Northamptonshire Black History Association
This three year community-led project aimed to record and promote the histories and stories of Northamptonshire’s Black communities over at least the past 500 years.
It involved three main activities:
- Historical research to reveal the Black presence by looking at newspapers, parish records, paintings, photographs, gravestones and other media;
- Community archiving to preserve the records of today’s black communities and individuals for future generations;
- Oral history interviews to document the stories and experiences of people living in Northamptonshire today.
Northamptonshire’s Black history stretches back many centuries and is partially revealed through evidence in the records. It is equally important to record and document the history of Black people in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The project worked to discover where the records of Black community activities are located and to ensure that they are identified, sorted and preserved for the future. These records document social and community life as well as fights for equality and justice. They are part of the local history of the county and a vital part of our communal heritage.
As John Arthur, Chair of the Ghana Union, said “important things happened because of ordinary people and it is vital therefore that their records are preserved.”
The records of 15 Black community organisations representing at least 40 years of community activity have been placed at Northamptonshire Record Office by project staff.
Below is a list of the community organisations that have had their archival records preserved for future generations.
- Alan Howard Collection
- Caribbean Peoples Organisation
- Dostiyo Asian Women and Girls Centre
- Ghana Union
- Latch Key Project
- Liberian Association
- Mental Health Project
- Northampton Afro Caribbean Organisation (NACO)
- Northampton Council of African & Caribbean Communities (NCACO)
- Nursery School Project
- Sankofa
- Somali Community Association
- United Social Club
- Wellingborough Black Consortium
- West Indians Parents Association (WIPA)
This project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Home Office, Lloyds TSB Foundation and a number of smaller grants ended in 2005 but a new Association was formed to develop and disseminate the work previously done by the project.