Beverley Prevatt Goldstein

On Monday we released a story about Beverley Prevatt Goldstein, a Trinidadian woman who lived in the Hull and East Yorkshire area. Beverley came to Britain with her two sisters to undertake further education in the early 1960s. She excelled at school and in 1968 was one of the first Black women to enrol at Oxford University from a mainstream British school. In 1974, Beverley and her husband moved to Hull, where she worked as a social worker. During her time in this region, Beverley was also a member of the local Harmony group.

Read Beverley’s story.

Easter break and exhibition countdown

This week’s blog post gives information about our forthcoming exhibition at the East Riding Treasure House which will run from 5 May to 30 June 2018. It also contains details on the events that we will be running during our exhibition period, including the speakers for our study day which will be held on Saturday 12 May 2018.

Read our latest blog post.

We're giving you time to catch-up on your reading over the Easter break, so please explore the stories archive, oral histories and more on our revamped website. Our thanks goes to our web manager Thomas Burrows.

Our next release will be 9 April.

​John Kufuor

On Monday we released a story about the Ghanaian politician and businessman, John Kufuor. Between 2001 and 2009, as the President of Ghana, Kufuor implemented economic and social policies which led to important reforms in his home country. His link to Hull is through the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE) which he officially opened in 2006.

Read our feature on John Kufuor.

Carlos Lamintine Trower: The African Blondin

Yesterday we published a blog post by guest writer Ron Howard on the 'The African Blondin' Carlos Trower. Ron contacted us after we released a story on Trower last November and wanted to share his triumphs and struggles of tracing the talented tightrope artist, who was also his Great Grandfather.

Read Ron's blog post.

The Wyng family

In January we released a blog post entitled ‘A West African Chief in Hull’ about Ben Simmons who married Margaret Wyng at St Nicholas Church, Hessle Common in September 1929. As a result of this post, Audrey Dewjee began researching Margaret Wyng to learn more about her wider family.

Margaret’s father James Emmanuel Wyng was an African American seaman from Boston Massachusetts who married Margaret Elizabeth Catchpole in Great Yarmouth in 1897 before settling into Hull at the turn of the century. Margaret together with two of her three siblings made entertainment their chosen careers.

Read the interesting story of the Wyng family. 

Cricket, lovely cricket

Yesterday we released a blog post about cricketers of African descent who played at The Circle, Anlaby Road, a ground now more familiarly known as the KCOM stadium home to Hull City and Hull FC. This blog was written by John Rodgers and edited by Adrian Burrows.

Read our cricket blog post.

Ansel Wong

On Monday we released a story about cultural and political activist, Ansel Wong. The Trinidadian left the Caribbean to study English and American studies at the University of Hull between 1965 and 1968. Since leaving Hull he has played a vital role in transcending racial boundaries and highlighting Caribbean culture across Britain. Wong has held influential positions in the education and arts sector where he has tirelessly promoted equality and diversity.

Read Ansel Wong's story.

"Uncle Tom" picture blog update and calls for information

Our latest blog post predominantly focuses on the life of Josiah Henson, who is believed to have been the inspiration for the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. In July last year, we released a picture blog which showcased a sepia photograph of a Black gentleman with the caption "Uncle Tom" printed at the bottom (read the original blog here). We have now found more out about this image but are we any clearer as to whether the gentleman visited Hull or East Yorkshire?

We have also asked readers for help to find out more information on Shirley Bassey’s visits to Hull and East Yorkshire as well as the African American airmen based in Holme-on-Spalding Moor in the 1950s.

Read Thursday's blog post.