In honour of her commitment to support young people’s learning and education, the Jessica Huntley Memorial Fund, launched in October 2023 is offering education bursaries for students of African Caribbean descent from academic year 2024/25 onwards.

The bursary will subsidise studies in literature, history, art, social sciences or education. With the commitment and support of individual donors, commercial and academic partners, including higher education bodies, FHALMA will ensure that Jessica’s legacy is commemorated for at least a period of 10 years. The net proceeds from our fundraising efforts will contribute towards the underwriting the annual bursary fund.

Jessica Huntley, community activist, pioneering radical book publisher and education rights campaigner, believed in helping young people to learn about their heritage and about themselves by championing for an education in Black history. Jessica was a fearless women. In collaboration with community groups, she led and fought to uncover injustice, inequality – standing up for young people’s human rights. She helped and set up Saturday Schools, was one of the co-founders of the Black Parents Movement. Jessica, together with her husband Eric Huntley, worked tirelessly to import and publish a wide range of titles by, from and for the African Caribbean Diaspora – undeniably, not freely available in mainstream bookshops in the UK.

The bursary is administered by FHALMA Foundation (Friends of the Huntley Archives at LMA), a charitable organisation dedicated to preserving, sharing, and celebrating the legacy of Jessica and Eric Huntley. FHALMA works to ensure that this significant cultural heritage remains accessible and relevant to future generations.