A new book documenting London’s part in the transatlantic slave trade has been published as part of a permanent exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. ‘London Sugar & Slavery’ tells the story of how the capital was once the fourth largest slaving port in the world. Using personal accounts, documents and photographs it details
Theme: Managed migration
Black History Month 2010
As Black History Month approaches, IRR News provides a round-up of forthcoming events. From Friday 1 October 2010 – Black Britannia: A free photography exhibition by John Ferguson of inspiring black men and women. At Open the Gate, 33-35 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 8BJ. From Friday 1 October 2010 – Ancestral words: Outstanding the
Home Office hits international students – again
New rules, to make it harder for international students to come and study in the UK, will become law unless Parliament intervenes. On 22 July, the Home Office published rule changes which make life more difficult for international students. One of the changes says that from now on, graduates from UK universities who wish to
New Travellers, old story
A unique set of free resources about the culture and history of Britain’s New Travellers has been created by The Children’s Society. A year-long piece of work, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the New Travellers, Old Story project collected oral histories from New Travellers across the South West and used them to make three
Basil Davidson 1914-2010
To mark the sad death of Basil Davidson, a long-time member of the IRR and member of Race & Class Editorial Committee, we reproduce below the editorial in the 1994 special issue of the journal. ‘When Race & Class was breech-birthed from Race, in the palace revolution that overthrew the empire loyalists who ran the
From Barking to Aberdeenshire
A renowned educationalist critiques recent Citizenship Foundation guidance for teachers on dealing with the BNP and other radical groups in schools. Speaking in parliament in November 2006, the secretary of state for education and skills, Alan Johnson, described Community Cohesion (which all schools in Britain have a legal responsibility to promote) in the following words:
Refugee Week 2010
Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities. Every year, hundreds of events are organised aiming to counter fear, ignorance and negative stereotypes, exploring the contributions that refugees give to the UK and the reasons
Home Office rides roughshod over international students
New rules seriously affecting international students and language colleges have been pushed through parliament in defiance of proper procedures. In April 2010, new restrictions on international students and their families were brought into force. Under the new rules, non-degree students’ permitted working hours are halved, from twenty per week to ten, and their dependants, are
Young people’s film on women who changed the world
A fantastic new DVD about four women who made an impact by changing society (with accompanying website and magazine) has been made by young filmmakers. The DVD, Hidden Herstories: Women of Change, consists of four 15-minute films, each on a woman whose contribution to society has been hidden from history by the passing of time.
All men are created equal?
Below we reproduce a story based on real events, written during the second world war by a serving US chaplain*, about the repercussions of racial segregation, an issue so sensitive, the story never saw the light of day – till now. According to the author, this story was written ‘on a rainy weekend in the