Anti-racism campaigns

“One of the main functions of the IWA is to protect its members and the Indian community in general from racialism and its effect”

     IWA, 1967, 1.2.64:9

The Indian Workers Association (GB) has a long history of campaigning against racism and the hostile immigration landscape in Britain. They found that they experienced racial discrimination in every sector of society, including in the workplace, in education, housing and the criminal justice system, and their activities not only targeted the workplace but also the more domestic sphere of family life, education and housing. The IWA campaigns have had to change over time responding to changes in legislation and the wider societal environment, with concern initially directed in the 1960s and 70s at increasingly restrictive approaches to immigration and the racialised nature of these approaches. From the early 1980s onwards, with immigration legislation becoming increasingly fixed, the IWA continued its campaigns against the widespread racism they experienced in British society. These campaigns were conducted both by the IWA(GB) and in collaboration with other organisations, in particular C.A.R.L (The Campaign Against Racist Laws).

Archive Material

Poster advertising a anti-racist march organised by the IWA in Birmingham in the context of increasing racism and hostile immigration environment in Britain (1969, IWA 1.2.74).

Piece written by the IWA entitled ‘New crude move of racialism’. (1969, IWA 1.266)
1.2.66fullDownload
Memorandum on racial discrimination presented by the IWA to the delegates at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference (1969, IWA 1.2.64).
1.2.69fullDownload
Letter from the IWA central executive to local branches encouraging them to join with other ‘immigrant organisations’ in the struggle against racism (1969, IWA 1.2.69).

Letter from the IWA to the home secretary calling for changes to the hostile and racialised immigration system (1970, IWA 1.3.4).

Poster advertising a demonstration organised by the Indian Youth Association after the murder of Altab Ali (1978 IWA 1.3.57).

Poster advertising a Rock Against Racism concert to be held with the support of the IWA at the Dominion Cinema in Southall (c.1981, IWA 1.4.14)
Article in the People’s Democracy newspaper detailing an anti-racist march organised by the IWA in London (1981, IWA 1.4.15).
1.2.69fullDownload
Letter from the IWA to the Home Office regarding the restrictions on the rights of families under new immigration requirements (1984, IWA 1.5.10).
1.5.10fullDownload

Poster advertising an national campaign organised by the IWA calling for secularism, anti-racism and democratic rights (c.1990, IWA 3.1.5).