BAME Activist Reading List
Books
Easy Level (Accessible, Introductory)
- An Illustrated Introduction to Black British History – Thuo Books
A friendly but informative overview of Black British history. - The Good Immigrant – Edited by Nikesh Shukla
Essays by 21 BAME writers on identity, belonging, and race in Britain. - Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You – Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
A youth-friendly guide to understanding race and systemic injustice.
Intermediate Level (Reflective, Analytical)
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
A powerful blend of history, personal narrative, and political analysis. - Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire – Akala
A personal and political exploration of race and inequality in Britain. - Brit(ish) – Afua Hirsch
A memoir and social critique on identity, race, and belonging in Britain. - Women, Race, and Class – Angela Davis
Examines the intersection of race, gender, and class in social movements. - I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Malala’s original memoir detailing her fight for girls’ education in Pakistan and surviving a Taliban assassination attempt.
Advanced Level (Historical, Theoretical)
- Black and British: A Forgotten History – David Olusoga
A comprehensive history of Black people in Britain from Roman times to now. - Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain – Peter Fryer
A seminal work tracing 500+ years of Black British history. - Me and White Supremacy – Layla Saad
A 28-day guide for white readers to understand and dismantle privilege. - Black Feminist Thought – Patricia Hill Collins
A deep dive into Black feminist theory and intellectual traditions. - The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain – Ron Ramdin
A pioneering history tracing the development of Black labour in Britain from the 16th century to the 1980s. It explores slavery, indentureship, trade unionism, and the rise of Black radical ideology in response to racism and inequality. - Black and Blue: How Racism, Drugs and Cancer Almost Destroyed Me – Paul Canoville
The harrowing and inspiring story of Chelsea’s first Black first-team player, who faced extreme racism, injury, addiction, and illness—and fought back. - The Rebirth of the African Phoenix: A View from Babylon – Roger McKenzie
Explores Africa’s post-colonial challenges and the rise of Pan-Africanism. Covers themes like debt, land, climate, migration, peace, and culture, with reflections on building a global movement for African liberation. - African Uhuru: The Fight for African Freedom in the Rise of the Global South – Roger McKenzie
A radical history of African self-liberation, global resistance, and the failures of trade unions to address racial inequality. Offers a vision for future solidarity across borders.
Films & Documentaries
- Ricky Reel: Silence Is Not an Option
Description: A powerful documentary about Sukhdev Reel’s 25-year fight for justice after the racist murder of her son Ricky Reel and the institutional failures that followed.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx4HR45G7U - Playing Away (1986) – Horace Ové
Description: A West Indian cricket team visits a posh English village for a charity match, exposing racial tensions and cultural divides in the 1980’s.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08zSRw8SNuU - Small Axe: Mangrove (2020) – Steve McQueen
Description: Dramatises the true story of the Mangrove Nine, Black activists who were tried for inciting a riot in 1970 after protesting police harassment.
Trailer/Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLbPiXzMOKo - Pressure (1976) – Horace Ové
Description: The first Black British feature film, it follows Tony, a second-generation Black British teenager, caught between his Caribbean heritage and British society. The film explores racism, generational conflict, and the rise of Black Power politics in 1970s Britain.
Trailer/clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x61G0yGzyRw - A Class Divided (1985) – Jane Elliott’s Brown Eyes/Blue Eyes Experiment
Description: A documentary revisiting Jane Elliott’s 1968 classroom experiment in Iowa, where children were divided by eye colour to simulate racial discrimination. The film explores the psychological impact and long-term lessons of the exercise.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mcCLm_LwpE - The Color Purple (1985) – Directed by Steven Spielberg
Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this film follows Celie, a young African American woman in early 20th-century Georgia, as she overcomes abuse, racism, and sexism to find her voice and independence.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPwzBUui1GA - Do the Right Thing (1989) – Spike Lee
Set in a Brooklyn neighbourhood on the hottest day of the year, this film explores racial tensions between African American residents and Italian American business owners. It’s a powerful reflection on systemic racism, community conflict, and the consequences of silence.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ny631yQ-DM - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) – Directed by Stanley Kramer
Description: A liberal white couple’s beliefs are tested when their daughter brings home her Black fiancé. The film stars Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy, and was one of the first to portray interracial marriage positively
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1pnX3nYc8 - Burning an Illusion (1981) – Menelik Shabazz
Description: A pioneering Black British film that follows Pat, a young Black woman in Thatcher-era London, as she navigates love, identity, and political awakening. It was the second British feature made by a Black director and the first to centre a Black woman’s voice.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPI86WEv1Zw - Babylon (1980) – Franco Rosso
Description: Set in Thatcher-era South London, this film follows Blue (played by Brinsley Forde), a young reggae DJ navigating racism, police brutality, unemployment, and the vibrant sound system culture. It’s a raw, defiant portrait of Black British youth and resistance.
Trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_xhN87G8bk - Harriet (2019) – Directed by Kasi Lemmons
A biographical drama about Harriet Tubman, the legendary abolitionist who escaped slavery and led hundreds to freedom via the Underground Railroad. The film highlights her bravery, leadership, and unwavering commitment to justice.
Trailer/Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqoEs4cG6Uw - Grunwick Strike (1976–1978)
Description: A pivotal industrial dispute in North London led by South Asian women workers at the Grunwick film processing plant. The strike demanded union recognition and exposed racial and gender inequalities in British labour. Jayaben Desai became an iconic figure in trade union history, challenging both management and traditional union leadership.
Link for trailer/clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVDJwE6cVmA - Grunwick Strike (1976–1978)
CWU resources and video interviewing Colin Molony (CWU ex Cricklewood branch chair) https://education.cwu.org/course/the-grunwick-dispute-1976-1978/ - Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (2021) – Directed by George Amponsah, Executive Produced by Steve McQueen
Description: This documentary explores the rise of the Black Power movement in the UK during the late 1960s and 1970s. Narrated by Daniel Kaluuya, it features rare archival footage and interviews with key activists such as Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Darcus Howe, and Roy Sawh. The film highlights pivotal moments like the Mangrove Nine trial, the Oval Four convictions, and the Spaghetti House siege, showing how young Black Britons challenged racism and police brutality, inspired by the civil rights movement in the U.S.
Trailer/Clip : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhMmC0_SvWU