BURNETT GEORGE ANDERSON worked at Raleigh between 1966 and 1992, moving between several different departments, including: the hubs department, the Toy Fab department, and then onto electrical welding.
“I was the only Black person to enrol on The National Education Board of Supervisors Studies training course at Loughborough University in 1975. It was a one-year course. I wanted to progress to a supervisor role. It was really hard going because I had been out of study for quite some time. Raleigh paid for the course and I can thank them for that. It was the highest in works management courses in the country.”
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.
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 late 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.
View more posts
When We Worked at Raleigh 