The University of Bradford in partnership with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Bradford Black Heritage Arts and Culture Group (BHAC) are delighted to host a panel discussion with photographer Victor Wedderburn and invited guests. The event is inspired by and a response to Wedderburn’s seminal exhibition Frontline 1984/1985, which was first featured earlier this year at Loading Bay as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and continues at the National Science and Media Museum.

This event will critically reflect on the unique collection of social-documentary photography – and feature a digital re-presentation of rare colour images that capture African-Caribbean life in Bradford during the 1980s, alongside photographs of an Anti-Apartheid rally in Huddersfield and celebrations at Leeds Carnival. The event will use Wedderburn’s photographs to centre a discussion illuminating the vibrancy, resilience, and cultural pride of communities often marginalised in the media of the time.

At the heart of Wedderburn’s work are portraits of life around Lumb Lane, locally known as “The Frontline.” While the area was frequently associated with racial tension and negative press, Wedderburn’s images reveal a different story, one of friends, families, entrepreneurs, and neighbours building meaningful spaces of joy, belonging, and identity. From the Perseverance Hotel, where West Indian music played late into the night, to the Young Lions Café and Roots Record Shop, his photographs celebrate the businesses and social hubs that cultivated solidarity and cultural expression.

In addition to the digital display of these images, the event offers a panel discussion featuring individuals who appear in Wedderburn’s images. Their voices will bring personal context and lived experience to the photographs, sharing positive stories of resilience, hard work, and community life during that era. These reflections will challenge narrow narratives of struggle by highlighting the strength, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit that defined Black Bradford in the 1980s.

By celebrating Frontline 1984/1985 under this year’s Black History Month theme “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, we honour not only Wedderburn’s artistic achievement and the enduring importance of documenting Black British life; but also reaffirms our commitment to honouring Black heritage, amplifying underrepresented voices, and inspiring future generations to embrace resilience and cultural pride.

A capsule presentation of Frontline 1984/85 by Victor Wedderburn is on display in the foyer of the National Science & Media Museum between 12 June – 29 October 2025.