UMBRELLA FAIR - Tuesday 18/8/2009
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We're delighted to be invited to the third Northampton Umbrella Fair and on Saturday 15th August NBHA members set up a stall ready to spread the word about the work of the association.
Set up as a co-operative of local people the objective of the Umbrella Fair is to bring together as many people and as wide a range of the community of Northampton to expose them to a message about sustainable living, environmentalism, community cohesion and co-operation.
This was an ideal opportunity for NBHA to showcase its current publications. The association was able to reach a wide and varied audience updating them on the work of NBHA with the chance to hand out copies of our newsletters and publication promotional leaflets. A large number of new contacts were also made requesting follow-up information.
NBHA look forward to attending more of these events and if anyone has any ideas for similar future events please contact the office on 01604 590967.
Umbrella Fair - August 2009
Umbrella Fair - August 2009
AGM 2009 - Thursday 9/7/2009
Northamptonshire Black History Association’s AGM was particularly lively and enjoyable this year. Members and supporters of the Association gathered at the Doddridge Centre on 9 July for a full evening of business and entertainment.
Donna Palmer-Smith, NBHA chair, welcomed everyone with a summary of some of the year’s achievements and warm thanks for everyone’s hard work. Highlights of 2008-09 have included achievement of charity status, completion of our Shaping the Future education project, publication of our Sharing the Past book, successful projects in local schools, and collaboration with English Heritage to produce a Black History ruler. NBHA’s partnership with the University of Northampton has also gone from strength to strength, with three successful Black History courses and University sponsorship of our publications.
Nikki Taylor and Paul Bracey next introduced our final two Shaping the Future curriculum packs, titled Living Memories and Northamptonshire in Global Context. Living Memories is based upon oral history interviews, and it was a pleasure to present free packs to some of the people who made this pack possible: Farhat Lateef, Sylvia Bowmer and June White-Gulley.
Morcea Walker was our principal guest speaker, explaining and promoting the Northamptonshire Black High Achievers Project. Two young people who have benefited from the project, Dion McKenzie and Aleisha Corrodus, told us about their hopes for the future.
Thanks to all those in the Jah Troupers show who provided very welcome entertainment on the evening.
AGM - 2009
AGM - 2009
AGM - 2009
ORAL HISTORY - Friday 22/5/2009
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George Watley is currently in the process of interviewing people as part of the 3 year project researching the consumer behaviour of Northamptonshire Caribbean people c. 1955-1980.
Presentations of initial research findings have been made within the last few months to local and regional audiences, including the East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA) and the Historical Association of Northamptonshire. The EMOHA presentation was part of a one day event held at the Centre for Urban History in the University of Leicester on 12th June 2009. Jenny Labbon presented on the original and continuing oral history work of NBHA.
Future plans include presenting the consumer behaviour research in a travelling roadshow visiting various local and national locations commencing sometime in late 2010 or early 2011. Furthermore, there is the possibility for this research to be presented to international audiences including Barbados, Czech Republic and the United States.
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY - Saturday 28/3/2009
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Saturday 28th March 2009, Northamptonshire Black History Association is proud to host an afternoon celebrating Black History featuring two events.
Talk: "To be free is very sweet"
This is the simple answer Mary Prince gave to her angry slave mistress when asked why she wanted freedom. Mary Prince was born into slavery in Bermuda, in 1788 and sold several times in her life. Though brutality was a part of her daily existence, she never gave up her dream of being a free woman.
In 1831 her story called The History of Mary Prince a West Indian Slave Related by Herself, was published in London. The book, with its warm simplicity, peppered with her experiences of the physical and mental cruelty of slavery caused huge controversy and debate in the press and parliament of the day.
Ifemu Omari speaks about the importance of Mary Prince’s history and gives some insight into the life of a woman who created the first known recorded autobiography by a freed West Indian slave.
Launch: Black History Ruler - Saturday 28/3/2009
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An informative Black History ruler will be launched. The ruler was produced with funds from the Freedom From the Past: Long Time Coming project, which commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Act to Abolish the British Slave Trade with a series of events during 2007.
These Black History rulers will be provided free to schools and through local community organisations. NBHA played a leading part in designing and producing the ruler.
The ruler features the following individuals:
• Claudia Jones
• Walter Tull
• Dadabhai Naoroji
• Mary Seacole
• Ira Aldridge
• Sake Dean Mahomed
Norma Pearson, English Heritage
Refreshments provided from 2.15pm
All Welcome - book your seat by calling NBHA on 01604 590967 or email the NBHA office
