Dame Jocelyn Barrow (1929 - 2020)

Image description: Drawing of Dame Jocelyn by Grenadian artist Gordon de la Mothe, 29th March 1995. Over the course of his career in the UK, Gordon de la Mothe drew portraits of many Black personalities. His archive is housed at BCA, and a number of his works are exhibited on the Google Arts and Culture platform.

It is poignant that we remember Dame Jocelyn Barrow today. The world has spent the last week actively campaigning against the injustices that happen against Black people all over the world in the wake of the murder of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis. As family, friends and associates gather online for Dame Jocelyn’s Memorial Service, we remember a woman who was and is regarded as an elder stateswoman of the Black community, Dame Jocelyn Barrow dedicated her life to fighting for racial equality in the UK. We are proud to have had her as our Patron and will continue in the values we all share, to champion our history and achievements.

Dame Jocelyn was a founding member and later general secretary of the Campaign against Racial Discrimination, known as CARD. A meeting with Martin Luther King during his visit to London in 1964 helped formulate CARD’s main campaign objective – the outlawing of the colour bar.

The Race Relations Act of 1965 was a significant step forward but it had no real teeth as the two biggest areas of discrimination – employment and housing – were outside of its remit. CARD lobbied for more robust legislation and this led to the Race Relations Act of 1968 entering the statute book.

During its passage through parliament, Dame Jocelyn recalls being asked to join a discussion group about the Act on a BBC magazine programme, Enoch Powell, one of the panellists, refused to be interviewed in the same studio as her. The MP had just made his infamous ‘rivers of blood’ speech and his attitude ‘clearly showed him to be a racist coward and he knew that he would lose any argument on why he was wrong regarding the Bill and his speech’, she said.

Dame Jocelyn went on to be appointed to a number of key roles, becoming the first Black person to serve as a governor of the BBC. She was also founder and deputy chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council, a governor of the Common­wealth Institute and of the British Film Institute. She was the first patron of Black Cultural Archives and contributed to the establishment in 2007 of the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

For her outstanding service to education and community relations, she was awarded an OBE in 1972. In 1992, she received the DBE, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Biographical text derived from 70 Windrush Pioneers & Champions courtesy of the Windrush Foundation www.windrushfoundation.com

A Statement from BCA: Black Lives Matter. It's Time For Change

We, Black Cultural Archives, are deeply saddened and enraged by the death of Belly Mujinga after being spat on at work in London, the murder of George Floyd last week in Minneapolis, USA, and the deaths and mistreatment of many more Black people at the hands of racists.

We stand in solidarity and sympathy with our brothers and sisters across the world who have lost their lives to police brutality and systemic racism. We also want to take this moment to remember those who we have lost here in the UK.

Since 1990, BAME people die disproportionately as a result of use of force or restraint by the police, raising serious questions of institutional racism as a contributory fact. They too have names and include:

Sarah Reed.
Mark Duggan.   
Sheku Bayoh.    
Christopher Alder.          
Smiley Culture.
Jimmy Mubenga.
Michael Power.
Cherry Groce.
Kingsley Burrell.
Joy Gardner.
Sean Rigg.

We name only a few.  

Their deaths are unacceptable.

Black Cultural Archives has its roots in the rejection of injustices against Black people in the UK. We exist to use our histories, our stories of courage and resistance, to give strength and inspiration to our people and to make a better future society.

For almost forty years, we have been committed to our educational mission. The narrative of Black people experiencing injustice and abuse is far too common.

We demand change because Black Lives Matter.

We demand the right to more than just living and breathing. We demand that Black lives thrive and flourish. Black people have the right to be heard – whether they are protesting in our streets or sitting directly across the table from policymakers.

We want our government, policymakers, the justice system, and individuals across the nation to take action to end systemic racism for all areas of society. We call on the British government to make a stand for equality. We call for the British people to stand in solidarity. 

We want to remind our community and the wider world that Black people have also been a part of a change for the better. We’ve been part of this country’s greatest moments. We have resisted, reinvented, and innovated not only within our culture but to the benefit of those we live and work with regardless of their background.

We can vouch for this because our collections hold the evidence of Black excellence alongside stories of our struggle. Today, we have an opportunity to be a force of change once more.

We can do so whilst holding onto the memory of heroes like Olive Morris and Amy Ashwood Garvey who fought for change. We remember Olaudah Equiano, the British Black Panthers, the Mangrove Nine, Darcus Howe and Len Garrison.

The list of names of Black people who have stood up to fight inequality and racism is immense, and it keeps growing. The movement is ongoing. It is time for the rest of society to mobilize in support. 

As an organization, we take pride in actively holding space for the Black community and preserving our story with the aim to be that foundation that future movements are built on.

As we move towards the future, we demand

No more systemic or institutional racism.

No more murders.

No more injustice. 

BCA's Public Meeting: the 2030 Strategy

BCA recently held a public meeting to present our 10 year strategy and to begin the conversation about how we work collaboratively to get to 2030.

We’re giving a huge thank you to all who attended. The discussion was impassioned and informative.

Our online meeting was attended by over 200 people (500 people had registered). The evening was hosted by Sabrina Clarke-Okwubanego (Niche on Demand) in conversation with BCA Managing Director, Arike Oke.

In the coming days we will post a round up of the questions that were asked, including those that we didn’t have time to answer in the meeting.

Today we are sharing the 2030 strategy document with you and encouraging you to join, collaborate with, and promote BCA.

By 2030 we’ll:

• Be resilient, flexible and entrepreneurial

• Use our active voice to make a difference

• Make teaching and learning about Black history available to everyone

• Share our collections in person, touring, and online

• And extend our workforce development programme internationally

Arike said “This is an event I have wanted to have since I started at BCA over a year ago. Conversations with community are important, as holding a space for our community is BCA’s core purpose.

“As we anticipate celebrating our 40th anniversary next year,  we want to build on the legacy of our founder Len Garrison, all those who came before us and those who work alongside us now, to make sure BCA continues to fulfil our potential as the Home of Black British History.

“I’m so excited about what we can achieve together when we reach 50 years of BCA.”

View or download the 2030 Strategy using the button below.

BCA Public Meeting: Securing the Future of Black British History

Black Cultural Archives invites you to our digital public meeting on Wednesday 20 May 2020 at 7pm. We would like to share where we’re going in the next ten years.

Our Managing Director, Arike Oke, will be sharing a preview of BCA’s new 10-year strategy via a meeting on Zoom. The conversation facilitated by Sabrina Clarke-Okwubanego, co-founder of Niche On Demand will be followed by a Q&A session

As the Home of Black British History, BCA uses Britain’s shared histories to inspire and give strength to individuals, communities and society. 

We collect, preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent

By 2030 we’re aiming to:

• Be resilient, flexible and entrepreneurial

• Use our active voice to make a difference

• Make teaching and learning about Black history available to everyone

• Share our collections in person touring and online

• And extend our workforce development programme internationally

Help us think about how to get there.

We know the decisions we make today secures our shared legacy, so your contribution is vital. We hope that you can join us on the day

To register your attendance, please register on our Eventbrite page.

NB: This meeting will be recorded so that It is available to watch for people who are unable to attend. If you would like not to be featured in the video, please switch off your video during the meeting.

People of BCA: Meet Volunteer Manager, Karis Morris-Brown

We continue our look behind the scenes at BCA by speaking with our Volunteering Manager, Karis Morris-Brown and find out more about her favourite books, what BCA means to her and the fact about BCA she wishes you knew.

What’s your role at the BCA?
I’m the Volunteer Manager

What does a typical workday look like for you?
Reviewing volunteer applications, interviewing prospective volunteers.

Why did you join the BCA?
I have always had an interest in Black history and more generally the welfare and development of Black communities. I didn’t know how I would be able to put my interest and work experience together and then one day I saw the role of Volunteer Manager shared on BCA’s twitter page.

What is your favourite part of your job?Meeting new people, hearing their stories. It’s lovely seeing the passion people have for BCA being used to support its mission.

What does the BCA mean to you? What place does it have in the future of the Black British community?
It’s a place that values knowledge and it doesn’t hold that information for just the elite. We encourage the community to think about the importance of their personal archive, aim to inspire school children through our workshops and present Black history, culture and contributions in fresh ways through our exhibitions.

What should people know about BCA that they don't already?
Strangely many people know we have a café but they don’t know we have a reference library that is open to everyone! Wednesday to Friday 10am to 4pm!

A little birdy told me that you’re an avid book lover, what’s the best book you’ve read this year and why? What book would you recommend to someone who wants to start reading more?
How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs

If your best friend had to describe you in three words, what would they say?
She’s amazing 😃

What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Open doors, if you are in a room close the door behind you!

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received?
Long cut draw sweat, short cut draw blood – Jamaican proverb

Tribute to Dame Jocelyn Barrow OBE DBE

It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Dame Jocelyn Barrow on Thursday 9 April 2020. Our deepest condolence go to her family at this difficult time.

Dame Jocelyn was our first Patron and the first of many things in her illustrious life as an Educator, Campaigner, Leader and Friend of BCA. 

She was the first black Governor of the BBC, also the founder and Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council and it was around that time she had a key influence in the founding of Black Cultural Archives. Also known as the African People’s Historical Monument Foundation, Dame Jocelyn recognised the need for a national monument like BCA to educate future generations.

She was a driver for positive change throughout her life and made a huge impact on countless generations within her community.

As a teacher, she quickly mobilised the community around her to find positive ways to combat racism faced by pupils in the education system. She set up the "Each One Teach One" campaign to address the need for more tutoring and support for local parents. 

Dame Jocelyn was tireless in championing the cause for a better Britain,  maintaining that it was the key reason to wanting to travel to the United Kingdom as a Windrush pioneer, to join in the collective rebuild of the "mother country". 

Dawn Hill CBE,  Chair of Black Cultural Archives, said "Dame Jocelyn was a great pioneering spirit and was a true champion of racial equality and our history and culture. We will miss her very much..."

Update from Black Cultural Archives

A personal note from Arike Oke, our Managing Director:

I want to thank everyone for your support of BCA, and of each other in the current uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus. At BCA we have been carefully monitoring the situation and government guidelines around the Coronavirus or COVID-19.

With our visitors and staff safety in mind, we have decided to temporarily close Black Cultural Archives' 1 Windrush Square building from 18:00 on Wednesday 18th March 2020. We will regularly review advice and guidance from the government and health bodies to determine our re-opening date.

Though the building will be closed, our staff will be working from home and can be contacted via email, social media and by telephone on 0203 757 8500. We have a lot of exciting projects planned for 2020, so over the closure period we plan to reveal details via our newsletter, social networks and website.

You can still experience BCA 24 hours a day by using our online archives on Google’s Arts and Culture’s website.

In this period our Windrush Compensation advice surgeries are suspended. Please send us an email at info@bcaheritage.org.uk or leave a voicemail on 0203 757 8500 with your contact details if you would like to be added to the list for when they re-open.

BCA is a charity. We depend on donations to create and maintain our work. If you can, please consider making a donation to ensure that we can keep up our work during the closure of our building. Please share our JustGiving page and consider supporting us with a donation however big or small. 

Black History Month is every day of the year for BCA, so expect us to be sharing content to keep you entertained and educated during this closure period.

In the meantime, we encourage everyone to continue to be safe and look forward to welcoming you back through our doors soon. Thank you for your support of BCA, and of my first year in the role of Managing Director. 

From me and all of our family at BCA, we wish you good health.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM BLACK CULTURAL ARCHIVES

We have been carefully monitoring the situation and government guidelines around the Coronavirus or COVID-19.

Over this period, we put precautionary measures in place to ensure the safety of our staff and visitors. This includes extra cleaning of the building using anti-bacterial products and providing additional hygiene products such as hand-sanitizing gel to help create a safe environment.

It has become evident that in order to continue protecting our visitors and staff, we will need to gradually introduce social distancing measures to Black Cultural Archives.

Our staff will be working from home and can be contacted via email, social media and/or by telephone on 0203 757 8500.

Our exhibition Stories of Black Leadership II: Breaking Barriers will still be available to view in our gallery. Please be advised that the rest of the building will be closed to the public.

You can still experience BCA by exploring our online archives on Google’s Arts and Culture’s website.

We will continue to monitor government guidelines to inform our future decisions and will be keeping you updated on the status via our newsletter, social networks and website. 

In the meantime, we encourage everyone to continue to be safe.

New round of Windrush Surgeries announced by BCA

Black Cultural Archives (BCA) has announced a new round of surgeries for those affected by the Windrush Scandal.

These are the second set of surgeries hosted by BCA. Their purpose is to give first step advice to those from the community who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and, in at least 83 cases, wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office.

The appointments will be led by immigration specialist legal firm, McKenzie, Beute, and Pope who have dealt with a number of these cases since the scandal erupted in 2018.

You can book your free surgery slot on the BCA events page, by calling the BCA Reception on 0203 757 8500 or simply dropping in.

The surgeries start on Wednesday 11 March and will run every Wednesday between 17:00 – 20:00 and Saturday morning, 10:30 – 12:30 until Saturday 25 April 2020.

This work is funded by Lambeth Council.

PEOPLE OF BCA: Meet BCA Learning Manager Ayshah Johnston

As part of our International Women's Day celebrations we've been speaking to some of the women who work behind the scenes at BCA. In this article we speak to Ayshah Johnston, BCA's Learning and Programming Manager.

What’s your role at the BCA?

I manage the learning programme. This includes structured workshops and talks, as well as more general public engagement, to all age groups, from infants to elders.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I prepare for the school workshops, university seminars and other learning sessions that have been booked in. I also run them myself. Sometimes I brief volunteers who want to assist on the programme. I meet with individuals and organisations who want to partner with BCA on various projects. I conduct archival research to discover new material that will enable us to offer a broad range of learning opportunities catering to all interests.

How did you become a learning manager? I heard you’re completing a PhD, what is it about?

My career background is in publishing and adult education, and from there I went into museum education where I freelanced until this opportunity came up. My PhD is about the development of social assistance in the Caribbean, from emancipation to the labour unrest of 1938.

What are people most excited or surprised to learn about in workshops?

People are excited to uncover evidence of the long history of African peoples in Britain, and children most enjoy interacting with objects relating to life in the past.

Why did you join the BCA?

I believe in the ethos of the organisation. The work reflects my own personal interests, identity and experience. To be able to combine one’s career and personal interests is a rare opportunity.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Talking! I like sharing information about the history of BCA and the collections which I find inspiring. I like it when visitors are enthusiastic and find some personal connection to an item or topic that we have discussed, or that they have learnt about or seen at BCA.

What should people know about BCA that they don't already?

That we’re here to stay! That we aim to document and celebrate the histories of ALL African and African descended people in the UK. Not all people know about our archive and library, which they can make an appointment to visit. The archive and the valuable historical information it contains is at the heart of our organisation, but we also host exhibitions and get involved in numerous community events.

What’s your favourite piece in BCA’s collection?

Everything! You’ll have to come back to me on that one.

QUICK FIRE ROUND 

What’s your favourite book, film and song?

Songs: I’m going through a bit of an 80s revival, so the song of the moment is ‘More than This’ by Roxy Music.

Films: Spaghetti Westerns like ‘For a Few Dollars More’, and the modern send up of the genre ‘The Quick and the Dead’.

Books: Absolutely any historical novel, regardless of time, location or quality. I enjoyed the series of Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s books. 

What’s an annoying habit that you have?

I don’t know because it probably doesn’t annoy me. Best to ask one of my colleagues.

Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite over for dinner? What would you cook for them?

I would pick from among the ancients and prophets because to learn directly from them would be more worthwhile than anything else I could imagine. I’d cook vegetarian food and present it in a way that promotes sharing and informality.

You can find out more about our Learning offer in the Learning section of our website

JOY GREGORY SHARES INSPIRATION BEHIND LATEST BCA EXHIBITION, BREAKING BARRIERS

As we prepare for the launch of our new exhibition, Stories of Black Leadership II: Breaking Barriers, Curatorial Advisor Shasti Lowton sits down with Joy Gregory, the artist behind this latest collection to discuss her inspiration and visions for this beautiful series.

Shasti Lowton: Hi Joy, thanks for sitting down with me to talk about the Stories of Black Leadership project that you're working on for the Black Cultural Archives and JP Morgan. So firstly, what were the inspirations for this series of work?

Joy Gregory: I started off by thinking about how black people have been presented in the past. I've been looking at historical representation for a long time. I was interested in the idea of portraiture being something to show power, possession and status.

I spent quite a long time looking at portraits in the National Portrait Gallery from the 17th, 18th and 19th century, mainly of men, some of women. I found myself drawn to the figure of Elizabeth I and how she has been presented pictorially in paintings. I decided that I wanted to look at this way of representing these women because most of the people in these paintings were men.

Some of them were landowners, from the colonial periods -the 17th century through to the 19th century. I just thought I want to reclaim those poses and that confidence in a photograph. I spent a long time looking at the viewpoint of the audience and trying to replicate that in my photographs.

SL: That's very interesting. The work is a series of portraits but do you see each portrait as an individual piece or all together as one complete piece?

JG: I would think they could be either but would consider a series as being a complete piece anyway. I see it as it is a commission that's about bringing some very disparate things together. I think to try and do that pictorially, for example the locations in which we photographed people were all incredibly different.

All the women are immensely diverse. But it was what that thinking of how can I present it so it holds together as a single work. I thought to do the portraits, so one shot is close up and then other either full length or sitting as a way of carrying the theme through.

Now I've got most of the photographs back I’m actually looking at how we can work with that, with the colour. Again, going back along to the portrait of Elizabeth II and that very particular way of the colour actually being the thing that really zings out.

SL: Was there a specific portrait that you saw that spoke to you within the National Gallery’s collection?

JG: There were a number of them, but there were two specifically in terms of representation of women which became my touchstones. The sitters were both presented from a position of power, and they were contemporary women of the 21stC.

The first was a photographic portrait of the Malala Yousafzai taken by Shirin Neshat. I've known Shirin's work previously but never thought about her as a portrait photographer. I know of her earlier work where she wrote in text over portraits of herself. The way she presented Malala in this piece was striking -it is a close up portrait, so it's all about her face which is framed in her veil. She looks very powerful, very strong and she's looking directly at the camera. She’s also slightly elevated which gives her a position of power, she has full possession of herself and her position. I wanted to try and replicate that within my photographs.

The other image kept going back to was a painting of Elizabeth II by Pietro Annigoni. I think it's one of the most beautiful paintings of her I've ever seen. The main colours within it are blue and red but she looks very other worldly. Her body is actually positioned towards the viewer however she's looking slightly to one side. Again, she's in total possession of her power without abusing it, she is not pretending to be something other than herself, she's very comfortable in that space. I think it elevates her, it's very otherworldly and it made me make the decision to actually photograph in colour rather in black and white.

Stories of Black Leadership II: Breaking Barriers opens at BCA on Friday 28 February 2020

Learn more about Joy’s process producing Stories of Black Leadership II: Breaking Barriers in the official guide available at BCA and see more of her work at www.joygregory.co.uk and on Instagram @joygregory1

BCA STATEMENT ON GOVERNMENT DEPORTATION FLIGHTBCA STATEMENT ON GOVERNMENT DEPORTATION FLIGHT

Black Cultural Archives supports those who are due to be deported to Jamaica next week on a charter flight.

The flight should be cancelled.

The Lessons Learned Review from the Windrush Scandal of 2018 has not yet been published and evidence is emerging that the people on the flight are not in fact the criminals that they have been portrayed as.

The government's own Home Office has released data that its compensation scheme is not working for victims. The Home Affairs Select Committee has reported errors in judgement and practice.

This is not the time to deport vulnerable people.

The flight should be cancelled and a full review of the hostile environment should be undertaken.

Photo credit: The Guardian

BARONESS LAWRENCE, MAGGIE ADERIN POCOCK AND DR SHIRLEY THOMPSON AMONGST WOMEN FEATURED IN LATEST BLACK CULTURAL ARCHIVES EXHIBITION, BREAKING BARRIERS

Black Cultural Archives is proud to reveal the latest instalment of its Stories of Black Leadership series celebrating the achievements of Black British women in the UK.

Created by the artist, Joy Gregory, and sponsored by JP Morgan, Breaking Barriers follows on from last year's successful exhibition, Radiating Greatness. The second chapter of a three-year project, it aims to make visible the journeys of four pioneering Black British women who have overcome adversity to take their rightful seat at the table.

Dame Linda Dobbs DBE, Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE, Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, Margaret Casely-Hayford CBE and Shirley Thompson OBE have shared their personal experiences not only to demonstrate the excellence present in Britain’s Black community but to show others what can be achieved.

These inspirational and impactful women are at once daring, resilient, determined, brilliant and extremely talented women. They are role models for our times, for all ages, all races, all gender identities, and for future generations to come.

Drawing inspiration from the 16th and 17th century portraits of aristocrats that hang in our national collections, the body language of the subjects allude to the inner strength that each woman has summoned throughout various points along their life’s path. Gregory’s decision to photograph the women in colour was inspired by the rich hues of the oil paints that were historically used to paint people in positions of power.

Breaking Barriers opens at the Black Cultural Archives on Saturday 29 February 2020 until mid June.

BCA search for new Chair as Dawn Hill CBE retires

BCA’s current chair, Dawn Hill CBE is retiring. Dawn Hill has executed the role with distinction for 7 years, delivering a successful £7 million capital campaign, securing interim support from DCMS, recruiting an executive team and leading the BCA’s support for those affected by the Windrush scandal.

BCA is now looking for an exceptional Chair with a strong network who is dynamic, creative and compelling to work with our Managing Director and Board of Trustees to guide our unique organisation through the next stage of its development, including the implementation of its 2030 vision.

About BCA

Inspired by Pan-African civil rights leader Queen Mother Moore, the founders established Black Cultural Archives in 1981 with a mission to create Britain’s first museum dedicated to representing the culture and history of Black people in Britain.

Today BCA is a national institution dedicated to collecting, preserving and showcasing the histories of black people in Britain and their place in British history.

BCA opened its landmark HQ at 1 Windrush Square, Brixton in 2014.

Its strategic objectives up to this year have been:

• to grow its collection

• to provide inspiring learning experiences

• to change the teaching of British history by leading the debate and inspiring others to play an active role in reshaping the national narrative

• to develop a sustainable organisation

The Board of Trustees has undergone renewal bringing in new governance capability in readiness for the next critical phase of BCA’s evolution for the next 10 years. A new Managing Director, was appointed in March 2019.

BCA will launch its new 10 year strategy, currently in draft form pending stakeholder consultation, in Spring 2020. This is an exciting time to join a unique, valued and internationally significant organisation on the brink of transformation.

About you

You will be joining a talented and committed Board of Trustees and should be able to attract funding or hold events that generate substantial revenues for BCA as well as bring your time and skills to complement the current Board of Trustees.

If you are passionate about leading a unique African and Caribbean heritage organisation which has a significant role in Black British History then this role could be a perfect fit for you. Current board members may apply for the role.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Saturday 29th February 2020.

If you would like to apply, please send your CV and covering letter to

bcachair@savannah-group.com

The covering letter should highlight your interest in BCA and motivation for joining our Board. Please also detail your availability and relevant experience.

Download the full recruitment pack at https://blackculturalarchives.org/vacancies

Black Cultural Archives host two-hour radio special on Colourful Radio this New Year's Day

Celebrating BCA's 2019 achievements whilst looking forward to 2020’s Breaking Barriers exhibition, Call and Response programme and Windrush Compensation Scheme surgeries

Each New Year's Day, Colourful Radio throw open their platform to a person or organisation they believe has something important to share with the community and listeners at large.

This New Year's Day 2020 is no exception. Excitingly, 2020 is a special year for the Colourful brand and Colourful Radio, in particular. It is Colourful Radio's 18th year of broadcast.

And to get the year underway, they are celebrating Black Cultural Archives's 2019 achievements whilst looking forward to 2020’s Breaking Barriers exhibition, their Call and Response programme and their programme of Windrush Compensation Scheme surgeries.

Hosted by the BCA's own Chief Exec, Arike Oke, this unique show airs exclusively on the Colourful platform from 11am till 1pm on New Year's Day 2020.  

Visit www.colourfulradio.com to listen online

Government taking too long to fairly compensate Windrush Generation

Press release - 18 December 2019

Photo Credit: PA

The government is being urged by Black Cultural Archives (BCA) to improve the Windrush Compensation Scheme - which - at the time of writing - has still made no payouts to victims 20 months after Theresa May apologised over the scandal.  

BCA has criticised the process as difficult to access and onerous, and says it’s only causing additional trauma to those who have been affected.  

The institution, which is the largest UK repository of Black British history and culture, is now hosting a public meeting and free legal surgeries in a bid to help those awaiting compensation.

Arike Oke, Managing Director of BCA, said: "Although we support the launch of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, it is yet to provide payments for people who have suffered, and are suffering, as a result of government errors and policy.  

“The Scheme itself is difficult to access and causes additional trauma to those already made to suffer by asking them to navigate further unduly onerous and unnecessary amounts of evidence to be granted the compensation they are due.”

The public meeting will be held on Saturday, 18 January 2020 at Lambeth Town Hall. It will be an opportunity to find out the latest updates on the scheme and to pose questions to representatives from the Home Office.  

The free legal surgeries will be held every Wednesday and Saturday from 22 January until the end of February. These will be led by immigration specialist legal firm, McKenzie, Beute and Pope.  

Ms Oke added: "Those landing cards that would have led to citizenship being confirmed should have been in our archives. For our history and our presence in the UK to be held in such scant regard is shocking. We are here to correct those errors in judgment, to correct the emissions and erasures from mainstream history and to reassert that we were here before, we are now and we’ll be here in the future.  

“We stand with the people affected by the Windrush scandal in making sure this never happens again, and will be helping them to claim the compensation they are absolutely entitled to as British citizens.”

The public meeting will be held at 2pm on Saturday, 18 January at Lambeth Town Hall. Free tickets can be booked through the BCA’s website blackculturalarchives.org.

Free legal surgery slots can also be booked online, or by calling the BCA on 0203 757 8500. Surgeries will start on Wednesday 22 January and run every Wednesday from 5pm-8pm and Saturday 10am-12pm until Saturday, 29 February.  

BCA received funding from the Windrush Justice Fund and The Funding Network (TFN) in order to make these events available to those who need it.

ENDS

For more information, contact Juanita Rosenior juanita@tgrg.co.uk /020 3375 6024 

Notes to editors:

• BCA Managing Director, Arike Oke, and Chair, Dawn Hill, are both available for interview.

• Black Cultural Archives is the home of Black British history and is situated in the heart of Brixton on Windrush Square. Its mission is to collect, preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain

• Founded in 1981, BCA is the first of its kind and its unique collection includes rare historical documents, photographs, ephemera, oral history testimonies and an eclectic range of objects dating from the second century to the present day.

• BCA’s work recognises the importance of broader historical narratives and promotes dialogue that encourages everyone to learn, explore and become inspired by an inclusive British history.

• Visit the BCA website bcaheritage.org.uk

• The Funding Network is an open network which links potential donors to charitable causes and social entrepreneurs through live crowdfunding. They aim to raise money for small non-profits driving social change and help both individuals and businesses to combine their giving with others, to make a bigger impact. ​

• The Windrush Justice Fund, in partnership with the Mayor of London, provides small grants and support to community groups and projects working with those affected by the Windrush Scandal.

DTA LIVE RADIO COMING SOON...

Decolonising The Archive (DTA) are collaborating with Black Cultural Archives to explore a whole new way to connect with their collections

Be the first to hear our teaser show

Listen Here

This season marks a renewal in our exploration of our history and its living expression.Tune into DTA Live Radio, our newest platform where we share knowledge and insights on History, identity, culture and the future. We’re going Live in 2020!

Decolonising the Archive (DTA) is a collective that mobilises History, surfacing narratives that speak to Black African and Caribbean experiences on the continent and in the diaspora. Our fundamental aim is to develop an African-centred approach to how we, as people of African heritage do history. Expect some heavy content activating historical archives to talk, music, art, politics, spirituality, media and more.

For a V.I.P. invite to our live studio audience shows @BCA follow us here to see when tickets go live @de_ archive, de_archive

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We’ll be holding space at the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) located in Brixton. It’s a place that honours Black history and culture 365 days a year. Stop by to connect see the work we do?

From the archives to the airwaves!

BCA TO HOST PUBLIC MEETING AND FREE LEGAL SURGERIES FOR WINDRUSH DESCENDANTS

Black Cultural Archives (BCA) has announced plans to hold a public meeting for all those affected by the Windrush Scandal on Saturday 18 January 2020. This will be followed by free legal surgeries every Wednesday and Saturday from January 22 until the end of February (our first phase) to help people access the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

The public meet will be an opportunity to find out the latest and pose questions to the Home Office. It will take place at Lambeth Town Hall, across from BCA’s home at 1 Windrush Square.

These are the second set of surgeries hosted by BCA. Their purpose is to give first step advice to those from the community who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and, in at least 83 cases, wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office.

The appointments will be led by immigration specialist legal firm, McKenzie, Beute, and Pope who have dealt with a number of these cases since the scandal erupted in 2018.

Managing Director, Arike Oke, said “Whilst we are primarily known as the Home of Black British history, we also play a role in advocating on behalf the Black communities in the spaces we occupy.

“The current government’s hostile environment policy disproportionately affects the lives of individuals from the African and Caribbean communities whose contributions are part of the fabric of this country.

BCA sits at the point of change between the past and the future, preserving the history of those people and challenging our omissions from history. This means we fully stand behind the Windrush Generation, collecting their stories for historical record to make sure that it never happens again.”

You can book your free ticket for the public meeting on BCA’s Eventbrite page and book free surgery slots online, by calling the BCA Reception 2023 757 8500 or simply dropping in.

BCA’s Windrush Public Meeting takes place on Saturday 18 January 2020 at Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton, from 14:00 – 15:00

Round 1 of Legal surgeries for those affected by the Windrush scandal will start on Wednesday 22 January and will run every Wednesday between 17:00 – 20:00 and Saturday morning, 10:00 – 12:00 until Saturday 29 February 2020.

This work is funded by the Windrush Justice Fund and The Funding Network

BCA gets a permanent home on Google

Black Cultural Archives (BCA) brings its unique collection of images, artefacts and artworks together online for the first time (g.co/blackculturalarchives).

A two-year project in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, we have digitised over 4,000 items from the BCA, forming a series of curated online exhibitions and stories which can be accessed globally to help inspire and educate.

Available on the Google Arts & Culture website and app, the new digital collection utilises innovative technologies including ultra-high resolution Gigapixel photography using the Art Camera to help preserve these important histories for future generations, and to encourage enquiry and dialogue all over the world.

The online exhibit will feature 30+ online stories, with highlights including:

● Rudi Patterson: Visions of Colour

In 1960s London, Rudi Patterson was a self-propelled star. His final art exhibition, entitled 'Visions of Colour', was held in 2011 in the West Indian-owned Effra Hall Tavern in Brixton. The BCA holds a collection of his paintings and ceramics, now digitised in breathtaking Gigapixel resolution, using Art Camera technology.

● The Art of Carnival and Masquerading

This exhibit focuses on the various aspects of the Notting Hill Carnival. From the music of Calypso using steel drums, through to sculpters Carl and Lyn Gabriel, who created elaborate costumes for Carnival performers. The exhibit features photos from their personal collection dating back to 1986.

● Black Women’s Movement

Focusing on the work done by the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD),co-founded by BCA patron and writer Stella Dadzie. The exhibit features many materials from Stella’s personal collection, showcasing the spread of activity that OWAAD undertook in the 1970s and 1980s. From education and health care, to employment and activism.

● Black British Dance

This exhibit explores how Dance in Britain has evolved through the successive interactions of people from around the world, building on ancient and new social dance forms. Looking into the history of dance through the lens of Black British history gives new visions of the past and the future.

While Google’s mission is to make the world’s information more accessible, Google Arts & Culture aims to celebrate and share a diverse range of art, culture and heritage with everyone, everywhere. This is just the beginning of Google’s partnership with BCA, and both organisations look forward to making more inspiring moments of Black British culture and history accessible to all.

Arike Oke, Managing Director, Black Cultural Archives said: “As BCA is the home of Black British history, it's extremely fitting that we've been able to collaborate with Google on this important project. The fact that people from across the world will now be able to access our archive digitally is a perfect compliment to our mission to put our history on the map”.

Amit Sood, Director of Google Arts & Culture said: “We’re passionate about making culture accessible to anyone, anywhere. This partnership with the Black Cultural Archives is a superb example of how innovative technology can be used to help bring exciting content to a global audience, as well as to secure invaluable historical artefacts, artworks and images for future generations”.

Explore the Black Cultural Archives collection on Google Arts & Culture or using the app on iOS or Android.

BCA appoints new Trustees

Top (from l to r) Sharmaine Lovegrove, Caroline Hussey-Bain, Katie Dash, Olakunle Babarinde

Bottom (from l to r) Harun Morrison, Jennie Baptise, Adam Crymble, Rukayah Sarumi

Black Cultural Archives is pleased to announce that eight new Trustees have been appointed to our Board of Directors. The group who come from a range of backgrounds, including publishing, the arts, academia and finance, will be an integral part of shaping the future of BCA.

The new additions, who started this month, will work alongside BCA’s Managing Director, Arike Oke, who herself recently started her post at BCA in March earlier this year. The new Board Members are as follows:

Olakunle ‘Kunle’ Babarinde | VP, Trading Solutions EMEA at Interactive Data

An international property investor, an accredited UK landlord and property developer as well as a mentor to young entrepreneurs, Olakunle has been nominated as Board Secretary and also serves as Trustee of two other charities: Making The Leap, sitting on the Property Strategy committee and St John’s Notting-Hill, representing it on the Kensington Deanery Synod. He is also founder of Talent Rising, a resource for Employee Network leaders.

Olakunle has a degree in Physics and a post Graduate diploma in Management in Industry, a foundation to his almost 30 years in financial services. Olakunle is a strategic thinker and experienced negotiator, having worked with hundreds of organisations to deliver strategic income generation and business development through periods of challenging organisational change.

Jennie Baptiste | Photographer

Jennie Baptiste is a London born photographer of St Lucian heritage. Her work is primarily based around Youth Culture, Music, and Heritage within Portraiture. Jennie’s work has been shown at notable institutions including The National Portrait Gallery, The V & A Museum, The Museum of London, The Institute of Jamaica, Rush Arts Gallery in New York, Anti-Slavery International and The Home Office.

Adam Crymble | Senior Lecturer of History at the University of Hertfordshire

Dr Adam Crymble is a Senior Lecturer of History at the University of Hertfordshire. He teaches and researches migration history in Britain. He is passionate about widening participation in education, and on promoting digital skills development in the heritage sector. He is a founding editor of the Programming Historian, a free digital learning resource used by more than 1-million people per year.

Katie Dash | Senior Associate Director at the Confederation of British Industry

Katie is a Senior Associate Director at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and is responsible for representing businesses across London and the South East and helping them navigate the political and economic landscape. Her previous experience includes Assistant Regional Director for CBI Scotland, Assistant Economist for the Scottish Government, and research roles in think-tanks based in London. Katie is also Co-Chair of CBI’s Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network.

Caroline Hussey-Bain |Tate Patrons Manager

Caroline Hussey-Bain (b. 1984, Northampton, UK) has been an Art, and Heritage sector working with British, European and International based Major Donors for over Fifteen years. She has worked with small independent and private galleries to large national institutions including Royal Museums Greenwich and Tate. As a 2014 Winston Churchill Fellow, she worked extensively in North America including at the Brooklyn Museum, MoCADA and Mystic Seaport researching best practice in fundraising and relationship management. In 2016, she became a Museum Association Transformer for her leadership in devising new strategies to diversify the individuals who support art institutions and in 2019 became a Clore Fellow.

Sharmaine Lovegrove | Publisher of Dialogue Books

Sharmaine Lovegrove is the Publisher of Dialogue Books, the UK’s only inclusive imprint, part of Little Brown Book Group and Hachette UK. She is inspired by innovative storytelling, and has worked in public relations, bookselling, events management and TV scouting. She was the literary editor of ELLE and set up her own bookshop and creative agency when living in Berlin.

Harun Morrison | Artist

Morrison is an artist and writer currently based in London, raised in Streatham. Alongside Helen Walker, he co-founded the collective art practice ‘They Are Here’ in 2006. Through this collaboration they continuously explore group dynamics, divisions of authorship and politics of time and space.

Rukayah Sarumi | Sustainable Development Professional

Rukayah is a public policy expert with over a decade of experience in the field of sustainable development with a focus on child rights and environmental sustainability. Rukayah has committed considerable time to community cohesion and has worked as a community organiser in Lambeth on issues related to security and safety. Rukayah possesses strong governance experience through her role as a non-executive director and advisory board member on national and international boards.

Dawn Hill, BCA’s Chair of the Board stated: “I'm pleased to welcome such a group of dynamic, visionary and accomplished new additions to the Board of Trustees. I would also like to thank our previous Trustees for their incredible hard work, commitment and continued support of BCA.

As we look towards a future of sustainability, I'm confident that these new additions to the Board alongside Arike Oke and the entire BCA team will continue to make great strides in accomplishing Len Garrison's dream: a place that is the home and a beacon for Black British history - past, present and future.”

Arike Oke added “I am excited to work with our new trustees, who bring such a diversity of skills, in taking Black Cultural Archives forward together into a thriving future.”

They join existing Board Members Dawn Hill (Chair), Okao Angole, Professor Hakim Adi, Maureen Roberts, Stafford Geohagen, Cllr. Jacqui Dyer and Cllr. Sonia Winifred.

You can find a full list of BCA Board Members on the People section of the About Us page.