On 8 March 2026, the Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage in Leicester will mark International Women’s Day with a special evening screening and discussion honouring the life and work of Leila Hassan Howe.
Titled International Women’s Day: We The People and In Conversation with Leila Hassan Howe, the event runs from 19:00 to 21:00 and brings together film and live dialogue to reflect on activism, community organising and Black British political history.
Recognising a Pioneering Activist
Leila Hassan Howe has played a significant role in racial justice movements in Britain for more than five decades. Her activism began in the 1970s during the Black Power era, when she became a member of the Black Unity and Freedom Party and contributed to change within the Institute of Race Relations.
She was also a founding member of the Brixton-based Race Today Collective in 1973 and later became editor of its influential journal, Race Today, which played a central role in shaping Black political thought and grassroots organising during the 1970s and 1980s.
Alongside her husband, Darcus Howe, she helped organise the Black People’s Day of Action in March 1981 following the deaths of 13 young Black people in the New Cross fire tragedy. At the time, it was the largest demonstration of Black people in British history and marked a defining moment in the forging of modern Black British identity.
In 1974, Hassan Howe and the Race Today Collective also supported striking workers at the Imperial Typewriters factory in Leicester, linking local labour struggles with wider movements for racial justice.
More recently, she has continued to shape public discourse through publishing and archival work. She co-edited Here to Stay, Here to Fight and, in 2023, co-edited a special issue of Race Today — the first since 1988. In 2024, she was awarded an honorary fellowship by Goldsmiths, University of London, and recognised as one of Serendipity Institute’s 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark.
She currently serves as Chairperson of the Darcus Howe Legacy Collective, dedicated to preserving and promoting his contribution to movements for justice in Britain and internationally.
Film and Conversation
The evening will feature a screening of We The People, produced and directed by Fan Sissoko and Virginia Nimarkoh in association with Tommy Ross-Williams. The documentary explores intergenerational activism in Brixton and the ongoing legacy of community organising.
The screening will be followed by an in-conversation with Leila Hassan Howe, offering audiences the opportunity to hear directly from one of the key figures in Black British political history.
International Women’s Day at Serendipity
International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements while reinforcing commitments to equality and collective progress. For Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, this includes highlighting the experiences and leadership of women from the African and African Caribbean diaspora.
By centring Leila Hassan Howe in its 2026 programme, the Institute connects International Women’s Day with a broader history of political activism, publishing and cultural organisation in Britain.
Event Details
International Women’s Day: We The People and In Conversation with Leila Hassan Howe
8 March 2026
19:00–21:00
Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage
8 Bowling Green Street, Leicester, LE1 6AT
Website / Tickets:
https://www.serendipity-uk.com/event/international-womens-day-we-the-people-and-in-conversation-with-leila-hassan-howe/
Contact: info@serendipity-uk.com
Image credit: Black People’s Day of Action, 1981. Photograph by Homer Sykes / Alamy.