Martha Osamor, Baroness Osamor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Osamor of Tottenham
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 26 November 2018 Life Peerage |
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| Personal details | |
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Martha Otito Osantor
24 September 1940 Delta State, Nigeria |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British Nigerian |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | Kate Osamor (daughter) |
Martha Otito Osamor, also known as Baroness Osamor, was born on 24 September 1940. She is a British-Nigerian politician, community activist, and a champion for civil rights. She is a member of the Labour Party and holds a special position in the House of Lords called a life peerage. Her daughter, Kate Osamor, is also a politician and has been a MP since 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to the UK
Martha Otito Osantor was born in Delta State, which was part of Nigeria when it was a British colony. In 1963, she moved to the United Kingdom to join her husband, who was studying in London.
They settled in Tottenham, a part of London, and had four children. Sadly, her husband passed away in 1975.
Her Work in Politics and Community
Martha Osamor has spent many years working to help people and improve communities.
Starting Community Groups
She helped start a group called the United Black Women's Action Group (UBWAG). This group worked to support black women in the community.
From 1977 to 1997, Martha worked at the Tottenham Law Centre. This centre helps people get legal advice and support. During this time, she also joined the Broadwater Farm Youth Association Mothers' Project. This project helped mothers and young people in the Broadwater Farm area.
Becoming a Local Councillor
From 1986 to 1990, Martha Osamor was a Labour Party councillor. A councillor is someone elected to represent a local area on the council, which makes decisions for the community. She represented the Bruce Grove area in the London Borough of Haringey. She even became the deputy leader of the Haringey London Borough Council, which means she was a very important person in local government.
Standing Up for Justice
After some difficult events in the Broadwater Farm area, Martha Osamor and Dolly Kiffin organized a large public event on 3 October 1987. This event was to call for civil rights and fairness for everyone. They also created a special document called a Manifesto of the movement for civil rights and justice. Martha also helped create the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign, a group that worked to support people affected by the events.
National Politics and the House of Lords
Martha Osamor was a strong supporter of left-wing ideas within the Labour Party. She was also a national vice-chair of the Labour Party Black Sections, a group that worked to increase the representation of black people in the party.
In 1989, many local Labour Party groups wanted her to be their candidate for a special election in the Vauxhall area. However, the party's main committee, the National Executive Committee, decided not to let her be the candidate. Instead, another person was chosen.
In May 2018, Jeremy Corbyn, who was the leader of the Labour Party at the time, suggested that Martha Osamor should receive a life peerage. A life peerage is a special honour given by the Queen, which allows someone to become a member of the House of Lords for the rest of their life. On 26 November 2018, Queen Elizabeth II officially gave her the title of Baroness Osamor. This title connects her to Tottenham in London and Asaba in Nigeria.
Family Life
Baroness Osamor is the mother of Kate Osamor, who is a MP for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill.
