Black Diaspora in the UK/Black British History Resources

"The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre is a library and archive dedicated to combating racism through education, and is part of the University of Manchester. Founded in 1998 by Professor Lou Kushnick, MBE, the Centre is named in memory of Ahmed, a thirteen year old Bangladeshi boy, murdered in 1986 by a fellow pupil in a local Manchester school. Now housed in Manchester Central Library, the Centre has over 12,000 catalogued books on race and racism. It also has a growing Local Studies collection, notably containing many oral histories carried out with community members. The Centre holds over 70 individual archives, which can be viewed in Central library’s searchroom, and which include papers of BME organisations and significant individuals, as well as archives with broader themes such as Civil Rights, scientific racism and fascism and anti-fascism. The Centre has a growing digital collection, which includes the publications of the Commission for Racial Equality."

"Throughout the last 200 years, people of African descent have made great contributions to the shaping of modern Britain. Explore the individuals, communities, events and pivotal moments that have aided in the shaping of the core values that are celebrated in Britain today such as democracy, equality and individual liberty."

The Black Cultural Archives has digitized more than 4,000 items from their collection with Google Arts & Culture. These are presented as a series of online exhibits.

"'Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain' is a partnership between The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) and the Black and Asian Studies Association (BASA), funded by the New Opportunities Fund...The exhibition covers Black and Asian history in Britain from 1500 to 1850..."

"The history of the British Caribbean is explored in this exhibition through government documents, photographs and maps dating from the 17th century to the 1920s and discovered during a cataloguing project at The National Archives of the United Kingdom."

"The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership has been established at UCL with the generous support of the Hutchins Center at Harvard."

"The reports provided statistical data about births, deaths and diseases, but they also allowed the authors to express the diversity of their local communities and their own personal interests."

"This Making Histories website is an exciting collection of fascinating family histories and migration stories documented by young people in Cardiff, Leicester, Sheffield, Manchester and London." There are "incredible oral history interviews exploring journeys to Britain from parts of Europe, India, Africa, the Caribbean and beyond. Stories range from escaping a volcanic eruption in the Caribbean island of Montserrat to being recruited from Zambia to work in the NHS."

"Anti-Slavery International has digitised its collection of 18th and 19th century literature on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Recovered Histories captures the narratives of the enslaved, enslavers, slave ship surgeons, abolitionists, parliamentarians, clergy, planters and rebels."

"London has long been home to a very diverse population, a fact often obscured by mainstream British history which traditionally excludes the histories of people of colour, centres 'whiteness' and upholds narratives constructed by colonialism...Switching the Lens refocuses our attention on Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage...Switching the Lens offers an exciting and intriguing insight into the lived experiences of people arriving in London from 16th to 19th centuries. It helps to reframe perceptions of immigration and presents a deeper understanding of the complex historical relationships between London, the UK and the world."

"The CO 1069 series is a diverse collection of images with a rich variety of content."

"Explore incredible photographs spanning over 100 years of African history, from the 1860s onwards, taken from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office photographic collection (CO 1069)."

"These images from the Colonial Office library photographic collection (CO 1069) and the Central Office of Information British Empire collection of photographs (INF 10) have been added to Flickr...The images are also being used to develop exciting national community outreach projects."

"The National Archives has been working with community groups to share and explore our collection of Caribbean images. The National Archives’ collection of Caribbean images are drawn from the Ministry of Information (INF 10) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (CO 1069) and span over 100 years of history. In partnership with community groups and heritage partners, people have used the collection to inspire exhibitions, reminiscence sessions, workshops and poetry."

"The London Picture Archive is one of London’s finest picture archives. Managed by London Metropolitan Archives (LMA), it provides free online access to over 250,000 images of London from the collections at LMA and Guildhall Art Gallery...The images provide an extraordinary record of London and its people from the fifteenth century to the present day. The whole of Greater London is covered, as are the adjoining counties..."