Thursday 11 June 1987 was an historic breakthrough - not just for black people in Britain, but for the whole of the working class. It is a breakthrough owed to the Labour Party Black Section and the fight of black members for representation at all levels. If some in the Labour Party want to downplay the significance of these four elections, black press headlines, on papers like the Gleaner, the Voice, and the Asian and Caribbean Times graphically show. For the rest of the labour movement it is an historic moment when the white monopoly on working class representatives has been broken.
Paul Boateng for Brent South, Bernie Grant for Tottenham, and Keith Vaz for Leicester East, has challenged the racist belief in some Labour Party circles that the party cannot stand black candidates because they lose seats for Labour. But it is only one step in the long fight against racism. DIANE ABBOTT will be the first black woman MP to take her seat in Westminster. She told Socialist Action the significance of these elections for black people, for the Labour Party, and for the left. self-organisation selfcertainly don't as the The election of Diane Abbott for Hackney North, and the mythology grew un that vou couldn't run black candidates in safe scals.
Now we've killed that myth. Keith Vaz actually increased Labour s vole. He polled 46.2 per cent of voles cast Inl Leicester Casi a 2.8 per cent swing trom Conservatives That clears the way for change. Our election will Bernie Grant Black press welcomes the results gik Mrs Thatcher's Tory Party an overwheiming mandate for five / edeine, But for the black community, there was consolation in Sommurily have taken seats in the House of Commons for the first which we may all take pride no melter what our political aftiliDiane Abbott Britan's Best Bla Will there be a black caucus at Westminster? Britain's new black MPs have hallin black political powes a new er weekly