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Research blog

End of the Year Roundup!

20/12/2017

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This has been an exciting year for the Africans in Hull and East Yorkshire project team. We have worked hard over the last twelve months to deliver a story, blog and short ‘What’s New’ piece every week, an exhibition and several public engagement events. Below is an overview of what we've been up to in 2017, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  

R E S E A R C H
Sharing information
Our catalogue of stories has expanded significantly over the last twelve months since we have been able to add to the themes of Activists, Entertainment, Clergy, Education, Judicial, Maritime, Occupations, Service Personnel and Sports. We have found that Hull and East Yorkshire have had some very famous visitors of African descent, especially in the twentieth century. These included Dr Harold Moody who travelled here on two occasions before and during the Second World War, Paul Robeson who performed in this region on several occasions between 1931 and 1960 and Desmond Tutu who came to the area multiple times between 1989 and 2007. While it has been interesting to discover this region's important social, cultural and religious heritage through famous Black men and women, it has been equally as exciting to learn out about the daily lives and experiences of those who lived and 
Picture
Paul Robeson visiting Wilberforce House, 1960. Photo: Hull Daily Mail
worked in Hull and East Yorkshire between 1750 and 2007. These include a runaway slave who settled in this region (click to read the story of Frederick Brown), a man who was down on his luck and tried to commit suicide (click to read the story of James Philadelphia Moore), people who contributed to the local entertainment industry (click to read our blog post about Leon Riley) and those who settled here and had families (follow the link from Stories Archive to Family Histories above). In particular, the eleven personal histories and family stories we have received has shown generosity and a willingness to engage which has generated a lot of positive responses. These have been supplemented with the 30 oral histories and the associated transcriptions which have been completed this year and have ultimately contributed to giving us a true reflection of what life was really like for people of African descent who lived and worked here throughout the centuries. ​
Changing perceptions about Hull and East Yorkshire
This project has revealed so many original findings and has enhanced our understanding of race in what has been traditionally looked upon as a very white space.

When the project comes to an end we will write an extended blog on all of our influential findings and how we feel they have helped move the field of British Black history forward; however, for now one of the most interesting conclusions on a regional level that we have uncovered is that the East Yorkshire regiment included many different races of people. We have found that, what has previously been viewed as a white Yorkshire battalion, did in fact include at least half a dozen men of African descent, some of whom fought on the frontline beside the local White British Tommy (click to read our ‘Lest We Forget’ blog 
Picture
Lincoln Lynch, a rear-gunner, joined no. 102 Squadron based at Pocklington.
post which will take you to various stories). Through prior historical research we knew that this was the case in other areas with larger Black populations such as London, yet Black soldiers who signed up to join the East Yorkshire Regiment have remained unknown until now.

We have new stories of Black soldiers in the East Yorkshire regiment coming out in the New Year so make sure keep up with all our releases via our What’s New blog. ​

P U B L I C   E N G A G E M E N T
This year has been packed with public engagement events. As a result, we have had a wide range of people who have participated and engaged with our project including children, adults, local historians and academics. Engaging diverse groups would not have been possible without the generosity of a long list of people who have helped us by volunteering, completing administrative tasks or spreading the word about our project. A massive thanks to everyone who has taken part!
Exhibition at Hull History Centre 2017
A large proportion of our time this year has been taken up with planning and preparing for our exhibition which was housed at the Hull History Centre in September and October. From the beginning of the year, we visited various museums and galleries across the country and abroad taking inspiration as we went to ensure our exhibition had a cutting edge. Work for this started in earnest in May with the shaping of the numerous elements since we wanted to present an engaging multi-sensory experience for our audience. This meant aerial filming overlaid the oral histories presentations, visual elements were used such as an installation wall of masks and a film featuring music, videos and a slide show were also included. In addition there were photo albums and books which proved to be a popular spot for people to stop and look. We were extremely pleased to have approximately 3,000 visitors to our exhibition. Amongst these were some ​very notable and distinguished guests such
Picture
Cleo Sylvestre standing in front of the story of her mother Laureen at the project exhibition
as the families of those who featured in the exhibition, the Ghanaian High Commissioner, the Lord Mayor of Hull, William Wilberforce and several councillors for this area. 

Click the links to take a look at our exhibition photographs and the fantastic comments we received and take a look at our Media Page to see how tv and newspapers reported the project and exhibition.
Events Connected to the Exhibition
The opening night of our exhibition was attended by over 100 people who had supported the project in one way or another. It was fantastic to see everyone who had made the exhibition possible all in one place sharing this unbelievable achievement.

During the exhibition we held two events, one which was aimed at school children and the other at adults. Both were a success and were very well received. Click our exhibition and events roundup blog post for more.
Picture
Our 'Schools Event' featured local band Bud Sugar speaking to Jerome Whittingham
​Public Talks and Conferences
This year we have attended and spoken at a range of events to tell people about our exciting project and to share our findings. We have been keen to showcase all the information and provide advice to individuals/other projects because we hope that it will inspire more people to get involved in Black history.
​
In March, we attended the What’s Happening in Black British History Conference and spoke about Black sailors and their experiences in Hull and East Yorkshire before, during and after the First World War. This was followed by a Heritage Open Day event in September, where we delivered a paper entitled ‘African experience in Hull and East Yorkshire'. In October, we delivered a taster session at Hull History Centre’s lunchtime club to showcase some of our findings. More recently, in November we were invited to speak as a panellist at the Engage Conference which is an annual event that brings together arts and education professionals from across the United Kingdom and wider afield. This year's focus was an exploration of diversity, equality and access. Taking part in all of these events has demonstrated how important projects which include diverse and often forgotten histories are in shaping the future. 
The Project in the Media
Over the last twelve months the project has received a lot of attention from the media allowing us to have a constant TV, radio and online presence. This has enabled us to reach audiences on a national and international level. We have featured on Estuary TV, BBC radio and TV, ITV as well as articles in various online magazines and podcasts.

To watch, listen or read some of our media broadcasts click Project in the Media
Picture
Our Project Lead Gifty Burrows spoke to Kofi Smiles for the BBC's coverage of the Hull City of Culture 2017

T h e   P r o j e c t   i n   2 0 1 8
Unfortunately, we only have around five months left of our project because it ends in May 2018. However, we have ambitious plans right up until we finish. We have a list of stories and blog posts that we will be releasing including pieces on seaside resorts and criminality among many others.
​
We are also planning for our exhibition at Beverley Treasure House in May and the fantastic events which we are organising to run alongside it. These include opportunities to meet the project team, engage with Black history and learn something new about East Yorkshire.
We would like to end our round up of the year with a huge THANK YOU to you for following and engaging with our project. We hope to see you in 2018!
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