Una Marson is a trailblazer. She was a pioneer in connecting the Caribbean and the rest of the world via her radio programs. Most people don’t know anything about her or her work at BBC.
Although it would take many, many hours for her story to be revealed, Douglas Road Productions makes a valiant effort to let it be known through a new documentary.
This unique archive of Una from the 1940s, is mixed with reflections from writers and historians. The actress Seroca Davies skillfully brings this extraordinary woman to life.
Una, a daughter of a Baptist preacher, was born in Jamaica in 1905. Una was raised in a middle class family, learned how to type and went to boarding school. She was driven, ambitious, and smart from an early age. She was appointed assistant editor to the Jamaica Critic by 1926, a political magazine. She started her own magazine ‘The Cosmopolitan’ two years later which was aimed at young and politically aware Jamaicans.
She also wrote ‘Tropic Reveries’ (a collection of poems that challenged traditional notions about womanhood) and ‘At What Price’ (a play about a mixed-raced couple that would be staged later in London’s West End).
Una was strong and couldn’t be ignored when she arrived in London in 1932 to pursue new writing opportunities. She was caught up in the color bar, which prevented access of non-whites to certain jobs and limited their access housing and other social and cultural opportunities.
Una wrote in her poem Little Brown Girl about her isolation in “a white, white city”.
“You speak good English little brown girl, how is it you speak English as though it belonged to you?” She wrote.
Una was not one to sit back and do nothing. She became involved in British political activism. She lived in the same house as Dr Harold Moody (founder of civil-rights organization The League of Coloured Peoples).
Although the League’s name may sound like something out of a Marvel movie, it had a serious goal which was to eliminate the colour barrier. Una was the League’s assistant secretary where she organized meetings, receptions, trips, and concerts. She was inspired by the fight against racism and became stronger.
The BBC Empire Service hired her in 1941 to produce a radio program called ‘Calling the West Indies’. This was her big turning point.
It featured personal messages, war stories, interviews, and music. It had a tremendous impact on people back home where they could listen to others and feel connected.
Una is surrounded by brown and black people in a radio studio as she awaits her signal. She then steps up to the microphone and speaks in an English accent.
She said, “This is Una Marson introducing West Indians in Britain.” As I look at the archive footage and as Seroca Davis recreates Una’s speech delivery and attitude, I am struck by her confidence.
Una was a literary genius. She contributed to poetry programmes with George Orwell and TS Eliot while reading her own work. In her weekly radio program, Caribbean Voices, she gave voice to undiscovered writers.
She was supporting Caribbean artists in the same way my production company supports diverse talent today, all those years ago. She was always willing to go the extra mile and finding authors and assisted them in publishing their writing.
Una was an intelligent, articulate black woman with a purpose. She didn’t have it easy in the 1940s Britain and the patriarchal world of the BBC.
Some of her BBC colleagues were racist towards her. Unclassified information about her work in the BBC archives speaks highly of her broadcasting skills but also mentions the “social” difficulties that she encountered due to “the prejudices which undoubtedly exist among some of the staff.”
Una knew that what she was doing was crucial. Una was able to complete the task regardless of what others thought and that’s something that deserves praise.
Unfortunately, her mental and physical health were severely compromised. She had been so dedicated to helping others and pushing for causes, but she neglected her selfcare.
She was diagnosed with schizophrenia in May 1946 and the BBC helped her return to Jamaica. She would then start her own publishing business, but her legacy was lost to history and literature after her death in 1965.
“How could we have let someone of Una Marson’s calibre just disappear?” In the documentary, Dr Delia Jarrett Macauley (author and biographer) asks these questions.
The people who write history books choose the names that we will remember. My team and I chose to tell Una Marson’s story by making a film. Her story is worthy of praise and I am proud and hope to have contributed to her legacy.
Una Marson, Our Lost Caribbean Voice will air on BBC Two on October 23 at 21:00 BST. It will also be available via BBC iPlayer.
