A Bristol social justice organisation is campaigning to bring US activist Martin Luther King III to the city as part of celebrations marking 60 years since the establishment of the Race Relations Act. The act was passed into law in 1965 – two years after thousands of Bristol civil rights activists boycotted the Bristol Omnibus Company after it refused to hire Black or Asian drivers.
Community change-making organisation Curiosity Un(Ltd) is now calling on companies across Bristol to back the campaign, which will involve a series of events over the year. The organisation is also behind Bristol Bus Boycott 360 – a three-year programme of storytelling, art and education promoting racial and social equity.
“In the 1960s some businesses chose not to employ people of colour while other businesses chose to stand up and join the fight for racial justice,” said Julz Davis, founder of Curiosity Un(Ltd). “Here we are in a better world because of those who joined the fight but we have some way to go.
“It’s not just good for business it’s everybody’s business. I am keen to work with city change-making organisations who care about a better world, who have capacity, leadership and resources to drive the movement to drive change. As a proud city of protest, it’s working with businesses to bring in full weight behind one of the pivotal moments in our history.”
As part of the campaign, Curiosity Un(Ltd) is hosting the Big Bristol Bus Boycott Business Breakfast on Friday, March 21, bringing together industry leaders, civic voices and community advocates to engage with Bristol’s civil rights legacy.
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“Bristol has to deliver on diversity if it is going to dine out on it,” said Mr Davis. “It’s an opportunity to think about the future of the city and help transform it. The power of leadership can change the direction of travel.”
Steve Bluff, director of Redcliffe & Temple BID, which is supporting the event, said: “As a business community, we have a responsibility to learn from the past and take action to create a more inclusive future.” Since launching in 2022, Bristol Bus Boycott 360 has delivered a range of initiatives that have amplified the city’s role in civil rights history.
In 2023, a wrapped First Bus featuring the voices of boycott pioneers was taken to parliament, where Sir Keir Starmer publicly pledged to introduce a Race Equality Act – a commitment now expected to come into force in 2026. Last year, an exhibition was held at the Bristol Beacon, designed to spark city-wide conversations around race and inform a new grassroots-led manifesto on racial equality.
Artists from around Bristol also came together to release a song aiming to inspire a future built on the principles championed by those who took part in the original Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963.
“Businesses are central to shaping Bristol – not just economically, but socially,” added Mr Davis. “The Big Bristol Bus Boycott Business Breakfast is a chance for business leaders to connect, engage and take transformative action to build a city that truly reflects the values of inclusion and equality.”
In April, Bristol Bus Boycott 360 will launch a national ‘Designs4Change’ competition, inviting creatives across the UK to submit artwork inspired by the boycott. Winning designs will be displayed across bus stops, trains stations and shopping malls nationwide, with the winners announced on August 28, the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech.