Back to my roots
A combination of sources for today's walk, which is possibly the most personal one undertaken.
This month's History West Midlands Podcast is about racism in 1960s Smethwick and specifically Malcolm X's 1965 visit to the area. The next leg of my "rail trails" series is between Langley Green and Smethwick.
Peter Griffiths became Smethwick’s Conservative MP in the 1964 general election after running a notoriously racist and anti-immigration campaign, winning against the national trend and displacing Labour’s Patrick Gordon Walker. A few months later, on 12 February 1965, Malcolm X visited Smethwick at the invitation of Avtar Singh Jouhl and the Indian Workers’ Association to see the discrimination faced by Black and Asian residents, including the colour bar at the Blue Gates pub, where he was not served. He described the situation in Smethwick as even worse than America, and his visit became a powerful symbol of international solidarity against racism. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York on 21 February 1965, just nine days after the Smethwick visit.
I was born in Birmingham and spent the first two years in Smethwick. In a street very near and similar to where Malcolm X visited. My parents - white, working class, moved away in 1971. I never heard them be racist but their reasons were "they didn't want their kids to be in the minority at school".
With this as a backdrop - I trace a route between the two stations, taking in key locations to the story and from my life. It's an urban walk - so certainly not pretty.
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| Mappiman's First House - Remembered only through photos |
There's not that many pubs in the area. The first seen, the Merrivale - a burnt-out shell that is bound to be demolished soon. Most in the area are "Desi-Pubs" - a perfect blend of beer and Indian Food, mixed grill platters a speciality. The Old Chapel is a surviving traditional pub and also the oldest non-secular building in Smethwick. Long been of interest, as we drive past it from the Albion. My mom tells me stories of sharing half a cider with my dad, unable to afford a drink each, having mortgaged themselves to the hilt to purchase the two-up, two-down.
I was hoping to visit today, but it appears to be going through a change of ownership. Stonegate has it up for sale and Facebook has an enthusiastic post suggesting a new chapter is starting soon.
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| Old Chapel - I can claim a tick from my pram in 1970 |
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| Blue Plaque |
Lunch and an interlude at Smethwick Heritage Centre in Victoria Park. A tiny room celebrating Smethwick's industrial past and West Bromwich Albion's former glories.
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| Picnic in a Park |
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| The Red Cow - Peter Griffiths, the Racist MP, used to campaign from there. Now Desi |
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| The Blue Gates - Visited on my Metro Pub Crawl Walk |
My acting career died a death before it had chance to flourish. In Smethwick High Street - where I was busy photographing the mosque, I was approached by a film producer who needed white Caucasian males to appear as extras in a movie being shot. Photos taken and paperwork part completed until I asked how long I would be needed for. Alas, shooting was between 2pm and 8pm. I couldn't commit.
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| A statue to Sikh Soldiers in WW1 |
Marshall Street - not far from Smethwick Galton Bridge - is the logical conclusion to the day's activities. A blue plaque marking Malcolm X's visit to Smethwick.
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| A street of terraced houses |
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| Malcolm was here |
Walk Details
Distance - 5 miles
Geocaches - 2
Previous Stages on the Wyre Valley Line - Worcester to Droitwich, Droitwich to Hartlebury, Hartlebury to Kidderminster, Kidderminster to Hagley, Hagley to Stourbridge, Stourbridge to Cradley Heath, Cradley Heath to Old Hill, Old Hill to Langley Green
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