The passing of Professor Lou Kushnick
21 Feb 2025
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Professor Lou Kushnick OBE.
Lou was a Professor of Sociology at The University of Manchester, and lectured at the University for over 40 years.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Lou received his first degree from Columbia University before securing a scholarship to complete his PhD in political science at Yale University. He then moved to The University of Manchester on a further scholarship, where he settled permanently. Lou moved to the UK before the main US Civil Rights Movement gained momentum – it was racial discrimination in the UK that sparked his own interest in race and inequality.
In 1999, he founded the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE (Race Archives and Community Engagement) Centre, a specialist library and archive located in Manchester’s Central Library, which documents the histories of Greater Manchester’s Global Majority communities and beyond, and the struggle against racism. His vision, underpinning all the work of the Centre, was for a collection that would not only have major research value, but would also be instrumental in celebrating Global Majority histories and cultures and combating racism.
The RACE Centre holds an extensive collection of Lou’s work and research (1965-2008), relating to race relations in the UK and US, including 95 interviews with key figures who discuss American politics, economics, health and welfare and racial polarisation in the 1980s and 1990s.
These archives offer an extraordinary resource for students and scholars, providing unique insights into an array of subjects and inspiring discussions.
His publications spanned the UK and United States, and explored racial inequality in policing, health and politics. His work and legacy were a crucial foundation for the work of the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) at Manchester.
Professor Bridget Byrne, Director of CoDE, reflected: "Lou was a very kind man with a great sense of humour. He had a vast knowledge of the history the American civil rights era and struggles against racism. He leaves a long-term legacy in the city and University with the founding of Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Archive and Education Trust, which holds a highly important archive and does important anti-racist work, particularly with young people."
Lou’s 2015 ‘Star Lecture’, was aimed at sixth-form and college history students studying the civil rights era in the USA.
Professor Claire Alexander, Head of the School of Social Sciences, shared her thoughts: "Lou was a member of the Sociology Department for over 40 years, and is remembered fondly by many colleagues from across the School. His scholarly contributions in the study of racism and anti-racism were matched by his intellectual generosity and his commitment to public engagement and social change.
"He exemplified the best version of scholar-activism, as seen in his remarkable legacy in the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Centre and Education Trust. The School will be working with the AIURRRC and Trust, and his family, to honour Lou's contribution to the School, the University and the City."
Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and the many colleagues who worked with Lou in Manchester and elsewhere.