South Asian Voices in Coventry Archives: Politics, Activism & Community

Saturday 18 April - Friday 31 July 2026 | Available during Archives opening times Show all dates and times Herbert Admission fee is not required when entering through the Archives entrance.

South Asian Voices in Coventry Archives: Politics, Activism & Community Resistance is a new archival display curated by Shaniece Martin, Archives Assistant for Stories That Made Us – Roots, Resilience, Representation, in close collaboration with our South Asian Cultural Ambassadors.

Drawing together material from the Coming to Coventry Collection, the Virk Collection, and personal items selected by the South Asian Ambassadors, the display explores the rich and politically engaged histories of Coventry’s South Asian communities.

Through photographs, pamphlets, newsletters, protest materials, and community ephemera, the display highlights decades of grassroots organising, creativity, and resistance.

It shines a light on how South Asian migrants and their descendants have mobilised around workers’ rights, anti-racism, cultural identity, education, and social justice, and how these efforts have shaped the city’s political and cultural landscape.

By centering community voices and lived experiences, the display celebrates the resilience, leadership, and collective action that have contributed to Coventry’s diverse civic life.