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Following a very successful series of talks in 2022, the Oral History Society will continue its ‘In Dialogue’ series in 2023 to mark the Society’s 50th anniversary. In partnership with the Institute of Historical Research, the aim is to hear about the work of organisations relating to remembering, capturing, and preserving stories. This will be followed by a discussion led by a member of the OHS and opened to the audience. 

The African Caribbean Achievement Project (ACAP) was set up in 1995 to promote and raise the educational development of people of African & Caribbean descent. ACAP is an education-based charity that has fought for racial justice and equality in education since it started and continue to do so to this day. ACAP is a volunteer-led service and provides mentoring, advocacy and educational support to young people. ACAP also provides advocacy and support services to parents, as well as a range of other activities. Over the years the service has developed to include young people from all sections of the community and not just African and Caribbean young people.

Speakers:

Claudia McFarlane is a Black History teacher who draws on oral history to inspire young people and adults to take pride in their heritage and to develop a sense of belonging and identity. In this talk, she will outline the work of ACAP in relation to history and heritage, including setting up the Windrush Community Awards in 2021. In 2022, ACAP published Windrush: Three Generations: Stories of Hope, Courage & Success, a book that celebrates the achievement and legacy of the 1950s generation who arrived from the Caribbean.

Claude Hendrickson is a community leader and Project Director based in Leeds who will talk about his work with boys and young men, focusing on projects such as the Race Card toolkit and developing capacity for self-build in the house building sector with Frontline Selfbuild. A founder member of many organisations, he was involved in setting up sound systems in Leeds with young black people in the mid-1970s, a story that featured in the 2022 exhibition, Rebellion to Romance.


Discussant:
Heather Norris Nicholson is a member of Oral History’s editorial team and currently an independent writer and researcher. She has worked extensively with visual and oral sources to create more inclusive historical understanding in and beyond Britain. Her interests in archival underrepresentation, memory and identity have contributed to recent oral history-related projects with West Yorkshire’s African-Caribbean descent communities.


Chair:
Joanna Bornat is a long-standing member and trustee of the Oral History Society and an editor of Oral History. Now retired, she is emeritus professor of oral history at The Open University.



All Welcome. This event is free, but booking is required.