1/x Malcolm—who died just over a year ago—touched my life in many vital ways.
His decision to focus on his passion frontline youth work instead of research opened up the first job I got at @thecucr, and (after the late, great Pete Pope) was the second person I interviewed as…
…a professional researcher. Those interviews with him & Pete orientated the whole of the first decade of my research career, and I often think of their generosity. Later, he was instrumental in creating the first research project I worked on full time, in Deptford, born out of…
…his commitment to embedding critical research in community organising, both to keep practitioners reflective & to hold power to account.
He was a strong supporter of the Pepys Portrait project I worked on with Simon Rowe & Francesca Sanlorenzo, probably my favourite project…
Malcolm also played a key part in the #Lewisham77 commemoration I organised in 2007 with @Transpontine and the late Paul Hendrich. It breaks my heart how many people involved in that fantastic project are no longer with us.
(Account from @_pasttense_: )pasttenseblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/13/tod…
As a youth worker, he also touched my son’s life: working with the Young Mayor, Malcolm inspired Lewisham’s young people to get involved in local democracy and realise the power they had to shape our community positively, even if only incrementally.
My last memory of Malcolm is a coffee in the sunshine in Herne Hill: a very articulate and perceptive rant about gentrification in South London.
Most of us can only hope to have a fraction of the positive impact on as many individuals as he did. Rest in power Malcolm. Z”l.
PS see this great remembrance by Diarmuid Breatnach for @indefenceyw of Malcolm’s youth work at the Riverside on Pepys, Deptford: @AcademicDiary @Transpontineindefenceofyouthwork.com/2021/04/05/rem…
“In that case where are the Kalishnakovs?”
I love this recollection of Malcolm by Tony Taylor: @indefenceywchattingcritically.com/2021/03/19/mal…
@indefenceyw @threadreaderapp please unroll
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.