Billy Strachan 1921-1998 was a World War 2 R.A.F. hero, a Civil Rights pioneer and leader, a lifelong Communist, a prominent law officer, and a gifted writer. He was leader of Caribbean Labour Congress (London branch), an anti-racist and anti -fascist fighter, an indomitable campaigner against colonialism and a mentor to many who met him.
Speakers included Winston Pinder, veteran Caribbean activist and close comrade of Billy Strachan, Chris Strachan, his eldest son, and David Horsley author of 'Billy Strachan Above All Caribbean Man' explore the extraordinary life of Billy Strachan. Through these personal and professional accounts we got to learn more about the man behind the name.
On Friday 6 December - with Islington Councillors, our affiliate unions, representatives from museums and libraries, volunteers and trustees - we said a huge 'thank you' our friends and supporters who came to our assistance in the aftermath of our 24 September flood, and launched our #Lenin150 fundraising appeal.
We need £50,000 to carry out urgent remedial work on our building, to protect our unique collections in the long term and to create a new restricted fund dedicated to facilitating access to Marx House.
Help us raise these funds by Lenin's 150th birthday on 22 April 2020.
On 14 November the Marx Memorial Library looked back at the Peterloo Massacre. Meirian Jump, Library Manager, opened the meeting by highlighting treasures in the library’s collection including a set of four commemorative ceramics from the James Klugmann Collection. Thanks to support from the Indian Workers Association and Unite the Union, these historic artefacts had been cleaned, photographed and catalogued in recent months, along with the rest of the MML’s ceramic collection.
Professor Mary Davis painted a rich picture of British radicalism in the run up to the 1819 massacre. Her paper underlined the economic hardship fell by many during this period of industrialisation, upheaval and unrest.
Dr Joe Cozens reflected on how Peterloo had been remembered by the left 1819-1919, focusing on themes of state violence, martyrdom, feminist politics and the conflict between democracy and capitalism. We learnt how the Chartists, suffragettes and the post WW1 trade union movement all drew on the memory of Peterloo at different moments during this period.
