Looking Backwards, Moving Forwards: The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre and Education Trust, Community Activism and Public History Programming. Issue 375 (28th February 2022) - Islam, Safina
Abstract: Founded in memory of a Bangladeshi schoolboy who was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack in 1986, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust works to archive the life stories of racial and ethnic minority communities in Greater Manchester. The Trust is partnered with the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre, a specialist library focusing on the history of race, ethnicity and migration. This roundtable with former and current trustees and Centre employees reflects on the impressive development of both Trust and Centre over the past two decades. Today housed in an attractive new space at Manchester Central Library, the Centre is a vital part of the University of Manchester library network and Archives+, a partnership of archival and local history organisations. Similarly, the Trust's public history programming now includes a wealth of oral history and archiving projects, the publication of multicultural children's books, the creation of anti‐racist curriculum resources in collaboration with local schools, and other community‐based events and exhibitions. However, these successes have been hard‐won and, at times, hotly contested. We discuss the challenges of developing the Centre's collections and visibility, the evolution of the Trust's public history programming, and their shared importance and future ambitions.