Projects
Our work is separated into three campaigns against class inequality: establishing positions for working class representatives, platforming and developing working class voices, and connecting working class activists.
Campaigning for Representation
The fight against structural classism needs a structural approach.
By supporting activists inside different universities, unions, political parties and other parts of public life to establish Working Class Officers, Caucuses and Collectives, we can ensure a level of consistency and visibility that the struggle for class equality desperately needs. The success of our movement shouldn’t be tied to any one activist or organisation, and by creating explicit, permanent positions for working class representatives in public life we can make sure that it isn’t.
We’re establishing a national network of explicit working class representatives to support working class members of their community, advocate for class equality in their organisations, and take up the fight against structural classism. If you’d like to get involved, think your community needs a working class representative, or just want to find out more, drop us a line at reps@britainhasclass.org.
Platforming Working Class Voices
When we don’t speak for ourselves other people speak for us - without a consistent platform for working class voices, the most diverse and complex class in Britain can be misrepresented as 30 million Tommy Robinsons. Just as importantly, when we don’t talk to each other we can lose our class identity. By allowing ourselves to be shut out of the media, we forfeit one of the only advantages working class movements have: our numbers.
We’re running three campaigns to create platforms that connect, equip and empower working class people and communities:
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#BritainHasClass is a series of articles, artworks and live events created by working class people for working class audiences.
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Reclaiming Research attempts to open up academia by turning inaccessible academic research into brief, engaging pieces of educational content.
Connecting Working Class Activists
Our third campaign is less something we do than something we are: an active and growing network of Working Class activists.
The fight for class equality is in a place of both opportunity and crisis. A decade of crushing austerity and inequality has been underlined by a pandemic that’s disproportionately affected Working Class communities. There is an appetite across the country for real, permanent change - it’s just about which direction that change goes in. An emboldened British far right will try to swing the permanent crisis the country is now in in their favour, and will try to define the Working Class in this country as inherently regressive, hateful and divided. An establishment invested in class inequality will try to undermine Working Class movements with their increasing squeeze on our right to organise and campaign.
But there are reasons for hope. The explosion of mutual aid at the start of pandemic, the mass participation in Black Lives Matter protests throughout the summer, and majority support for “radical” policies like a Green New Deal, all point to a huge appetite for real, transformative change. But we need to realise that appetite, and soon. As we emerge from Coronavirus we can confront the decay it left at our door and create a country to be proud of, or we can begin another decade of crumbling workers’ rights, civil society crackdowns and inequality. A mass movement is within reach, but it’s definitely not guaranteed and won’t come together without some serious encouragement.
We want to do our bit through holding talks, socials and other events to bring Working Class activists together as a community. If you want to work together in educating, agitating and organising, drop us a line at info@britainhasclass.org x.