Welcome to BHC Season 9 from April - July 2023 #101 > #114
We got to BHC Session # 100 to wrap up Season 8 before Easter: Check here
During Season 9 we were following the 75th Anniversary of the Windrush Generations, and introducing new threads eg ‘setting the record straight’ stories
We started with:
# 101 Friday 21st April 2023 Robert Rumble Conference - Pennants Project
Friday 28th April 2023 Open Discussion
Friday 5th May 2023 - The Crown and Reparations - also following up research being done on US 6888 Women's Battalion
Friday 12th May 2023 - Richard Benjamin - Liverpool Museum and Jonathan Greenland, Director of Museums in Jamaica
Windrush Programme starts - this will be led and organised by the Windrush International Allies Network
Windrush Departure Jamaica - May 24th 1948 - Arrival in UK June 22nd 1948
Our Windrush focussed conversations are open to all to join and we may well have others who want to share updates or stories – we open up the Zoom session at 2.30 UK / 8.30am Jamaica, this enables us to welcome and catch up with guests and regulars – then we start recording after the first half hour.
Friday 26th May How the 75th Anniversary was recognised in Jamaica - Rudi Page and Jamaican colleagues, plus Velma McClymont author of 'Little River'
Friday 2nd June Victor Richards spoke on his film 'Streets Paved With Gold', plus Dr. Marcella Day introduced by June Elizabeth
Friday 9th June 2.30pm UK / 8.30am Jamaica 'June-Elizabeth presents Black History' and Moqapi Selassie ‘The left behinders’
Friday 16th June 2.30 UK / 8.30am Jamaica We have invited collegues from Museums to explore how they are celebrating Windrush 75 Brendan Carr, Community Engagement Curator, Reading Museum and community colleagues from Reading, and also Rosalind Croker-Ahmed, Senior Manager of Partnerships and Public Engagement at the National Maritime Museum, and the Windrush programming lead, and Pamela Franklin, Founder of the Caribbean Social Forum.
Friday 23rd June: 2.30 UK / 8.30am Jamaica Bill Hern - 'Myths, Music and Murder.' Exploring some of the many myths and misunderstandings about who was on board and why – and recognising the incredible number of passengers who were musicians and the many children of Windrush passengers who became musicians.
Garrick Prayogg from Justice for Windrush Generations is recognising what is going on in UK for Windrush 75
And Melissa Williams may be join us or she may be at Glastonbury!
The speakers put forward
David Gleave - Historycal Roots and Bill Herne - Windrush Passengers
Dr Hilary Hickling - Jamaica
Dr Juanita Cox
Why Are West Indians Here? Horace
Geoff Palmer
Jefny Ashcroft - Wton - Nurse Brown Film https://jefny.org.uk/
Howard WWI
Reading Museum
https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/explore/online-exhibitions/windrush-day/windrush-day-enigma-arrival/2-arrival
Royal Museums Greenwich
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/windrush-histories/story-of-windrush-ship Press@rmg.co.uk Search for Press Release see 16th June
HLF https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/projects/windrush-70-recording-and-sharing-migration-stories
Walsall:https://creativefactory.org.uk/projects/walsall-windrush/
Black History Live revealed the stories of Kent’s African and Caribbean residents of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Political figures, bishops and royalty: Kent has a history of renowned black inhabitants who have changed the course of British life.
Less well-known are the sailors, tailors and musicians, often rising out of slavery, who also contributed to the county’s culture and prosperity down the ages.
Also: Medway African Caribbean Association
For Friction Arts' I-Land Life project, young people from Birmingham's Five Ways Estate discovered stories of their families' heritage and migration to Britain.
The project brought together young and older people to explore the built heritage of Hulme and Moss Side from the 1950s to the present day. Marcus Hercules
and others ...
Planning the programme:
# 104 Friday 19th May - Melissa Williams. Plans for recognition in the Caribbean - National Windrush Communittee NLJ / Institute of Jamaica, also to reflect on those from around Empire who supported the WWII effortRudi Page's 24th May event in Jamaica
#105 Friday 26th May - How the Anniversary was recognised in Jamaica and other places en route.
Velma McClymont author of 'Little River' Rudi Page and Jamaican colleagues 9am / 3pm
# 106 Friday 2nd June (Spring Bank Holiday week) Victor Richards will talk on his film 'Streets Paved With Gold', on Friday 2nd June 2023 @ 1pm ?? Dr. Marcella Day at 1.30pm ??
# 107 Friday 9th June 'June-Elizabeth presents Black History' and Garrick Prayogg recognising what is going on in UK for Windrush 75 and Bill Hern - see below
# 108 Friday 16th June ? Garrick Prayogg recognising what is going on in UK for Windrush 75 Brendan.Carr@reading.gov.uk ? Patrick Vernon Rosalind Croker-Ahmed, who is Senior Manager of Partnerships and Public Engagement at the National Maritime Museum, and the Windrush programming lead
email Ruby Moulton, Assistant Press Officer, Royal Museums Greenwich Press@rmg.co.uk
# 109 Friday 23rd June Brendan.Carr@reading.gov.uk ??
Kathryn Simpson - email kathryn.simpson@nationalmuseums.org.uk
Policy and Projects Manager
National Museum Directors’ Council
Tel: 07880160948
Brendan Carr (He/Him)
Community Engagment Curator
Reading Museum | Directorate for Economic Growth & Neighbourhood Services
Reading Borough Council
Town Hall, Blagrave Street, Reading
Then we carry on .....
# 110 Friday 30th June Richard Burroughs ??
# 111 Friday 7th July Kate Phillips
I would be interested to trace the history from when black lives were not particularly different to white, through the invention of apartheid style laws and growth of anti black propaganda as opposition to slavery grew.
I live in Glasgow and studied at the University of Glasgow after I had my family of four children. I worked for many years in development, mostly with community groups in Africa, doing research and helping to train community workers about rights and building a political voice.
I established a charity, the Active Learning Centre to do this work, which was based at the University of Glasgow, where I also directed a post graduate fellowship to bring rights activists to study civil organisations in Scotland.
“Bought and Sold, Scotland, Jamaica and Slavery” is my first and only book (so far). It began when I retired and visited Jamaica. I met so many people who had Scottish roots, that when I came home I wanted to find out why Jamaica had so much in their culture which was Scottish, whilst the Scots had wiped out any memory of ever being involved in the Caribbean.
My children are now grown and I'm a great grandmother with a bit more time to write and talk to people. I’m busy giving talks about Scotland’s role in slavery and the effects which are still felt today, from their long propaganda campaign to establish and maintain white supremacy.
katephillips1@mac.com
Author Bought & Sold (Luath Press, 2022)
Twitter Kate Phillips@tellinghistory
@KatePhi99205091
228 Wilton Street
Glasgow, G20 6BJ
# 112 Friday 14th July
# 113 Friday 21st July ?? depends if we do 2/6/23
With 700 individual stories to choose from I am spoiled for choice!
I'm happy to fit in with whatever the group would like me to cover.
If there are no specific requests I could do 'Myths, Music and Murder.'
There are many myths and misunderstandings about who was on board and why.
An incredible number of passengers were musicians and many children of Windrush passengers became musicians. Some great individual stories.
As you might expect when you have 1,027 passengers on board a ship (by the way the figure of 1,027 is another myth) you are quite likely to have at least one murderer amongst you. The Windrush had a murderer (who would later be hanged) and another who was convicted of manslaughter. Neither offence took place on the ship. We also had a night club owner who took on the Krays!
I'm totally flexible though - just let me know if there are any areas you would particularly like me to cover.
This was our wrap session for our 9th season, with general updates and discussion
https://youtu.be/S4OLdubYig4 ??
‘Setting the record straight’
https://youtu.be/Ff4wqD0nu_I The Black Man who discovered America
??? Susheila Nasta founded Wasafiri in 1984. An academic, critic, literary activist, presenter, and judge of several literary prizes, she has published widely on Caribbean, South Asian, and Black British literatures. Her books include, Home Truths (2002), Writing Across Worlds (2004), India in Britain (2012), and Asian Britain: A Photographic History (2013). Now Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at Queen Mary University London, and Professor Emerita at the Open University, she has recently completed co-editing the Cambridge History of Black and Asian British Writing (2019)