Google Doodle logo today: Why you need to know exactly who Olive Morris is
26 June 2020, 13:03 | Updated: 26 June 2020, 16:54
Olive Morris is the face of Google Doodle for many good reasons today - here’s everything you need to know including how she fought for racial equality and how she died.
Google Doodle’s logo today decided to honour Olive Morris who would have celebrated her 68th birthday today.
A picture of a mural of her on the street she used to live on in Brixton, everyone wants to know exactly who Olive Morris is, what she fought for and how she died.
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Often forgot about, Olive Morris was a gender and racial activist who sadly died too early in 1979 - here’s everything you need to know:
Who was Olive Morris?
A young girl who moved from Jamaica to London with her family when she was just nine, Olive grew up to be an important racial, gender and social equality activist.
She set up numerous groups during her short adult life (she died when she was just 27 years old) to help those fighting inequality in the community.
This included Brixton Black Women’s Group, one of the country’s very first networks for black women, and she also co-founded the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent.
She was also a member of the British Youth Black Panther Movement.
Olive was an avid campaigner, organising plenty of protests, squats and campaigns to fight for equality.
Why was Olive Morris such an activist?
Olive Morris strived for change after she witnessed the arrest and beating of a Nigerian diplomat.
Olive herself got involved to stop the attack, getting beaten herself in the process. She was arrested, fined £10 and said she was stripped and threatened with rape while in custody.
How did Olive Morris die?
Aged just 27, Olive sadly died from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma - a cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
What has Google Doodle said about Olive Morris?
A Google representative said: “There has never been a more timely moment to commemorate the birthday of Olive Morris, whose fight for equality, left an extraordinary legacy of local activism in Brixton and beyond.
“We hope that by recognising and celebrating Olive Morris with a Google Doodle, we can inspire others to keep pushing forward for change.”
