News / Bristol Bus Boycott
Bristol to host Martin Luther King III as part of bus boycott’s final initiatives
A business breakfast spearheaded by a city think and do tank called for support while promoting initiatives for making Bristol the “best city for people of all colours, cultures and classes” which will also include Martin Luther King III visiting the city.
Meeting on what was also the 60th anniversary of the Race Relations Act, conversations circled around what young people can do to bring about change.
When in 2023, Julz Davis – ‘creativist and founder of Curiosity UnLtd – started the Bristol Bus Boycott 360, it was born from what he called his “Jamaican dream”. A dream that he realised not on his several week-long visit to Jamaica but only once he landed back in the arms of Bristol.
is needed now More than ever
Talking about his ancestral connection to England and racial equality on Friday morning, Davis said: “My dad took me there (to Jamaica) in 2022 and I hadn’t been there in 10 years.
The breakfast also encouraged networking among businesses that are keen on supporting such initiatives
Davis continued: “I had forgotten some of the stories and the heritage. One of the things he showed me was a plot of land where all of our family are buried.
“I realised it was an opportunity for me to connect and communicate with my ancestors.”
It was at this moment that he also realised he had been blessed with the “better life” that his grandfather had once travelled to England for.
“I realised that the better life has come. I’ve got education, I’ve got resources, I’ve got house, I’ve got money, I’ve got technology – which is more than what my grandfather had. The question I asked myself is what is my contribution and what will my grave say?”
With Bristol Bus Boycott 360, Davis has tried to champion 360 separate initiatives that are aimed at changing the cultural and racial narrative in Bristol. Each mural, research, legislation, school tour, heritage walk, art and more is aimed at flipping Bristol’s current identity as the 7th most unequal UK city for people of colour.
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Joyce Morris-Wisdon, a pioneer who started protesting with fellow boycotters when she was only 14, is currently hoping to get the Bristol Bus Boycott included in the curriculum of schools.
She explained: “At the moment, even though its been done so many years ago children haven’t learnt about it at all.
“I think it’s really important for young people to know about it because it’s not black history, it’s not Caribbean history, it’s British history.
“Because it is British history, children should learn about their history and there is no reason why bus boycott is not in it.
“If children don’t learn about it and don’t know about it then you’ve lost out on it – like a lot of things we don’t know about kings and queens. They need to know why people say the things they say and do the things they do.
“And to be aware that people can be discriminated against for a range of things – the colour of your skin, your beliefs, because you look different, think different.”
Through 2025, the last year of the 360 initiative Davis will be supported by several local institutions to put together a series of events that will culminate with a final visit from Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of Martin Luther King Jr.
Addressing attendees at the breakfast, held at VWV in Narrow Quay, Martin Luther King III said through a pre-recorded video: “This three-year campaign has proudly celebrated the boycott’s origin, legacy and the people in front and behind it.
“As a global ambassador, I am keen to support you in setting up a large, ambitious and transformative vision for the city and its future generations. In this spirit, I look forward to coming to Bristol in November.”
All photos: Karen Johnson
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