Celestine Edwards
Quick Facts
Biography
Celestine Edwards (born late 1850s) was a Dominican editor, public speaker, author, and anti-racist activist.
Background
Celestine Edwards was born in Antigua. While scholars tend to agree that Edwards' birthday fell on 28 December, there is some disagreement about the exact year of his birth. One historian of Black British history, Peter Fryer, provides 1858 and possibly even 1859 as his birth date, another, Jonathan Schneer, cites 1857.
International adventures
According to Edwards' autobiographical essays, published in the journals Lux and Fraternity, he left his native Dominica in 1870 and worked odd jobs on ships for a few years. He also spent some time in the United States. He then settled down in Scotland, where he joined the Primitive Methodist church. After his stay in Scotland, he moved to London in order to study theology at King’s College and medicine at the Royal London Hospital.
Public speeches & publications
During this time, he became a well-known speaker for the Christian Evidence Movement,. One of his most famous speeches, "Political Atheism", was published in 1889 by John Kensit. He also founded two magazines: the Christian Evidence paper Lux in 1892; and the anti-racist Fraternity in 1893.
According to Peter Fryer, Edwards is the first known Black British editor. His work with Fraternity led him to a successful collaboration with Ida B. Wells during her first anti-lynching tour of the British Isles.
