Black Radical : The Political Poetry of Black Britain 1755—2025

A hopeful, expansive anthology of Black British poetry curated by Benjamin Zephaniah and Kadija Sesay

Black Radical brings the history of Black people in Britain to life through a breadth of poetry to demonstrate that one thing is for certain: though we have struggled, we have survived. Politics have been the constant backdrop for the poetry of Black Britain. Even Black poets who may not consider themselves political have written political poetry or poetry that comes from struggle. Some of these poets migrated to Britain, some were born here and others still were just passing through. Black Radical brings both pivotal moments and the everyday lived experience of Black people in Britain within one volume. This anthology brings together poetry from poet laureates such as Jackie Kay, prize-winning poets such as Fred D'Aguiar, internationally renowned poets such as Linton Kwesi Johnson, leaders and activists such as Marcus Garvey, John La Rose and Una Marson; there are also a significant number of poets in the community whose stories of everyday struggle have until now remained unpublished and unheard.