Kathleen Wrasama - Activist

Kathleen Wrasama was born in Ethiopia in the early 1900s, the exact date is unknown, she was brought to the UK as a child by missionaries. After being orphaned, she was sent to live in a children’s home in Yorkshire. As the only Black child Kathleen endured mental, racist and physical abuse so much so that she ran away. At the home she'd been ostracised and objectified - her experience's there impacted her greatly and went on to shape the views she held as an adult.

In her teens Wrasama left Yorkshire in search of  a better life, she initially took up work as a farm labourer in Wales..

Like many other Black migrants and British born Black people at the time, she was often underpaid and undervalued, but she was determined and kept going. Eventually Kathleen moved to London where she worked in a coffee shop and as a film extra. Whilst in London she discovered a Black community and connected with other Ethiopians.

Kathleen co-founded the Somali Seamen’s Mission in Stepney, East London in 1958 with her Somalian husband. The Mission was one of the earliest Black led community centres in the UK, it was a vital support hub for African and Caribbean seamen and their families. The Mission offered meals, shelter, and helped with navigating housing and employment concerns, particularly in the face of systemic racism.

Kathleen also co-founded the Stepney Coloured People’s Association. Her activism reflected her core beliefs shaped by the inequalities and abuse she’d experienced in her younger years. She was outspoken about poor housing conditions and inequalities experienced by Black people and tirelessly lobbied and advocated on their behalf.

Kathleen ran away from children's homes rather than endure the extreme mental and racial abuse she received

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