Brick Lane 1978: The Turning Point - Project launch | Photography | Film | Oral Histories

---  BRICK LANE 1978: THE TURNING POINT ---

What do you know about the 1978 anti-racist uprising around Brick Lane?

With the help of volunteers and original activists, Four Corners and Swadhinata Trust are creating a vital record of this watershed moment. 

Find out more about the uprising and how you can bring this project to life.

Come along to our Roman Road building on the 4th October and discover how you can gain skills, get inspired and shed light on local history.

Enjoy refreshments and hear from the Councillor Sabina Akhtar along with those who were there in 1978.

Brick Lane 1978: The Turning Point is an ambitious project offering all sorts of ways to get involved over the next 2 years. Whatever your interests or availability, we'd love to see you there!

Volunteer opportunities:

//researching, interviewing and producing an archive of photographs +  oral histories

//creating a documentary film

//capturing voices for a touring exhibition

//feeding into an events programme and school’s study pack. 

----- What happened in 1978?-----------

4 MAY 1978

A young Bengali garment worker is found dead near Brick Lane; yet another  racially-motivated attack endured by the Asian population of East London. This time however, things are different. The brutal murder of Altab Ali mobilises a community. It is time to take action.

14 MAY 1978 

7,000 Bengalis march from Brick Lane to Hyde Park then Downing Street behind Ali’s coffin, in an unprecedented uprising against racist far-right groups. Their actions represent a turning point in resistance against racial discrimination. East London will change for good. 

Renowned photographer Paul Trevor captured these 1978 protests. We’re using his iconic images to track down and gather accounts from those involved at the time, and we need your help. 

Ansar Ullah, Director of Swadhinata Trust says: “This year is the 41st anniversary of Altab Ali’s killing. It is important to capture and document that period before it’s too late. It is the most important aspect of the Bengali community’s history in the UK. To capture that struggle with those who were there physically and in images is very exciting.”

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See you on the 4th of October!

The 4th October 2019 also marks 83 years since 'The Battle of Cable Street', the most popular anti-fascist victory to have taken place on British soil.

Interested? RSVP for this event, or if you can't make it but would still like to volunteer, please send an email to [email protected]

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Photo © Paul Trevor 2019.