Brixton’s Black Cultural Archives has won this year’s National Diversity Award for the Community Organisation for Race, Faith and Religion.
This award ceremony in Liverpool last week celebrated the achievements of organisations, communities and people from across the country.
BCA’s award recognises its “dedication to tackling issues in today’s society, and commitment to championing diversity”.
For more than 30 years the archive has collected and preserved Black history and heritage material. It also provides resources for everyone to learn about the contributions of Black people to Britain throughout history. Some materials date back to the second century.
The collection includes personal papers, organisational records, rare books, photographs and small objects.
Since the BCA opened its heritage centre in Brixton in 2014 it has had more than 45,000 visitors.
Major exhibitions there have included Re-imagine: Black Women in Britain; Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s – 1990s; Black Georgians revealed the everyday lives of Black people from 1714 to 1830; the current Rastafari in Motion is the first full-feature exhibition to tell the story of the presence of Emperor Haile Selassie I and the emergence of the Rastafari movement in Britain.
Barrister Miranda Brawn, vice-chair of the BCA, said: “Black Cultural Archives have been working tirelessly to help increase diversity, equality and inclusion, especially regarding race, within the UK for the past 30 years. I am very pleased that we have been recognised for our hard work.”
Dawn Hill, Chair of the BCA said: “Black Cultural Archives is immensely proud to have received this National Diversity Award for Race, Religion and Faith. It recognises the tremendous work the organisation is doing in championing the inclusion of the diverse Caribbean and African communities, and of their historic importance in the social and economic life of the UK.”
BCA resources are available for primary, secondary and further education.
