FEATURE 21 Sam King MBE, Dionne McDonald (granddaughter) and Michael King (son)
Britain. During the 1940s and ‘50s, African and Caribbean Christians had to use their homes to have fellowship and prayer meetings, as they encountered discrimination in mainstream church denominations. Sam and his first wife, Mae, moved to Herne Hill in south London in 1958. They got a frosty reception at the local Baptist church. They never went back, even though they allowed their children, Michael and Althea, to attend Sunday school, as this was the nearest church to their home. Years later, when Sam became Mayor of Southwark, he was invited as a guest to the very same church, and he insisted that he was addressed as ‘Your Worship’. Sam also wore his full regalia as Mayor; this was ‘poetic justice’, with the church giving Sam due respect and recognition. After the death of Mae, he remarried and moved to Bexley with his new wife, Myrtle, where he attended the local Baptist church for over 25 years, until he moved to Brixton to live with his granddaughter, Dionne. He regularly attended the Church of the First Born in Brixton until the time of his death. The experience of discrimination in many ways led to the rise and development of the Black Majority Church movement in the UK, which after 50 years is now being recognised as an important part of society and a key legacy of the Windrush Pioneers. For instance, in 2013 in Wolverhampton, a Blue Plaque was awarded to the late Rev Dr Oliver Lyseight, founder of the New Testament Church of God, which was the first Black Majority Church to be established in 1953 in Britain. Sam had many achievements, being involved in the early days working closely with Claudia Jones to help establish the Notting Hill Carnival and the West Indian Gazette. In his later years, he was co-founder (with Arthur Torrington CBE) of the Windrush Foundation and The Equiano Society, with the objective of keeping alive the memories of the young men and women who were among the first wave of post-war settlers in England. In 1998, as part of the 50th anniversary of the Windrush, he received his MBE. Also, in 1998, Sam published his autobiography, ‘Climbing up the Rough Side of the Mountain’. However, one of the key achievements, which many people may not be aware of, was his role in promoting the Gospel during the 1980s as an elected representative. Sam used his role as Mayor of Southwark to promote gospel music.
During the 1980s, there were a number of pirate radio stations playing gospel music. Sam believed that this should be part of the mainstream, and thus he played an active role in supporting a number of applications for a community gospel radio station. This was eventually rejected by the Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, but this did not deter Sam and others and, in many ways, laid the foundation years later for Premier Christian Radio to be awarded a licence. Sam, along with Diane-Louise Jordan, helped to organise the first ever gospel-inspired BBC ‘Songs of Praise’ at Southwark Cathedral in April 1985, when the British public experienced gospel music and Pentecostal fellowship on a BBC flagship national show. The programme was a further launchpad for Bazil Meade and the London Community Gospel Choir in getting national exposure. Such was the success of the event that the BBC started to programme more gospel music into their various shows. Another important contribution that Sam made, in his role as a local councillor, was to present a number of motions to the British Council of Churches to allow Black Majority Churches to rent or buy church venues where buildings were derelict or underutilised. The motion was an important catalyst in the growth of Black-led church buildings and places of worship. His role in the promotion of Christianity is reflected in the Blue Plaque that was awarded for his former home in Herne Hill in 2010 with the inscription of ‘Christian Advocate’. Sam’s favourite Scripture in the Bible was Psalm 91, and the music that he would regularly like to sing throughout his Christian life was ‘Here is love, vast as the ocean’. Michael King talks passionately of his father’s achievements in public life and of his work at the Post Office, where he worked for 34 years. Michael states: “Our father’s faith was an important part of his life. He would always quote various proverbs and quotes throughout our childhood and also as adults, which gave the whole generations of Kings a solid foundation. He would say: ‘Do good, and good will follow you’ or ‘Call on my God every day, but you have to walk with Him.’” Dionne McDonald, granddaughter of
Sam, said: “Throughout his life, his faith was important in determining his values and lifestyle. He always had time to listen and give advice. I can remember the times when we would engage with young Black men in Brixton, always focusing on the positive attitude and empowerment in helping them to make the right choices about their lives. My grandfather was unselfish and always saw himself as a servant to the people.” Sam King, often called ‘Mr Windrush’, optimised the values and traditions of this generation in overcoming racism and creating the foundations for Black Britons: hard work, respect, tolerance, self-help, strength, spirituality and serving the community. We often debate about the lack of intergenerational dialogue, demise of traditional values and decline in Black self-resilience. Michael believes that his father’s contribution should be recognised with a bust in Windrush Square in Brixton, and also that the campaign for 22nd June to be made a public holiday called Windrush Day, to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation and the wider contribution of all migrants since WW2, should be supported by the government. Sadly, in a period when the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union, there is a growing climate of fear and hatred, similar to those experienced by the Windrush Pioneers and which led to the various race riots in Nottingham, Notting Hill and the bus boycott in Bristol. It feels that with the passing of Sam King we need a national oral history programme to capture all the experiences of the BAME elders, who migrated here between 1948 and the 1960s, so that we learn about their lives as part of a permanent archive for future prosperity - otherwise we will regret this as a nation and a community.
Patrick Vernon OBE Founder of 100 Great Black Britons and Every Generation Media
Arthur Torrington CBE and Sam King MBE www.keepthefaith.co.uk