James Baldwin and Britain

James Baldwin, author and activist, was renowned as the most eloquent voice of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and as a pioneering writer of queer fiction. In this series of screenings, presented in partnership with the University of Manchester’s ‘James Baldwin and Britain’ project, we examine his ongoing influence on British culture.  

Baldwin visited the UK on numerous occasions and was a sharp commentator on British race relations. He won a televised debate at the Cambridge Union in 1965, gave high-profile speeches in support of Black prisoners in London in 1971 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hull in 1976. He was also the subject of a major documentary, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, first screened on ITV, in 1981.  

At the centennial of his birth, in 2024, the films in this season reflect key moments from Baldwin’s time in Britain and reappraise his ongoing significance in British culture. 

These screenings are part of the ‘James Baldwin and Britain’ project (2024-2027), led by Douglas Field, Kennetta Hammond Perry, Isabel Taube and Rob Waters, with thanks to The Arts and Humanities Research Council, for their generous support. Further details of the project can be found here