Martha Osamor, Baroness Osamor

Born Martha Otito Osantor in Delta State, Nigeria, Osamor moved to the UK in 1963 to join her husband who was then studying in London. Osamor and her husband settled in Tottenham, where they had four children. Her husband died unexpectedly in 1975.

Osamor was a co-founder of the United Black Women's Action Group (UBWAG). From 1977 to 1997 Osamor worked at the Tottenham Law Centre (now called the Haringey Law Centre) and during this time became part of the Broadwater Farm Youth Association Mothers' Project on the nearby Broadwater Farm housing estate.[1]

From 1986 to 1990 she served as a Labour councillor representing the Bruce Grove Ward in the London Borough of Haringey, eventually becoming deputy leader.[2]

Following the Broadwater Farm riot, Osamor and Dolly Kiffin organised a civil rights demonstration on 3 October 1987 and produced a Manifesto of the movement for civil rights and justice.[3] She became a founding member of the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign.[4]

A left-winger and Labour Party Black Sections national vice-chair, Osamor was nominated by most of the branches within the Vauxhall Constituency Labour Party in the selection for a candidate at the by-election in 1989, but Labour leader Neil Kinnock got the party’s ruling National Executive Committee to block her candidature because he thought she was too radical and a prime example of the London loony left. Kate Hoey was imposed on the CLP by the national party as the eventual Labour candidate.

Osamor was nominated for a life peerage by Jeremy Corbyn in May 2018 and on 26 November 2018 the Queen conferred upon her the title of Baroness Osamor, of Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey and of Asaba in the Republic of Nigeria.[5][6][7]

Baroness Osamor is the mother of Labour Member of Parliament Kate Osamor.[8]