Remembering Olive Collective (ROC 2.0)
Olive Morris Memorial Foundation Stone
As well as stewarding the Olive Morris Memorial Awards ROC is currently involved in ensuring that Olive’s legacy is remembered following the demolition of Olive Morris House. Having sold the 18 Brixton Hill site to developers Muse, Lambeth moved its staff and services based there to the Civic Centre in the new town hall development. They moved everything except Olive’s name. And while we are disappointed that after 34 years Lambeth no longer sees fit to name its customer service centre after Olive we are heartened to see Haringey Council naming a supported housing scheme Olive Morris Court in memory of Olive. (Innovative Housing Scheme for Homelessness Prevention in Tottenham - Haringey Labour). We were also pleased to see a blue plaque unveiled on 26 June 2021, by Nubian Jak at 2 Talma Road, SW2, where Olive once lived.
Meanwhile for our part ROC has been liaising with Muse, to ensure that a foundation stone commemorating Olive Morris House will form part of the new development at 18 Brixton Hill. It would be made from Portland Stone, and we have agreed the following lettering:
On this site stood Olive Morris House
(March 1986 - March 2020)
A Lambeth Council building dedicated to
the memory of Black community activist
Olive Elaine Morris
(26 June 1952 – 12 July 1979)
(March 1986 - March 2020)
A Lambeth Council building dedicated to
the memory of Black community activist
Olive Elaine Morris
(26 June 1952 – 12 July 1979)
An outline image of Olive with a megaphone would also be etched into the stone with the words “My heart will always be in Brixton” written underneath. We are currently waiting to agree on a suitable location for the stone and to approve a mock-up of the final piece.
Olive Morris Hall @Karibu Education Centre
From the outset, ROC sought to preserve the original lettering from Olive Morris House, but unfortunately, this was stolen from the site during the redevelopment. Muse has since had a copy of the lettering made and it is planned to install this in the Karibu Education Centre, which is re-naming its first-floor hall as Olive Morris Hall. The Karibu Education Centre in Gresham Road, (formerly the Abeng Centre) has historic ties with Olive as it hosted the first OWAAD conference in 1979 as well as the memorial services held for Olive in 1979 And it is one of the last remaining projects from the 1970’s to remain in existence.
There are plans for a dedication ceremony linking the unveiling of the foundation stone at the 18 Brixton Hill site with the dedication of the Olive Morris Hall at the Karibu Education Centre later in the year. The Morris family, the 2022 awardees and previous recipients of the awards, together with members of the community will be invited to attend. Details will be circulated in due course.
If you have any questions please email us at: rememberolivemorris[at]gmail.com