BCA is now on the Bloomberg Connects app

We're pleased to announce that visitors from anywhere in the world can now experience Black Cultural Archives through the Bloomberg Connects app. Bloomberg Connects is a free digital guide to cultural organisations around the world.

As the home of Black British history, we’re delighted to make Black history available in your home, or on the move, via your device. This exciting new technology allows you to virtually tour our home at 1 Windrush Square, discover the secrets of our collections, delve deeper into the stories from the collections, view exclusive exhibitions and more.

The project has been developed over several months by producer and curator, Natalie Fiawoo. Past visitors to BCA may have visited Natalie's last exhibition Family Ties, the story of a Ghanaian family's journey of discovery which led them to uncover a royal history. A new version of the exhibition also features on the Bloomberg Connects App.

“It's always such an honour to work with BCA.” Says Natalie “The stories of people of African Descent are at the centre of all of my work and so being able to make this accessible in such a large way means that these stories will now spread even further.”

“Each of the exhibitions provide a little glimpse into all of the work that BCA is doing as well as the amazing-ness that sits in the (fully accessible) Archive. I hope that people will be inspired to learn more and come and visit, once we are open again of course.”

BCA sits amongst a number of international galleries, museums and archives on the app, meaning that you can explore a range of cultural institutions right in the palm of your hand.

Getting the app couldn’t be simpler. Head to the iTunes or Google Play store and download the Bloomberg Connects app.

BCA launches Digital Artist Residences, its new exploration in collaboration with Languid Hands

For October’s Black Futures Month, we opened our archives to early-career curators and gave them the opportunity to explore and create new projects based on what they discovered.

Curators-in-residence Pelumi Odubanjo and Languid Hands (a collaboration between Rabz Lansiquot and Imani Robinson) - under the mentorship of Barby Asante - took their own unique approaches to the practice of curation and interaction with the archives inviting artists and creators to respond.

In our first project, Pelumi Odubanjo curated a series of interviews, Re-imagining Care , which focused on artists’ reflections on their own understanding and practice of recording, acknowledging, archiving and curation, considering these acts as acts of care.

Continuing this dialogue between artist and archive, curatorial and artistic duo Languid Hands selected seven UK-based artists to undertake a four-week digital research residency with BCA; Ufuoma Essi, Rhea Dillon, Anisa Nuh-Ali, Zinzi Minott, Shamica Ruddock, Samra Mayanja and Felix Taylor.

We are now presenting the results of these residencies. The seven selected artists have produced reflections on their research, activating and re-animating the archive through their relative practices. The scope and approach of their research has been broad, whether exploring collections of antique maps or looking into the legacies of pioneering Black composers, the artists have interrogated the archive in unique ways, making links across different forms of Black cultural production. This project centres on how archival research can be undertaken creatively, recognising the importance of having a place to engage in this work collaboratively.

This exploration of our collections is now complete, although we hope it’s also just the beginning, and that more people will be inspired to engage with the archives in different ways. You can read Languid Hands perspective on this project here. Each exploration will be available to view from Monday 23 November when we’ll be presenting the outcomes of these residencies in our new online exhibition space.

Languid Hands will also extend their curation for the BCA to Instagram, where you’ll see one of the seven artists featured each day for the next week, from 23rd to 29th November, to share more about the process of this research and the work they have made.

You can experience Digital Artist Residencies and our other online exhibitions now.

These digital artist residencies are Black Cultural Archives’ Black Futures Month Commission in 2020.
Made possible with support from Arts Council England.

Teaching Black history in schools: open letter to Kemi Badenoch MP

Black Cultural Archives has sent the following letter to Kemi Badenoch MP, following her comments in the House of Commons Black History Month debate.

Ms Badenoch’s contribution can be viewed on Parliament TV.

Kemi Badenoch MP
Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Minister for Equalities)
Government Equalities Office
Sanctuary Buildings
16-20 Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT

I write in my capacity as the Managing Director of Black Cultural Archives, the home of Black British history, with thanks to Abena Oppong-Asare, the MP for Erith and Thamesmead for securing the debate on Black History in the Commons on 20th October 2020 and also acknowledging our local MP, Helen Hayes, to thank her for continuing to champion the work we do in documenting, preserving and celebrating the lives, achievements and presence of Black people in the UK. I write on behalf of Black Cultural Archives and its board.

Black History Month was filled with celebrations, debates, performances and panels on the shared history of Britain in which people of African descent, or Black people, have made pivotal change to, and contributions to, the creation of contemporary British society. The cross-party debate was a highlight of the month. We were delighted to hear MPs from around the nation talk about Black history and Black heroes as related to their own constituencies, demonstrating that the breadth of Black history encompasses every part of the UK and across the length of British chronology. It was inspiring to hear so many cross-party voices celebrate Black History Month and call for more teaching of Black history in British classrooms. We absolutely agree, and are pleased to see that the question of broadening education was accepted across the House.

We are highly concerned that you closed the debate by deviating from the positive and open discussion preceding your statement into party politics. We remind the Minister that the teaching of Black history in our current curriculum is dependent on enabling and empowering all teachers across the country to teach it, which you have undermined by making statements on the legality of teachers’ self-led classroom content, and misunderstanding ‘critical race theory’ as an ideology (it is one methodology among other methodologies, and to the date of the debate does not seem to have been suggested by teachers as a methodology they would use). 

We are dismayed that this follows on from the Minister for Culture’s letter of 28th September which seemed counter to the arm’s length principle, and to position the idea that our national cultural organisations should abandon established professional curatorial, engagement and research practice in order to follow an agenda set by government, under threat of funding review.

Organisations such as Black Cultural Archives, and celebrations such as Black History Month and Windrush Day, exist to find balance, by correcting the omissions and erasures that have led to the ignorance of our shared past. Ignorance of our shared past contributes to issues such as the Windrush Scandal, to racism and intolerance, to harmful stereotypes and ethnic disparities. Knowledge of our shared past contributes to:

• social mobility

• community cohesion

• the rule of law and justice

• a thriving cultural sector

• Britain’s global reputation.

As such, Black Cultural Archives unreservedly supports the Museums Association’s response to Oliver Dowden’s letter.

We will not be able to learn from our past without knowing our past, and so we advise, hope for, and demand that teachers are given clear guidance, robust resources, and meaningful support to be able to include all of Britain’s history into the classroom for the benefit of future generations and for all of society. The quickest route to achieving this would be to include Black history as a compulsory component of the curriculum. The government appears to have a preference on which methodologies are to be used by teachers. Therefore - supplying teachers with guidance, resources and support via the national curriculum would be sensible.

The simple request to support the teaching of Black history in schools is being over complicated. It should not fall prey to the toxicity of party politics. Black Cultural Archives, an independent charity and national heritage organisation, is doing its part. The government must do its part.

Arike Oke

FRSA RM ARA
Managing Director, Black Cultural Archives.

Announcement from BCA Managing Director, Arike Oke

Following the announcement of a second England-wide lockdown, the BCA team will shift back to digital and remote working with immediate effect. Our home at 1 Windrush Square will be closed to the public until the current restrictions are lifted. Any previously scheduled, socially distanced events, happening at 1,Windrush Square are postponed. This includes upcoming Poets Corner events, for which refunds will be made, and the use of our building for Remembrance Sunday.

You can still experience BCA’s programme and resources 24 hours a day through our new digital showcase and the exhibits on our Google Arts and Culture platform. We have been working hard on creating more digital programming since the first lockdown in March this year, and we will continue to make teaching and learning about Black history available during this lockdown, even if only via our online programming. Please keep an eye on our events listings.

Our staff will be working from home and can be contacted via email, social media and by telephone on 0203 757 8500. Sign up to our newsletter, or follow us on social media for our latest projects, and please look out for even more celebration of Black artists in our 2020 Black Futures Month commissions, the first ‘Reimaging Care’ curated by Pelumi Odubanjo can be viewed at bcaexhibits.org.

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. Researchers should contact archives@bcaheritage.org.uk for further information on how to access the collections during the closure.

We will closely monitor government guidance to review when we can re-open 1 Windrush Square.

We give thanks to all of the funders, businesses, collectives and individuals who have shown us remarkable support this year. It is thanks to all of you that we can survive this latest lockdown and continue our work.

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. From community comes strength.

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

BCA and WARC launch interview series to spotlight pioneering Black British creatives and marketers

Featuring Kevin Morosky of Havas and Pocc, Dr Glen Yearwood of Soul Marketing, and Binki Taylor of The Brixton Project with Kunle Olulode of Voice4Change paying homage to designer Jon Daniel

Black Cultural Archives (BCA), the home of Black British History and WARC, the global authority of marketing effectiveness have partnered to produce a series of intimate interviews showcasing the contribution, influence and impact Black British marketers and creatives have had on the marketing communications industry.

The video series Hidden Figures: A Look at Black British marketing and design, created in collaboration with Niche on Demand, will be released every Thursday from October 15 , and will feature:

• Kevin Morosky, Creative Director, Havas Media Group and Co-founder Pocc on: 

• The current state of diversity, equality and inclusion in advertising - what do brands need to to next?

• Personal experiences of progressing in advertising: barriers faced & actionable steps.

• The future Black marketers and advertisers of tomorrow

• Dr Glen Yearwood, Owner, Soul Marketing (22 October) on:

• The importance of storytelling to success

• Recommendations for the aspiring Black creatives and Marketers of the future

• What should brand do now in order to have true representation

• Binki Taylor, Founding Partner, The Brixton Project and Kunle Olulode, Director, Voice4Change England and Creative Director, Rebop Productions - in memoriam of Jon Daniel ( 29 October) on:

• The importance of brand activism

• The power of personality and openness in creating a change environment

• Jon Daniels’ pivotal creative campaigns

The video series marks the start of a long-term partnership between BCA and WARC who are making a commitment to help address diversity in marketing.

Of the partnership, BCA Managing Director Arike Oke said “We are always excited to work with partners who are interested in amplifying the stories of the Black communities. Our contributors have made great waves in the marketing and design industries. Their stories deserved to be told and committed to our archive which is the Home of Black British history. We look forward to our continued partnership with WARC.”

Paul Coxhill, Managing Director, WARC & Lions Intelligence, commented: “The lack of diversity in marketing and advertising urgently needs to be addressed in an authentic and meaningful way.

“As such, we are delighted to partner with the BCA to not only highlight some of the pioneers in Black British advertising, but to continue to help bring change to our industry by helping businesses market more effectively by incorporating inclusivity into their strategies.”

You can view the first video online now.

BCA welcomes Barby Asante as Guide Curator for our artists in residence

We are delighted to announce Barby Asante as Guide curator for our Black Futures exhibitions. Barby Asante is a London based artist, curator, and educator.

A highly respected specialist in her field, Barby's work focuses on the politics of place, space memory and the histories and legacies of colonialism. Asante can often be found working with groups of people as contributors, collaborators or co researchers, making her the perfect guide for our early career curators, Pelumi Odubanjo and Rabz Lansiquot and Imani Robinson of Lanquid Hands.

The selected artists and co-curators, with Barby’s guidance, will bring new and alternative interactions and focus to our archival material – a new dialogue between past, present and future.

Asante taught on Fine Art and Critical Studies programmes in London, Berlin, Gothenburg and Rotterdam. She is co-founder of a collaborative agency concerned with ethics, intersectionality and education in the contemporary arts who were mentors to the sorryyoufeeluncomfortable collective. She is also on the board of the Women's Art Library and 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning.

We are hugely excited to see Barby bring her approach to the archives through both her curation practice, guidance and mentorship of early career artists and curators.

Find out about Barby's other projects and current PhD on her official website.

The forthcoming projects will be available to view on the Exhibitions and Events section of the Black Cultural Archives from early October onwards.

BCA announces our second Curator in Residence, Pelumi Odubanjo

We’re thrilled to announce our next curator collaboration, led by Pelumi Odubanjo.

Reimaging Care focuses on the black womxn’s arts movement in Britain over the last decades (an inclusive term used to foreground experiences of trans women and non-binary people), Pelumi Odubanjo curates a video series bringing the voices of multigenerational, multi-national, queer, and non-binary artists to the forefront to explore the label of a ‘Black artist’. Martina Attille, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Libita Clayton, Evan Ifekoya, Joy Labinjo and Marcia Michael have been chosen by Pelumi to contribute to this new series.

The interviews with these six highlighted artists will create a dialogue with our archive collections, their works linked by a connective thread of ephemeral and translational kinship.

They’ll be asked to explore how art and practice can be seen as an act of care, whether this is through finding spaces for care, forming an art practice which cares for you, or your act of caring for certain communities, whilst simultaneously participating in acts of memory and remembering. This video series encourages cross-generational voices to come together.

In Pelumi’s words, “Although each generation will have their own distinct voice and mode of communicating sociality, I also believe that each generation has carved its own way of touching and imprinting on the other”. We are excited to see archival practise viewed through this lens, and we hope you will join us in our online exhibition space as we explore this new approach to dialogue between past, present and future.

This project is the second of two, the other being the Languid Hands’ Residency programme held with the intent of amplifying Black voices within the arts and heritage sector. We’ve invited early career curators to engage with the archives in these residencies, under the guidance and mentorship of guide Curator Barby Asante. We are hugely grateful that this programming is supported and funded by the Arts Council.

You can explore this series on BCA’s forthcoming online gallery from Monday 4 October 2020.

Featured artists:

• Martina Attille

• Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

• Libita Sibungu

• Evan Ifekoya

• Joy Labinjo

• Marcia Michael

Windrush surgeries resume at BCA on Saturday mornings

Our Windrush surgeries have resumed at Black Cultural Archives (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 service initially started earlier in the year but was interrupted by the global pandemic.

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.

The sessions are strictly by appointment only and can be booked by calling the BCA Reception on 0203 757 8500.

The surgeries take place Saturday mornings from 11:30 – 14:00.

This work is funded by Lambeth Council.

BCA announces Languid Hands as the first of two new curators in residence

As part of our commitment to amplifying Black voices within the arts and heritage sector, we’ve invited early career curators to engage with the archives as part of two residencies funded by the Arts Council.

This multi-generational collaboration will present the archives in new and thought-provoking ways, to be displayed in our forthcoming online exhibition space. Both projects will be guided by artist and curator Barby Asante.

In the first of two projects, curatorial and artistic duo Languid Hands (Rabz Lansiquot and Imani Robinson) have selected seven UK-based artists to undertake a four-week digital research residency with BCA; Ufuoma Essi, Rhea Dillon, Anisa Nuh-Ali B, Zinzi Minott, Shamica Ruddock, Samra Mayanja and Felix Taylor.

These artists will delve into the archive and produce reflections on their research, activating and re-animating the archive through their relative practices.

“We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with the Black Cultural Archives.” say the Languid Hands founders.

“It is essential that in the midst of upsurge in radical resistance to anti-black violence and carceral systems in the UK, we have access to our complex and wayward histories and are able to activate them in the service of our contemporary struggle, always inextricably tethered to times past. As abolitionist scholar Ruth Wilson Gilmore (2019) writes, “what the world will become already exists in fragments and pieces, experiments and possibilities. So those who feel in their gut deep anxiety that abolition means knock it all down, scorch the earth and start something new, let that go.”

They concluded “Now is the time to engage in radical sociality and deep study: across geographies, generations and revolutionary horizons. Black liberation is the goal, and art has always been one of many means.”

Visitors will be able to view the outcome of this work on BCA's forthcoming online gallery from November 20, 2020

You can find out more about Languid Hands at their official website, https://languidhands.co.uk/

BCA works with London Mayoral team on Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm

Join the Black Cultural Archives and the team working on the Mayor’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm for an evening of discussion.

The event will begin with an introduction to the work of the Commission by Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard. We will then hear a provocation from Tony Warner, founder of Black History Walks before launching into three community-led conversations on:

• Memorialising victims of the Transatlantic slave trade

• Recognising/Celebrating the Windrush generation

• Black Britons/Pioneers missing from our public realm

The purpose of the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm is to lead a London-wide conversation on how to practically achieve greater diversity of representation across the public realm and heritage sites. This will have a focus on increasing presence and visibility of underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and minority ethnic, women, LGTBQ+ and disabled groups and will include consideration of representation of socio-economic diversity.

Discussions from this event will feed directly into the first meeting of the Commission in December 2020. This will be the first of many community events and there will be further opportunities to engage with the work of the Commission throughout the two year length of the project.

Apply to become a board member

We are now recruiting board members for the Mayor’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. Applications will be accepted until Sunday 4 October 2020.

We are looking for a fantastic group of passionate, skilled and dedicated individuals to help us shape the future of London’s public realm. We’re recruiting experts in the fields of art commissioning, art history and the public realm, as well as people who can represent Londoners from under-represented communities.

The role of the commission will be to debate, listen, deliver, share best practice and provide leadership on how the capital’s landmarks can reflect its achievements and the contribution of diverse Londoners.

Find out more and apply

SUCCESSFUL ENTRANTS OF WINDRUSH WAVES YOUTH ARTS INITIATIVE 2020

It is with great pleasure that we announce the list of young artists who have been selected to receive professional mentoring and/or take part in our Black Futures Month programme.

First Place

Maya Campbell, aged 20, for her artwork ‘Adding a Face’

Maryam Ahmed, aged 15, for her poem ‘Betrayal’

Second Place

Fiona Quadri, aged 19, for her artwork ‘The Talk’

Maryam Chaudhri, aged 21, for her poem ‘They Need Us’

Third Place

Leah Bevan, aged 20, for her artwork ‘Mother County’

Samuel Adeosun, aged 18, for his artwork ‘There is Never a Time and a Place for Oppression’

David Quinn, aged 16, for his poem ‘Gust of Wind’

Katie Alice Pritchard, aged 18, for her poem ‘A Daffodil’

Specially commended 

Olivia Dayer, aged 14, for her artwork ‘Women of the Windrush’ 

Congratulations to these nine talented young people, and to everyone who took part. 

We're back: A message from our MD, Arike Oke

Greetings to our local communities, our researchers and visitors.

Welcome back.

1 Windrush Square is re-opening, Covid-secure, on Thursday 3rd September. We recognise that this year has been harder than most. It has been one of the hardest years in the recent history of our communities, people of African descent.

This summer was the one in which George Floyd was murdered and Black Lives Matter seized headlines. It was the one where Carnival couldn’t take place in person for the first time and one we will always remember.

We did not stop working while 1 Windrush Square was locked down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus this summer.

We welcomed the support of new funders thanks to Covid emergency funding, and we are humbled beyond words by the support we received from individuals donating by text and to our justgiving page. We would not be able to re-open 1 Windrush Square without your support.

A few things we’ve been working on, from home include:

Bridging the Atlantic: Fulbright scholar Daisha Brabham and our very own Ayshah Johnston curated a series of conversations on Blackness in the UK and in the USA.

Document! Black Lives Matter: we called out for lighting collecting of the summer’s protests. You responded in the hundreds. We’ll be sharing the collection for research and education soon.

Windrush: we celebrated and commemorated our Windrush elders with oral histories, talks and events and friends. Our resident associates, Decolonise The Archive, launched their radio channel with Windrush content. Even HRH Prince Charles recognised BCA in his Windrush Day message.

Politics: We got involved. We accepted the Home Secretary’s invitation to join the Cross-Government Windrush Working Group. We accepted in order to ensure that Wendy William’s Lessons Learned Report was implemented. There must never be another Windrush Scandal.

Getting digital: Thanks to funding from the London Community Response Fund members, City Bridge Trust and Bloomberg Philanthropies we were able to work from home! We moved our office files to the cloud and our exhibition onto the website, leading to it being used for home schooling and being highlighted in a range of press.

Black Future: A global pandemic might be a strange time to launch a strategy but we look to the future as we launched our 10-year strategy in May. We held online stakeholder listening events, and are going to hold more as we reimagine our building for the new era.

We are delighted to be back, to be able to share our space and to be able to see you all again.

Here are a few things to know about our re-open of 1 Windrush Square:

Our times have changed: for the foreseeable future we’ll have limited opening hours, based on how often we can afford to open and making sure that you can still have access to our space. The courtyard and gallery are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11.30am to 5pm. You can drop in. You don’t need an appointment. You will have the opportunity to check in for the NHS Track And Trace on arrival. The library is open 12pm to 3.30pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You will need to make an appointment in advance, we have very limited space under social distancing.

The staff will wear masks or visors. As mask wearing is essential inside our building, we also have a small supply of free masks for visitors who forget theirs. Mask wearing is not essential outdoors, and you’ll see that we’ve transformed our courtyard into a garden for you to enjoy and relax in. The basement is closed for social distancing, and so we’ve included an accessible toilet on every other floor.

Our café is closed: We are working on ways you can order food from local businesses instead.

Our shop isn’t open again yet, but we’re working on that.

Look out for an announcement soon on when our free Windrush legal advice surgeries re-start, in partnership with McKenzie Beute and Pope.

We look forward to seeing you again soon – whether it’s in person at 1 Windrush Square, or online.

We have an autumn season set to inspire and educate as using Black history to change the world is what we do best.

Join us.

BCA Statement on Domestic Abuse

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We have been made aware of serious allegations that an associate of BCA has physically and in other ways abused several of their partners over a period of time. With immediate effect we have ceased any planned work with the individual concerned.

BCA does not tolerate domestic abuse from any of our extended community. We take action on any form of abuse that comes to our attention. Victims and survivors of domestic abuse will find BCA a safe space for them to visit, work with and in.

The founders of the Black Cultural Archives envisaged a place where space was held for community, alongside our mission to document preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in the UK. We have continued this vision into both our 1 Windrush Square building and online.

BCA stands not only for our history but also for empowerment and growth. Abuse in our homes and communities must end.

If you are currently in an abusive space, please do not stay silent . We take this opportunity to draw attention to  organisations that specialise in support for those affected by domestic violence and other forms of abuse.

Organisations that can help

National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247
WEBSITE

GALOP – The UK’s only specialist LGBT+ anti violence charity
WEBSITE

Refuge – Supports women, children and men experiencing domestic violence
WEBSITE
HELP FOR MEN

Childline – 0800 1111
WEBSITE

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We're celebrating our six anniversary with The Real McCoy!

We’re celebrating our sixth year at our home, 1 Windrush Square by hosting an exclusive online event celebrating the return of the legendary comedy series, The Real McCoy.  Broadcast live from Brixton, The Real McCoy: Revisited will include conversations with the cast and crew from this ground-breaking show.

Audiences will watch an exclusive interview with The Real McCoy producer and director Terry Jervis, a media entrepreneur and the man ‘Behind the Scenes’. An award-winning producer and director, Terry Jervis has gone on to receive critical acclaim internationally, working across the entertainment industry including being headhunted by Clarence Avant (The Netflix ‘Black Godfather’) as the first person outside of America, to set up a division at the legendary Motown label with the likes of Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and Boyz II Men. He has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Tim Burton (Batman), Spike Lee, Will Smith, Queen, Madonna, Elton John, Natalie Cole, Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones, The Williams Sisters. Also launching channels with TRACE TV (with features on Beyonce, Rihanna, Def Jam) and SKY Sports (Specials on Venus & Serena Williams, Rio Ferdinand, Lewis Hamilton). In the business and civic arena he has worked companies and institutions such as the office of the Prime Minister at Number 10, Buckingham Palace, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and the Royal Air Force.

Hosted by television talent maverick Michelle Matherson and award-winning Cultural Producer Tobi Kyeremateng, the evening will give an unprecedented look into the making of The Real McCoy, with those involved sharing their real-life accounts of bringing this historic show to the small screen.

Following years of requests and campaigning by the Black communities, the Real McCoy will make its way back to our screens again through BBC iPlayer. From Wednesday 29 July 2020, a whole new generation of viewers will be able to discover and fall in love with this seminal show.

“It makes absolute sense for this event to happen at BCA which is the home of Black British history," says BCA Managing Director, Arike Oke, “As we approach our 40th birthday next year, this event is a reminder of the vision left behind by one of our co-founders, Len Garrison. He wanted us to be a place of learning and celebration of our contributions to this country.

“The Real McCoy is such an iconic show and so beloved by the community. It was one of the few times that Black people would be able to see themselves in lead roles on-screen during the 90s. As a keeper of African and Caribbean histories in this country, hosting this event at BCA is one of the many ways we're capturing our stories and making it available to the world. There are very few productions like The Real McCoy in British television history. We at BCA are proud to be a part of celebrating its return”.

Alongside the online event, special edition bundles will be available to buy with proceeds donated to the BCA. Viewers will be able to own signed goodies, copies of Terry Jervis' book ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’ and special edition BCA collectables.

Tickets start from £10 and are available here

Re-opening our building - An update

We are getting ready to re-open our building, 1 Windrush Square, so that we can get back to sharing, promoting, teaching and learning about Black British history in our building, and hosting our Windrush Compensation Scheme surgeries.

We are mindful that the Covid19 pandemic is ongoing and that our communities are one of the most at-risk. We are therefore making changes to our building that will make it ‘COVID secure’ and safe for everyone to work in and to visit.

With help from our supporters, we have expanded our work online. Over the summer you’ll see events, discussions, and creative presentations through our website, YouTube and other social channels that explore the diasporic experience of being Black.

Please keep an eye on our website and social networks for more information about our opening date in the coming weeks and in the meantime continue to be safe.

If you would like to support our programme and our re-opening, we welcome donations to our independent charity through our JustGiving page or by texting BACKBCA to 70970 to donate £5

Idris Elba donates 100% of his royalties from his new single to BCA

BCA Patron Idris Elba unveiled his anthemic new single, ‘One Fine Day’, today and is donating 100%. of the royalties to Black Cultural Archives.

Released via Idris’ London based label 7Wallace, the single features New York electro-pop producers The Knocks, and Tanzanian-born, South-London bred producer and rapper Tiggs Da Author. It’s described as ‘a high-octane injection of optimism’.

Of the donation, BCA Managing Director, Arike Oke, said “We are delighted that our patron Idris Elba has a new track out and even more pleased that he's using the track to support Black Cultural Archives. 

“We'll be putting Idris' contribution towards our education programmes and will also be using it to help us continue to collect and preserve the histories of people of African and of Caribbean descent.

“We have a new call out to document the current Black Lives Matter activism. Idris' support will mean that we can collect and share this history in the making.”

Idris Elba founded his 7Wallace imprint in 2015 with the aim of breaking boundaries in dance and hip-hop. Artists who’ve released on the label under various collaborative projects include Toddla T, Kah-Lo, Q-Tip, Little Simz, James BKS and Cypress Hill.

‘One Fine Day’ is available on all popular streaming platforms

Celebrating Olive Morris

Today, we are celebrating the 68th birthday of Olive Morris, the pioneering community activist who fought for racial, gender and social equality. 

Olive was a community activist in South London and Manchester in the 1970s. Through her activities organising the black community and feminist activism, she left behind an extraordinary legacy. Tragically, she died of cancer aged just 27.

There has never been a more timely moment to commemorate Olive’s life. We hope that by recognising and celebrating her today, we can inspire others to keep pushing for change.

Visit our special digital exhibition of artwork by Linett Kamala, inspired by the activism of Olive Morris and in partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

STATEMENT: BCA invited to join Windrush Cross Government Working Group

Black Cultural Archives has been invited by the Home Secretary to join the new Windrush Cross Government Working Group.

We have accepted the invitation as part of our commitment to using our active voice for positive change in the spaces we occupy for our community. We will be represented by BCA’s Managing Director, Arike Oke. We receive no payment for participating in the group.

The Working Group brings together stakeholders and community leaders with senior representatives from across the government. We have been called upon to:

• Be a part of supporting and advising the government on the Windrush Scheme and associated work

• Provide feedback and insights from our communities

• Use our expertise and experience to assist in developing and delivering practical solutions

• Engage in an open and honest dialogue on the issues impacting on our communities

• Work in partnership to co-design and deliver an action plan setting out agreed programmes and projects, with clear outcomes.

We welcome the intention of the working group to hold government to account in implementing the recommendations of the reports and inquiries it has commissioned. This includes the Windrush Lessons Learned report, which makes recommendations for the reform of the Home Office processes and culture.

BCA’s involvement in the group is founded on the principle of positive action for change at policy level. We are optimistic that the working group will have the power to influence and that government will listen.

We are hopeful that the formation of this group is a positive step forward to a more just and equal society.

 Dawn Hill, CBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

---ENDS---

Happy Birthday Len!

Today we remember the life of the pioneer Len Kwesi Garrison, (13th June 1943 – 18th February 2003) our co-founder of the Black Cultural Archives.

He was known for being an Educationalist, Historian, Poet and Photographer, whose work involved the catalogue of the development of the Black British identity and its history to promote the works of young Black writers and education for children.

His legacy continues to live on through the Black Cultural Archives.

NOT MY CHILDREN

I am a Black man

I demand the rights of all mankind that you strive to deny me

I want only to let my children live a life I was not afforded

Yet I knew was mine.

My toil and blood built this civilisation

I suffered in those fields of human misery

I demand for my children the peace of mind to exist without misery.

I am human and won’t stand any more humiliation for me nor my children

I am in no mood to wait any longer for my patience is at an end.

By Len Kwesi Garrison , Beyond Babylon Collections of Poems , (1972 -1982)

Document! Black Lives Matter

We are creating a new archive collection to capture the historic activism of 2020.

2020 is the year when everything changes. The murder of George Floyd in America was the final injustice against people of African descent that the public could take. Centuries after the invention of racism it has become entrenched into every layer of Western society. The Black Lives Matter movement rallied protests around the world, including in the UK.

What will the future generations remember of this time? We are building a new archive of this moment.

Covid19 restrictions mean that it will be difficult to collect physical material. We’re asking you to donate your digital photographs, videos, artworks, petitions, articles, poems, and more to create the Black Lives Matter archive at BCA.

Please do not send material that identifies individual protesters or organisers.