To celebrate one year since the publishing of 'Gerlin Bean Mother of the Movement' we will be hosting the author A.S. Francis for a reading and discussion.

This book recovers the neglected history of Gerlin Bean, an activist and community organiser in Britain’s Black radical movement. Gerlin Bean was one of the movement’s most active participants, but like many such women little is documented about her life and work. This is the first book to focus on Gerlin’s contributions to Black radical organising, looking at her activism across a number of influential organisations and initiatives, from youth programmes to Black Power politics and autonomous Black women’s groups.

Based on interviews with people who knew her along with original archival research work, this book explores Gerlin’s experiences against the backdrop of the revolutionary potential and vigour of the latter half of the twentieth century, reclaiming her as a critical figure in Black British history. The second title in LW’s Radical Black Women series, Gerlin Bean: Mother of the Movement is essential reading for historians of Black Britain, archivists, educators and activists engaged in decolonising British history and culture.

A.S. Francis is a PhD history student researching women's involvements in Britain's Black radical organisations during the 1960s-1980s and the development of a Black women's movement. In addition to this research, Francis's debut book, Gerlin Bean: Mother of the Movement, charts the longstanding and far-reaching activism of community activist and pioneering Black feminist, Gerlin Bean. Francis works with the Bernie Grant Trust, is a consultant to the Young Historians Project, a member of the History Matters collective and co-founder and editor-in-chief of the History Matters Journal.