A group of campaigners are on a mission to open the UK’s first museum exploring Black British history. We know what you’re thinking – how the heck is that not already a thing? Yes, loads of museums and galleries have put on excellent temporary exhibitions on the subject (and there are the very good Black Cultural Archives in Brixton), but of the country’s 2,500 museums, not a single one is dedicated to it.
The Black British Museum Project, which is being led by a group of heritage-industry professionals, hopes to highlight lesser-known historical narratives, including ancient African civilisations and the Black presence in Roman Britain. The campaign started in 2019 and has since evolved into an online archive. The group hopes to have a permanent venue established within the next five years.
Project director Sandra Shakespeare told The Big Issue: ‘It’s time for a change, it’s time for now, and it’s time for a space where people think: actually, yeah, this is us. This is equally our space, and this is a museum we can call home.’
Shakespeare pointed out that the museum is not trying to replicate the likes of Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum and London’s Museum of Slavery and Freedom. Instead it is intended to be somewhere that young people can feel celebrated and share a sense of pride in their heritage.
She added: ‘We’re hoping it’s a space that can show bold designs, different types of stories, different narratives and stories and aspects of Black British history that are not necessarily widely known, but we know will have appeal. If they come from the communities, as we hope they will, then even better.’
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