MX60: life, legacy & lessons
Why MX60?
This October (Black History Month - BHM UK) will be the 60th Anniversary of Britain's most racist elections, when in the 1964 October General Election the Conservative Candidate Peter Griffith's stood on a racist slogan - "if you want a N...... for a neighbour vote Labour” and won. The Indian Workers Association (IWA) led the campaign against the “Racialist” Griffith's campaign founded on Mrs. Grove, who lived on Marshall Street, campaign to get the Council to buy up houses on her street so they could not be sold to Black (political definition as it was back then by and large Caribbean and Indian Sub-continent Commonwealth Immigrants). At the time the IWA lobbied the Labour Party to take a firmer stance, which they did not, and the rest is history.
Malcolm X was invited by the Birmingham Branch of the IWA via Claudia Jones (founder of the West Indian Gazette and the Notting Hill Carnival). Malcolm X came in solidarity to expose the apartheid (colour bar) that was taking root in Britain. He arrived in Smethwick on 12th February 1965 (USA BHM). When he went back to the USA he was assassinated on 21st February 1965. Smethwick was his last public speaking appearance.
The media get interested on the various anniversaries of Malcolm’s visit, using a simple narrative of - what has changed since he came, but not why he came, the impact he made and the lessons thereof. His teachings and ideology, which shifted during his progressive journey and analysis still holds true today, as once again witnessed in this year’s general election, which like 1964 played the race card, because of the deeply embedded systemic racism in our society, institutions and politics.
MX 60 Season:
The MX 60 Season will run from October 2024 (UK BHM) to February 2025 (US BHM) spanning from the politics of anti-racism and fascism of the 1964 election to Malcolm X Smethwick Visit.
The aim of the MX 60 Season is to provide a platform to celebrate the 60 Anniversary of Malcolm X Visit to Smethwick (England) through the arts, community engagement and academia in both celebrating his life’s work and the impact it continues to have.
MX60 is being developed by a growing number of groups including BRIG, Black Heritage Walks Network CIC, Black Heritage Arts More, Recognize Black Heritage & Culture, Kalaboration Arts, Stand Up to Racism, Black Country Living Museum, Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Centre and University of Birmingham.
MX60 Website and Listings:
The MX60 listings website will be launched in August to include events and activities being developed for the MX60.
If you want to contribute, get involved or put on an event for the MX60 Season please contact us at info@wearebrig.co.uk marked MX60.