Sybil Phoenix

The Reverend Sybil Theodora Phoenix (née Marshall; born 21 June 1927 When she was nine years old her mother died, after which Sybil lived with her grandfather until his death when she was 12, and then with an aunt and uncle. After leaving school she became secretary to the minister of the church as well as helping in the church youth club, where she met her future husband in her early twenties. She was also a classically-trained singer. She and her fiancé Joe Phoenix moved to England in 1956, and married in June of that year. They experienced racism in London.

In 1971 she founded a youth club for black teenagers in New Cross, on Pagnell Street and named it Pagnell Street Centre (later changed to Moonshot) The club operated out of an old mission hall in Pagnell Street and it became a community centre for local black people, with academic classes, a lending library, dances, a football team, daytime drop-in classes and support for young mothers and social evenings for the elderly. Sybil Phoenix vowed to rebuild it: "My name is Phoenix and I will build a new center from the ashes of this club, so help me God". The Moonshot Club was the venue for the first meeting after the fire. In 1999 she contacted MP Joan Ruddock to discuss a memorial to those killed in the fire; Ruddock has described Sybil Phoenix as "one of Deptford's remarkable black community leaders".

She has contributed to research about Stop and Search. She has also been involved in welcoming Lewisham people who have become British citizens, after their citizenship ceremony.

Sybil Phoenix's life has been used in Black History Month.

Sybil Phoenix was a Methodist local preacher for many years, working closely with the British Council of Churches to forge links between peoples of all faiths. While based at Clubland Methodist Mission on Walworth Road in South London, Sybil Phoenix was instrumental in setting up anti-racist training for members of the clergy, known as the Methodist Leadership Racism Awareness Workshop (MELRAW) and as Director she took this work to many countries around the world. and in 1998 was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. From 1998 to 1999, she was Civic Mayoress of Lewisham. She was elevated to OBE in June 2008.