Wolverhampton Communities: Legacy of Empire

Organiser: BE-ME, c/o Light House Media Centre, The Chubb Building, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1HT.

Tuesday 14th October 2015

At the end of the Millennium the Black and Ethnic Minority Experience (BE-ME) recorded the experiences and views of over hundred African-Caribbean and South West Asian people who had settled in Wolverhampton in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. These in-depth interviews, available of video and audio, chart their journeys to Britain, first impressions of Wolverhampton and the struggles to establish a decent life in an often hostile environment.

Speakers to include contributors to the original BE-ME archive and others invited to update it, including their descendants and recent settlers in Wolverhampton.

Discussion to include:

- The relevance of testimonies to Wolverhampton now in the context of Black History Month.

- Proposals to update records with testimonies of the next generations and recent settlers.

- Ways to ensure records of the experiences of younger people are included.

- Issues arising from moving to Wolverhampton such as integration into the community in Wolverhampton, institutional responses including the justice system.

- Dimensions of history, recognising differences in perspective.