Description

We Were There is about a Black Britain that for too long has been unknown and unexplored – the one that exists beyond London.

**An Esquire and GQ best book of 2025, an Observer book of the summer, an Independent book of the month, and a Guardian book to look forward to**

‘A vital corrective that enhances our understanding of black British history’ STEVE MCQUEEN

From the late 1970s to the early 1990s Britain was in tumult: rocked by Margaret Thatcher’s radical economic policy, the rise of the National Front, widespread civil unrest. With anti-immigration policies in the political mainstream, Black lives were on the frontline of a racial reckoning. But it was also a time of unrivalled Black cultural creation, organising and resistance. This was the crucible in which modern Britain came into existence.

We Were There brings into the spotlight for the first time extraordinary Black lives in once-rich cities now home to failing industries: the foundries of Birmingham, the docks of Liverpool and Cardiff, the mills of Bradford. We are in Wigan, Wolverhampton, Manchester and the green expanse of the British countryside. We meet feminists and Rastafarians, academics and pan-Africanists, environmental campaigners and rugby-league superstars; witness landmark campaigns against miscarriages of justice; encounter radical groups of artists and pioneering thinkers; tread dancefloors that hosted Northern Soul all-nighters and the birth of Acid House.

Together, these voices and stories rewrite our idea of Black British culture. London was only ever part of the picture – We Were There is about incorporating a vastly broader range of Black Britons into the fabric of our national story.

Alive with energy and purpose, We Were There decisively expands our sense of who we are. Confronting, joyful and thrilling, this is a profoundly important new portrait of modern Britain.

‘Genuinely pioneering and transformative histories only come along rarely, but Lanre Bakare’s … is undoubtedly such’ DAVID KYNASTON

Publisher Review

We Were There is a vital corrective that enhances our understanding of Black British history in the 20th century by moving the narrative outside of London — Steve McQueen We Were There is an essential, unique and joyful contribution to the full understanding of Black Britain. It broadens our story and ensures that the scale of our influence across the UK is fully recognised and appreciated. Utterly brilliant — Dipo Faloyin, author of Africa Is Not A Country An urgent conversation about Britishness and the breadth of Black British experience [that] will take us on affecting and insightful journeys — Arifa Akbar, author of Consumed Lanre Bakare takes us on a rare journey, rearranging our understanding of Britain’s racial geography with an open mind, perceptive eye and an accessible style. An incisive book at an important time — Gary Younge, author of Dispatches from the Diaspora Genuinely pioneering and transformative histories only come along rarely, but Lanre Bakare’s wonderfully immersive, wide-ranging account of the years when Black Britian acquired its own agency is undoubtedly such — David Kynaston, author of A Northern Wind A revelation of a black history almost lost, a chronicling of a rich black British life outside of London told with such love and tender, evocative prose that it immediately colourises the present. In tracing this history, Bakare offers not just a homage to Black British identity, but a reinforcement of it — Nesrine Malik, author of We Need New Stories Fascinating. Lanre Bakare’s story is told with pace, wit, scholarship, and nuance. It taught me so much about the city and the country where I live — Ed Caesar With We Were There, Lanre Bakare provides a vital new chapter in the story of modern Britain. Told with urgency, empathy and a skilled journalist’s ability to connect the dots across race, power and national identity, this is essential reading — Ekow Eshun, author of The Strangers This is an important and ambitious book, and Bakare has found the right stories and language to do it justice — Andy Beckett, author of Promised You A Miracle An exquisitely cathartic and powerful journey though some of the most important, but untold chapters of our recent history. If you lived it, you will love it – if you didn’t, brace, this is a tough but ultimately uplifting story that, in Lanre’s caring hands, we can all live and love — Gus Casely-Hayford, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum East