On 14 January 2026, Goldsmiths University dedicated a lecture theatre in the Professor Stuart Hall building in honour of one of its most prominent graduates, GPI Trustee and co-founder Linton Kwesi Johnson. The tribute was part of the university’s 120th anniversary celebrations in an act of recognition that education and creativity can challenge injustice and keep memory alive.
The dedication celebrated Linton’s pioneering work as a reggae poet and activist that has shaped the cultural and political fabric of Britain for over five decades. He has long confronted social and racial injustice and impacted Britain’s cultural consciousness. His work became a soundtrack to struggle, confronting state power and amplifying the voices of the marginalised. Linton was the first Black poet published in the Penguin Modern Classics series, and his work remains a cornerstone of Black British cultural life.
The event brought together students, faculty staff and guest speakers for readings and speeches that charted Linton’s half-century of poetic and political influence.
Chair of the event, Dr Omega Douglas, lecturer in Media and Communications and Cultural Studies, said, ‘Linton Kwesi Johnson is a living legend whose poetry gave voice to experiences ignored or silenced, insisting that culture could speak truth to power. He told our story, and he told it right in beautiful Jamaican, marrying vernacular voice to reggae rhythm and giving communities language to understand themselves and their times.’
Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Annabel Kiernan said: ‘It's a very proud moment for the university. Through his poetry, Linton has given voice to experiences that were too often ignored or silenced, insisting that culture could speak truth to power.’
Gary Younge, former Guardian journalist and author, explored Linton’s craft and courage. ‘Linton’s poetry lends lyrical form to a condition that Britain has proved unable or unwilling – or both – to name: the arrival and presence of Black Britons and the reckonings with colonial history, cultural hybridity, and power that followed.’
Gary described Linton’s poems as ‘both timely and timeless’, and said, ‘They meet the moment and outlast it, their currency tragically renewed by the persistence of racism even as public language evolves to name it.’
Taking to the lectern to sustained applause, Linton used the moment to shine a spotlight on the anniversary of the devastating fire in New Cross, south London, on 18 January 1981 that claimed fourteen young Black lives. He spoke about his ongoing mission to ensure the memory of the tragedy never fades, saying, ‘As we approach the 45th anniversary of the New Cross Massacre, Goldsmiths has decided to recognise a tragedy of historic significance – a turning point in the history of the black experience in Britain – that happened right here on its doorstep. This act of memorialising puts paid to the notion that Goldsmiths is just another ivory tower.’
Linton stated, ‘In my poem the “New Crass Massakah” I tried to capture the mood of the moment and I’ve been telling the story at every opportunity – poetry readings, reggae concerts, for over 40 years.’
And also, ‘I take some pride from the fact that I was a member of the New Cross Massacre Action Committee, that I was one of the organisers of the Black People’s Day of Action and that I was a fundraiser for the New Cross Fire Fund. As one of the posters on the Black People’s Day of Action read: we shall never forget.
As a Goldsmiths graduate and Honorary Fellow, Linton recalled his undergraduate days in the 1970s studying sociology:
‘When I was a sociology undergraduate there were only a few black students here. The atmosphere was quite laid back, and I felt at ease in a friendly learning environment that was really cool. In spite of the many challenges over the years, Goldsmiths has not only maintained its reputation for academic excellence, it has also kept its cool. I would like to thank my alma mater for doing me the great honour of in the naming of the lecture theatre.’
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