5 Black iconic figures who made history in Europe even in the face of great persecution

William Cuffay

This powerful orator was formerly enslaved man from St. Kitts. William is famous for campaigning for universal suffrage and emerging as a leader of the Chartists.

He was eventually arrested and accused of “conspiring to levy war” against Queen Victoria for his part in the first mass political movement in Britain that was fighting for political rights for the working classes.

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Cuffay was transported to Tasmania but received a pardon three years later. He continued to agitate for democratic rights until his death in 1870.