Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain

The breath of research that went into this book remains staggering, even almost 40 years after it was written. It chronicles hundreds of stories of both ordinary and extraordinary black people who lived in Britain in the last 500 years, revealing the long and noble tradition of British people of colour. It is gripping from beginning to end, and remains hugely influential - anyone who saw David Olusoga’s excellent TV series Black and British: A Forgotten History will be aware of the (happily acknowledged) debt he owes to Peter Fryer’s seminal work.It must be admitted, though, that Fryer doesn’t come at the subject with complete objectivity; he was a proud and avowed communist, and was also heavily influenced by the writings of historian and later first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Eric Williams, all of which colours some of the interpretations he draws as we move through the book. As you would expect from someone so politically committed, his natural instincts are to look for instances of bad behaviour in the actions of the ruling class (which to be fair to him are not always difficult to find), and also for the worst instances of white on black racism, so there’s undoubtedly an element of confirmation bias sometimes going on in his choice of subjects and interpretations. As a result, some of his suggested conclusions seem dated today, in the light of further scholarship since publication. For example, both Williams and then Fryer infer that the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 by the British government was not driven by humanitarian concerns but by potential commercial gain. It is understandable why this argument was attractive to Williams in particular, who had personally experienced racism in the UK after he travelled here to study at Oxford (very successfully - he got a First). Quite naturally, he didn’t wish to give those he considered as white oppressors any of the moral high ground. However, more modern scholarship has pretty much disproved the hypothesis.There are many other examples through the book - for example the portrayal of the first attempted settlement in Sierra Leone as simply a ruse to clear the London streets of black beggars, in spite of the well-documented involvement of many committed abolitionists and humanitarians in the (ultimately doomed) plan.In the 19th and early 20th century he is understandably drawn to the stories of the anti-imperialist campaigners who came to London to study, but of course there are other and happier untold tales of that empire diaspora who were brought to the UK from all parts of the empire for further education which are perhaps less interesting for someone committed to the ideal of political struggle.The section covering the second world war suggests that the UK government and the British people happily went along with the colour bar agitated for by white American soldiers while they were stationed here. This is perhaps the biggest missed opportunity in the book, as while it is true that no one wanted to rock the boat too much with the Americans, because they were helping us to defeat a common enemy, the real story is quite the opposite. And what makes it such a big story is because the black American soldiers’ experience of non-racially discriminating Britain had a big impact on the later US civil rights movement - in fact around a third of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s were veterans of the Second World War. The African American journalist, Roi Ottley wrote of his British wartime experience: ‘The people here have a racial tolerance which gives them a social lever. They are inclined to accept a man for his personal worth. Thus the Negro has social equality here in more ways than theory. To put it in the language of the Negro soldier, “I’m treated so a man don’t know he’s colored until he looks in the mirror.” The fact is, the British do draw racial distinctions, but not within the doors of the British Isles – at least not until the arrival of the white American soldiers. This is not to say the British are without racial prejudice. They do have it in a subtle form. But, in the main, it is confined to colonial and military officials who have spent their lives administering affairs in the colored colonies and derive their incomes from them.’Having said all of this, as you go through the book Fryer continually surprises by often NOT presenting the obvious interpretations you would expect from his political viewpoint, and also exploring the nuances of human behaviour in his subjects, rather than presenting them as either good guys or bad guys. That is what makes it so well-written, and so compelling.The acceptance of nuance perhaps does drop away a little at the very end of the book, but that’s only to be expected - here he was dealing with a political age in which he was personally invested - so for example the anti-National Front protest at Southall in 1979 which ended with the killing of Blair Peach by the SPG is portrayed as entirely a case of blameless citizens defending themselves against crushing violence from the authorities. A modern analysis of what happened that day, and how it developed, might not be quite so one-sided, in spite of the outrage at the end of it.Fryer was writing at what might be seen as a tipping point in British race relations. I wonder what he would make of our modern world? As I write, two of the four great offices of state in the British government are held by BAME politicians, both born not long before the publication of Staying Power. In addition, the current business secretary is black, the child of first-generation African parents, and the person leading this country’s Presidency of the forthcoming (2021) climate change conference was born in Agra, India, and is a Hindu.While Fryer would no doubt be deeply upset to discover that they are all Conservatives, I wonder if he’d also be secretly thrilled to discover how much, while this country is in no way free of racists, people belonging to the many British minority ethnic groups are now at centre of public life in a way which couldn't even be dreamed of when he he was writing this great and still valuable book.

Breathtaking breadth of information. Very accessible and well written. Highly recommend

This is the fourth time I have bought this book. I acquired one to give as a present to one of my students. I have two copies of the first edition, one for home and the other for work. I've bought the new edition out of celebration of its success and importance, and for the Foreword by the brilliant and influential journalist Gary Younge, and the preface by my former colleague at Goldsmiths, Professor Paul Gilroy. Iconoclastic, investigative, revelatory and reparational history. Outstanding in every regard and a touchstone for what all historians must appreciate and understand as the vital ethical and humanitarian path they must tread in always asking what are the power relationships in the motivation of this writing, purpose and text, who are the voiceless, what am I missing that is likely or, indeed obvious, as invisible? How am I being affected by the prejudices, conscious and unconscious, as a result of my cultural conditioning? I completely agree with some of the other reviewers that this book should be at the centre of any national curriculum in history and no history undergraduate in any UK university should be left in any doubt that to be a serious and ethical historian, they should read this book.

I read this book at 38. I have lived in England for all my life and never knew 90% of what was in this book. For Peter to write this book for us ( as he said in the book he wanted to leave us a document of truth ) is such an amazing act.I brought this for my cousin while I was reading and I still remember him ringing me echoing the same words - We all must read this book. From young we should be made to read this.As a black man. As a British man. This is essential.Very enlightening and educational.

This compelling read was an insightful look at the plight of blacks in Britain throughout early modern to modern history. Beautifully written in an informative manner that is as relevant today as it was when published in the 1980's. I highly recommend this to anyone wishing to know more on this subject. From undergraduates to the reader with a casual but genuine interest, it truly is worth its weight in gold.