Donate to help save vital independent Black publisher & bookshop, New Beacon Books

When I was a young teacher in the 1970s New Beacon Books was a vital resource for Black books that actually reflected the ethnic profile of my classes as well as books that educated me about Black culture and history, as well as the anti-racist struggle.

This is their appeal CrowdFunder LINK

 

Established in 1966, New Beacon Books is the only remaining independent Black publishing and bookselling entity in the UK. Throughout its 55 years, it has been pivotal to the growth of the Black Education Movement, the Black Supplementary School Movement and current calls for the decolonisation of the curriculum. Unlike Amazon, Alibris and other online suppliers, New Beacon has been at the heart of communities, building social movements and giving expression to young voices. It remains a huge part of the history of the adaptation of British society to its historical and post-war Black presence. Save and develop it for coming generations.

New Beacon Books is facing closure because:

 • As a result of the pandemic and the various lockdowns, New Beacon Books has seen a marked decrease in footfall and consequent income and overheads have increased. The growth in online shopping has had a marked impact upon income to independent bookshops generally speaking. In 1982, New Beacon Books and its partner organisations founded the annual International Bookfair of Radical Black and Third World Books, at a time when education providers and the general public were struggling to find books and other education resources by Black authors of fiction and non-fiction. 

• In 1991, New Beacon Books and the Bookfair gave rise to the George Padmore Institute (GPI), an archive and library dedicated to preserving and curating the archives of political and cultural activists who were pioneers in our struggles before and since the 1945 5th Pan-African Congress held in Manchester, of which the Trinidad-born political theorist George Padmore was a key organiser. The GPI was gifted 76 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, N4, which had been the home of New Beacon Books since 1975. • In order to meet its financial commitments, New Beacon Books must continue to do much more than just sell books. New Beacon Books has a proud history of running public education programmes, including book launches, readings, public lectures, spoken word events, etc.

 • The publishing arm of New Beacon Books has been scaled down considerably, but there are increasing calls for New Beacon Publications to commission and publish work by young creatives and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and for introducing new and old work to new audiences. For New Beacon Books to do this, it must be able to make full use of its existing space, and if necessary, relocate to premises that will allow for the expansion of its publishing and public affairs programmes as well as for bookselling. New Beacon Books is hugely encouraged by the community’s response to its needs and willingness to donate funds to enable New Beacon Books to survive and grow. The Crowdfunding appeal initiated by Francesca Gilbert and other young supporters who grew up with New Beacon Books is just amazing and New Beacon Books is grateful to them for that. New Beacon Books is committed to doing the following: 

a) Establishing a New Beacon Development Fund (NBDF) to receive monies raised with a governing body comprised mainly of those young supporters.
b) Setting up an event planning and public programmes committee.
c) Utilising some of the funds donated to meet New Beacon Books’ immediate needs.
 d) New Beacon Books does not exclude the possibility of acquiring alternative premises, large enough to accommodate publishing, bookselling, writers in residence, public programmes and community events consonant with the aims and mission of New Beacon Books, and adapted appropriately to engage with current challenges facing Black Britain and the society generally. e) Keeping all our supporters and customers updated on the progress of our plans, inviting their active participation in our programmes, and encouraging feedback and advice.

New Beacon Books would like to thank all those who have reached out, be it to lend their support, or to propose ways and means of raising funds. Their intervention has been most timely. 

We look forward to the future and thank you for your support,

Michael La Rose - Director, New Beacon Books
Janice Durham - Director, of New Beacon Books
Professor Gus John - Non-Executive Director, New Beacon Book

Stump up for the Sheffield Tree defenders

The perils of PFIs of local authority services, out-sourcing and the pitfalls of poor contracting have been illustrated to devastating effect by the battle going on in Sheffield over the Amey contract for tree 'maintenance' which has seen healthy trees being felled and the transformation of a once leafy streetscape into arid avenues.

Local residents and activists, including from the Green Party, have been desperately trying to save the trees via peaceful protest and have met with rough treatment from the contractors and their security as well as being pursued by bailiffs acting on behalf of the Labour Council.

Several local Labour Parties in  the area have come out against along with Sheffield Momentum. This is the resolution passed by Gleadless Valley Labour Party:

Gleadless Valley Labour Party branch opposes the consequences of the PFI deal for street improvements in Sheffield which has led to both the widespread removal of trees and the failure to meet timescales for road improvements. If this work had been delivered in house by a council service, it is inconceivable that the opposition to tree felling would not have led to changes. 

As it is, the actions of Amey plc have both failed the council’s road improvement ambitions and undermined the reputation of Sheffield’s environmental credentials. 

We reaffirm our support for our G.E. Manifesto’s opposition to PFI deals and call on our sisters and brothers in the Labour Group to support an immediate, mediated settlement to the felling of our street trees.

A Crowdfunder Appeal has been set up to help pay the legal costs imposed by the heavy-handed Sheffield City Council (SCC). You can donate HERE.

The Crowdfunder page sets out the issue:

Calvin Payne and Alastair Wright committed no crime, but in defence of our street trees, they both fell foul of a court injunction pushed through by SCC to force its felling programme on its own citizens. Not satisfied with their punishments for contempt of court, the Council is seeking inflated costs from Alastair and Calvin of £11,000 and £16,000 in costs respectively.

We want to raise £27,000 to pay Alastair and Calvin's legal costs with your help, and the support of Pulp's Nick Banks and Richard Hawley, actor Maxine Peake, and Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, George Monbiot, author and environmentalist, along with Ken Loach, activist and film maker, and many others,  all offering support and endorsing this Crowdfunder.

We will not stand by and watch legitimate peaceful protest and civil disobedience being extinguished by an anti-democratic SCC with its taste for expensive legal action. For every injunction hearing brought before the judge, SCC is deliberately paying £16,000 a day for London based legal representation so as to intimidate protestors by emptying their wallets and savings accounts.

Tree campaigners in Sheffield, like Calvin and Alastair, are simply asking that the council complies with current urban forestry good practice. A perfectly reasonable request. The council has responded with threats, force, and an army of private security guards to intimidate the many protestors that now attend felling sites on a daily basis. It has ignored experts on all sides, and even ignored the findings of its own 'Independent Tree Panel'.

In this long-running and increasingly bitter dispute, SCC and its principal contractor, Amey plc, have resorted to increasingly desperate measures and unsafe working practices to fell healthy street trees. Their relationship is underpinned by a confidential Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal, a form of financing which is widely discredited; it has led to the privatisation of Sheffield streets and street trees.

The Council has mounted dawn raids, has tried (and failed at great cost) to have a serving Green councillor imprisoned, has smeared and slandered campaigners in the media, while its representatives have repeatedly lied to the people of Sheffield.