@wcmlibrary.bsky.social
Putting class back on the agenda. π³οΈβππ³οΈββ§οΈπ
Black text on an orange background, 'Inksurgency: Radical Leftist Publishing Then and Now, with the Heritage Fund and library logos at the bottom of the image.
As part of our Big Flame event series, join us for a panel discussion featuring activists past and present, who work across independent leftist publishing to hear insights about the power of print in our movements.
wcml.org.uk/event/inksur...
The Working Class Movement Libraryβs exhibit on The Big Flame was so moving. Produced by 18-25 year olds who have managed to continue the spirit of the group, interviewing past members and creating their own banners. It is a youth led masterpiece!
If youβre based in Manchester itβs a must see.
A group of young people and audience members talk in lively conversation.
A close-up of the Little Flames banner, with a panel showcasing the names of everyone that worked on the project.
#KeepTheFlameBurning #BigFlame #CommunityOrganising #YoungPeople #Cocuration #Activism #Archives
Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for funding this fantastic work.
A group of ex Big Flame members and their friends talk, laughing with each other.
Two men and a woman chat to each other in front of the banner.
If you've seen the exhibition, we'd love to know what you thought! ππ
And if you haven't... We're open Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 1pm - 4.30pm for you to take a look.
A close-up of the Little Flames banner, which reads βwe still have to fight!β in the centre and has collaged fabric images around it.
Poet Seni Seneviratne speaks to the Little Flames group.
Front and centre was this wonderful banner, co-created by textiles artist Lou Miller and the Little Flames group.
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A framed archival cover spread of βOut of Our Headsβ, a student pamphlet. It features a comical drawing of Marx on the back.
An ex Big Flame member speaks to two of the Little Flames group.
Then vs now: the night brought together activists across generations to talk about the power of Big Flame's organising and archival testimony.
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Somebody, seated, interacts with the iPad that contains the oral histories of the exhibition. They wear headphones and touch the screen.
Some of the Little Flames group chat to friends, smiling. A crowd of exhibition goers are seen in the background.
Our sincere thanks to everybody who joined us to celebrate the exhibition's release and to Deli Llama for providing their signature fab spread.
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A collage displayed as part of collages made by the Little Flames group in response to the archive. In the centre is a panel that says βkeep the flame burningβ.
The Little Flames group give their speeches to the audience on the Libraryβs staircase.
We're still on a high from this wonderful night, which saw poets Griot Gabriel and Seni Seneviratne perform, speeches from the Little Flames, WCML team, and ex Big Flame members, and touching comments from exhibition-goers.
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The back of somebodyβs head reading the exhibition panels on the Little Flames group.
Some of the Little Flames group smile and talk by the entrance to the exhibition.
Have you seen our brand new exhibition yet?
Here are some wonderful photos from the private view a couple of weeks ago, taken kindly by Little Flames group member Jack Clarke. π§΅
The audience peruse the exhibition, which has four red cases in the centre of the room and panels around the outside.
β€οΈβπ₯ KEEP THE FLAME BURNING β€οΈβπ₯
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A Blast from the Stacks!
Read the latest update from The People's Papers as Arielle Lawson, a PhD student participating in the University of Manchester's Humanities PGR Placement Scheme at the library, interviews Bob Dickinson, author of Imprinting the Sticks.
wcml.org.uk/blog/a-blast...
Benefit cuts, blaming the βwork-shyβ, clueless politicians... sound familiar? πππ
If youβre into comics that make you laugh and question everything, come and see our exhibition β opening 18th July!
#wcml #wimbledon #bigflame #exhibition #comic #newspaper #WimbleWoke #Rochdale #snazzy
Created by Ian Hering (whoβs mentioned in Big Flame: Building the Movements, New Politics by @farrar.max & Kevin McDonnell), and printed by Rochale Alternative Press, the comic takes as a swing at Tory unemployment policy β and somehow still hits today.
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A comic called Brother Goose which takes aim at Tory unemployment policy. The comic was produced in 1980 and features funny images with quotes about workers eg "work shy" and about state policy, eg "why when we can send men to the moon and kill 600,000 people with a single bomb".
Excited for our Big Flame exhibition? Here's a post written by volunteers Ally, Lucy, and Jack to get you hyped!
Just in time for Wimbledonβ¦πΎ
This 1980 Brother Goose comic was part of a series that featured in the Big Flame newspapers.
Black text on a teal background. The name of the event, 'Keep the Flame Burning Scanathon' is at the top, followed by 'an open archive event led by the Bog Flame Group.' Saturday 26 July, with the scanathon from 2PM-4PM and the open archive open from 12PM-4PM. The logos of the project partners, the WCML, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Reclaim, are at the bottom of the image.
π₯ Join us for the Keep the Flame Burning Scanathon! π₯
Get your hands on our Big Flame archive and help preserve radical history for future generations!
Follow the link for more info.
wcml.org.uk/whats-on/
This project and exhibition has been made possible by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund
www.heritagefund.org.uk
βKEEP THE FLAME BURNINGβ OPENS AT THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY
The exhibition, that has been co-produced by a group of volunteers, all aged 16 - 25 and working class, opens on Friday 18th July!
Follow the link for more info
wcml.org.uk/event/keep-t...
You can find a variety of items by and about the IWW in our Library, including the pamphlets shown in the photo accompanying this post.
27.06.2025 10:36 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0The IWW, or the βWobbliesβ as they became known, included several famous socialists and anarchists among its early members and leaders, including βBigβ Bill Haywood, James Connolly, Eugene V. Debs, and Lucy Parsons.
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A photo of four IWW pamphlets from the library's collection.
#OTD in 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago, USA. Known as the βOne Big Union,β it was formed out of several smaller unions and would go on to become one of the most radical organisations within the labour movement.
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Read our latest blog post for more on the project and look out for more updates soon.
wcml.org.uk/blog/the-peo...
With a background in social movement archival research focusing on NYC and London, sheβll now be getting the chance to dive into the history and materials of Greater Manchester, specifically focusing on an often overlooked collection of activist neighborhood newspapers from the 1970s.
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A background image is a photo of a range of front covers of Manchester newspapers. In the middle, it says, "The People's Papers, exploring Greater Manchester's activist newspapers from the 1970's." The WCML and University of Manchester logo sit at the top of the image.
Announcing a new research project! In partnership with the University of Manchesterβs β¬ new PGR Placement scheme, weβll be welcoming a PhD researcher, Arielle Lawson, to the Working Class Movement Library archives this summer.
bsky.app/profile/manc...
bsky.app/profile/uom-...
πΊWatch and share last night's Trade Union and Working Class History series session with Wilf Sullivan and Nathan Godfrey at @wcmlibrary.bsky.social:
youtu.be/fr-vOcsEMIQ?...
#History #ImperialTypewriters #GFTUET #GFTU #TradeUnions #Workers #Organising #TUed
White badge with black text that reads, "Repeal the Immigration Act" in the middle of the badge, with the name of the organisation, Campaign Against Immigration Laws around the edge of the badge.
In the final of our blog posts to mark Refugee Week, library volunteer Steph explores how Britainβs Post-War immigration laws failed refugees of the Commonwealth.
Follow the link to read the blog post.
wcml.org.uk/news/how-bri...
In our next blog post for Refugee Week, library volunteer Peter shares the story of the Basque children who fled the horrors of Francoβs regime during the Spanish Civil War and found refuge in Britain.
Follow the link to read the post.
wcml.org.uk/blog/basque-...
In addition to learning about trade unionism, weβll explore the historical context of their development. The course runs for six consecutive weeks, starting on Thursday 3rd of July.
Follow the link to book your place!
www.eventbrite.com/e/1375907368...
join us for a six-part course on trade union history, which covers the start of the Industrial Revolution to the industrial militancy of the 1970s.
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We're really excited to be teaming up with the AIU Race Centre, North West Film Archive and People's History Museum to bring Legacy of Unity: Archival Insights from the Pan African Congress 1945.
Thursday 12th June from 4:30pm at Manchester Central Library
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/legacy-of-...
A picture of Aaron, Belinda (Library Manager), and some of our volunteers in the NALGO Room, talking about the exhibition. The caption reads: "Aaron from M3 Industries popped in to work on our 3D design and build!"
Hear from our group! A speech bubble which says, "βItβs a really fascinating moment to be involved in the project. As someone that loves tottering around exhibitions wherever I find them, actually seeing the cogs turn to create them and how varied the work is really gives me a new respectΒ forΒ them!β, attributed to volunteer, Ley.
A huge thanks as always to our funders @heritagefunduk.bsky.social for making this work possible. Stay tuned for exhibition updates!!
#BigFlame #CommunityOrganising #Archives #Heritage #RadicalArchives #YouthEngagement #YoungPeople
