Peter Blackman | |
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| Born | 28 June 1909 |
| Died | 8 August 1993 |
| Occupation(s) | Christian missionary, newspaper editor, BBC Radio broadcaster, airplane manufacturer |
| Organization(s) | League of Coloured Peoples, Negro Welfare Association |
| Known for | Black civil rights and communist activism |
| Notable work | My Song Is For All Men (1952); "In Memory of Claudia Jones"; Footprints (2013); "Stalingrad" |
| Political party | Communist Party of Great Britain |
Peter Blackman (28 June 1909–8 August 1993) was a Caribbean communist, scholar, civil rights activist, and Christian missionary. After challenging a racist rule in which white missionaries earned more than their black counterparts, Blackman resigned as a priest and dedicated himself to both communism and black civil rights activism. He was a key member of the Negro Welfare Association and the League of Coloured Peoples, and an active member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). During his career as a Communist Party activist, he became close friends with American civil rights leaders Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois. Blackman worked as a radio broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) during the Second World War for their Caribbean services; however, in 1950 he was fired from his job for having communist beliefs. Afterwards, he joined the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) and volunteered to write letters for people with learning disabilities. In his later life he dedicated his time to writing poetry.