Archives of solidarity: Bernie Grant and Blair Peach
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16 July 2025
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16 JULY 2025
Elissa Truby and Sarah Benn-Gordon
On 24 June, INQUEST volunteers from the Unjust Deathsproject met with Sharon Grant OBE, campaigner and widow of the late MP Bernie Grant, and Celia Stubbs, INQUEST co-founder and partner of Blair Peach.
Throughout his career, Bernie was a champion of justice and change, addressing issues such as institutional racism in local authorities, the police and the criminal justice system. However, the Bernie Grant Archive is much more than just an official record of Bernie’s work - his personal papers and artefacts paint a picture of a man who was passionate about justice and equality in every area of his life.
Sharon played a central role in the day-to-day running of Bernie’s office. The archive grew organically as a byproduct of these activities, documenting the many campaigns and community projects Bernie worked on. This includes the notable INQUEST campaigns following the killings of Cherry Groce and Joy Gardner.
Bernie Grant Archive – Joy Gardner Campaign
After his death, Sharon took steps to formalise Bernie’s files into an archive as a key part of his legacy. She filed everything and kept the boxes in her kitchen for many years, before moving the archive to Middlesex University and eventually Bishopsgate.
In recognition of the significance of the archive, the Bernie Grant Trust received grants to catalogue and digitise materials. Their current projects are looking at innovative ways AI can expand knowledge about and engagement with the collection.
Badges and bow tie from Bernie Grant Archive
About the Blair Peach Archive
From an early age, Blair was involved in campaigns to improve education, champion the rights of teachers and other workers, as well as anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigns, both in his birthplace of New Zealand and in the UK. Whilst living in east London, Blair became a prominent member of the National Union of Teachers and member of the Anti-Nazi league.
The Blair Peach archive documents the long campaign for justice following Blair’s death, which was fundamental to the formation of INQUEST in 1981. At the encouragement of her friends, Celia transferred the archive to Bishopsgate in 2024.
Stickers from Blair Peach archive
Celia explained how the archive grew out of necessity when, in the years following Blair’s killing, she wasn’t getting any answers from the authorities responsible for his death and she relied on gathering her own information on the case. Notably, the Cass report into Blair’s death was not published until 2010.
Throughout her years of campaigning individually and with INQUEST, Celia became a victim of a targeted undercover operation. Therefore, the archive provides not only information about the case, which led to the foundation of INQUEST, but documents the wide-reaching response to Blair’s death from across the media, local communities and grassroots organisations.
What we learned
During the session we gained important context and depth to the Bernie Grant and Blair Peach archives. We heard about Blair’s anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigning as well as his love and commitment to reading and his involvement in grassroots activism related to teaching. Hearing these stories while also viewing items in the archive (such as pictures, letters and press cuttings) allowed us to gain an insight and greater understanding of who Bernie and Blair were as people and their campaigning. This felt particularly pertinent when looking at the Blair Peach archive as it serves as a counter-narrative against the story from the police about his death.
The different nature of the archives and how they were formed can be seen in what is in each archive. For instance, the Blair Peach archive contains more personal items than an organisational one like the INQUEST archive. The fact that both archives eventually formed collections held at Bishopsgate speaks to the importance of a radical archive space that documents the lives and organising of everyday people.
Throughout the session, the connected nature of the two distinct archives was clear, as well as the close ties to INQUEST’s archive. They document anti-police and anti-racist resistance, grassroots community organising and the role of families in such resistance. For instance, both archives displayed letters and donation cards showing how small, individual donations funded campaigns following the killing of Blair Peach and Joy Gardener. It was community support which helped bereaved families fight against police corruption. Celia linked this to the present day and the lack of legal aid available for families for inquests. Sharon spoke of how community organising and campaigning exposes the art of police cover-up: ‘if you persist, the truth will come out’. The archives both provide a history of this resistance to police violence by families and communities.
Make a Donation
Every year, INQUEST supports hundreds of families bereaved by deaths involving the state. We are independent of government and entirely reliant on grants and donations to continue our vital work.
Support us and bereaved families in the fight for truth, justice and accountability by becoming a regular donor today.
Donate now
Subscribe to our newsletter
To receive the latest news from INQUEST straight into you inbox please subscribe. For examples of what you will receive, see our previous newsletters.
Archives of solidarity: Bernie Grant and Blair Peach
16 JULY 2025
Elissa Truby and Sarah Benn-Gordon
On 24 June, INQUEST volunteers from the Unjust Deaths project met with Sharon Grant OBE, campaigner and widow of the late MP Bernie Grant, and Celia Stubbs, INQUEST co-founder and partner of Blair Peach.
The aim of the session was to explore the Bernie Grant and Blair Peach archives, which live alongside the INQUEST archive at the Bishopsgate Institute, and to examine how these archives link to INQUEST’s own history.
Leah Cowan, Elissa Truby, Celia Stubbs, Sharon Grant, Sarah Benn-Gordon, Sangavi Sugumar
Bernie Grant Archive
Throughout his career, Bernie was a champion of justice and change, addressing issues such as institutional racism in local authorities, the police and the criminal justice system. However, the Bernie Grant Archive is much more than just an official record of Bernie’s work - his personal papers and artefacts paint a picture of a man who was passionate about justice and equality in every area of his life.
Sharon played a central role in the day-to-day running of Bernie’s office. The archive grew organically as a byproduct of these activities, documenting the many campaigns and community projects Bernie worked on. This includes the notable INQUEST campaigns following the killings of Cherry Groce and Joy Gardner.
Bernie Grant Archive – Joy Gardner Campaign
After his death, Sharon took steps to formalise Bernie’s files into an archive as a key part of his legacy. She filed everything and kept the boxes in her kitchen for many years, before moving the archive to Middlesex University and eventually Bishopsgate.
In recognition of the significance of the archive, the Bernie Grant Trust received grants to catalogue and digitise materials. Their current projects are looking at innovative ways AI can expand knowledge about and engagement with the collection.
Badges and bow tie from Bernie Grant Archive
About the Blair Peach Archive
From an early age, Blair was involved in campaigns to improve education, champion the rights of teachers and other workers, as well as anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigns, both in his birthplace of New Zealand and in the UK. Whilst living in east London, Blair became a prominent member of the National Union of Teachers and member of the Anti-Nazi league.
The Blair Peach archive documents the long campaign for justice following Blair’s death, which was fundamental to the formation of INQUEST in 1981. At the encouragement of her friends, Celia transferred the archive to Bishopsgate in 2024.
Stickers from Blair Peach archive
Celia explained how the archive grew out of necessity when, in the years following Blair’s killing, she wasn’t getting any answers from the authorities responsible for his death and she relied on gathering her own information on the case. Notably, the Cass report into Blair’s death was not published until 2010.
Throughout her years of campaigning individually and with INQUEST, Celia became a victim of a targeted undercover operation. Therefore, the archive provides not only information about the case, which led to the foundation of INQUEST, but documents the wide-reaching response to Blair’s death from across the media, local communities and grassroots organisations.
What we learned
During the session we gained important context and depth to the Bernie Grant and Blair Peach archives. We heard about Blair’s anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigning as well as his love and commitment to reading and his involvement in grassroots activism related to teaching. Hearing these stories while also viewing items in the archive (such as pictures, letters and press cuttings) allowed us to gain an insight and greater understanding of who Bernie and Blair were as people and their campaigning. This felt particularly pertinent when looking at the Blair Peach archive as it serves as a counter-narrative against the story from the police about his death.
The different nature of the archives and how they were formed can be seen in what is in each archive. For instance, the Blair Peach archive contains more personal items than an organisational one like the INQUEST archive. The fact that both archives eventually formed collections held at Bishopsgate speaks to the importance of a radical archive space that documents the lives and organising of everyday people.
Throughout the session, the connected nature of the two distinct archives was clear, as well as the close ties to INQUEST’s archive. They document anti-police and anti-racist resistance, grassroots community organising and the role of families in such resistance. For instance, both archives displayed letters and donation cards showing how small, individual donations funded campaigns following the killing of Blair Peach and Joy Gardener. It was community support which helped bereaved families fight against police corruption. Celia linked this to the present day and the lack of legal aid available for families for inquests. Sharon spoke of how community organising and campaigning exposes the art of police cover-up: ‘if you persist, the truth will come out’. The archives both provide a history of this resistance to police violence by families and communities.
Make a Donation
Every year, INQUEST supports hundreds of families bereaved by deaths involving the state. We are independent of government and entirely reliant on grants and donations to continue our vital work.
Support us and bereaved families in the fight for truth, justice and accountability by becoming a regular donor today.
Donate now
Subscribe to our newsletter
To receive the latest news from INQUEST straight into you inbox please subscribe. For examples of what you will receive, see our previous newsletters.