Moss Side 1981 – riot or uprising?

Gus John was a key figure in the Moss Side Defence Committee, which formed to defend Black people charged during the violent confrontations between the police and the public in 1981.

Prior to John’s keynote speech at an online antiracism rally on Monday 1 March, Ameen Hadi reflects on the reasons this conflict erupted in 1981 and how it can inform the ongoing struggle against racism.

Review: ‘Never Counted Out! The story of Len Johnson, Manchester’s Black Boxing Hero and Communist’

In this guest post, Bernadette Hyland reviews Michael Herbert’s biography on Manchester’s black middleweight boxing champion and communist, Len Johnson. When my parents moved to Clayton, a working class suburb of Manchester in 1963, it was a large sprawling council estate surrounded by engineering and manufacturing factories and dominated by two busy main roads, Ashton […]

Far right mobilise in Manchester following damning child sex abuse report

Far right protesters gathered in St. Peter’s Square brandishing banners with racially charged slogans, following the publication of a report into Operation Augusta – an investigation of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester. Katy Preen reports on who we really need to hold accountable for the failures to properly investigate and prosecute child sex abuse. […]

There’s a reason why you don’t see many black and ethnic minority faces in cultural spaces

Roaa Ali, a research associate at the University of Manchester, investigates the issues around ethnic inequalities in the arts, where BAME people are underrepresented in the creation and consumption of artistic work. Guest article from The Conversation. Have you ever been to the theatre, looked around, and thought about how predominantly white the audience is? […]

Letter: We stand with Jeremy Corbyn – just as he always stood with us

Organisations and individuals including Kehinde Andrews, Hanif Kureishi, Ahdaf Soueif, Gillian Slovo, Robert Del Naja and Anish Kapoor urge BAME and migrant communities to vote for Labour and Jeremy Corbyn. Guest article from Red Pepper. As BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) representatives, organisations, anti-racist activists and individuals involved in local, national, and international campaigns, […]