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Unsung She-roes of History: The Trailblazing Trio Redefining Race, Gender, and Power in the UK

By: BCA Volunteer Lorna Hunte

Cover of ‘The Heart of the Race’ by Beverly Bryan, Stella Dadzie and Suzanne Scafe

In a world where the dominant narratives of history frequently marginalise the voices and contributions of minority groups, the tales of Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie, and Suzanne Scafe emerge not just as stories of inspiration but as powerful calls to action that challenge us to reimagine the canvas of history. Their contributions, pivotal to the advancement of racial and gender equality, beckon us to confront a glaring omission in our collective memory. This oversight begs a critical reflection: Why have these trailblazing women not been a central part of our historical consciousness? 

Beverley Bryan, a stalwart in the British Black Panther movement of the 1970s, ingeniously fused activism with education, pioneering a transformative approach to teaching that centred on the lives and histories of Black children in the UK. Her dedication was not just to challenge societal injustices but to cultivate a space where Black children could see themselves in the stories that shaped their education. Bryan's work is a testament to the power of education as a tool for racial and social justice, embodying the Black Cultural Archives’ mission to empower and disrupt. Her legacy invites us to ponder, in her own words, "the importance of understanding our history, not just to know where we come from, but to arm ourselves for the present and the future" (Archival Reference: BCA/BB/1975). 

Stella Dadzie a beacon in the feminist movement and the struggle against racism and sexism, co-founded the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent (OWAAD), offering a crucial platform for voices that had been doubly marginalised. Her work, particularly through the seminal "The Heart of the Race: Black Women's Lives in Britain," co-authored with Bryan and Scafe, shines a light on the intersectional battles faced by Black women. Dadzie's advocacy in education and her unyielding fight for equality challenges us to reflect on her assertion that "our struggles are not isolated, but deeply interconnected" (Archival Reference: BCA/SD/1982). 

Suzanne Scafe, through her scholarly and activist work, has profoundly shaped the discourse around Black women's literature and Black British cultural studies. Her exploration of race, gender, and cultural identity has not only enriched academic fields but also offered new perspectives on the lived experiences of Black women in the UK. Scafe's dedication to uncovering these narratives aligns with the Black Cultural Archive's values of reflecting and championing the histories that have been overlooked. Her encouragement to "dive deep into the stories of those who came before us to understand the strength we carry into our own battles" (Archival Reference: BCA/SS/1989) resonates as a clarion call for introspection and action. 

The legacies of Bryan, Dadzie, and Scafe serve as powerful reminders of the intricate ways in which race, gender, and class intersect, shaping the contours of individual and collective experiences. Their unwavering commitment to education and community organizing underscores the transformative potential of knowledge and activism to empower marginalised communities. By embracing their teachings, supporting inclusive practices, and championing community activism inspired by their models, we not only honour their contributions but also engage in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice. 

By engaging with and celebrating the stories of Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie, and Suzanne Scafe, especially during Women's History Month, we challenge the prevailing narratives that have historically sidelined the contributions of Black women. Their enduring legacy is a beacon that not only illuminates the past but also guides future generations in the relentless pursuit of social justice. By recognizing and building upon their groundbreaking work, we commit ourselves to a future where the richness of our collective history is fully acknowledged and celebrated for its complexity and richness of Black British history. 

Lorna Hunte

***

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Creating Black Cultural Archives’ Podcast Series

BCA Intern, Milan Wright reflects on her 9-month placement and her experience producing Black Cultural Archives’ first-ever Podcast!

By Milan Wright, BCA Intern

Behind-the-scenes of creating the Black Cultural Archives podcast

Exciting times are upon us, Black Cultural Archives (BCA) is launching its very own podcast series, and I am the creator! As a student from the University of Leeds on a nine-month placement, I had the exciting and daunting task of making the most of my limited time whilst creating something new and of my own volition: a podcast series. 

The concept came on my first day at BCA. A podcast was on the cards to elevate the impact of Seeing Ourselves, a project that aims to increase the representation of Black and Global majority persons in the arts and heritage sector. Being an avid podcast listener and ready for a challenge, I volunteered to make it my main project, having no clue about the behind-the-scenes of creating a podcast but having (almost) all the faith that I would figure it out!  

The first step was the structure. The brief was to create a series about the arts and heritage sector to help young people with their career prospects. But how? As a young person who looks to media to support my personal and professional life, I thought of a simple interview between a host and a successful professional in the industry who would be willing to delve into the ins and outs of their journey and the industry at large. Wanting to make this project a success, we leaned on the expertise of our funders, Elevate Lambeth.  We requested advice from some of the “Elevators” who knew how to approach the podcast to get young people to listen and I presented the outline and our aims for the podcast. The feedback was to make it feel professional, to utilise our community, to ensure guests get into the nitty gritty of how they kick-started their careers, and to show our audience the multitude of roles one can have in the same industry e.g. in the entertainment industry, you can be an actor, but also a director, showrunner, costume designer, gaffer, set designer, prop master etc.  

The natural next step was to create a script outline that would touch all aspects of one’s career journey, starting at the very beginning, childhood. Then it was to choose the guests who had a wealth of knowledge and advice but didn't feel inaccessible or hard to reach. Luckily, there are plenty of established Black professionals in and around London that came to mind and when I was stuck, the internet was my best friend. Black Cultural Archives have great connections with the community, and the team were lovely enough to put me in touch. With the guest list selected, the next challenge was finding a host. There were two finalists and we decided to go with Binta Yade, a cultural leader with Poetic Unity, an organisation that Black Cultural Archives is in partnership with and whose previous experience included interview podcasting – a perfect match! 

Podcast Production Programme with Clovis from Oxygen Arts

Since this was part of the Seeing Ourselves project, which is about workforce development, it felt necessary to include the community in the process and so the Podcast Production Programme was born. The idea around this was to recruit young people from the community to come to BCA and learn how to create a podcast from scratch and then record and edit our episodes, making them our production team for the series – also helpful for me! It would be something they could put on their CV and take with them to create other projects. We partnered with Oxygen Arts for the training, and I created the application form, kept track of the applicants, and conducted the interviews that would eventually select the final 12; all this for the first time. I also created social media content for the programme, including the reels, stories, and the programme poster.

The 12 young people we recruited were from Lambeth, South London, East London, and the surrounding areas. They had the opportunity to play with the podcast equipment, learn how to set it up, take it down, record and use editing software – all for free! This programme was also a great opportunity for the young people to meet other creatives in the same boat as them, early in their careers with so many dreams and all the potential. Deciding the 12 participants also meant thinking about how they would blend and mingle with each other, it was more than just choosing the right people for BCA, but also about how it would benefit the young people in their personal and professional lives. I quickly became a professional party planner and host, contemplating how each would get along as small groups and as a whole. To my delight, it worked!

After each session seeing everyone mingle and exchange contacts with promises of supporting each other’s creative events was amazing. For me, meeting these people, my peers, and navigating the weird balance of being both a peer and a supervisor whilst creating my own London network of creatives and academics was a happy bonus that came out of this programme and something to take with me once I leave.   

We had the challenge of linking the podcast back to the archives, beyond just another interview and careers podcast. We came up with the great idea of including historical introductions that took the listener back to a moment in history where a Black person was a successful musician or actor before segueing to the main interview. This became a creative writing opportunity for our young people to visit the archives, write an introduction and edit it how they saw fit, giving them full creative control. This would also make for an empowering story to listen to for a young professional – learning that our ancestors walked this path before and succeeded, giving us all the confidence that we can do the same and more.   

Choosing the guests was both fun and stressful. We had our ideal list but not all responded, and some were not accepting speaking engagements. Learning how to pivot and adjust was the biggest learning curve and thanks to this project, I am more familiar and comfortable with it now. Everything from communicating with the guests, booking them in with us and taking care of them during their time at BCA was my responsibility, which I'm proud of. 

Binta Yade, Cultural Leader

Meeting our incredibly talented host, Binta Yade and working with her to create the guests' portfolios and personalised questions was fun and thought-provoking. Watching her interview people first-hand and engage with the guests was like magic. Seeing my idea being brought to fruition and listening to the depth and flow of the conversations, I found myself, in those moments, looking at my life and learning from the guests, which are things I will take with me forever.   

In alignment with the community-first compass we had for this project and with the helpful tip from our friends at Elevate Lambeth, I reached out to Raw Material in Brixton to commission a young creative to produce our intro and outro music. A bit of back-and-forth and some lost emails later, we set up a meeting and briefed young creative, Erica Boateng to create a few drafts of chill, uplifting, afro-centric instrumentals. We set our hearts on one and this became our official music for the podcast. All of sudden all the pieces began to come together. Curating the schedule for the post-production sessions and listening as the individual recordings came together to form a seamless episode was a beautiful culmination of the ideas I had back in October.   

 

The practical side for me was just as exciting. I worked with BCA’s marketing team to create a strategy for promotion and maximum engagement, selecting and communicating with micro-influencers to help widen our reach and envisioning how they can help share our mission was adventurous. Not to mention having creative control over the podcast artwork and editing the historical introductions was a wonderful opportunity for me to explore. This whole project has been a massive growing experience for me and one that has tested my creativity, competence, and imagination. Everything from the admin to the execution of this podcast series has been birthed and steered of my own volition. When it launches on Wednesday, 19th July 2023, I hope the public will resonate with the content and become inspired by the words of our guests to get up and go after what you want; I know I will!


Biography

Milan Wright is a student at the University of Leeds. She is an undergraduate student in Philosophy and has aspirations to become a writer focusing on topics of neo-colonialism and emancipation. Milan is pursuing a career in art & history curation and consultancy for art galleries & museums across the UK and worldwide.

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Researcher-in-Residence: Miranda Armstrong

An interview with our researcher-in-residence, Miranda Armstrong, on her research and new digital exhibition: Black Mother’s in the Forefront for BCA

Could you introduce yourself, Miranda?

From Miranda’s research-based graphic pamphlet, Beyond the myth: single black mothers and their sons. Illustration by Chikaboo Designs 

I’m a sociology researcher and a Black Londoner, a child of migrants, and a single mum. This background informs my research interests in unequal experiences of cities and under- and misrepresented experiences of motherhood.  

Another thing I’m passionate about is how academic research can be communicated in a range of accessible and engaging ways using creative mediums. Developing the online exhibition Black Mothers in the Forefront: Struggles and Resistance in the 1970s in collaboration with BCA has been a great way to explore that! 

Your research residency at BCA was related to your work on the study, Archiving the Inner City: Race and the Politics of Urban Memory. Can you tell us about it?  

Sure! Archiving the Inner City is an international project across London (mainly focusing on Brixton), Paris and Philadelphia that focuses on experiences of historically black neighbourhoods during the late 20th century. It analyses the alternative understandings of such places, which emerge when you engage with less-heard perspectives, including institutional and personal archives. The project also links the past to the present, such as the various efforts to preserve Black history and to recognise the many contributions of African and Caribbean heritage people.


The Bronze Woman in Stockwell Memorial Gardens, envisioned and campaigned for by Cécile Nobrega, and based on her poem of the same name 

How do the themes you have explored in the online exhibition relate to your own research? 

My own research is on single black motherhood. What is thematically similar are the distinctive and unequal experiences of motherhood black women can have due to challenges created by things like racism, discriminatory immigration policies, and poor experiences of schools, police and health services. When researching the archives, it was wonderful to discover the mechanisms of support that were available, like a wealth of women’s organisations and centres that, due to current issues like austerity measures and gentrification, appear to be less available now. What has not changed is the tenacity, vision, and resourcefulness of many African-heritage and Caribbean-heritage mothers.

What has the process of researching the archives been like for you? 

It stirred up complex emotions! Working with both the oral history collection and archival materials helped to make the past more tangible. For me, it showed very clearly that the unequal experiences of African and Carribean-heritage people are a continuation of black people’s institutional experiences of the 1970s and 1980s. But learning about the responses from many people to these social conditions was heartening.

Was there anything unexpected you learned from researching the collections? 

One thing that was amazing to discover was the amount and variety of positive social action done by both women’s groups and community organisations: the establishment of neighbourhood women’s centres, the publishing of newsletters, the setting up of Saturday schools, the various campaigns for justice, to creating neighbourhood communal and social spaces to just be. There is this view that society improves and becomes more progressive as we move forward in time, but the collections showed me that there were actually some things about the 1970s that were special. 


Biography

Miranda Armstrong is a researcher and writer currently based at the University of York. She is a PhD candidate in the sociology department at Goldsmiths College. Miranda held the prestigious Economic and Social Research Council PhD scholarship, and has taught sociology and criminology at Goldsmiths. Her writing has been published by The Voice and Black Ballad, among other outlets. She is a contributing essayist to the pioneering anthology, Motherhood Untold (2020), and is author of the graphic pamphlet, Beyond the Myth: Single Black Mothers and their Sons (2021).

mirandaarmstrong.com

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BCA Career Spotlight: Project Assistant

Abandon the idea that life has to look a certain way by a certain age.
— Milan Wright

Spotlight on: Milan Wright

D.H. Lawrence’s articulation that ‘Life is ours to be spent, not saved’ is Project Assistant, Milan’s favourite inspirational quote and one that reminds her to always go for opportunities and put her ideas and opinions across, regardless of fears of being unqualified or saying, ‘the wrong thing’. This go-getter mentality allowed Milan, a philosophy student on her placement year at Black Cultural Archives, to be in the mix leading up to our recent ‘Transforming Legacies’ exhibition – picking up art with the curator, speaking to artists, and helping with the installation. This experience saw Milan interact with full-time artists, those paid to deliver their craft and live out their dreams, which cemented Milan’s conviction that the creative, not corporate world, is for her.

Since starting in October, she has worked hard to develop a podcast that will focus on workforce development within the arts and heritage sector and its accompanying training programme, which will equip young people with the skills needed to create podcasts and tap into the UK’s fastest growing medium for the dissemination of information. This process from inception to implementation has seen Milan research the various fields in the sector, invite industry experts to provide their insight on the programme, draft scripts to be used during episodes and create social media content to promote it all.

Currently, a considerable amount of Milan’s day, which begins with checking in with her line manager and answering any outstanding emails, is spent reviewing applications for the training programme, setting up the interview schedule, and compiling questions. She is also busy researching the significant role Black women from the Windrush generation played in building up the NHS, the unrecognised work their successors currently do, and the link to the current strikes for a blog post she is writing to commemorate Windrush 75.

Though in the early throes of her career, Milan is already keen to create a legacy and is facilitating a partnership between her university, a leading institution in the North of England, and BCA. She hopes this partnership will ensure students have online access to rich archival material regarding the Black presence and experience in the UK and begin adding to the very few centres for Black history which exist outside of London.

Her advice to individuals following the path she is paving would be to ‘abandon the idea that life has to look a certain way by a certain age’, as her immersion into the professional world has demonstrated that even those at the midway point of their careers are still ‘figuring it out along the way’. Milan believes imposter syndrome is experienced by everyone, with all of us experiencing doubts, anxiety and fears. Instead of viewing it as a negative, she embraces it and uses it as evidence she is stretching herself- something she will continue to do until her dreams are followed and her goals met.

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BCA Career Spotlight: Administrator

Spotlight on: Almaz Anderson

One day at a time
— Lemn Sissay

Almaz is one of the newest members of the BCA team and finds it inspiring to work in an organisation where many Black women are in leadership roles – a rarity in the arts and heritage sector. Almaz starts her days by checking her calendar, responding to the latest email enquiries from members of the public, and ensuring that our stakeholders are kept abreast of developments regarding programming and exhibitions.

As an administrative assistant, Almaz spends much of her time doing admin processes and figuring out how they can be improved to benefit the organisation and facilitate collaboration between departments. A recent project of hers involved working cooperatively with the IT team to ensure technological uniformity across the organisation and that all staff members, existing and new, had access to all the programmes and software needed to successfully carry out their roles.

Since university, where she studied Film Studies and Screen Practice, a large part of Almaz’s career has been situated in the arts sector with an internship at MTV studios, a voluntary position at Black Filmmaker magazine, and a variety of roles at the British Film Institute before moving to Black Cultural Archives.

Almaz offsets the sure, stable hand her role requires with more creative pursuits such as writing, filming, and editing. With the small and hands-on nature of Black Culture Archives, she has the opportunity to help with projects centred around these hobbies and relearn and develop the associated skills.

In a demonstration that the personal is often professional, one of Almaz’s goals in 2023 is to ‘learn more about Black British history’, and given that she works at 'The home of Black British History', we are sure she is in the right place to achieve this objective.

“One day at a time” is a line from Almaz’s favourite poem by Lemn Sissay. Though it is at odds with the forward-thinking required to execute her role, it is a salve she recommends be used by those still trying to chart the course of their careers and one she uses safe in the knowledge that her proudest professional moments are yet to come.


Schools: Seeing Ourselves Workshops

Did you know that we offer interactive 'Seeing Ourselves Workshops' aimed at raising career aspirations in the arts for children in Key Stage 1? Explore different roles in the arts and heritage sector with associated characters 5-7 year olds might better relate to:

Conservator (Superhero), Archivist (Explorer), Curator (Storyteller) and Artist (Spy).

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BCA Career Spotlight: Retail Manager

Worse things happen to better people.
— Issa Randall

Spotlight on: Issa Randall

Outside of Black Cultural Archives, our Retail Manager, Issa, is a keen photographer who holds mini-exhibitions to showcase his art. His favourite photographs are a series titled ‘An Easy Tension’, which explores how Black people have to transform themselves and their bodies in certain spaces to accommodate the white gaze in society. When inside the walls of BCA on 1 Windrush Square, where all forms of being Black are explored and celebrated, Issa feels no need to metamorphose into something others might want him to be, and it is this which drew him to the role. This is his second stint at the heritage centre after first coming on board as a front-of-house team member in 2018 – demonstrating the progressive nature of BCA and a leader in a field where Black people rarely progress beyond entry-level positions.

Issa starts his day doing a stock take, exploring how many visitors the shop had the previous day, and tracking trends such as sales per visit and cost per spend. He then carries out market research to see what’s new, audience reception and if it makes sense to purchase, and he may finish his day having meetings with members of the public who get in touch with products they think BCA may be interested in stocking. This, being able to put faith in Black businesses and creators, is his favourite part of his role and represents a constant engagement with and commitment to the Black Pound movement that others may only indulge in sporadically.

Issa found his way to Black Cultural Archives via Illinois and Ohio, where he went to university to complete a BA in Communications with a minor in photography and an MA in photography. He didn’t have a planned trajectory or career path, preferring to focus instead on acquiring various experiences and accumulating knowledge. He advises others to do the same and embrace versatility.

Issa has two pieces of advice for his younger self and those embarking on their career journey in the sector: learn another language, as it is a powerful medium through which you can be exposed to and experience culture, and remember that ‘worse things happen to better people’ – it is this mantra which enables him to break free from the tendency we have as humans to think ‘why me’ when something does not go according to plan, to put the negatives into perspective, and keep moving forward. From Illinois to Brixton, we wonder where this mentality will take him next.


Schools: Seeing Ourselves Workshops

Did you know that we offer interactive 'Seeing Ourselves Workshops' aimed at raising career aspirations in the arts for children in Key Stage 1? Explore different roles in the arts and heritage sector with associated characters 5-7 year olds might better relate to:

Conservator (Superhero), Archivist (Explorer), Curator (Storyteller) and Artist (Spy).

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BCA Career Spotlight: Collections and Research Manager

Spotlight on: Dr. Hannah Ishmael

Co-founder of Black Cultural Archives, Len Garrison reflected that somebody must rescue, retrieve, and protect Black History. Dr Hannah Ishmael, Collections and Research Manager at Black Cultural Archives, is one such ‘somebody’. It is why she undertook her PhD on the developmental how and why of Black-led archives in London and explored Black Archival thought and practice. It underpins her motivation to look after the collections we have at Windrush Square so that they last and as many people as possible can access them through research, exhibitions, and workshops.

Hannah did not know what career path she wanted to follow and went to university to study History and Philosophy hoping, as so many others do, that it would become apparent by the end of her course. It did not! It was a psychometric personality test carried out on a careers website that put the role of ‘archivist’ on her radar, and she went on to do an MA in archives record management soon after. Hannah feels her almost accidental journey into archiving mirrors that of her peers, who often relay that they ‘fell’ into the role or that their journey was a matter of ‘right place, right time’, and she thus wants to bring more attention to archiving and other ‘hidden’ roles so more people are aware, can make concerted career choices, and diversification of the sector can be brought about.

The support of Hannah's family meant that she was able to supplement the theoretical archival knowledge gained at university with practical voluntary experience. She knows that not everybody has the means to carry out unpaid volunteering and internship opportunities and sees them as one of the biggest barriers to dismantling the elitism endemic in the arts. Whilst she cannot oversee the sector-wide eradication of unpaid posts, she is conscious to ensure that individuals volunteering with BCA are paid for their time as much as possible.

Alongside practices to make the sector more equitable, Hannah spends her days answering emails, delivering bespoke workshops centred around material within the archives, and meeting people interested in donating collections they have often spent a lifetime amassing. Though interested in all stories and narratives, Hannah uses the BCA collection policy to determine what is and is not adopted into our annals, with documents focusing on individuals and organisations who have worked with Black communities in Britain taking precedence. Whilst donators are mostly of Afro-Caribbean descent, the accession of documents from white anti-racist activist Chris Searle proves there are exceptions to the rule, with the historical insight provided by and impact of particular donations deemed more important than the skin colour of the donator.

Though Hannah does not have a favourite donation or document, viewing all pieces of the collection as worthy of the same level of care, attention, and promotion, she cites the deposit from mental health activist Melba Wilson OBE, which was catalogued with funding from the Wellcome Trust, as the donation that has most shaped her thinking on the direction of the archives and the organisation as a whole. Hannah wants the archives to play a bigger role in determining the conversation around health and wellbeing in the community and be front and centre in its improvement. She is busy planning a programme of events to bring this about – watch this space!


Schools: Seeing Ourselves Workshops

Did you know that we offer interactive 'Seeing Ourselves Workshops' aimed at raising career aspirations in the arts for children in Key Stage 1? Explore different roles in the arts and heritage sector with associated characters 5-7 year olds might better relate to:

Conservator (Superhero), Archivist (Explorer), Curator (Storyteller) and Artist (Spy).

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Rachel Haase Rachel Haase

BCA Career Spotlight: Social Media Officer

Stay curious and inspire others to do the same
— Shanice Bryce

Spotlight on: Shanice Bryce

Social Media Officer Shanice has been in the role for two years this month and is responsible for keeping Black Cultural Archives’ Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Tiktok channels updated and engaging. Shanice does not have a favourite social media platform to work with but is enamoured by their uniqueness and treats them in isolation, knowing that what works well on one platform cannot be proffered on another.

Designing content for socials, writing copy, managing campaigns, and curating the newsletter are typical tasks that Shanice carries out in her role. The small nature of the team and recent staffing changes means she is responsible for additional functions such as editing blogs, speaking with partners, chairing marketing meetings, and designing content for BCA’s programming. Shanice sees herself as the ‘brand guardian', growing and protecting the BCA brand to ensure consistency and relevancy so that people understand our mission and our partners accept and respect it.

BCA x Snap: Hidden Black Stories is one such partnership that Shanice has worked on. The augmented reality project, which saw users scan their Snapchat lens in Trafalgar Square and be transported to hear a speech by Martin Luther King Jr, see Mary Seacole and explore the work of Black British artists, enabled Black Cultural Archives to tap into the Generation Z market and win a 2022 PRCA Dare award for Diversity and Inclusion. Aside from the fun of dressing up in black tie and attending a gala to pick up the award, the project provided visibility to BCA as a whole and enabled Shanice to personally reflect on her career journey that led to this significant point.

Introspection and a quest for improvement and elevation underpin Shanice’s work. It is these traits, alongside her unwavering self-belief, that she procured an internship with ELLE Magazine at age 18, despite being knocked back twice before and became the PR manager for an underwear, swimwear and loungewear brand after reaching out to the founder to offer her marketing and comms skills. Shanice likens her proclivity to live in tune with her desires to the way people eat intuitively with what their body needs, and it is this inclination that took her on a journey through roles in fashion, wellness, and tech before she arrived at BCA. She believes her life purpose is to "stay curious and inspire others to do the same" and advises that it is okay to go with the flow, to keep trying to find what you love to do, and to be graceful with yourself during the process.

Shanice wishes she could change the perception of her role and help people understand that it entails far more than curating reels and posting pictures. It involves creating strategies that entice people to buy into BCA’s mission and vision, to attend our events & exhibitions, and to visit our archives, but in a way that is honest and value-led – the psychological art of persuasion, if you will. To demonstrate that a key aspect of successful marketing is timing and topicality, Shanice looks to our partnership with leading Barristers Chambers, 5 St. Andrews Hill (5SAH), which gives an outlook on legal topics through their series of videos called ‘Black Futures: The Legal Perspective’. BCA’s subject guide referencing the 1772 case of Somerset v Stewart, and a Black person's right not to be forcibly removed from England, is as relevant now, and thus marketable, in a climate where the UK has pernicious immigration policies that need attention drawn to them. It is up to Shanice to recognise these parallels and draw visibility to them.


Schools: Seeing Ourselves Workshops

Did you know that we offer interactive 'Seeing Ourselves Workshops' aimed at raising career aspirations in the arts for children in Key Stage 1? Explore different roles in the arts and heritage sector with associated characters 5-7 year olds might better relate to:

Conservator (Superhero), Archivist (Explorer), Curator (Storyteller) and Artist (Spy).

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Rachel Haase Rachel Haase

BCA Career Spotlight: Learning and Engagement Manager

Speak up for yourself
— Dr Ayshah Johnston

Spotlight on: Dr Ayshah Johnston  

The V&A, Transport Museum, National Trust, and Brixton Windmill are all places our Engagement and Learning manager, Dr Ayshah Johnston, worked at before coming to Black Cultural Archives in January 2019. She obtained the role on her second attempt after acquiring schools experience and plugging the gap on her resume that prohibited her from landing the role the first time.

Ayshah’s resilience and perseverance and her description of how she came to be into her line of work: 'by accident and back to front' are important anecdotes for young professionals who may feel pressure to have their career trajectory figured out and may not be prepared for the knock backs that are part for the course. Ayshah’s advice to young professionals, particularly those from Black and global majority backgrounds seeking to enter the arts and culture sector is: ‘speak up for yourself’ if you suspect you are being taken advantage of and/or your career is being stalled, whether deliberately or inadvertently. She seeks to remind them that though the field is not as diverse and inclusive as it should be, individuals and organisations are willing to help them find their way.

Black Cultural Archives is one such organisation, and Ayshah’s favourite part of working in a majority Black organisation is that she can ‘relax’, ‘be herself’ and focus on the job at hand instead of having to expend mental energy protecting herself and proving she is qualified to be in the role, as has been her experience in other places.

A typical day in the role depends on the season. The proximity to Black History Month and the anniversary of the Windrush docking are when people are more likely to engage with Black history and thus the archives, but approximately 75% of Ayshah’s time is spent on public engagement and the delivery of workshops for all ages, from primary school through to corporate staff groups. Shortly, the plan is to hire freelance educators who can carry out school delivery and output, leaving time for Ayshah to focus on strategic planning, departmental development and academic research.

Ayshah’s passion for telling stories about Black history is palpable, and it is no wonder that she still relishes witnessing the looks of awe and shock on people's faces when they learn of things they did not know before. It is also of no surprise that she is busy creating hireable resources such as pop-ups and panels for individuals and organisations to access Black history, even when she and her team cannot go and tell the stories personally.

Engaging and informing the public about the discoveries of scientist, poet and linguist Lewis Latimer has been Ayshah’s favourite project in her role so far and one of the first opportunities she had to put on a family event, given the pandemic and the period of recovery arts and heritage organisations underwent in its aftermath. Latimer, though American, had a local link as his lights were installed on Electric Avenue in Brixton and had a major impact on London. He is yet to take up his place among the pantheon of Victorian inventors, but if anybody can ensure his inclusion and challenge the limiting beliefs about Black people and Black history Dr Ayshah Johnston can.


Schools: Seeing Ourselves Workshops

Did you know that we offer interactive 'Seeing Ourselves Workshops' aimed at raising career aspirations in the arts for children in Key Stage 1? Explore different roles in the arts and heritage sector with associated characters 5-7 year olds might better relate to:

Conservator (Superhero), Archivist (Explorer), Curator (Storyteller) and Artist (Spy).

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4 Black Trailblazers That Have Shaped British Culture

JB Simmons, Guest Contributor

The history of Black people in Britain is a long and storied one, since the days of the Roman Empire and the impact on British culture has been profound.

Learning about Black culture is one way to understand deeper the dynamics and attitudes in today's society. Looking into the most notable Black figures in UK history is one way to start, as their stories are deeply intertwined with the country's history.

Today, we'll look into four Black trailblazers that have shaped British culture:

1. Paul Stephenson

Paul Stephenson is an activist who has dedicated his life to fighting for social justice. He is most famous for being one of the lead organisers of the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, a response to the bus company's discriminatory colour bar policy. Inspired by Rosa Parks' example in Alabama, USA, Stephenson rallied the entire community to speak out against the prevailing racist culture in Britain at that time. The boycott was influential in passing the Race Relations Act, which made discrimination on the basis of race unlawful in public places, employment, and housing. Stephen's actions paved the way for the more inclusive British culture we see today.

Read our subject guide on Protest and Campaigns.

2. Margaret Busby

Margaret Busby is most known as the first Black female book publisher in Britain. Her work challenged the publishing world, which white men have traditionally dominated. Across many traditional fields, leadership is becoming more demanding, and the principles associated with diversity and inclusion are now expected of business leaders across the country. Through the work of industry leaders like Busby, UK society gets exposed to various published work across gender, nationality, and ethnic origins. Her literary activism stems from her belief that the dominant white male community has controlled book circulations, schools, libraries, and publishing houses. For her, creating a demand for books celebrating society's heterogeneity will make the publishing industry reflect the true diversity of British culture.

Read our subject guide on Publishing.

3. Diane Abbott

British society has come a long way from the uprisings of forty years ago, in response to the discriminatory policing of Black people. Now, there are Black people that hold positions of power in government. Diane Abbott, a British politician, has made her mark on British history by becoming the first Black woman elected to the Parliament and the longest-serving Black MP in the House of Commons. Abbott graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge, and then rose from her city council to national politics. Her distinguished career as a politician and broadcaster inspires young Black women across the country who want to fight modern racism and make their indelible mark in British culture.


Read our subject guide on Uprisings.

4. Harold Moody

Image @ msrcleeds

Harold Moody was a Jamaican-born physician. He went to London to study medicine in 1904 and started his practice in Peckham in 1913. Despite having a successful medical practice, he delved into civil rights after experiencing racial prejudice as a student and immigrant in the UK. He poured much time and energy into campaigning for the rights of Black people and is even dubbed the Martin Luther King Jr. of the country. In 1931, Moody founded the League of Coloured Peoples, which focused on Black rights in the UK. The work of civil rights pioneers like Moody has brought on lasting changes in British culture, particularly in the area of civil liberties.

Black people have and continue to shape British culture in countless ways, and collecting and preserving these stories is one way to honour the struggles and continue building better futures. These four Black trailblazers are only some of the figures that contributed to the formation of modern Britain and its contemporary culture and development.

Check out our ‘Black Britons in the Archive’ online exhibit on Google Arts and Culture.

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BCA Pathways 2022 Career Event

BCA Seeing Ourselves Project Administrator, Rachel Haase reflects on the BCA Pathways 2022 Career Event.

On Thursday, 15th September 2022, Black Cultural Archives delivered our annual career event at the prestigious Museum of London. Joined by renowned individuals and exhibitors from leading organisations, the aim was to illuminate pathways into the arts and heritage sector – a field where Black and global majority individuals are typically underrepresented. We discussed the best ways to navigate our careers in spaces that are often not diverse, inclusive, or equitable.

After assembling for refreshments, we directed attendees to the Weston Theatre. First on the agenda was an honest panel discussion on racial equity in Arts and Heritage institutions with Dr. Yvonne Thompson CBE | DL, chair of trustees at BCA; Roshni Hirani, recruitment manager at Serpentine; and Samuel Kasumu, co-founder of Inclusive Boards.

Some of the questions that our panellists answered were: 

  • If and how organisations can foster safe spaces for their employees to discuss race.

  • Whether there has been a shift in organisational commitments to racial equity in the two years since George Floyd's murder.

  • What can we do to ensure 2020 is not just a moment in history but an ongoing movement.

Samuel Kasumu highlighted the difference between surface-level change like Twitter blackouts and issuing statements. He also explored the intentional and structural processes of better representation on board and senior leadership teams, fair and open recruitment practices, and the integration of diversity and inclusion into business plans and strategies as the basis to question whether there has been an overall change.

Roshni Hirani was more convinced of a shift towards racial equity but questioned the extent to which individuals and organisations understand why changes are needed and hopes to cultivate more conversations around this in the future.

Tips Roshni proffered to those wanting to propel the movement for racial equality and equity forward were: 

  • Patience – something often at odds with our human tendency to desire change overnight.

  • Open-mindedness in regards to allyship – the consideration of nuance, intersectionality, and that changemakers won’t always look like you do or how you expect them to.

Advice from Samuel regarding the navigation of career journeys in the sector included:

  • The ability to be knowledgeable and give your opinions in a room full of people.

  • Confidence to be yourself in spaces where you are alone representationally.

  • Commitment to sustaining relationships and clarity on how you want others to view you.

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE|DL – Chair of Trustees, Black Cultural Archives, Roshni Hirani – Recruitment Manager, Serpentine, and Samuel Kasumu - Co-Founder, Inclusive Boards

Following this was a conversation between BCA's interim Managing Director, Lisa Anderson, and writer, actor, and director, Gbolahan Obisesan. The aim was to explore and examine his trajectory to Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Brixton House Theatre and to elicit advice for those wishing to follow in his footsteps. Lisa disclosed that one of her favourite parts of leading BCA is the opportunity it affords her to discover local leaders in Brixton's cultural landscape and beyond – a description that fits Gbolahan perfectly.

How did a 'shy, introverted immigrant boy with an accent' not only sit with the biggest and brightest stars in the world of theatre but surpass them?

He credits his first tread into performing arts to his drama teacher at his second secondary school (his mum moved him from his first due to him getting into constant trouble). His drama teacher facilitated a space to discover and explore what he was good at and encouraged and empowered him to audition for the National Youth Theatre, which accepted him. Gbolahan – the young black African, working-class boy from a housing estate – commends himself for being brave enough to stay in the predominantly white middle-class world his peers did not yet know was his to inhabit.

This strong sense of self permeates his story. It is evident when he avoided the places in life his friends wanted him to travel to, knowing it wasn’t for him. You can also see it in his ability to initiate and work hard for his professional desires, such as his appointment as deputy for renowned director Richard Wilson, which stemmed from a conversation he initiated. He applied these attributes, alongside a hefty dose of perseverance, and was knocked back from eight Artistic Director roles before securing the one at Brixton House – demonstrating how he has successfully navigated his way up his career mountain.

Though excited about his appointment at Brixton House, he is conscious of the ‘weight of responsibility’ that comes with this leadership role and is busy considering ways he can foster an environment and provide pathways that will enable young adults to thrive and accompany him to the mountaintop. He wants Brixton House to emit a culture of inclusivity from the top down and, through his platform, would like to foster conversations for the community and proffer a safe space for them to partake in such discussions. As the writer of Roadside, a play centred on mental health and self-medication, Gbolahan has a history of bringing our community’s struggles to the fore. We are sure he will continue to do so.

Gbolahan Obisesan – Artistic Director & Joint CEO, Brixton House Theatre

Lisa Anderson Interim Managing Director, Black Cultural Archives

For lunch, attendees chose between delectable Nigerian street cuisine from Jollof Mama or delicious Korean Mexican hybrid fare from Komex Kitchen. We then had breakaway workshops on CV, interviewing, freelancing, and navigating work in museum spaces (which we will spotlight in a follow-up blog post). Following this, we returned to the theatre to receive our keynote address.

Senior Commissioning Editor at Merky Books, joint Editor-in-Chief of independent literary journal Plantain Papers, and 'the biggest game changer of all time in publishing' as designated by Elle magazine in 2020, are just some of Lemara Lindsay-Prince’s industry accomplishments and accolades. Just as important are her self-designated identifications:

  • ‘kid of diaspora’

  • ‘custodian of our culture’

  • ‘chronicler of our history’

  • and her 'impassioned quest to foster a link between the past and present, and empower the community to make for a better future.'

Balancing her ‘colour and culture with commercialism’, Lemara emphasised that she did not always scale her current heights and failed at many firsts, including jobs, internships, interactions, and impressions. She spoke of her willingness to try things no matter the outcome and implored the audience to afford themselves the space and grace to fail, a vital takeaway and nod to black excellence and counteracts the pressure we often feel to be amazing from the jump.

Lemara assured us that our ‘presence, opinions, and worldviews matter’ and that we too can and must take up space in the industry, not just for our current selves but so those following behind us can see themselves in the arts and heritage sectors and realise they belong. Top tips on how to do so include: 

  • Ask questions and learn from those who have been before you.

  • Build something such as a blog for yourself, which will enable you to master creative and production processes.

  • Explore the unseen and often un-glamorous aspects of the creative industries so you can gain an insight into how things work and where different power lies.

The end of the keynote concluded the conference with Lemara’s call to action ringing in our ears as we stepped out into the September sun.

Lemara Lindsay-Prince – Senior Commissioning Editor, Merky Books

Through its mission to educate, inspire and create access to the arts and heritage sector for young people of Black and Minority Ethnic descent throughout the UK, this years annual BCA Pathways career event, Seeing Ourselves, Hearing Our Voices shone a light on a variety of career paths, whilst supporting sustainable representation and leadership within the arts.

*Other speakers included: Jean Campbell – Arts Educator and Greg Bunbury – Graphic Designer, Creative Consultant, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant

Keep up to date with the Seeing Ourselves project by clicking the button below:

Photos courtesy of Lewis Patrick Photography (PALAssociates)

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Transforming Legacies with Pacheanne Anderson

Interview with Transforming Legacies curator, Pacheanne Anderson (He/They)

A Black and White image of a Black family of four. A girl wearing a t-shirt top and

Photo: Ryan Adrian Prince

Tell us a bit about this exhibition…

The exhibition is about looking into what Black British art has meant over the past 40 or 50 years. As it is still in its infancy, there are so many stories and visual representations of our past(s) and present to display or review. Through showing a diverse range of works with different forms such as sculpture, moving image, collage and painting I wanted to make a note of the diversity of black talent based here in London and South London specifically.

Why did you want to do this at BCA?

When asked to curate the exhibition, I wanted first and foremost for the exhibition to present an opportunity for Black people to learn about fine art in a black space, run and ,managed by black people - to give the opportunity to my community to see a calibre of works and artists they would usually have to travel into central and east London to see. Part of my curatorial practice is to fill gaps of art exposure, education on the sides of viewership and the inclusivity of artists in spaces that welcome their intersections.

Who should visit the exhibition?

Everyone. Everyone who cares about being Black and feeling seen in the art space. Potential artists and curators to understand how space can be used and transformed to include varied experiences of blackness. People who are not part of the creative space and want a new understanding of exposure to fine art in a place made for and by them. Older or conservative folx who may be confronted by conversations of queerness and/or complete artistic expression in a way they had never been interrogated before. Young people who never felt they had a place to be heard or feel seen. The community around BCA who need something exciting to see that they can afford to walk to and bring their friends to.

What impact do you want the exhibition to have on visitors?

To see something new, to learn about black existence in a Black space, to see themselves in the work or even the opportunity to curate and have that job as a Black person. To bring queer Black commentary into a space which might have usually rejected it. To use the archives to show that Black artists have been expressing themselves through art and performance for a very long time.

What legacy do you want it to leave?

Good vibes, authentic representation and fair pay and  treatment of Black artists, art professionals and creatives when working with institutions. I want to show people the importance of working and collaborating with black spaces and institutions where we control our own voices and narratives and are treated with respect from start to finish.

Pacheanne Anderson

***


Transforming Legacies is on at Black Cultural Archives until 29 January 2023.

Visit the exhibition: Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, Brixton SW2 1EF

Times: Thursdays - Saturdays, 10:00-18:00, Sundays, 12:00-17:00

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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022

The Trustees and staff of Black Cultural Archives are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. We fondly remember visits to Black Cultural Archives from His Royal Highness Prince Charles during Her Majesty’s reign and our thoughts are with him now, as King Charles III, and his family during this time of national mourning for Her Majesty The Queen.

Black Cultural Archives-hosted events will be closed on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral.

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE | DL

Chair, Black Cultural Archives

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Meet the Trustees: Marie-Claire Amuah

Marie-Claire Amuah

My decision to apply for a position as a Trustee of Black Cultural Archives (BCA) was inspired by the mission, vision and work of the organisation: to collect, preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in the UK and to inspire and give strength to individuals, communities, and society.

In April 2021, I found myself looking at a black and white photograph of Brixton 40 years earlier. The photograph is centered by an upside down police car. The car’s back windows are smashed and flames spill from its insides. At the back, the flames mix with heavy black smoke which billows from the tyres and out of the left side of the frame. There are people in the distance - black people. I cannot read the expressions on their faces. There are traffic lights that indicate no right turn and a railway bridge which spans the width of the photograph. To the right is an advert for hand rolling tobacco which boldly encourages people to ‘get the economy rolling’. The photograph was taken during the Brixton Uprising in 1981. It is just one example from the 50 sq meters of archival material in BCA’s archive which is one of the most comprehensive collections of material that documents the history and cultural heritage of Black Britain.

I don’t need the road sign underneath the advert in the photograph to tell me that it’s a photograph of the junction where Atlantic Road meets Brixton High Street; I know it instinctively. I know the building that is now Marks & Spencer. I know the clock under which H Samuel stood for many years. And I know that Bon Marché was once a busy department store on Brixton High Street. I know this because I was born and raised on Dalberg Road, SW2. I attended Corpus Christi primary school on Trent Road and I was baptized in the adjoining church. I am a British Ghanaian South Londoner. My heart and life and identity is rooted in all: Brixton, South London and Ghana. If you walk in the direction of Morleys and cross the road at the traffic lights, you will come to the Ritzy and the library next to which you will find the home of BCA at 1 Windrush Square.

 

It is an honour to sit on the Board of BCA and to contribute to the vision and strategy of the organisation. To compliment my professional career with meaningful voluntary work is a means of personal fulfillment that I have always enjoyed and prioritised. As a criminal barrister, I am a trained advocate with prosecution and defence experience in the Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court. As a Trustee, I am able to lend my skills as an advocate and litigator to provide legal advice to the Board and operational team. An example of this might be in relation to the ongoing response and action of the Home Office to the Windrush scandal; or establishing a partnership between BCA and a law firm to provide pro bono assistance and support to the organisation.

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

I am also an author, whose debut novel One for Sorrow, Two for Joy was published by Oneworld Publications in Autumn 2022. One for Sorrow, Two for Joy tells the story of Stella, a child of Ghanaian parents, born and raised in Brixton. Stella is born into the chaos of domestic violence and struggles to make sense of the world around her. She touches wood so that bad things won’t happen to her or her family - until she learns a poem about magpies, ‘one for sorrow…’ In my writing, I draw on my experience as a British Ghanaian South Londoner to explore the identity of Brixton, the myriad ways it has changed over the years and the impact on the community while offering a sensitive portrayal of the ripple effects of domestic violence, and a defiant story of friendship, resilience and hope.

As a Trustee of BCA, I am proud to share that there is a wealth of talent, knowledge and ambition across the organisation’s operational team and Board. There are a multitude of educational opportunities available at, and through, BCA via its archives, workshops, events and exhibitions. I hope that people inside, and outside, the local community are inspired to get involved with BCA, support its mission and take advantage of all its offerings. I am particularly looking forward to seeing our young people (I think that makes me ‘old’?!) at the BCA Pathways career event: 'Seeing Ourselves, Hearing Our Voices' at the Museum of London on 15 September 2022.

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Trinidad & Tobago 60

To commemorate 60 years of independence for Trinidad & Tobago, musician Winston Albert, (Sobriquet) De Alberto Calypsonian has put together a selection of his top Calypso songs to celebrate this historical day.

De Alberto, began his career in Trinidad in 1985 at the spectacular forum calypso tent, spearheaded by the mighty Chalkdust, The Mighty Duke and many of the greats like David Rudder, Ras Iley and Arrow. He had a few hits like Rambo, Macho belly, Pan woman and Granny Lucas.

At the time, he was in the calypso circuit preparing shows on New York, Washington, Jamaica, Grenada, St Martin, St Vincent, and more. His most memorable performance then was at Broadway with the Mighty Sparrow.

Since De Alberto arrived in the UK in 1990, he has been teaching and singing all over. He has performed at the House of Lords, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Hackney Empire, the Carnival Village at Notting Hill, as well as events in Switzerland and France.

Winston Albert


De Alberto’s top Calypso songs to celebrate Trinidad & Tobago independence:

  • A beautiful composition celebrating women in calypso which is loved throughout the nation

  • Celebrating Trinidad as a Nation.

  • Acknowledging the history of Slavery.

  • Questioning the progress mankind has made.

  • A classic song on the dangerous of cocaine which started to plague the streets of Trinidad and Tobago.

  • One of the best Calypso songs composed by the grand master, Lord Kitchener.

  • Written by Winsford DeVines, acknowledging women who play the steel pan and sung by De Alberto.

  • This number advises our children on the importance of education.

  • This song advises the nation on how to be successful after we achieved independence.

  • This was a national anthem for most Trinidadians.

  • One of the great Calypso love songs.

 
 
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The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context

Dr. Juanita Cox

Caribbean migrants who came to the United Kingdom after World War II and before 1st January 1973 shared the status of Citizens of the UK and Colonies (CUKCs) and came to be known by the late 1990s as the Windrush Generation. Between 1962 and 1973 hugely complex layers of immigration and citizenship legislation gradually removed the right of CUKCs and Commonwealth citizens to enter and settle in Britain. Although those who had been settled in the UK prior to 1st January 1973 - the date when the 1971 Act came into force - were granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or in some cases right of abode, official records were not systematically kept of those who had rights to such status. Further to that, the onus to prove they were legally entitled to remain in the UK was placed on individual claimants rather than the Home Office, as one would ordinarily expect, by Section 3(8) of the 1971 Act. Many, who’d arrived as British subjects, were unaware that changing legislation had affected their settled status. And while they were entitled to register or naturalise as British citizens, at the time, there were no far-reaching or foreseeable implications for not doing so.

BCA collection name: Black Activists Against Rising Cuts (BARAC) Material

As Whitehall enforced a ‘hostile environment’ in the mid-2000s on those suspected of being illegal immigrants, Windrush generation migrants and descendants who lacked documentary evidence of their settled status encountered seemingly inexplicable difficulties. Some were forced out of work and/or from their homes.  With the introduction of the 2014 and 2016 Immigration Acts, growing numbers were threatened with or subject to detention and, or deportation.  Caribbean diplomats had contacted the Foreign Office as early as 2013 to express concern that some members of the Black-British Caribbean community were being wrongfully accused of illegal immigration status.  While the Windrush Scandal finally came to a head during the Caribbean Heads of Government Meeting (16-18 April 2018), it is clear the British state had been alerted over a long period of time to the devastating impact of the policies not just from senior diplomats but also from MPs and different quarters of civil society including from Windrush victims and their advocates; charities, lawyers, trade unionists, the media, community activists, and religious organisations. 

The Black Cultural Archives (BCA), responded to news of the Windrush injustice with a public meeting on Saturday, 28th April 2018 and offered regular on-going free legal surgeries – led by immigration specialist legal firm, McKenzie, Beute, and Pope – for people affected by the scandal.  Paul Reid, the former director of BCA had noted that while they were responsible for ‘collecting, conserving and exhibiting’ histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain, they had also emerged out of a symbiotic relationship between culture and activism.  This tradition of self-help continues and has been central to the approach of his successors, Arike Oke and the current Interim Managing Director, Lisa Anderson. The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, like Reid, recognised that the Windrush Scandal marked an ‘important moment in British history’.   

*****

The changing nature of the legal definitions of Commonwealth, colonial and British citizenship are of key interest to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS), as are the histories and contemporary concerns of the Commonwealth diaspora communities in the UK.   The 3-year AHRC-funded project, The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context which commenced in July 2021 thereby aims to produce a scholarly examination of the so-called Windrush Scandal within a fully transnational framework and give proper consideration to the agency of a wide variety of official and non-official actors from both sides of the Atlantic and the role of the post-colonial and Commonwealth contexts of international relations. The project speaks to a strong academic interest in oral history as a means of recording the perspectives and experiences of the Black-British Caribbean and wider Commonwealth communities.  The key outputs of the project will include 60 major interviews, 30 with members of the Caribbean heritage community and their advocates, and 30 with Caribbean politicians and diplomats. It aims furthermore to enhance the University’s engagement with the British-Caribbean and wider Commonwealth communities in the UK by bringing academics, community activists and Windrush survivors together in an atmosphere of dialogue, exchange and sharing. 

This means in addition to the extensive original research conducted by Dr Juanita Cox and her colleagues – Professor Philip Murphy, Dr Rob Waters and Dr Eve Hayes De Kalaf – Dr Cox has been provided with the opportunity to work an average of one day a week over the project’s three-year duration at BCA. This enables her to benefit from BCA’s invaluable research facilities including oral history collections and the expertise of the staff.  It also provides the University with the means of ensuring the broadest possible dissemination of the project’s findings, with a special seminar – ‘History and Community Activism’ – which will be co-hosted by BCA.  Dr Cox’s research also involves the identification of existing but disparate country-wide oral history sources: an initial survey conducted by the ICwS in 2019 had confirmed the existence of personal histories on the ‘Windrush Generations’, deposited in a wide variety of academic, community and personal holdings. A catalogue of this material – to be listed on the project website – will significantly help to contextualise and support community histories, and to highlight the wealth of the material being gathered outside the academy.  We hope the accessible catalogue will contribute to the work already being done by the BCA while providing an important bridge between the academic world and the many researchers outside the academy who have been active in this field for decades.  

Excerpts from the 60 oral history recordings will be hosted on a dedicated section of the Institute's website, and preserved in their original form on SAS Space, with additional copies in the University's Senate House Library (SHL). The audio recordings will be accompanied on the project’s web presence by a selection of primary documents from British government archives and individual Caribbean country repositories, expressly to underline the interplay of the domestic and international dimensions of the unfolding Windrush scandal.  The oral history interviews themselves will be of immense value as primary source material to academics seeking to decolonize the curriculum in fields as diverse as political science, international relations, sociology, public policy, and public health research.  We hope too that it will be of key interest to the diverse users of the Black Cultural Archives and the communities that it supports.

***** 

Juanita Cox gained her PhD in 2013 from the Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham, and is a winner of the prestigious RE Bradbury Memorial Prize. She was a former Associate Fellow of the London Metropolitan University, where she lectured for three years in Caribbean Studies and Black British History. She co-founded the ground-breaking series Guyana SPEAKS in 2017, an education and networking forum, which has become a key monthly event in the calendar of the London-based Guyanese diaspora.

In 2019 she worked on the ‘Nationality, Identity and Belonging: An Oral History of the Windrush Generation and their Relationship to the British State, 1948-2018’ project at the University of London’s Institute of Commonwealth Studies and is currently working within the same institute on a three-year AHRC-funded oral history project, ‘The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context’.

She is also a trustee on the board of the Oral History Society and a proud contributor of poetry to the international anthology of writing by women of African descent, New Daughters of Africa (2019).

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Jamaica 60

Dr Ayshah Johnston

This year’s independence theme, ‘Reigniting the Country for Greatness,’ has generated a year-long programme of cultural events in Jamaica, including street parade, music, film and a grand gala in the national stadium. The theme has been followed in the diaspora, with events taking place around the Commonwealth games in Birmingham, UK. But as ever, while we celebrate with national pride the activities of the last 60 years that have placed our small island firmly on the world map through the achievements of our cultural icons, Independence Day is also a time for sober reflection.

Reverend Father Sean Major-Campbell, Anglican priest and human rights advocate, asks ‘Greatness for Whom?’ in an article in the Gleaner 31 July 2022. He mixes patriotic celebration of national and individual acts of citizenship with concern over the stifling of economic hopes, ‘the elusive goal of transformational development.’

As a historian with no expertise in contemporary global economic and political processes, I fall back on the historical record to relate the evolving sentiments of Jamaicans around Independence.

A selection of BCA’s archived material on Jamaica Independence, dating from 1971 to 2002.

At the 25th anniversary in 1987, Prime Minister Edward Seaga’s Independence message honoured the citizens of the diaspora and highlighted that it was also the centenary of the birth of Marcus Garvey, ‘foremost in kindling the flame of a national identity.’ In 1971, the African Caribbean Committee, a New York-based Pan-African organisation, produced a pamphlet Truth, Jamaica Independence which started with the pre-independence history of enslavement and exploitation for profit, and lamented the ongoing control of banks, factories, housing, etc. by colonial elites after Emancipation. Since Independence, the country was transferred to the hands of the USA and Canada economically, with some politicians amassing great wealth.

Black people made up 90% of the population but owned only 10% of the island’s wealth. Meanwhile the tourist industry was promoting Jamaica as a place of ‘fun and sun’ while Black living conditions remained poor and the government was not controlling the island’s resources for the benefit of the people. Thus, Black people remained ‘in service’ as waiters, maids, cooks and drivers. True independence, according to the Committee, was to be achieved through African unity. They called on people to dispel the negative view of Africa implanted in our minds by colonisers, and likewise refrain from identifying as Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Dominicans, etc. and come together as one race with a common heritage and common experience of racial discrimination ‘so that a united Caribbean would be ensured of the protection of the richest continent in the world.’

*****

The heyday of Garveyism may be in the past, and the Pan-African ideal may seem far from realisation. However, at the annual Emancipation Day celebrations in Brixton the tone is one of Pan-African unity and Reparations. While Emancipation and Jamaican Independence are two separate commemorations, the sentiments expressed at this time of year are common to both: Reparations and Development.

The 25th anniversary of Independence coincided with the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, and the Association of Jamaicans (UK) produced a programme of joint celebration. This year also marks the Queen’s platinum jubilee, but the contrast is self-evident. The future of the Caribbean in the Commonwealth is speculative, following Barbados’s exit in November 2021, and 2022 royal tours marked by protests during which the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda raised the question of Reparations directly with the royal visitors. Though African unity as envisioned by Garvey is as yet unattainable, Reparations is very much on the political agenda and cannot be dismissed as a pipe dream. Sir Hilary Beckles, vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies and chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, makes a twofold call: firstly, for the British state to acknowledge its debt, and secondly for Britain to return to the Caribbean as a development partner. Beckles’s book, How Britain Underdeveloped the Caribbean: A Reparation Response to Europe’s Legacy of Plunder and Poverty, was launched to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Independence of both Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

*****

At BCA, the material we hold in our library and archives speaks to the evolving views and opinions of activists, academics and cultural leaders. We continue to archive key moments in our histories, and encourage people to make appointments to visit our reading room and research the fascinating materials for themselves.

 

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A new dawn for Ms Dawn

Dr Yvonne Thompson’s CBE | DL tribute to Ms Dawn Hill CBE, as she steps down from BCA’s Board of Trustees and becomes BCA’s first Lifetime Patron

The late John Lewis, American politician and civil rights activists once famously said when describing his work in 2020, “You are the light, never let anyone, any person or any force, dampen or diminish your light”. Those words could easily be used to embody the spirit and the force majeure that is the focus of this tribute, the indomitable, Dawn Hill CBE.  Ms Dawn, as she is affectionately known, has a body of work in the public realm in the UK that spans over four decades and as we use this article to pay homage to her civic industry – we also show our respects to the new day that is dawning for our Ms Dawn, in her transition towards a more ceremonial role in the advancement of Black Cultural Archives.

Ms Dawn arrived in the UK from Jamaica at the tender age of 17 to join an NHS Nursing Cadet recruitment scheme to train as a nurse. (with aspirations of getting into the nursing profession.) Having completed her training as a State Registered Nurse (1960) Ms Dawn went on to the London School of Economics gaining Diplomas in Social Policy and Administration and Personnel Management. She has held senior management positions in the NHS, Social Services, Education community and health organisations and in management consultancy gaining Chartered Member of the Institute for Personnel Development (CIPD).

At that point even though she was not aware at the time, Ms Dawn was ready to take on her real life’s mission. Being central to a group of young radicals whose mission was to record the history of black people arriving and making history in the UK, and make it available for all to access locally, nationally, and internationally for generations to come.

Envisioned by archivist, historian, academic and lecturer Len Garrison, Black Cultural Archives, a repository, and custodian of Black history in the UK was born 40 years ago. Through Len Garrison’s leadership, Ms Dawn, along with other visionaries, friends, supporters and colleagues were central to bringing the archives from its inception to its physical, and permanent site at the iconic building, appropriately addressed as 1 Windrush Square, in Brixton.

Their chief aim, to make the Black Cultural Archive eponymous with Black British Culture here in the UK in all its forms.

From her career path as a State Registered Nurse with a background in social policy and administration through to her inspirational work in shaping the Black Cultural Archives, Ms Dawn’s body of work in the public space has been impressive to say the least:

  • Trustee, Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal and President Mary Seacole (Legacy) Trust

  • Governor (elected patient representative) at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from 2009 to 2015 and a non-executive director from 1999 to 2007

  • Governor, Evelina Children’s Hospital School, St Thomas’ Hospital to present

  • Panel member, Lambeth education appeals – admissions, exclusions and employee dismissals

  • Member of the Lambeth library commission, 2011

  • Chair of management board, Blackliners HIV & AIDS and Sexual Health Services

  • Chair of Governors, Norwood Girls School, Lambeth, 1992 to 2000

  • Board member, African and Caribbean Family Mediation Service

  • Founder (1972) and management advisor, Rainbow Community Nursery, Hackney 

Ms Dawn was awarded Prime Minister Theresa May’s Points of Light in 2017 for her 30 years of voluntary service and labelled a cultural activist.

The pinnacle of her glittering public life occurred in 2018 when our Ms Dawn was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours list for services to culture.

After being the Chairperson of Black Cultural Archives for 12 years, in June 2022, Ms Dawn stepped back from the Board frontline duties and day-to-day hustle of the leadership to become BCA’s first Lifetime Patron.  

As she steps back from the Board, Ms Dawn certainly remains a light and a force of energy for all that is positive in the fight for racial equality and social justice in the UK.

She left the BCA Board with these parting words

I am immensely proud to be associated with Black Cultural Archives, a major accomplishment for the Caribbean and African communities in the UK. I was determined to see the archive collection properly housed and in a quality building that people would love to visit. This achievement has been against a back drop of discrimination, uprisings and a lack of funding over the last 40 years. Today the archives are being utilised by research scholars, teachers, historians, film makers, poets and the general public of all ethnicities. Black people say they feel at home when they visit us. My daughter, son and husband now past and family have been amazing in their support. I would like to thank The Mayor’s Commission on Black and Minority heritage and culture, Lambeth Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund for their support and in believing we had a product that would be of benefit to this country”.  

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE|DL, BCA’s current Chair, says to Ms Dawn Hill CBE “As you hand the leadership baton to us, on behalf of all those who have worked with BCA, our Trustees, staff and stakeholders past and present, we pay tribute and send every good wish to you for your transition to quieter times and knowing your bright light, will continue to shine at BCA.

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE|DL: Chair BCA

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At HOME with Tony Fairweather

Interview with Tony Fairweather

Tony Fairweather, curator of BCA’s latest exhibition - HOME: Remembering the Windrush Generation - gives us an insight into this nostalgic recreation of the iconic Caribbean front room, kitchen and bedroom.

Tell us a bit about this exhibition…

The aim is to save the original artefacts from the Windrush era. The Windrush collection is a touring exhibition with all original artefacts that includes the legendary Caribbean Front Room/ Living Room. The Caribbean bedroom and kitchen are now part of the collection. The Exhibition has a smaller collection that can tour Schools and Colleges. This collection is for past and future generations to enjoy and learn about the brave young people who came from the Caribbean and Africa to the “Mother Country” that they only knew through books (no Google map, no satnav) many were aged between 18 - 25 years old.

Why did you want to do this at BCA?

BCA is the home of Caribbean history, so it’s the perfect place to hold this exhibition!

 

Which object in the collection has the most interesting story?

A rare vintage 1950’s Aladdin Blue Flame heater used all over the house. There was no central heating back in the day. The heater was used for cooking, heating the hot comb, heating water and the room. Many Windrush generation people have the burn marks from this heater either on their legs or arms from trying to keep warm.

 

What’s the most popular item in your collection?

The glass fish that every home had. It was originally the sign of a Christian home but became a fashion item in the ‘50s-’60s.

 

What’s your favourite object?

The Pall, it was a toilet used at night if you could not get to the outside toilet, it always get an emotional response from people.

 

Who do you want to come to this exhibition?

Anyone who is interested in history, all the Windrush Generation people and the young people so they can see how we use to live.

What classic item do you wish you had most in the Windrush Collection?

The front room drinks bar, not just any drinks bar but the moon shape one, cream in colour, with matching stools.

What are your thoughts on the Windrush scandal?

Disgusting… you pay your taxes, have a family then one day there’s a knock at the door?! Some of the Windrush people had to live on the streets, they lost their jobs, their house, their lives.

 

What is your hope for this exhibition?

To be placed in a museum on permanent display.

***


HOME: Remembering the Windrush Generation is on at Black Cultural Archives until 10 September 2022.

Visit the exhibition: Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, Brixton SW2 1EF

Times: Thursdays - Saturdays, 11:30am-5:00pm

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A Journey into Archiving

Rhoda Boateng

(BCA Reference: BCA/6/11/6- an early exhibition at Black Cultural Archives)

My entry into the archives profession intertwines with my time at Black Cultural Archives (BCA). I started as a volunteer in the reading room with limited knowledge about the archives sector, but I instantly gravitated toward the materials held in the collections. I had recently finished undertaking a Fine Art (BA), and like many of my peers at the time, found art school to be a psychically draining experience. It was rare that Black social and historical realities were considered important enough to examine or discuss during my time on the course, even though we were encouraged to flesh out the contextual surroundings of the artworks, artists, and movements we were studying. In particular, Black life in Britain seemed to be completely invisibilised. Where waves of politicized Black art movements (most famously in the early 1980s) had transformed the possibilities for Black artists in the UK, within the art school, there was silence. Against this backdrop, archival work and its importance shone out to me as a world of evidence.  

 

This evidential impulse is a key driver of the collecting approach at Black Cultural Archives. Our founders sought to redress the distortions surrounding the Black presence in the UK, creating a ‘monument’ to Black history in the tradition of African American revolutionary activist Queen Mother Moore’s ‘African People’s Historical Monument Foundation’ (still BCA’s official charity title). ‘Black Cultural Archives’ was originally the name of the collecting project to gather these materials to be housed within the ‘monument’. The collections (which are all acquired via donation) center the activities and contributions of African descended people through a lens of self-determination whilst also highlighting that they are inseparable from British history at large. My understanding of the liberatory potential of archives stems from entering the profession through BCA, whose mission is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the lives of African and African Caribbean people in Britain. Unfortunately, although there are incredible Black archives and initiatives across the country which also undertake this work, the UK archives sector at large is still a space of gaps and silences where Black life in Britain is concerned.

(BCA Reference- PHOTOS/83, early photo of Black Cultural Archives founders with activist Queen Mother Moore)

I am currently finishing my archival training. Whilst studying formally has been crucial for my understanding of what is a particularly theoretical profession, being a Black archivist, there is always a tension at play while I learn. When studying, I try to sit with what does not sit well with me. The training is crucial, but also, as American archivist and academic Michelle Caswell states: "feelings are epistemologically valuable" (too). I use my discomfort to orientate me toward a more multiple understanding of what archives can do, which my role as Collections Assistant at BCA informs. Understanding the roots of the formal profession and the hierarchies implicit in the standardised ways of working with archive materials means that as I learn best practice, I must supplement my studying. I do this by seeking out counter-knowledge, which can allow me to rethink and reimagine the role of the archivist and archival spaces. I find a lot of guidance within the materials themselves at BCA.

 

(BCA Reference: GUTZMORE/1/7/2)

The majority of our records (and some of the most frequently accessed) were generated in the latter half of the 20th century, which coincides with the fact our organisation was founded in the early 1980s, a particular pressure point for Black communities in the UK – a result of the compounding effects of systemic racism in housing, employment, and education, amidst the continued criminalisation of Black people by the police. Due to this, the material is rich in the counter-knowledge it provides on how to preserve Black life against the backdrop of white supremacy. This has a bearing on archival practice as the material quite literally tells us how we might re-order the world differently! I think attending to the archive also means thinking of preservation as extending past the physical material itself and encompassing the people, ideas and worlds through which the material was created. As I continue my training it is this wider notion of preservation that anchors me, and my hope for my practice is to lean more deeply into this work. I have been lucky enough to contribute to projects at BCA which I think encapsulate this approach. One example is our series on the 40th anniversary of the 1981 uprisings across the UK. It brought together researchers, writers, activists, and artists to think about the legacy of the events, with a particular focus on the response from the community in Brixton, in the form of the Brixton Defence Campaign (BDC). BDC was a support group formed after the (April) 1981 uprisings in Brixton to advocate against the criminalisation of Black communities and provide legal aid for those arrested. The group also worked in solidarity with other defensive campaigns formed across the country.

(Screenshot from Uprisings! 40 years on panel, available here: Uprisings! 40 years on: Media, Terminology & Representation

Another project which uses the material to create new possibilities is our current project Undaunted: The Melba Wilson Collection. This year we are cataloguing the papers of mental health activist and writer, Melba Wilson, as part of a Wellcome Trust-funded project which, seeks to utilise archives to disrupt dominant categorisations and narratives in health research. The collection spans over 40 years of Melba Wilson’s work in national and regional mental health programmes, policy units, and services, including grassroots and community activism alongside formal policy work and leadership.

 

As part of the project, we are collaborating with our creative residents, Decolonising The Archive (DTA), to present a public programme, delving further into the stories and legacies of Black mental health initiatives in the UK. We recently programmed a roundtable event looking at contemporary initiatives and research into Black mental health. The event bought together Melba Wilson, Dr Jacquie Dyer, Connie Bell, Kariima Ali, and Jonas for an inter-generational conversation about mental health provisions for Black communities in the UK, taking Melba Wilson's collection as a starting point. I was struck by how often Melba stated that she did not see herself as the owner of the material and that it did not feel like her collection - her role as the collector of the material was one of many. These simple statements of co-production allow new entry points into what archives can be outside the singular models of ownership that the profession was historically built upon. The material is living and lives through multiple people.

 

 One aspect of the job I find really nourishing is participating in this wider social life of archives. There are worlds around the material: the multiple caretakers a collection will have before it reaches the archives, the communities and groups who produced the material, and the people who re-activate it through research. There are desires for the collections outside of what archival institutions and their workers can imagine/think is possible – this drives the profession forward.

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