Birmingham pen trade same time Osmiroid International had a large production plant in the city. Birmingham pen trade The Birmingham pen trade evolved in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter and its surrounding area in the 19th century; for many years, the city was the centre of the world's pen trade. In Newhall Street, John Mitchell manufactured pens; he pioneered mass production of steel pens (prior to this, the quill pen was the most common form of writing instrument). Mitchells are credited as being the first manufacturers to use machines to cut pen nibs, greatly speeding up the process. John's brother William later set up
Reyita: The Life of a Black Cuban Woman in the Twentieth Century communicates her grandmother's and parents’ oral history of slavery and their fight in the Cuban War of Independence, the last fight for Cuba's independence from Spain and the abolition of slavery in 1898. Although Cuba became an independent republic and freed their African slaves, Reyita notes several Afro-Cuban uprisings during the first half of the 20th century, due to racial discrimination and unequal rights. She mentions personal interactions with leaders of the Partido Independiente de Color (PIC, The Independent Colored Party), Evaristo Estenoz and Pedro Ivonet, who organized an armed protest calling for legalization of the Party. Reyita witnesses the