We Were There

We''re not just urban. We''re not just young. We don''t just speak with one accent. When you think of the recent history of Black Britain, you probably think of the British Black Power movement, the Brixton riots, and the explosion of punk and reggae. In short, you think of London. In this confronting yet joyful book, Lanre Bakare investigates moments and artefacts in contemporary Black British life outside of the capital. From Handsworth and Leeds to the rural southwest and Edinburgh, Lanre takes us on a captivating journey across Britain to show how the art and activism of those outside of the metropole had a profound impact on Black British identity and modern Britain as a whole. We Were There is a clear-eyed, sweeping survey of Black British culture that has thus far been overlooked. It is a celebration of everything Black Britons have been told they''re not and an invitation to re-evaluate and reject the cliched, limited history they''ve been informed is theirs.

Auteur

Lanre Bakare was born and grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. He is a correspondent for the Guardian where his writing focuses on the intersection of art, race and culture. He has lived and worked in New York and Los Angeles as part of the Pulitzer Prize winning Guardian US team, and in 2020 he co-wrote a book with Ovie Soko, titled You Are Dope. He is a regular contributor to radio and TV shows, including BBC Front Row, and he has also taught workshops as part of the Critics of Colour collective and hosted panels for Guardian Live and Soho House. We Were There is his first book.