Black British Lives Matter: A Clarion Call for Equality

Product Information

Displaying objects and artworks made in West Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Europe, this landmark exhibition also reveals the histories that have been silenced; not just stories of exploitation, but those of resilience and liberation, too.

Home to William Golding, Sylvia Plath, Kazuo Ishiguro, Sally Rooney, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Max Porter, Ingrid Persaud, Anna Burns and Rachel Cusk, among many others, Faber is proud to publish some of the greatest novelists from the early twentieth century to today. This week we discuss why Black British Disabled People Matter with Michelle Daley and Katouche Goll, both leading campaigners for Black disability rights for people in Britain.Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder introduce an essential collection of essays arguing how and why we need to fight for Black lives to matter - not just for Black people, but for British society as a whole. Refunds for correctly delivered and undamaged items are available within 30 days of the goods' receipt. In 1816, Richard Fitzwilliam donated vast sums of money, literature and art to the University of Cambridge, creating the Museum that is named after him.

The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer may have taken place thousands of miles away, but his agonising cry – “I can’t breathe” – reverberated in the UK, too.The book comprises essays from 19 prominent black figures, including the historian David Olusoga, the architect David Adjaye, the Labour MP Dawn Butler and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen.

In fact, it became the catalyst for the largest wave of anti-racist protests in British history, taking place in more than 260 towns and cities last summer.

So large is the political crisis to which the book is responding that some of the essays only manage to scratch the surface of their subject, while others at times feel repetitive. In Olusoga’s chapter, which is an interview conducted by Henry, the historian admits this surprised him. It shows how through resisting colonial slavery, people produced new cultures known as the Black Atlantic, that continue to shape our world. This plea to recognise black Britons’ humanity recurs throughout the book, from Marverine Cole’s account of mental ill-health, which deconstructs the devastating consequences of the “strong Black woman” stereotype, to Ryder’s closing essay, which describes his own horrific encounters with the police. This week we discuss one big idea - reparations - paying Black British people, and Black people around the world, for the slavery and colonialism they suffered.

This exhibition explores some new stories from history – stories that help us to separate fact from fiction and history from myth. Recognising Black British experience within the Black Lives Matter movement, nineteen prominent Black figures explain why Black lives should be celebrated when too often they are undervalued. A podcast investigating what it means to be Black in Britain today, from exposing the racism to celebrating the joy in every walk of life. This is the podcast where we explore why and how Black British lives matter –What it means to be Black and British, our culture, our joy and our pain. We explore the politics and racism around hair, from "Black is beautiful" afros to discrimination in the workplace.Sir Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder sit down with prominent Black British figures and explore the simple question: How do we make Black British Lives Matter? Daley and Goll explain why we cannot properly address racism in Britain today unless Black disabled people are front and centre of any struggle. The essays offer a 360-degree portrait of the black British experience, taking in health, the criminal justice system, politics, art, journalism, business and education. Great mix of guests, accessible to all ages as well, only gripe is I’d love to hear even more topics and also get more views from the podcast hosts themselves of what they think of the topics!