2026 marks 45 years since the Moss Side Uprisings. This summer, we had a group of year 10 students from St Peter’s High School, who came for a visit to our library and archives. We looked at some archive items focused on the Moss Side Uprisings of 1981 from the Elouise Edwards collection (GB3228.5) and the Project 81 collection (GB3228.59). In school, the students had been learning about revolutions, rebellions, and reclaiming cultural identity.
We talked about the political and social context of 1981 to understand some of the factors that led to the uprisings. Though this felt like a really long time ago to many of the learners in the room, we were able to piece together what we collectively knew about this time. From these conversations, we were able to make connections to some of the struggles people were facing at that time. To get a sense of what 1981 looked like, we watched clips from one of the films in the Project 81 collection, ‘Moss Side Riots: The Forgotten Tapes.’ This helped to bring alive a sense of time and place and was soundtracked by some great music – something the students had mentioned when we talked about the 1980s!
We talked about the importance of language, and the different meanings of ‘riot’ and ‘uprising’. This evolved into a wider conversation about media, and how areas like Moss Side have been routinely demonised by media. It was great to hear from students and staff about their connections to the area, and their own feelings about the place, in contrast to these negative narratives. This led us onto a conversation regarding how the media and press can shape narratives and public understanding, and why we need to think critically when we engage with the media. We explored how archives can be used to tell a different story and honour many different voices and perspectives. It was a reminder of the importance of documenting different experiences and narratives.
Another important theme that came out of our discussion was one of solidarity and community. In the film, many of the people interviewed dispelled the myths of a racially divided society and spoke to the strong sense of community within Moss Side. We could also see evidence of this in many of the photographs in the Elouise Edwards collection, which document life in Moss Side and Hulme in the 1970s and 1980s. The students really enjoyed seeing photographs of children and young people of that time, and the celebrations of cultural heritage and histories.
These generative conversations led us to thinking about the context of today, and the solidarity communities are showing to each other in the face of hatred and divisive politics.
Written by Tania Stein, Schools and Young People’s Officer
