We can all do a lot better to discover for ourselves and next generations! If you’d like to learn more, here are 5 brilliant Black British History books:īlack and British: A Forgotten History -David Olusogaīlack an British sees award- winning historian Olusoga explore the longstanding relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa and the Caribbean. right on my doorstep! American Civil Rights, we were allowed to brush over from a distance of unaccountability during Black History month. I’ve always loved history but as a teen, I probably learned more about Ancient Egypt and Julius Caesar than I did about Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ or Olive Morris or Windrush…. Growing up at school in London, I learned of wars won and the Tudors- and I dare you to forget 1066! Honestly, if I was to forgot every other number in the world, I would still remember that one. Very interesting omissions are made in the educational curriculum.

īlack British History is a vital part of the UK’s history that should be remembered and valued. Even with that, overwhelmingly, both the contributions and the perseverance of Black People in Britain are beautiful facets to celebrate. Reverbs of colonialism and it’s lasting impacts? Of course. Powerful, resilient, brilliant minds and figures from across the diaspora. The archive collection offers insight into the history of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain and includes personal papers, organisational records, rare books, ephemera, photographs, and a small collection of objects.Within Black British history is a wealth of inspiration.

They opened the UK’s first dedicated Black heritage centre in Brixton, London in July 2014, enabling greater access to the archive collection and providing dedicated learning spaces and an exciting programme of exhibitions and events that explore British history from a unique perspective. Black Cultural Archivesįounded in 1981, Black Cultural Archives’ mission is to collect, preserve and celebrate the heritage and history of Black people in Britain. To complement the photographs, Black Cultural Archives have collected oral histories from a range of subjects including the photographers themselves, their relatives, and the people depicted in the images. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Museum has been able to collect 118 works by 17 artists. Over the last seven years the V&A has been working with Black Cultural Archives to acquire photographs either by black photographers or which document the lives of black people in Britain.

Staying power the history of black