Black History Month post-Grenfell – Time to Save the Incubators of Black Urban Culture

black-londoners-bookBy Thomas L Blair 10 October 2017 copyright

Public housing, the incubators of most of Black urban culture, could be destroyed by the rising tide of displacement and homelessness post-Grenfell unless the Black History Month culturalists join forces with threatened local people.

This could well be the mantra for a new movement of  Black culture and Housing Politics, supported by diverse and low-income tenants in London’s public housing.

The issues are both structural and cultural.  Therefore, the historic task for Black creativity is not   “culture for its own sake” — too often an alienating eurocentric view.

It’s time to create the safe housing and local cultural institutions every community needs to survive. Those who excel in and profit from the cultural arts have a crucial role to play. They can help build community social capital, fuel aspirations and strengthen neighbourhood social change.

Black cultural empowerment without civic power is no power.

What say you?

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Book jacket courtesy of Black Londoners 1880-1990