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.