The history of Black people working at Raleigh Industries in Nottingham is one which demonstrates the power of community activism. Raleigh, established in 1887, is one of the world’s oldest and best-known bike brands. At its peak Raleigh produced 100,000 cycles, 250,000 hub gears, 15,000 motorcycles and 50,000 motorcycle gearboxes annually and despite the rising popularity of the car during the 1920s Raleigh become a world leader in bicycles, marketing its product to the Caribbean, Africa, and elsewhere.
Over time Raleigh would become one of the largest employers of Black people in Nottingham however this privilege would be one that the Black community would need to mobilise for politically. Oswald George Powe was one individual who challenged systemic racism in relation to employment. He was also author of the seminal pamphlet Don’t Blame the Blacks published in 1956.
Powe was a World War II radar operator and lifelong community activist, having founded a number of Black political organisations in the city. He arrived in the UK during the mid 1940s and had a significant presence in Nottingham prior to taking up residence in the 1970s. While he advocated for Black people to work at Raleigh he never worked at Raleigh himself.
The Windrush Generation refers to people migrating over to the UK from Caribbean Countries between 1948 and 1971. A lot of, if not all, of the Raleigh Workers we have interviewed for this project are members of the Windrush generation. This association has affected them throughout their lives, and this project helps to give an insight into how it affected them in the workplace.
When We Worked at Raleigh 