A series of meetings, talks, debates and workshops on trade union struggles for justice are being held at Durham Miners’ Hall in the week leading up to this year’s Durham Miners’ Gala on Saturday 11 July.
The Education for Action programme will conclude with a public meeting on the Orgreave truth and justice campaign when Barbara Jackson, Granville Williams and Dave Waddington will speak about the ongoing activities to bring justice to striking miners and others involved at Orgreave in 1984.
There will also be a book launch of Dave Smith’s Blacklisted, a detailed and harrowing account of the blacklisting of union activists, and a talk from a group of activists from South African townships about their experiences of building active communities.
There will be a series of films about the 1984-85 miners’ strike, a showing of the film ‘Pride’, about a lesbian and gay miners support group, and workshops on banner-making and creative writing.
The full programme is listed below:
Tuesday 7 July, 7-9pm: North East Labour History Society
NELH Society: ‘The history, politics and aspirations of the DMA through the imagery of the banners’. Speaker Dave Wray: All welcome (Exec Committee Room)
Wednesday 8 July, 1-3pm: School Workshop
School History Workshop (All Rooms)
Wednesday 8 July, 7-9pm: Durham Banner Groups Network
Meet other banner groups. Share ideas and find out how to go about making your own banner. Dave Wray, Carol Stephenson and Emma Shankland – banner artist (Exec Committee Room)
Wednesday 8 July, 7-9pm: Film (Council Chamber)
‘Pride’
Thursday, 9 July, 2-5pm: Striking Memories
Creative Writing Workshop with Esther Johnson and Debbie Ballin – only 10 places (Exec Committee Room)
Thursday, 9 July, 5-7pm: DS30 (Council Chamber)
DS30: a political collage of sound and image featuring archive film footage of mining communities with material relating to the 1984–85 strike
Thursday, 9 July, 7.30-9.30pm: Debate (Council Chamber)
Which Way Forward? Led by Dave Nellist.
Friday, 10 July, 2-4pm: Visit of South African Township activists
Come and listen but also share experiences of building active communities in the North East. Sponsored by War on Want (Exec Committee Room)
Friday, 10 July, 5-6.30pm: Book launch – Dave Smith’s Blacklisted (with the People’s Bookshop – Council Chamber)
Dave Smith and Phil Chamberlain will speak at the North East launch of their book on blacklisting. The book has generated wide publicity for its detailed and harrowing accounts of Blacklisting of union activists. Come and listen but bring your own stories too.
Friday, 10 July, 7-9pm: The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (Council Chamber)
Barbara Jackson, Granville Williams and Dave Waddington will speak about the campaign to bring justice for those involved at Orgreave. For too long these injustices have been neglected and ignored so come and hear the real stories about what happened and how the struggle for justice continues.
All sessions are free and open to everyone (except the writing and school workshops which are book in advance).
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