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| Pearl Alcock |
pearl alcock was a jamaican woman, born in 1934, who moved to the UK in the early 60's as part of the windrush generation, when she was in her twenties.
she first lived in leeds, moving down to brixton later to pursue her dream of owning a clothing shop. this dream was one that she chased and achieved; fuelled by her love for clothes and fashion and funded by her work in a factory in leeds. around 1970 was when pearl moved down to her new home above her shop at 106 railton road, brixton.
in the early 70's, pearl alcock opened an illegal bar for the black gay community in and around brixton in the basement apartment of her shop. it was a safe haven for the community, the black members of which were discriminated against by both the hererosexual majorities and the white gay population in london. her place was described as one of a kind.
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| The George Pub |
she observed the success of the notoriously racist and homophobic pub, the george, which was also located on railton road, and was disgusted at their refusal of black or gay faces into their space. not to mention that all of the gay community spaces in london were undeniably teeming with anti-blackness; making what pearl was doing all the more significant. the owner of the george pub was a notorious racist, and the pub was later burned down in the brixton riots in april 1981 (deservedly). pearl's place was shut down by the police at the close of the 70's, but her legacy remains intact and inspirational to many.
after this, pearl decided to open up a casual cafe, just a few doors down from her old place. here, she promoted her artwork, a skill that many were in awe in, despite her amateur title.
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| Artwork By Pearl Alcock |
pearl died on may 7th, 2006, when she was 72.
thank you for reading! this was the last week of LGBT history month, so i hope you learned as much as i did about the history of the community.
k
xxxx
this was inspired by a tiktok by @pinknews that was sent to me by a friend.
to write this post, i sourced:
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