The Labour Party Black Section

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This document is a 1987 letter from the Labour Party Black Sections addressed to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee. It calls for firm support of Black Labour councillors, including Bernie Grant, facing racist attacks from the Conservative government and the press. The letter highlights the use of race as a political weapon ahead of a general election and demands Labour leadership actively combat state racism.

Key points:
– The letter was sent on 5th April 1987 by Sanjiv Vedi, Assistant Secretary of the Labour Party Black Sections.
– It expresses solidarity with Black council leaders Linda Bellos, Bernie Grant, and Merle Amory, who were targeted with racist attacks due to their socialist policies.
– The letter condemns racist policing practices, including the shooting of Cherry Groce and aggressive drug raids in Black communities.
– It demands the Labour Party leadership publicly defend these councillors and actively challenge Tory racism.
– The Black Sections call on the Labour Party to support Black communities by addressing state racism and supporting grassroots organising.

This letter connects directly to Bernie Grant's role as a Black political leader fighting racism and promoting socialist policies in local government. The Labour Party Black Sections advocated for anti-racist campaigning and represented Black members within Labour during a period of intense political and racial tensions in the UK. The document reflects ongoing struggles against institutional racism and the push for Black political representation and empowerment in the 1980s.

Source note: The OCR transcript displays minor textual irregularities and typographical errors typical of scanned historical documents but remains largely clear and legible for accurate interpretation.