Diane Abbott MP
Let's celebrate the achievements of Diane Abbott, a stalwart campaigner for racial justice who is widely admired by the community.
Diane Abbott - The Trailblazer
Diane Abbott, the daughter of Jamaican parents who were a part of the Windrush Generation, was one of only three Black women at Cambridge university.
Diane Abbott (2005) by Flying Colours/Getty ImagesThe Voice Newspaper
Her career
After graduating from university, Diane worked as a civil servant in the Home Office (1976 to 1978) before becoming a Race Relations Officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties (now Liberty) (1978 to 1980) and then a journalist.
Bernie Grant (1987) by PA ArchiveThe Voice Newspaper
Her political journey begins
Diane Abbott worked as a researcher and reporter for Thames Television (1980 to 1983), then a researcher at the breakfast television company TV-AM, and then got elected as a councillor in Westminster council in 1982. Read more on Diane's political journey
Diane Abbott (1987) by Voice NewspaperThe Voice Newspaper
Diane Abbott was actively involved in the Labour Party Black Sections movement in 1983, alongside pictured (l-r) Paul Boateng MP, Keith Vaz MP, and Bernie Grant MP, campaigning for greater African Caribbean and Asian political representation. Abbott then went on to make history.
Diane Abbott (2017) by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via GettyThe Voice Newspaper
Political aspirations
Diane has stood for leader of the Labour Party, representing the Socialist Campaign Group, and challenged to be Labour’s London mayoral candidate.
Diane Abbott (2017) by Leon Neal/GettyThe Voice Newspaper
Diane Abbot MP
Abbott was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development after Corbyn's election as Labour leader, then to Shadow Health Secretary. In October 2016, Abbott was appointed Shadow Home Secretary. Read more
Diane Abbott (2004) by Fred Duval/FilmMagicThe Voice Newspaper
Initiator for change
Diane is the founder of the London Schools and Black Child conferences which address the continuing inequalities in educational attainment between children of African Caribbean heritage and their counterparts.
Read here to learn how Diane explains how public spending cuts are hurting Black communities.
Diane Abbott (2004) by Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)The Voice Newspaper
The longest serving Black MP
In 2020, Diane Abbott celebrated 33 years as an MP. While Abbott’s long and trailblazing career in politics is one for the history books, she shows no plans of consigning it to them just yet.
Diane Abbott MP, made history as the first black woman elected to parliament in 1987.
