AFRICAN STORIES IN HULL AND EAST YORKSHIRE By Gifty Borrows

AFRICAN STORIES

IN HULL AND EAST YORKSHIRE

PROJECT BY GIFTY BURROWS

Iexperienced History in school as a narrow subject.I was told of a triumphant Britain celebrating its successes over the centurieswitheventsfocussedon thecontributionsofmainly white men both here and overseas. In recent years however, otherhistorieshavestartedtoemerge,anditispleasingtorealise that our African Stories in Hull and EastYorkshire project has beensignificant inencouraging thischangeeversincewegained funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2016. Of course,the passion for British Black history is not a new phenomenonandIhavebeenprivileged tohaveknownsomeof the experienced voices who have been trying to raise its profile foreons.Forme,myjourneystartedrelativelyrecentlywhenIwas pointedinthedirectionofPeterFryer’sStaying PowerandKathleen Chater’s Untold Histories.Here,the presence of Black people in Britain’s history wasn’t hidden.Several findings in such texts,for instance the revelations of a presence beyond theWindrush generation,spurredmeon towonderwhat Icouldfindabout my ownarea.Iwantedtobringamoreinclusivehistorytomydoorstep.

By then,I had lived in EastYorkshire for over 20 years.I knew thatitwasn’t themostdiverseofregionsrelativetoothercounties, certainly not in the towns;even Hull,the biggest city,had only just started to become more diverse - mainly as a result of its university population.I also knew that Hull was best known for being the birthplace ofWilliamWilberforce which to my mind made it even more relevant to appraise Black presence in this regiongiventheCity’stendencytoreferenceitsAfricanconnection. This shaped the idea of what became the African Stories in HullandEastYorkshireproject-adesiretobringBlackhistoryinto theregionanddemonstrate that ifBlackpresencecouldbefound in EastYorkshire,a Black history is likely to exist in other regions. It was also a means of giving this region a chance to hear the storiesofthelivesofpeopleoftheAfricandiaspora,givenitsunique relationship to thestoryof theslave trade.With thisinmind,the aim was to look for stories of people of African descent who had lived,stayed or visited the region from 1750s to 2007,following theWilberforcetimelineofbirthtothebicentenaryoftheabolition of the slave trade. The idea was innovative and untested,and given our region there were many sceptics questioning whether we would find sufficientmaterial,butitwasanexcitingchallengetocontradict perceived wisdom.Being a first-time applicant,I had no notion of the difficulties in applying for an HLF bid but the plan was strong,the timing right and I’d eventually gathered enough support for the application;after all,Hull was then on the cusp of becoming the UK’s City of Culture. I was not immune to the initial fear of not finding enough material (especially when considering the current regional demographics) but this was soon dispelled as the project got underway.Ourteamwastinyandthereweremanyvolunteerhours and favours to call upon,but we have achieved a considerable bankofresourceswhichisfreetoaccess.Wehaveover100stories, 30 oral histories,and have completed two exhibitions to date with a third scheduled for February 2019 in Goole. We have lent our expertise and advice in answering plenty of enquiries from the media,academics and the general public. The website has been used as a source for educational purposes aswellastoinspireotherstolookwithintheirowncommunities to find their hidden stories. Most pleasing of all however has been giving a platform for families to share their stories,have their presence acknowledged and foster many conversations within family members;a journey of self-discovery for many. It is my hope that the success of this project reaffirms the strongbeliefthathistoryshouldbetoldinitsentiretywithoutany selectiveamnesia,sothateverybody’scontributionisacknowledged. Theprojecthasshownthat,ratherthanbeingerasedandbrought outfornoveltyvalue,examplesofBlackpresencecanbeseeninall historiesintheeverydayandshouldbepartofthecommonnarrative.

Photo caption to go here

Laureen Sylvestre – one of over 100 stories featured (image courtesy of Cleo Sylvestre)

With a vast number of diverse communities across Greater Manchester, ensuring they are reflected within the policing workforce is something Greater Manchester Police (GMP) remains committed to. Throughregularcommunityengagement events,GMP actively demonstrates their commitment tobuildingtrustandconfidence within all the communities of Greater Manchester including our vibrant African and Caribbean communities. GMP want the African and Caribbean communities to feel confident to join GMP as a first choice of career.They will have an opportunity to improve the lives of their neighbourhoodsandlocalcommunitieswhile havingafulfilling,rewardingandstablecareer. GMP’scommitmenttoimprovingdiversity and representation has been recognised nationally and last year won the Guardian award for Diversity in Recruitment.The Positive ActionTeam and wider recruitment teamarerightlyproudof theirachievements during the last few years. GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins and NationalPoliceChiefCouncilleadforWorkforce Representation and Diversity said:

“The policing of this country is based on consent and we have overhauled our recruitment processes to ensure we bring people in to better reflect the communities we serve. There is a gap between the representation of black and Asian minority officers in GMP and the wider local population; so we have been working positively and over the last two years to address this. As a result, of the thousand new officers we have recruited over the last two years, 22 per cent have come from a black or Asian minority ethnic background. Building the force Manchester is the principal city of the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in NorthWest England.

Greater Manchester is the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a population of more than 2.55 million.

Manchester also has the third largesteconomyintheUnitedKingdom together with a population density of 11,439 people per square mile and is the 9th densest city in the UK.

Greater Manchester Police,(GMP) was formed in 1974,serving more than 2.5 million people and covering an area of 500 square miles.GMP is split into 11 districts,which includes a specialist district based at Manchester International Airport.

in this way is one of my absolute top priorities, and it’s great that we’ve already seen how communities want to support us by being a part of policing and keeping everybody safe.” If GMP are successful in their drive to increasediversityinclusionandrepresentation; they are confident that this will help them deliver theverybest policingservice theycan. GMP have a fantastic benefits package including a competitive salary.If you are interested in joining please email recruitment.support@gmp.police.uk and quote ref BHM.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins and members of the GMPs Positive Action Team having been awarded Guardian Diversity in recruitment award

Chief Supt Arif Nawaz and Elaine Clarke- Williams Head of GMPs Neighbourhoods Confidence and Equalities working with the Positive Action Team in Cheetham Hill

Greater Manchester Polices Positive Action Team

Members of GMPs Positive Action Team working in Rochdale Greater Manchester