Una Marson | |
|---|---|
 Marson reading a copy of The West Indian Radio Newspaper, during WWII | |
| Born | Una Maud Victoria Marson 6 February 1905 Santa Cruz, Colony of Jamaica, British Empire |
| Died | 6 May 1965 (aged 60) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Occupation(s) | Writer and activist |
| Known for | Producer of Caribbean Voices on BBC World Service |
Una Maud Victoria Marson (6 February 1905 – 6 May 1965)[1] was a Jamaican feminist, activist and writer, producing poems, plays and radio programmes.
She travelled to London in 1932 and became the first black woman to be employed by the BBC, during World War II.[2] In 1942, she became producer of the programme Calling the West Indies, turning it into Caribbean Voices, which became an important forum for Caribbean literary work.
Her biographer Delia Jarrett-Macauley described her (in The Life of Una Marson, 1905–1965) as the first "Black British feminist to speak out against racism and sexism in Britain".[3] British civil rights leader Billy Strachan credited Una Marson with educating him on political and racial issues.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ODNBwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Thomas, Leonie (3 April 2018). "Making Waves: Una Marson's Poetic Voice at the BBC". Media History. 24 (2): 212–225. doi:10.1080/13688804.2018.1471351. ISSN 1368-8804. S2CID 150033519.
- ^ Jarrett-Macauley, Delia (1998). The Life of Una Marson, 1905–1965. Manchester University Press. p. vii.
- ^ Horsley, David (2019). Billy Strachan 1921–1988 RAF Officer, Communist, Civil Rights Pioneer, Legal Administrator, Internationalist and Above All Caribbean Man. London: Caribbean Labour Solidarity. p. 11. ISSN 2055-7035.