Editor's Welcome

P a w l e t B r o o k e s M B E

Welcome to this edition of Vanguard. This issue has the spirit of Sankofa, as we take an opportunity to look back on the highlights of 2022 whilst taking a glimpse forwards to 2023.

This year we celebrated a return of a full inperson programme for Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2022 (LDIF22), as well as a full programme of pilot events for the development stage of Unearthed: Forgotten Histories which saw the start of our Young Archivists course and a thoughtprovoking series of encounters exploring Independence, taking us from Windrush Day through to Black History Month.

In this copy of Vanguard we look at one of the many hidden stories of the Midlands, The Countee Family and their legacy. From stumbling across a photograph online what unfolded was a fascinating history of a local family against the backdrop of Victorian, Edwardian and post-war Leicester.We have been fortunate enough to have access to photographs, posters and a beautiful autograph book that have been treasured by the descendants of the family over many years.

The recent census results place Leicester as one of the first “super-diverse” cities. One of the fastest growing communities is people identifying as having African heritage, who made up 6.3% of Leicester’s population in the 2021 census. Unearthed: Forgotten Histories has created an opportunity to highlight the underacknowledged African presence in the Midlands and the disappearing Caribbean community adding texture, context, and depth to a highly sophisticated contemporary history. For those who have been on the journey with Serendipity, they will know that technology is close to our hearts as a tool to bring people together and break down barriers. We are delighted to share a little sneak preview into a project for the Black Digital Dance Revolution working with researchers at the Creative Institute for Technology, De Montfort University and Antoine Hunter, a dancer and choreographer known for sharing his passion for Deaf culture.

As we come to the transition from one year to the next, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support by building new and exciting opportunities to connect with and beyond Vanguard.

T H E C O U N T E E C O L L E C T I O N A T T H E L I V I N G A R C H I V E

A d e r o n k e O m o t o s h o

H e r i t a g e P r o j e c t M a n a g e r a t S e r e n d i p i t y I n s t i t u t e f o r B l a c k A r t s a n d H e r i t a g e

Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage is currently curating the digital archive collection of items that chronicle the movement of the Countee family from the 1870s to present day Leicestershire, UK.

Francis Nelson Countee was born into slavery in Loudoun County, Virginia, USA. After escaping to Canada Countee travelled to the UK as a Methodist preacher, eventually settling in Leicester with his wife and children. Reverend Francis Nelson Countee became wellknown, often speaking to large audiences around the country about the horrors of slavery and delivering sermons on behalf of the Temperance movement. He would also compose and perform songs, starting a legacy of performing arts that would continue through generations to come. His grandchildren, George Frederick Countee and Frances Mabel Countee, were popular music hall artists in the early 1910s performing as ‘Fred and Flo’ and ‘the Two Countees’ .

The Collection

Due to this success, descendants of the Countee family have a collection of photographs, posters, ephemera, certificates and an original autograph book documenting their family legacy reflecting the Temperance movement in the latter half of the 1800s through to the decline of the music hall scene in the 1920s. This collection captures the individuals in often seen situations, questioning perceptions of class, race and the social conventions of the time.

The Countee legacy is a story of mixed heritage marriage and how the following generations have navigated life and work.

The Reverend Countee’s public performances were in the form of sermons and lectures at various gatherings to support the Temperance movement in the late 1800s. Temperance societies preached the virtues of moderation and abstinence from alcohol. Indeed, when Reverend Countee and his wife Maria died they were noted as an ‘evangelist’ and a Bible woman respectively. One could wonder what they would make of their grandchildren who would go on to entertain crowds with song and humour in music halls and bars that would sometimes have a reputation for rowdy and risqué entertainment.

Image Credit: Double act 'Fred and Flo' (George Frederick Countee and Florence Gertrude) 1919. Photographer: unknown. Courtesy of Allan Countee

The Importance of Unearthing Local Histories

Local histories have a role to play in contemporary society; they allow one to access the changing and hidden demographic of an area. This then raises questions as to why these communities can be found in the Midlands. Was it due to the war, jobs, culture ,etc.? What does this then tell us about the region, its people, their wealth and education. How did they dress? What part of the city/village/town did they live? Are they house owners?

Assumptions can be made that the documentation of the Countees exists because of the nature of their professions and the fact it has been preserved is due to the care and dedication of the family, the owners of the collection. The newspaper cuttings, reviews and the posters paint a picture that sparks curiosity and prompts more questions.

How we can unearth further histories about the less flamboyant Black individuals and families who would not have had a poster on display outside theatres and clubs across the country or have publicity shots housed in national music hall archives?

This is where the Living Archive and similar projects can make a difference. The use of digital technology will play a key role in giving more opportunities for preserving histories, such as those of the descendants of Reverend Francis Nelson Countee, by keeping the personal physical archive with the custodians, and providing wider access to personal archives via digital platforms that would otherwise remain unseen.

More than Windrush - Legacy and race in contemporary British society

What can the unearthing of these rich local histories inform us about Black presence in British cities that is more than Windrush and scholarly history books, to provide more accurate perspectives on mainstream narratives about race in the UK? What can they tell us about how society has changed and Britain’s historical and economical relationship with not only the Caribbean, but the legacy of the Commonwealth, the US and beyond? Bringing these stories to life, stories that hide in plain sight, can resonate with people of all heritages and sit comfortably alongside the legacies of Windrush as part of British history as a whole.

The Countee Collection Exhibition

There is an opportunity to explore the Countee’s hidden history. From January 2023 to April 2023 Serendipity will be showcasing personal stories of migration, settlement and identity at the Leicester Museum and Gallery.

This exhibition explores the fascinating history of a local family against the backdrop of Victorian, Edwardian and post-war Leicester, using photographs, ephemera and documents that create a more complete collective and historical picture of the Midlands. Long treasured by the family, this is the first time that many of the archival items have been exhibited publicly. With thanks to Diane Clafton, Richard Elkington, Allan Countee and their families, this exhibition is a part of a growing living archive that brings to light untold stories through the use of archival images from the Countee Collection housed at Serendipity. The Living Archive is a new digital archive hub for the Midlands.

(In partnership with Leicester Museums and Galleries. Supported with funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, Leicester City Council and Arts Council England)

The Countee Collection and Exhibition

Leicester Museum and Gallery, New Walk, Leicester United Kingdom

Tuesday 10 January – Friday 21 April 2023

BOOKS

HOODS

TY'RONE HAUGHTON

Haughton's debut book includes poems that explore childhood, manhood and fatherhood. And how the quality of the former affects the latter.

Buy online

PHOTOGRAPHY: RACE, RIGHTS AND REPRESENTATION

MARK SEALY

Featuring analyses of work by black photographers in the UK and internationally, interviews with key figures and personal reflections on the changing landscape of photography, Sealy explores the past, present and future of decolonial visual practIce.

Buy online

THE ADVENTURES OF A BLACK EDWARDIAN INTELLECTUAL THE STORY OF JAMES ARTHUR HARLEY

PAMELA ROBERTS

This meticulously researched book tells Harley's unknown story from humble Antiguan childhood, through elite education to the turbulent England of World War I and the General Strike.

Buy online

AFRICAN AND CARIBBEAN PEOPLE IN BRITAIN

HAKIM ADI

The history of African and Caribbean people in Britain is often reduced to when the Empire Windrush arrived in 1948, but acclaimed historian Hakim Adi demonstrates that from the moment humans arrived in Britain, there have been African and Caribbean men and women set at it's heart.

Buy online

BLACK ENGLAND

GRETCHEN GERZINA

Black England tells the dramatic and moving stories of the Black community in Georgian England. Whether prosperous citizens or newly freed slaves, their tales have been ignored for too long.

Buy online

YOUNG ARCHIVISTS

Aderonke Omotosho

2022 saw the pilot of the Young Archivists programme delivered by Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage. A resource developed to change the landscape of career opportunities for those underrepresented in the heritage sector

The Pilot

This pilot took place in July 2022 over four intensive days delivering modules covering:

Oral History, providing the fundamentals of interviewing, ethics and good practice. Delivered by East Midlands Oral History Archive

Documentation and Legacy Through Diverse Eyes, delivered by Sandra Shakespeare, founder of the Black British Museum Project and Museum X. Exploring contemporary archive projects in the UK that are reinterpreting the historical and colonial context of some long-forgotten collections, aiming to change the gaze and notions of ownership of history through co-creation workshops

Unpacking Heritage Policy with an overview of key cultural policies in the last century that have shaped the current arts and heritage sector

Heritage-specific Marketing and Technology with Mel Larsen, Copyright and Licensing with Naomi Korn, and Good Digital Preservation in Archiving with Stacey Anderson from The Box, Plymouth 96.7% of the workforce in Libraries, Archives and Records identify as ‘ white’ , compared with 87.5% of the general working population.

UK Labour Force Survey statistics

The programme also included visits to exhibitions and archive collections, giving opportunities to interrogate different ways of curating and talking about work by Black artists. Participants visited Mónica de Miranda, The Island at Autograph, London and Hew Locke, The Procession at Tate Britain, London.

Archive tours included a talk at Tate Archives and Reading Room at Tate Britain as well as the Stuart Hall library with Tavian Hunter, Library and Archive Manager at Iniva. This was a great opportunity to connect with archivists, cultivate support for the initiative and prospect for future opportunities for the cohort.

Evaluation

When recruiting participants, it became apparent that the term ‘ young’ had to be interpreted beyond chronological age. The rationale behind the course was the lack of Black, Asian and Latinx archivists in the workforce, with the percentage getting less and less further up the leadership ladder. This lack of diversity was also reflected in the volunteers in the heritage sector.

We are still catching up and ‘ young’ could become interchangeable with the word ‘new ’ , referencing those that are new to the sector or archiving for historical reasons. A note to the sector as a whole.

As well as providing high quality practical training to those who attended, Young Archivists was a great opportunity to listen, learn and identify the current needs of potential heritage workers.

This will be an annual programme, welcoming new participants as a one-off course as well as integrating with existing modules in established heritage courses. As we develop these opportunities for mentorship, training, volunteering and HE progression, we can build strong connections with other organisations that will support diverse workers in the sector, bridging the gap that is lacking in traditional and established spaces.

Cohort feedback

Feedback from this year’s cohort is crucial for the developing the programme for future cohorts.

The Young Archivists programme was successful in:

Educating participants about retrieving and organising Black archival material including the method, theory and practice of archiving in relation to ethnic minorities

Identifying issues specific to underrepresented backgrounds that require further investigation and development. Issues such as analysing

Eurocentric curations of Black history and discovering stories that are not being shown

Highlighting the importance of networks and connections to reduce feelings of isolation in the field and how to foster a sense of empowerment by discussing issues that usually get minimised or dismissed

Connecting participants with current archivists to demystify what a career in archives could be and highlighting what opportunities are available in the sector

References

CILIP and the Archives and Records Association. (2015). A study of the UK information workforce: Mapping the Library, Archives, Records, Information Management and Knowledge Management and related professions in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh. CILIP/Archives and Records Association.

Interview

Daljit Rai, Young Archivist alumni, talks to Heritage Project Manager, Aderonke Omotosho about her experience on the pilot programme and how she sees her career path taking shape.

What motivated you to take part in the Young Archivists?

As a British Asian, from Leicester, it was a good opportunity for someone from an ethnic background who has training in libraries to build up on current skills. It’s also great to be around people from a similar background as libraries are 96.7% white and archives are even less diverse. It’s the first time I’ ve ever been surrounded by people like me who have a similar upbringing whilst talking about and looking at our culture and at new perspective moving away from the mainstream gaze. (The programme) gave us room to offer our own perspectives in a supportive environment. and it was brilliant to share career goals, experience and development. (The programme) was a supported and safe space, a great experience.

Has it changed any of your ideas about the sector?

It was great to meet experts who were Black women with their own consultancies and to see how they had done that. I could quantify a lot of the knowledge I already had and I could build upon my past experiences, reinforce that knowledge and identify ways in which to develop them.

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Any highlights from the course?

DR

I really enjoyed the tasks set by Sandra Shakespeare and Mel Larsen on reassessing archival material and marketing in arts and heritage. This gave us the challenge to see how we would curate and promote an exhibition. We chose 'Africa Before the Pain' , using Congolese artwork with VR headsets to explore how we could bring the exhibition to life for a Black History Month event. I was able to share my experience and develop knowledge and thinking from a less Eurocentric perspective.

AO

Your ambition?

DR

My main aim right now is to complete my MA and my research on methodology that quantifies the lack of diversity on the shelves of the academic libraries. Now that I realise the opportunities from doing a PhD, I would like to take this research further. However rather than just recommending reading lists, I will look at how to decolonise libraries and the organisation of information. I was doing this before Young Archivists but it has given me the encouragement to take it to PhD level. My ambition? To be the first British South Asian director of a UK university library. If more of us sit at the top we can make changes.

Daljit Rai has a BA Hons in Ancient History and Archaeology and worked with Trent and Peak Archaeology Trust. Rai then spent six years working in academic libraries and was De Montfort University's first Decolonising the Curriculum library trainee. Rai is now completing an MA in Librarianship and plans to go on to complete a PhD.