1970s-90s

It was in this period that there was a growing sense of permanence about Asian and other settling communities. There were more and more children of Asian migrants entering the schools of Birmingham. Young people were now growing up in this city – Asian people were here to stay.

EXPLORE: Learn more about life for Asian youth in the 1970s-90s

While there remained huge challenges, Asian youth were starting to gain in confidence. Explore the oral histories and learn about the experiences and expectations of this new generation.

Apache Indian

“… I loved music. Every time I went home, there was a movie on from India. It’s that simple…”

Ausuf Khan

“…Something switched from the seventies. One of the biggest impacts upon me was music….”

Karamat Iqbal

“…I would try to bridge-build between different communities and people…”

Anita Bhalla

“… I became politically very aware of race at the time. I became quite an activist…”

Arif Chohan

“…Often parents found it difficult to understand their children. The children found it difficult to understand their parents….”

Mohammed Ayub

“…I approached EMI, who are the owners of HMV in India and EMI in Pakistan, to import some record from India and Pakistan…”