The University of Manchester marks Black History Month with a special talk exploring the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival, the confrontation that took place that year and its importance within the history of anti-racist struggle in Britain.
Carnival researcher Zakariya Cochrane will examine the political and social circumstances surrounding the events of 1976 and look at why Notting Hill Carnival became such an important space for Britain’s Caribbean communities.
His research explores how Carnival offered Black communities a way to celebrate culture publicly while also resisting the racism and discrimination they experienced in Britain during the 1970s.
The talk will also consider the relationship between Notting Hill Carnival and wider anti-racist movements, including Rock Against Racism, which emerged during the same period.
Cochrane has been involved with Notting Hill Carnival since 2017, organising floats on behalf of Love Music Hate Racism.
He has also contributed a new introduction to the republication of The Road Make To Walk on Carnival Day: The Battle for the West Indian Carnival in Britain, a collection originally published in Race Today around the time of the 1976 Carnival.
The event provides an opportunity to look beyond Carnival as simply a celebration and understand its place within the history of Black British resistance, political organisation and cultural expression.
The talk runs from 4pm to 5.30pm.
The event is open to the general public as well as students, university staff, researchers and schools.
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