Film Number

7464

Title

THE STRUGGLE OF BLACK WORKERS, MR ERNEST MARKE [PART ONE]

Producer

WFA

Date

1982

Gauge

U-matic LB

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Running Time

61 mins 52 secs

Description

Mr Markes puts his life story to this meeting in Manchester to educate others about what it was like. He arrived from Sierra Leone as seaman in 1917 when he was 14 years old believing Britain was the motherland. Jobs very scarce so eventually went to Guyana but realised imperialism created the same problems everywhere. Worked as seaman periodically when no other work could be procured. Came to Manchester in 1924, married and settled in Salford where most of the black community was at the time. Took to many kinds of work to earn a living - market stalls, selling medicines, Belle Vue Gardens 1951-52 - NYE (New Years Eve) Side Shows, snake charming act. Had to use many devices to progress himself. He was a delegate to the 1945 Pan-African Congress. Talks about Norman Manley (father of Jamaica's PM), a brilliant lawyer who was involved in an important case in Manchester. He also talks about Len Johnson and his membership of the Communist Party. He says the only 'ism' that helped black men was communism. Also talks about family life and particularly the relationship between black men and white women because his second wife was a Yorkshire woman.

[Catalogued as part of 'Revitalising the Regions' a Screen Heritage UK project, 2011]