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Here to Stay, Here to Fight

Here to Stay, Here to Fight

A Race Today Anthology

Edited by Paul Field, Robin Bunce, Leila Hassan and Margaret Peacock

A unique anthology of Race Today (1973-88), featuring original contributions from C. L. R. James, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Darcus Howe

From 1973 to 1988, Race Today, the journal of the revolutionary Race Today Collective was at the epicentre of the struggle for racial justice in Britain. Placing race, sex and social class at the core of its analysis, it featured in its articles and pamphlets contributions from some of the leading writers and activists of the time: C. L. R. James, Darcus Howe, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Walter Rodney, Bobby Sands, Farrukh Dhondy and Mala Sen and many more.

Here to Stay, Here to Fight, draws together many of these key articles and extracts into an impressive collection - the first book-length anthology of its kind - rescuing many contributions from the obscurity of inaccessible archives.

Framing the original contributions, there is a general introduction, which provides an overview of Race Today's 15-year history, section introductions providing context for each extract, written by writers and activists associated with the Collective, and a concluding section exploring the legacy of Race Today in contemporary social movements and debates around race, gender and class.

Paul Field is a writer, lawyer and political activist. He wrote extensively for Labour Briefing, on which he also sat on the Editorial Board, for nearly ten years. Field has also written for international publications including Jacobin, International Viewpoint, and South African Labour Bulletin.

Robin Bunce is a Historian based at Cambridge University. He has written extensively on the history of political thought, and contemporary pop-culture. His most recent book, published by Bloomsbury, Renegade: The Life and Times of Darcus Howe, co-authored with Paul Field, was nominated for the Orwell Politics Prize.

Leila Hassan was employed by Institute of Race Relations from 1970. Hassan went on to become a member of the Race Today Collective, the deputy editor of Race Today from 1973 and editor from 1985, during which time she was a frequent contributor to the journal on subjects ranging from black power movement in US, to the struggles of black women in the UK.

Margaret Peacock spent 25 years as the Head-Teacher of a mixed inner city comprehensive school. She was closely involved in the magazine 'Teachers' Action'.

'[I am] grateful for this anthology of the writings of the Race Today Collective ... It comes from the heart of black British struggle ... I could have really done with this when I was writing [my book]'

- Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race'

'Those people inspired me - there was Darcus Howe, Linton Kwesi Johnson, the Race Today Collective, that inspired me...'

- Benjamin Zephaniah, Poet

'required reading for any black activist of the time...'

- Diane Abbott MP

'The radical journal Race Today...was hugely influential in black political movements in the 1970s'

- Kehinde Andrews, author of 'Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century'

'a serious black journal that was both politically and theoretically nuanced'

- Denise Noble, author of 'Decolonizing and Feminizing Freedom'

'A beacon for anyone interested in race in Britain'

- New Socialist

List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction - Leila Hassan, Robin Bunce and Paul Field
1. Race Today and British Politics
2. Black Youth in Revolt
3. Sex, Race and Class
4. Asian Communities, Asian Workers and Race Today
I: THE ASIAN SELF DEFENCE MOVEMENT
II: TIGER STRIKES: BHAG AND THE STRUGGLE FOR HOUSING
III ASIAN WORKERS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
5. Challenging British (In)Justice
6. ‘Creation For Liberation’: Race Today and Culture
7. For Black and Third World Liberation
8. Legacies
Notes on Contributors
Index

Published by Pluto Press in Sep 2019
Paperback ISBN: 9780745339757
eBook ISBN: 9781786804846

150mm x 230mm

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