Henry Gunter
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Henry Gunter (1920 – 23 July 2007) was a leading British communist and civil rights leader, most famous for his campaigns for racial equality in the English city of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. After joining 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), he authored a report titled ''A Man's a Man'' (1954), a key British anti-racist text published by the CPGB. He also authored numerous articles exposing racism in Birmingham's hotels, housing, and employment. Gunter also helped create the Birmingham branch of the Caribbean Labour Congress, and later served as the leader of the Afro Caribbean Society, which he used to end racial segregation in the employment of Birmingham city's bus services. As an influential trade union leader, Gunter was the first black man to serve as a delegate for the Birmingham Trades Council, and he forwarded a successful motion to the
Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...
in support of the rights of immigrant workers. He dedicated his entire life to both trade union activism and fighting for the equal rights of black people.


Early life

Born in
Portland, Jamaica Portland (), with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica, containing part ...
, in 1920, Harold Gunter studied in college to become an accountant, before leaving for the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
in 1940.


Travelling the world (1940–1950)

The
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, which controlled the Canal Zone, were recruiting Jamaicans, convincing Gunter and many others to travel there for work in 1940. After arriving at the American-controlled Canal, Gunter witnessed racial segregation for the first time in his life because the United States enforced
Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...
in every territory they occupied. After briefly returning to Jamaica, he moved to a northern region of the United States known as
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, where he began working with local unions and started writing newspaper articles. His advocacy for the rights of African Americans led to his writings being republished in Jamaica. During this time, Gunter met members of the
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...
, who were supporters of equal rights for all races of people. Gunter continued working in the United States until 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 ...
, becoming more deeply entrenched in the trade union movement and the fight for the rights of black people. After Gunter briefly returned to Jamaica after World War II, an American regime security force called the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
(FBI) began to target him for his anti-racist activism and refused to allow Gunter to return to the United States. It is thought that one of the reasons the FBI barred him from returning was due to his publication of a newspaper titled ''The Jamaican Worker.'' Returning to Jamaica after World War II, Gunter joined the
People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) (PNP; ) is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by Norman Manley, Norman Washington Manley who served as party president unti ...
and worked closely with one of their leaders, the communist icon Richard Hart. Job opportunities were extremely few after Gunter had been blocked from returning to the United States, so he chose to instead move to Britain, where he would then spend the remainder of his life, making his home in the English city of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
sometime in 1949.


Life in Britain


Trade Union achievements

After moving to Birmingham, Gunter immediately joined 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), playing an important role in the party for many years. Despite being educated as an accountant he was sent to work in a brass rolling mill in
Deritend Deritend is a historic area of Birmingham, England, built around a crossing point of the River Rea. It is first mentioned in 1276. Today Deritend is usually considered to be part of Digbeth. History Deritend was a crossing point of the River ...
, where he was soon fired after he challenged the racist views of a shop steward. After finding another job in
Erdington Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Warwickshire, it is located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutt ...
as a tool cutter and machine operator, he became an active member of the
Amalgamated Engineering Union The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major United Kingdom, British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992. History ...
. One of his greatest achievements in the trade union movement was becoming the first black delegate to the Birmingham Trades Council. He achieved further success within the trade union movement after forwarding a successful motion to the
Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...
, one of the largest trade unions in the United Kingdom, in support of the rights of immigrant workers in Britain. The motion stated:
In view of the appalling conditions which immigrant workers have to live under in Birmingham, we ask that the TUC demand that the government provide accommodation for the workers
While serving as an active CPGB activist, Gunter also helped form the Birmingham branch of the Caribbean Labour Congress, an organisation dedicated to promoting workers rights and universal suffrage in the Caribbean. He often wrote articles for their newspaper ''Caribbean News''.


Fight against Birmingham racial segregation

During the 1950s, racial segregation in Britain, often dubbed the "
colour bar Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by people ...
", was particularly strong in Birmingham, and the local branch of the CPGB asked Gunter to write about the situation within the city. Gunter wrote a work titled '' A Man's A Man: A Study of Colour Bar in Birmingham and an Answer'' (1954), which was published by 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 ...
. This work became a key British anti-racist text and had a national effect on how British people saw racial issues in the UK. Gunter joined the Afro Caribbean Society and soon became its leader, addressing public meetings on racism and organising marches under the banner "No Colour Bar to Housing and Jobs". He led the Afro Caribbean Society to campaign for an end to racial discrimination in Birmingham city's bus transport system, which was refusing to hire black people, and the city council consequently changed this policy and allowed black people to join the bus services as employees. In 1958, Gunter met American black civil rights legend
Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...
, who was very often a guest of British communist activists. Gunter also met
Seretse Khama Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980. Born into an influential royal famil ...
, who went on to become the president of
Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
. Other famous figures with whom Gunter became acquanted include the
pan-Africanist 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 ...
author and journalist
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 ...
, and the politician
Fenner Brockway Archibald Fenner Brockway, Baron Brockway (1 November 1888 – 28 April 1988) was a British socialist politician, humanist campaigner and anti-war activist. Early life and career Brockway was born to Rev. William George Brockway and Frances Eliz ...
. In 2003, Gunter was commended by the Black History Foundation, who honoured him for "his outstanding service to the city of Birmingham."


Death and legacy

Henry Gunter died on 23 July 2007. Methodist reverend Vicky Atkinson, a community leader who had lived in the same area as Gunter and knew him personally, said that Gunter "was a person who stuck by his principles and, as well as being an activist and very political, was also well read and articulate." She went on to say that he "was a good man. He will be missed by a lot of people." The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) the continuation of the original
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), of which Gunter had been a member, wrote Henry Gunter's short biography and described him as one of the party's "many unsung heroes".
Unite the Union Unite the Union, commonly known as Unite, is a trade union in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus (trade union), Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union. A general union ...
included Gunter in their 2014
Black History Month Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the Af ...
list of honoured British and Irish civil rights leaders. Research papers connected to Henry Gunter are contained in the Wolfson Centre for Archival Research, held under the name "MS 2165".


See also

*
Dorothy Kuya Dorothy Kuya (16 March 1933 – 23 December 2013) was a leading British communist and human rights activist from Liverpool, the co-founder of Teachers Against Racism, and the general secretary of the National Assembly of Women (NAW). She was a ...
*
Trevor Carter Trevor Carter (9 October 1930 – March 2008) was a British Marxism–Leninism, communist party leader, educator, black civil rights activist, and co-founder of the Caribbean Teachers Association. He served as the head of equal opportunities f ...
* Len Johnson *
Billy Strachan William Arthur Watkin Strachan (16 April 1921 – 26 April 1998) was a British communist, civil rights activist, and pilot. He is most noted for his achievements as a bomber pilot with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War, and f ...
*
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 ...
*
Charlie Hutchison Charles William Duncan Hutchison (10 May 1918 – March 1993) was a British-Ghanaian anti-fascist, soldier, and ambulance driver noted for being the only Black-British member of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. In Spain ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunter, Henry 1920 births 2007 deaths Black British activists 20th-century Black British people British civil rights activists British communists British journalists British newspaper publishers (people) Communist Party of Great Britain members Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom Jamaican accountants Jamaican socialists People from Portland Parish