Swadhinata Trust participated in our being human event marking the 50th anniversary of Stepney Words in the panel entitled ‘Grassroots with the other panellists, Ken Worpole (Centerprise), Tony Harcup (Basement Writers) and Angela Hancock (Stepney All Saints School)’, on the grassroots legacies of Stepney Words, sharing Bengali experience in anti-racist activism in the 1970-90s, particularly in the ways that Julie Begum participated in amplifying the voices of working-class Bengali women and girls/black and Bangladeshi people in Tower Hamlets.

“I thought you were the best speaker of the whole day. You have such focus and clarity, and the way your talk brought together activism and the telling of untold stories made the link between Chris Searle’s approach to teaching and the East End activism that came later…….”

Dr Nadia Valman

“I must say that I was very impressed how you managed to tell us so much in the short time that we had available. It was a powerful and emotional day, and I’m so pleased that you were part of it…”

Alan Dein