John Barbour-James
*John Barbour-James's birth is celebrated on this date in 1867. He was a Black British activist.
John Barbour James was born in British Guiana, where he became postmaster in Belfield in the 1890s. While living in British Guiana, he established the self-help Victoria Belfield Agricultural Society, which recognized the value of improving the diet and farming among the Afro Guianese. In 1902, he married Caroline and was transferred to the Gold Coast. His wife was not allowed to move there, and Barbour-James moved his family to London.
Later, he moved to London and founded the African Patriotic Intelligence Bureau in 1918. He became very well known for his lectures, his array of contacts, and his work in various organizations such as the African Progress Union, the League of Coloured Peoples, the African Patriotic Intelligence Bureau (which he founded), and the Association of Coloured People (of which he was president).
His daughter, Amy Barbour-James, was also a civil rights activist. In 1942, she became the secretary of the League of Coloured Peoples. John Barbour-James moved to the Caribbean in 1938 and died in Georgetown in 1954.
