Darc Days.

RIP Darcus Howe. The legendary firebrand and black rights activist was a brave and principled man. He wasn’t the most agreeable character but then he’d never have achieved so much if he were. In the 70s and 80s there was nasty and often violent tension between the police and the black community. I witnessed it many times around Wembley and Harlesden. The Old Bill were undoubtedly guilty of institutional racism, though those bundled into the back of the van were not entirely blameless. Thanks in part to Darcus Howe and the movements he inspired such as Rock Against Racism and Black and White Unite and Fight, things have improved immeasurably. And although the situation will never be perfect, the fact is that we no longer hear – or seem to need songs like this. And that’s the proud legacy of the man the song is about.