The Annual Lecture this year commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the passing of the pioneering late MP, on a topic with which he is strongly associated.

Bell Ribero-Addy MP has agreed to give this year’s ‘Recording Resistance - Bernie Grant, Anti-Colonialism and the Reparations Movement’ lecture on an occasion that will also see the launch of his newly digitised archive. The digitised archive will now make available a rich source of material related to Bernie Grant’s life and times, as Black political representation triggered an eventful period in race relations in the UK.

  • This the first Black archive to be digitised in this way, and while already well used by researchers, journalists and writers, up until now the material could only be accessed in person at the Bishopsgate Institute where it is housed.
  • The content includes extensive documentation of the early struggles of Black communities to find a place within the Labour Party, the circumstances surrounding the election of the first Black MPs of modern times in 1987, with Bernie Grant himself becoming a target for vilification by the media of the day. It also references the challenges faced by him and the other Black MPs in challenging widespread institutionalised racism, not least in policing, and the important role played by them and by Black self-organisation in identifying and confronting discrimination. 
  • In particular the newly available material also includes Grant’s many attempts to link up with influential individuals and organisations throughout the Black diaspora, whether it be with Black Congressional Leaders and other leading Black voices in the USA, and with African Leaders & Anti-Colonial Movements. His leadership in launching the African Reparations Movement in the UK is reflected in the large amount of documentation now available digitally through the site.

The Trust has also commissioned Middlesex University to model the application of AI to this archive in another important “first”, with a view to highlighting its potential and risks for the Black archive sector, and for diasporan narratives nationally and globally. Chair of the Bernie Grant Trust, Roger McKenzie commented: “It’s appropriate to bring this 25th Anniversary lecture to Parliament.

“Bernie raised issues here that made people uncomfortable. Raising issues about racism from the belly of the beast is never easy.

“Bernie never flinched and in these challenging times neither must we.” Historian and author A.S.Francis, who has led the digitisation project commented: "This digitisation project represent a key milestone in the democratisation of historical knowledge, and expansion of public access to important issues and topics that remain relevant today, particularly for young Black generations in Britain.

“This digital archive provides a rich insight into political leadership, and I am excited to see how it will be utilised!" Professor Kurt Barling, a professor of Journalism at Middx University, commented: “The Generative AI approach built by the ArχAI ("Archie") research team is designed to provide users with an interactive birds-eye view of historical records, speeches, and key initiatives preserved in the Bernie Grant Archive.

“The project is committed to improving accessibility to diasporic histories and fostering collaborations with other diasporic archives and collections."

Bernie’s widow, and Secretary of the Trust, Sharon Grant, commented: I know that Bernie’s memory lives long in the hearts of many Black Britons and beyond, and the Trust is delighted that Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP has agreed to deliver her lecture on a topic that was so dear to him. 

“I am pleased too that the records of an extra-ordinary life will now be more easily available to a new generation.” You can get further details on www.berniegrantarchive.org,uk.

The lecture takes place today Tuesday (8th April 2025) at 7pm. The Bernie Grant Trust is a Registered Charity No: 21451.