Today we want to start a thread about the Bristol Bus Boycott, which arose from the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian people in Bristol in 1963.

After WW2 black people from the Caribbean and Africa, and people from India were asked to come to England to help rebuild the country and began working in low pay public sector roles like the NHS or driving public transport.

In Bristol, however, the Omnibus Company refused to employ black and Asian drivers, leading to a boycott of buses across the whole city.

Paul Stephenson, Roy Hackett and Guy Bailey were the brains and leaders behind the boycott, taking inspiration from Rosa Parks in the US and how she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger when the bus was at capacity.

Blockades and protests were set up across Bristol city centre to prevent buses from getting through the. The protester got support from not just Black and Asian communities but also from students and allies such as the local MP at the time Tony Benn as well as Harold Wilson.

On the same day, Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech after marching on Washington DC - 28 August 1963 - pressure had built enough over the summer that.

Finally, the pressure had gotten to the Bristol Omnibus Company, and they announced a change in policy on the same day Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech.

Not too long after Bristol had its first non-white bus conductor - Raghbir Singh, an Indian-born Sikh who'd lived in Bristol since 1959. More black and Asian people were employed as time went by.