The Labour Party Black Section Response to the Labour Result

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This document is a 1987 press release from the Labour Party Black Sections responding to that year's general election results. It celebrates the election of Keith Vaz as a Member of Parliament and acknowledges the significance of having a collective Black socialist voice in Parliament. The release highlights both successes and setbacks for Black voters within the Labour Party’s electoral outcomes.

Key points:
– The Labour Party Black Sections describe the election of Keith Vaz as a historic victory for Black people of Asian and African descent in Britain.
– They celebrate the defeat of Peter Brunivel in Leicester East, viewing him as unfriendly to Black communities.
– The press release notes that Labour succeeded in constituencies with confident Black electorates, but lost Nottingham East where the candidate selection was unpopular among both Black and white party members.
– The statement condemns the divisiveness of Margaret Thatcher's government, emphasizing widening social inequalities.
– The Black Sections commit to continuing their campaign for a Labour victory, focusing on unity among diverse groups.

The Labour Party Black Sections emerged as a key organization advocating for Black representation and political influence within the Labour Party during the 1980s. This press release situates their work within the broader struggle for Black British political empowerment, highlighting the election of Black MPs as a milestone. It reflects ongoing challenges around candidate selection, racial justice, and anti-Thatcher resistance, key themes in Bernie Grant’s and allied activists’ efforts in local and national politics.

Source note: The OCR quality is generally clear, though some spellings and punctuation inconsistencies are present in the original print. The transcript accurately reflects the original text without significant ambiguity.