Peter McFarren Blackman

Peter Blackman (28 June 1909 – 8 August 1993) was a Caribbean communist, scholar, civil rights activist, and Christian missionary. After challenging a racist rule in which white missionaries earned more than their black counterparts, Blackman resigned as a priest and dedicated himself to both communism and black civil rights activism. He was a key member of the Negro Welfare Association and the League of Coloured Peoples, and an active member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). During his career as a Communist Party activist, he became close friends with American civil rights leaders Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois. Blackman worked as a radio broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) during the Second World War for their Caribbean services; however, in 1950 he was fired from his job for having communist beliefs. Afterwards, he joined the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and volunteered to write letters for people with learning disabilities. In his later life he dedicated his time to writing poetry.

Early life and education Blackman was born in Saint John, Barbados, in 1909, his mother was a laundress and his father was a stonemason, all of whom lived in one of the poorest parts of Barbados. Their family lived on the grounds of a Caribbean Anglican Church, which influenced Blackman's religious beliefs at a young age. Not only were black priests paid less but they were also being forced to sit at the back of churches during services. the journal of the League of Coloured Peoples. He also joined the communist-led Negro Welfare Association and the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Blackman spent much of his time at the CPGB headquarters on King Street, London, and was asked to work on the party's Colonial Information Bulletin.

Second World War During World War II, Blackman worked in a factory that made parts for Vickers Wellington airplanes for the Royal Air Force, and in a tribute to the Soviet Red Army wrote "Stalingrad".

In 1979, Blackman read his poem "Stalingrad" (about the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany during the Battle of Stalingrad) to an enthusiastic audience that included Jack Dash, a famous communist trade unionist and leader of many British dock workers.

In 1994, a conference was held in honour of Blackman, attended by teachers, local historians, activists and students.