Taj Ali: Come What May, We’re Here to Stay

Journalist and historian Taj Ali joins us at Redhills to discuss his new book, Come What May, We’re Here to Stay: The Story of South Asian Resistance in Britain, a history of generations who fought racism, exploitation and injustice – and helped shape modern Britain.

From anti-imperial activism and seafarers’ strikes to workplace struggles, Asian youth movements and anti-racist organising, Taj uncovers a radical history too often left out of the national story. He explores how South Asian activists built working-class solidarity across racial and religious divides, and what those struggles can teach us about resisting division today.

At Redhills, in the magnificent Grade II*-listed Pitmans Parliament – the historic home of the Durham miners – Taj will focus on the remarkable solidarity between South Asian communities and striking miners during 1984–85. South Asian activists raised money and food, travelled to picket lines and built relationships through shared struggle. What can those experiences teach us about building working-class unity today?

Taj Ali is a former editor of Tribune. He contributes to The Guardian and Al Jazeera English and regularly appears as a commentator on the BBC. In 2025 he founded Anti-Racist Radar and was a finalist for the 2026 Orwell Prize.

Come What May, We’re Here to Stay is published by Manchester University Press in September 2026.

Produced with People’s Bookshop and Joseph Rowntree Foundation as part of Redhills Sundays.

Tickets are free, but must be reserved. You can also purchase a ‘Ticket and Book’ for the RRP of the book. Taj will be available to sign copies of his book following the event.