Black in the Union Jack?

With Jeffrey Boakye, Paul Gilroy and Derek Owusu

32 years after his seminal text, There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack, was first published, Paul Gilroy is joined by Derek Owusu and Jeffrey Boakye as they explore contemporary and historical black culture, and the black stories that still need to be told.

Paul Gilroy is one of the foremost theorists of race and racism working and teaching in the world today. His influential books include The Black Atlantic, Against Race, Postcolonial Melancholia and Darker Than Blue. He is Professor of the Humanities and founding Director of the new Centre for the Study of Race and Racism at UCL, and winner of the Holberg Prize 2019. 

Derek Owusu is a writer, poet and podcaster. In 2019 he published the essay collection Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space. He is co-creator and co-host of the award-winning literature podcast, Mostly Lit. His forthcoming novel-length poem, That Reminds Me, will be published by #Merky Books in November 2019.

Jeffrey Boakye’s first book, Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials, and the Meaning of Grime was published in 2017. His second, Black, Listed, is an exploration of the global history of black culture. Jeffrey has taught English in secondary schools and sixth form colleges since 2007. In partnership with The Royal Society of Literature