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.

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.