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We Were There

We Were There

£22.00 GBP
£22.00 GBP
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  • All proceeds directly fund our people-powered, independent journalism
  • 100% recyclable packaging sourced from Kite Packaging, a worker-owned and carbon-neutral certified company.

We Were There is about a Black Britain that for too long has been unknown and unexplored – the one that exists beyond London.

From the late 1970s to the early 1990s Britain was in tumult: rocked by Margaret Thatcher’s radical economic policy, the rise of the National Front, widespread civil unrest. With anti-immigration policies in the political mainstream, Black lives were on the frontline of a racial reckoning. But it was also a time of unrivalled Black cultural creation, organising and resistance. This was the crucible in which modern Britain came into existence.

We Were There brings into the spotlight for the first time extraordinary Black lives in once-rich cities now home to failing industries: the foundries of Birmingham, the docks of Liverpool and Cardiff, the mills of Bradford. We are in Wigan, Wolverhampton, Manchester and the green expanse of the British countryside. We meet feminists and Rastafarians, academics and rugby-league superstars; witness landmark campaigns and encounter radical artists and thinkers; tread dancefloors that hosted Northern Soul all-nighters and the birth of Acid House.

 

Author bio

Lanre Bakare is the arts and culture correspondent for theGuardian, where his writing focuses on the intersection of art, race and culture across multiple disciplines. He was senior correspondent on the Cotton Capital project – an exposé on theGuardian’s founders’ links to transatlantic slavery and was recognised at the Press Awards as a ‘breathtakingly honestmea culpa’. He was born and grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Ethical policy

All of our packaging is from Kite Packaging, a worker-owned company committed to minimising their impact on the environment  at every step of production.

To make it as easy as possible to reuse or recycle the packaging once your order arrives, everything is packed in recyclable materials which can be recycled in standard council-issued recycling bins. Our void filling packaging is either recyclable cardboard or reused bubble wrap from previous orders. 

For more about our ethical pledges and manufacturing partners, check out our full Ethical Policy.

Shipping, delivery & returns

UK delivery

All orders are sent via Royal Mail’s 48 hour tracked delivery service, with an average delivery time of 2-3 working days. We aim to post orders within seven calendar days from the point of purchase.  

International deliveries

We dispatch all of our overseas orders via Royal Mail’s tracked delivery service with an average delivery timeframe of 2 weeks. All international orders may be subject to duties and taxes which may incur additional costs. Please check your order tracking details, as you may have to collect your order from customs or a post office.

Due to the volatile nature of US import duty charges, we are sadly no longer able to ship to the USA.   

For more information, check out our full Shipping, Delivery & Returns Policy.

Contact

Got a question? Drop us an email at merch@novaramedia.com.

Please note: Our shop is staffed by one part-time staff member, so all emails will be responded to during their working hours. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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