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'Until the lion has its' own historian, tales of hunting will always be of the hunter' African proverb
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JANUARY 2010
BASA Newsletter 55. The contents listing of the November issue of BASA Newsletter can be seen in the Newsletter section.
ICS/BASA Seminars. The January-June programme of the Black & Asian Britain seminar series organised by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in conjunction with BASA can be seen in the ICS/BASA Black & Asian Britain Seminars section.
January BASA Members Information Bulletin. The monthly Bulletin emailed to members contains detailed information on events on Black & Asian history, historical information, books, web resources, and debates on a variety of relevant issues. The January issue contains:
* BASA Member News: Hakim Adi course, Selma El-Rayah retires, NBHA, Butterfly McQueen, Flores Deterville
* Requests for Information and Help: Black soldiers in the Crimean War; Johnny Cake, Black History Courses, Malcolm Joseph Mitchell, Ex-Servicemen wanted for interview, HLF Funding issues, August 1838.
* Other News & Information: inc. Black people in West Midlands Project, New National Archives Opening Hours, White Identities, History magazines, Radio items, Learie Constantine Film, History of racism, remainder books, legacies of British slave-ownership
* Discussion and debate topics: Mary Seacole – Heroine or What?; Rod Liddle and Race; Small Island; Royal Court Dwarfs; The Term 'Spades'; Copyright Costs Issues
* Conference Calls for Papers: Reassessing the Seventies; Black Internationalism; Fifteen Century
* Historic information: St. Helena Slave Graveyard; John Perkins
To ensure you know what is going on why not join BASA?
DECEMBER
Blue Plaques. English Heritage's reply to BASA's letter on issues relating to Blue Plaques can be seen here. This includes the list of plaques honouring Black and Asian individuals and those under consideration. English Heritage has told BASA that blue plaques are now only London based. The BASA Committee recommends that BASA members put pressure on local Councils to address this issue. Several local authorities and other organisations have their own schemes. English Heritage is holding a two day conference Celebrating People and Place on 18-19 February. Further details from conference@sam-culture.com or go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/plaquesconference.
The Meaning of 'Asian'. The BASA Committee has clarified that its coverage of the Asian disaporas in Britain are not restricted to the peoples of South Asian or East Africa, but the whole of Asia.
National Archives. National Archives reply to BASA's letter of concern over its cutbacks and the possible implications for cataloguing and work on Black and Asian history can be seen here.
William Cuffay. The text of Sean Creighton talk as BASA Secretary at the Feargus O'Connor Commemoration at Kensal Green Cemetery on 31 October can be read here.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Network. 2012 sees the 100th Anniversary of the death of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Britain's Black composer, most famous for his work Hiawatha. Sean Creighton has initiated the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Network for people involved in researching his life, playing his music, organising events, commemorating his achievements, and wanting to see a major commemoration of his life on the 100th Anniversary of his death in 2012. It will share information, encourage partnership working between different people involved, and encourage the development of events and media coverage across the country in 2012. It has the support of Jeff Green. If you wish to join email Sean
Jeffrey Green on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Jeff spoke on Do We Really Know Samuel Coleridge-Taylor? at the BASA AGM Conference on 27 June. The text can be read here. He also spoke on Coleridge-Taylor: the life or Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in reality at the British Library on 10 November. The text can be read here. Jeff now has a website featuring biographical sketches of Black people in Britain, including Coleridge-Taylor: www.jeffreygreen.co.uk
NOVEMBER
The Blue Plaque Scheme
We have learned from English Heritage that it only deals with London regarding Blue Plaques. However, many local authorities also put up plaques on buildings where famous (or those who ought to be famous) local people lived. May we therefore suggest that you contact your local authority to ascertain if they have such a scheme, and then send them suggested names, the reason they ought to be commemorated/recognised, and the addresses at which they lived. As there is usually a very formal unveiling of such plaques, attended by the local papers, this can be a good way of publicising the long history of the presence of peoples of African and Indian origins/descent in your locality.For example, Manchester City Council run a scheme putting up different coloured plaques for individuals, events, and buildings which are of historic or cultural significance. For instance, they have a Red Plaque on the building which stands where the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress was held in October of that year. More details of the scheme, including lists of those commemorated, can be found at Manchester Council Commemorative Plaques
OCTOBER
Heritage and the Recession. Cliff and Sean represented BASA at a seminar held by the Heritage Lottery Fund on 11 September discussing how the Fund should respond to the challenges facing heritage during the recession. It was a very useful meeting. Cliff has followed it up with a letter to Jenny Abramsky, the Fund's Chair, raising a number of issues about ensuring that Black and Asian History is reflected through the projects the Fund supports, and on tightening up the expectations on ensuring projects work to increase the diversity of their audiences and community engagement, including with BME groups. Increasing BME Participation in Visits to English Heritage Properties and Sites. Cliff represented BASA at a seminar held by the National Audit Office on 18 February discussing how to increase BME participation in visits to English Heritage properties and sites. The NAO report Promoting participation with the historic environment has been published. The BASA Committee has discussed the findings, conclusions and recommendations, and further representations have been made to the NAO. It is planned to send written evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee which will review the report. The letter can be seen by clicking here.
National Archives Cuts. Following BASA being alerted by Ruth Paley's BASAJISC posting to the National Archives planned cuts, the Committee considered the issues and a detailed report from Ruth who attended a meeting on the cuts organised by the Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society. A letter has been sent to National Archives expressing a number of concerns and hoping that they will not adversely affect continued work to make more visible Black and Asian history, and stressing the importance of continuing to undertake detailed cataloguing. The letter can be seen by clicking here.
Schools History Project. BASA has reopened dialogue with the Schools History Project, with a meeting between Dan Lyndon, Martin Spafford and Michael Riley, Director of the SHP.The meeting was very productive and discussions were held about the potential contributions that BASA can make to the 2011 SHP Conference, as well as ways in which BASA can support SHP in working with teacher training agencies to increase the awareness and understanding of teaching Black and Asian British History in schools.
Blue Plaques. BASA has written to English Heritage to re-start dialogue on the progress being made with blue plaques to commemorate significant Black and Asian residents and activists. Museums Association Conference Market Place. BASA had a stall at the Museums Association Conference Market Place on 7 October. Fabian Tompsett, Arthur Torrington, Philip Morgan and Sean Creighton were able to talk to a lot of people, and get up to date with some very interesting developments, especially among those Museums that have seen 2007 as something that needs to be continued in various way,s including greater involvement with the histories of the diverse communities in their areas. It is hoped that this will lead to fruitful dialogue, and help the work of the Museums, Libraries &Archives Working Party convened by Fabian. A detailed report will be given to the BASA Committee on 16 November.
Uncle Tom, The Chinese laundry man, and 'Justice' in England & Wales, 1888-1905. The text of Jeffrey Green's talk on 16 September at the Black & Asian History Seminar series organised by Marika Sherwood at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies can be read here.
The Old Bailey Reports - oldbaileyonline.org. As a follow-up to his Uncle Tom etc talk Jeffrey Green put together a note about what he has found in the Old Bailey reports on line. It can be read here.
If you are interested in hiring a set of display panels about the 1900 Pan African Conference (you can read the details here) please contact the BASA secretary
RESOURCES
From time to time BASA will put original resource material from members collections on the website.
India and the Second World War
In 1943 the India League published a series of notes for speakers and students on India.
Notes on India 1
Notes on India 2 (from Sean Creighton's collection)
League of Coloured Peoples 1944 and 1945
On 14 March 1945 the League of Coloured Peoples held its Annual General Meeting in London. The agenda included the minutes of the 1944 AGM.
League of Coloured Peoples 1945 1
League of Coloured Peoples 1945 2 (from Sean Creighton's collection)
Marika Sherwood's new book revealing the extent to which Britain benefitted from the slave trade after its abolition in 1807. You can download the flyer here
African Diaspora Research Project, Victoria and Albert Museum
Arthur Torrington's open letter to Anti-Slavery International
The Black and Asian studies association
B.A.S.A 2007