Description

This session examines how Britain possessed its own distinctive form of Black Power movement, which, whilst inspired and informed by its US counterpart, was rooted in anti-colonial politics, New Commonwealth immigration, and the onset of decolonisation. The session also explores how British Black Power offers valuable lessons about how the politics of anti-racism and anti-imperialism should be united in the 21st century.

This lecture is part of the British Citizenship, Race and Rights module from the Connected Sociologies Curriculum Project. 

• Angelo A. M. 2009. ‘The Black Panthers in London, 1967-1972: A Diasporic Struggle Navigates the Black Atlantic’ Radical History Review 2009 (103): 17-35
• Bunce, R. and Field, P. 2013. Darcus Howe: A Political Biography. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Narayan, John 2019. ‘British Black Power: the anti-imperialism of political blackness and the problem of nativist socialism.’ The Sociological Review. Volume: 67 issue: 5, page(s): 945-967
• Trew, W. N. 2010. Black for a Cause…Not Just Because… Derbyshire: Derwent Press.
• Waters, R. 2018. Thinking Black: Britain, 1964-1985. Oakland: University of California Press.
• Wild, R. 2008. “Black was the colour of our fight.’ Black Power in Britain, 1955-1976.” Ph.D. diss., University of Sheffield.

• Ashley John-Baptiste, The Mangrove Nine. Echoes of Black Lives Matter from 50 years ago, BBC News, 14 August 2020.
• Olaloku-Teriba, Annie 2020. ‘Political blackness and Palestinian solidarity’ Red Pepper.
• The British Black Panthers – BBC Radio 4 Documentary on British Black Panthers.
• Tell a Friend Podcast – Oral History/ Interviews with a variety of former British Black Power activists.
• Remembering Olive Collective – blog/website documenting work of Remembering Olive Collective’s work on Olive Morris.
• Special Branch Files – collection of state documents on British Black Power and attemptes to disrupt British Black Power Groups.

• Why did Black power find resonance in Britain? How did the expression of Black Power in Britain differ from its US counterpart?
• How did British Black Power narrate racism in Britain as link to other anti-racist and anti-imperialist struggles around the world? What does this mean for how we conceive anti-racism?
• To what extent is British Black Power’s idea of intercommunal anti-racist solidarity important today? What can we learn from this era?