thesis,
The London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
, 2012, p. 144.
Since she had been too poor to accept a scholarship, her education was limited. Yet she later learnt
stenography Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''s ...
, became a business secretary, and became fluent in
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
. Pizer's brother was a member of the
Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...
(CPGB), and she became involved with the CPGB in the 1930s. Through party contacts she met
George Padmore George Padmore (28 June 1903 – 23 September 1959), born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a leading Pan-Africanist, journalist, and author. He left his native Trinidad in 1924 to study medicine in the United States, where he also joined the C ...
in 1937, and by the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the pair were living together. She was always treated as Padmore's wife, although they were never formally married, and he had a former wife, Julia Semper. Dorothy supported the couple financially by continuing to work as a secretary during the day. She typed the manuscript of
C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989), Fraser, C. Gerald (2 June 1989)"C. L. R. James, Historian, Critic And Pan-Africanist, Is Dead at 88" ''The New York Times''. . who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson ...
's book '' World Revolution'' (1937), and also typed manuscripts for her husband. Publishing was one of the main strategies adopted by black intellectuals in challenging the foundations of British colonial rule, and Pizer's skills enabled her to play an important role in this global political struggle: She transcribed the conversations between Padmore and
Nancy Cunard Nancy Clara Cunard (10 March 1896 – 17 March 1965) was a British writer, heiress and political activist. She was born into the British upper class, and devoted much of her life to fighting racism and fascism. She became a muse to some of the ...
on race relations and decolonisation that became their pamphlet ''The White Man's Duty: An Analysis of the Colonial Question in the Light of the Atlantic Charter'' (London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1942). In 1946, ''How Russia Transformed her Colonial Empire'' was published by
Dennis Dobson Dennis Dobson (1919 – 1978)Lewis Foreman, Susan Foreman''London: A Musical Gazetteer'' Yale University Press, 2005, p. 327. was a British book publisher who was the eponymous founder of a small but respected company in London. Background Set up ...
as a collaboration between Pizer and Padmore, with her name appearing on the title page. From 1941 to 1957 the Padmores shared a flat at 22 Cranleigh Street in Camden,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. It became a mecca for visiting pan-Africanists and leftists including
Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...
,
Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He has been dubbed as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then-British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October 1956, ...
,
Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He played a significant role in the ...
, and
Joe Appiah Joseph Emmanuel Appiah, MP ( ; 16 November 1918 – 8 July 1990)Eric Pace"Joe Appiah Is Dead; Ghanaian Politician And Ex-Envoy, 71" ''The New York Times'', July 12, 1990. was a Ghanaian lawyer, politician and statesman. Biography He was born ...
. The Padmores first met Richard Wright and his wife in 1947, and over the next decade the couples often visited each other in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. In 1953 Dorothy persuaded Wright to visit the Gold Coast, where George had already started advising Kwame Nkrumah in his plans for its independence as
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. Dorothy herself visited the Gold Coast for the first time in 1954, and in 1957 the Padmores moved to Ghana permanently as special advisers to Kwame Nkrumah. At the time of her husband's premature death in 1959, Dorothy Padmore was visiting
W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...
and his wife
Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American biographical film about Shirley Jackson * ''Shirley'' ( ...
in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
. Dorothy returned to
Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
for her husband's state funeral, in which his ashes were buried at
Christiansborg Castle Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also, s ...
, and she continued to live in Ghana as an adviser to Nkrumah. She planned but never completed a biography of her husband, collecting notes and papers relating to him.Polsgrove, p. 117. According to historian Leslie James, the unfinished biography of Padmore that C. L. R, James had hoped to write maintained that "Padmore was the man he was because of the tremendous assistance he had from Dorothy." On 22 November 1964, aged 58, she died in Accra from a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. After her death, Nkrumah took some of the papers that she had collected relating to her husband, and the papers subsequently made their way to
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
.


Legacy

A plaque commemorating George Padmore was installed outside their former flat in 2011, organised by the
Nubian Jak Community Trust Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT) is a commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme founded by Jak Beula that highlights the historic contributions of Black and minority ethnic people in Britain. The first NJCT heritage plaque, honouring Bob Marle ...
.
Selma James Selma James (born Selma Deitch; formerly Weinstein; August 15, 1930) is an American writer, feminist, and social activist who is co-author of the women's movement book ''The Power of Women and the Subversion of the Community'' (with Mariarosa Da ...
, the widow of C. L. R. James, spoke honouring Dorothy as well as George at the unveiling:


Works

* "How Blacks Fought for Freedom", ''International African Opinion'', Vol. 1. No. 4 (October 1938), p. 11. * "A Lesson in Revolution" (review of C. L. R. James, ''
The Black Jacobins ''The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution'' is a 1938 book by Trinidadian historian C. L. R. James, and is a history of the Haitian Revolution of 1791–1804. He went to Paris to research this work, where he me ...
''), ''
Controversy Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...
'', Vol. 38 (January 1939), pp. 318–20. * (with George Padmore) ''How Russia Transformed her Colonial Empire: A Challenge to the Imperialist Powers'', London:
Dennis Dobson Dennis Dobson (1919 – 1978)Lewis Foreman, Susan Foreman''London: A Musical Gazetteer'' Yale University Press, 2005, p. 327. was a British book publisher who was the eponymous founder of a small but respected company in London. Background Set up ...
, 177 pages, 1946. *"Centenary of a Black Republic", ''
Socialist Leader The ''Labour Leader'' was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later renamed ''New Leader'' and ''Socialist Leader'', before finally taking the name ''Labour Leader'' again. 19th century The origins of th ...
'', 16 August 1947.


References


External links


Photo of Pizer with Padmore and Richard Wright in Ghana

Photo of commemorative plaque outside her London home

"Dorothy Pizer"
''Radical Heritage: The Secret History of Protest and Activism on our Streets''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pizer, Dorothy 1900s births Year of birth uncertain 1964 deaths Black British history British anti-racism activists British expatriates in Ghana British Jews Jewish British anti-racism activists Jewish socialists People from the London Borough of Camden