Tributes to the Bristol activist, community elder and civil rights pioneer Roy Hackett have been flooding in since his death at the age of 93 was announced late last night.
One of the leaders of the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963, which was essentially Britain’s civil rights movement that triggered equalities legislation through the 1960s and 1970s, Roy was awarded an MBE for his work in the community in Bristol. Roy went on to be a leader of the community in St Pauls for decades, helping to start the St Pauls Carnival, as well as the Bristol Race Equality Council.
The executive director of the carnival Roy helped to establish, LaToyah McAllister-Jones, led public tributes to the man who was a symbol of Bristol’s place in the ongoing fight against racism and for equality. “You have inspired so many, your service and dedication to your community lives on through us all,” she said in a statement. “Your legacy lives on in all of us. Your example of service and fight for justice will never be forgotten,” she added.
