Anslem Samuel
THE STORY OF A MAN WHO HELPED SHAPE BLACK BRITAIN
Anslem Samuel – My Life: Panman, Black Panther, Youth Worker
History is often told through famous names. This is the story of one of the people who made that history possible.
BOOK LAUNCH
November 29, 2026 14:00 London time
https://bit.ly/4wVwhvC or https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89136797602?pwd=3kSWXuXtGO2F4uJLHMieLwcuxRjKXl.1
Meeting ID: 891 3679 7602
Passcode: 936873
This book is a rich memoir of a natural rebel, born in the 1930s to a struggling working-class family in the British Empire island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. His first means of standing up to the vicious race and class oppression of the time was through the early steelband movement in the tough streets of the capital, Port-of-Spain, in the 1940s and 50s.
Pan players were seen as thugs, outlaws and undesirables, even as they made sweet music on the road at Carnival. His refusal to conform, reputation as a fighter and brushes with the law led him to the UK and eventual active involvement in organised politics as a Black Panther, and in the wider Black and radical movement. Through study he developed his political understanding and became an Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) youth worker, educationalist and trade unionist.
When thousands of Caribbean men and women came to Britain after the Second World War, they did far more than fill labour shortages. They transformed Britain’s cultural, social and political landscape.
Among them was Anslem Samuel.
Over the next six decades he became one of the quiet architects of Black Britain’s development.
His life is the history of a generation.
He challenged stereotypes through bodybuilding, becoming one of Britain’s leading competitors and trainers. Among those who benefited from his knowledge was a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, years before international fame found him.
He helped build Britain’s steel band movement and played an important part in the growth of Carnival, ensuring that Caribbean music and culture became an enduring part of British life.
As a youth worker, he devoted decades to helping young people discover confidence, purpose and opportunity.
As a member of the UK Black Panther Movement, he stood with those demanding justice during a period when Black communities routinely experienced discrimination in housing, employment, education and policing. His activism was rooted not in anger alone, but in a determination to build stronger communities and a fairer society.
Throughout his life Sam influenced thousands of others, black and white, through his example, his leadership and his commitment to others. Realising that these experiences formed part of Britain’s history, he spent several years working with his good friend co-author Jean Tate to record his memories. The manuscript was edited by Michael La Rose, son of the distinguished publisher and activist John La Rose, whose family has done so much to preserve the literary and political history of Britain’s African-Caribbean communities.
Sam died in March 2026, aged 92.
Today, this remarkable memoir stands as his final legacy.
This special Zoom event is more than a book launch. It is a celebration of a life dedicated to community, justice and cultural pride. Through conversation, photographs, readings and personal recollections, we shall revisit an era that changed Britain forever and honour one of the men who helped make that change possible.
To the post-War generation coming from the Caribbean; Black British history; the struggle against racism; and a deep understanding of Carnival, steel bands, youth work, bodybuilding and community activism, you will be inspired, informed and challenged.
Most importantly, you will discover the story of an ordinary man who achieved extraordinary things, whose contribution deserves to stand alongside the better-known figures who shaped modern Britain.
Join us online.
Celebrate a remarkable life.
Help ensure that Anslem Samuel’s story reaches the audience it deserves.
Copies of My Life – Panman, Black Panther, Youth Worker will be available for purchase during and after the event. Every copy sold helps preserve an important chapter in the history of Black Britain for future generations.
Launch supported by Grenada- Forward Ever – https://grenada-forwardever.net and Caribbean Labour Solidarity – https://cls-uk.org.uk.
Copies available now from New Beacon Books at https://www.newbeaconbooks.com/store-87 or co-author Jean Tate via PayPal at ???