"Alcock arrived in London in 1958 from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. She went on to open a dress boutique in Brixton, and later a cafe on the same Railton road. Underneath the boutique, however, was a shebeen (illegal club), that acted as a refuge and place of great significance for the local gay community. At the time Pearl's shebeen was the only gay bar in Brixton, meaning it attracted Black men from across London who wanted to feel safe in a space free from racism. Alcock's art depicted her visions and moods, expressed in vibrant colour. Her collection Outsider Art continually used familiar and accessible materials - instead of oils or tempera, Pearl used crayons and felt-tips. In a 1991 interview with Mark Kurlansky she told him that: "Everything I [got], I was scribbling on. The receipts at the cafe. Everything... I couldn't stop working.""
"Phyll Opoku Gyimah (aka Lady Phyll) is a British activist for LGBTQ+ equality and a co-founder of UK Black Pride. She is also the former executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust - a nonprofit organisation that campaigns for the human rights of LGBTQ+ people in countries where they are discriminated. UK Black Pride produces an annual celebration during pride month, as well as activities year round, in aid of celebrating LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern-descent. "Until we all have the same rights, until we do not face any form of injustice, until we all have proper access to housing, to health, to school, to edu"
Black History Month has occurred annually in the UK since 1987. Black LGBTQ+ Britons have often been overlooked during celebrations of Black achievements. Nine UK-based LGBTQ+ figures are highlighted for contributions ranging from activism to entertainment. Pearl Alcock arrived in London in 1958 from Jamaica, opened a Brixton boutique and cafe, and ran an underground shebeen that served as the only gay bar in Brixton and a refuge for Black men facing racism. Alcock produced vibrant outsider art using crayons and felt-tips. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah co-founded UK Black Pride and led campaigns for LGBTQ+ human rights through Kaleidoscope Trust.
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