Thursday 15-10-2020 - 15:13

This Black History Month the Library is celebrating some trail-blazing figures by highlighting resources exploring black history and achievement through our BHM reading list and a wide variety of unique resources including the Library archives and ‘Zine’ collections.

The Archives: Expanding the Collection

The Library houses many archives that serve to inform us about people, places and their history; here at Salford we have extensive collections including images of the University (you may have seen these on the Library Twitter account) and information on anything from brass bands, to important writers and election campaigns!

When finding black history in the archives, Archivist Alex Mitchell noted that the task was not an easy one. Frustratingly the collections could have been subject to hidden bias in the past meaning that black people are often unnecessarily hidden or absent from the historical record.

With this in mind, Alex explains what she found:

“In terms of the University’s history, our photographic collection provides a visual record of four of our black honorary graduates recognised for their achievements: Emmanuel Evans Anfom, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Diane Modahl and Clive Lloyd. I was also intrigued by a photograph showing the Queen’s visit to the University in 1961, where she was met at the entrance to Maxwell by an unidentified black woman. Who was she? My plan is to trawl through the records to find out.

I also wanted to find information about former students. There are a few photographs featuring BAME students but frustratingly their names have not been recorded. Looking at student magazines has been more successful. The student paper Amus News which ran from 1961-1971 contained coverage of anti-apartheid protests and turned up two students who held prominent positions in the Students Union: Johnson Osuntuyi, who was World University Service Secretary, and Colin Banjo who was SU Secretary. In 1963 Johnson was chosen to represent Great Britain at the International Summer University held in Finland and attended by delegates from 16 countries. Johnson was one of five delegates to speak at the event, giving a paper on ‘Youth’s Contribution to Progress’.

What do the other Special Collections we hold tell us about black history and how can we use them? Well I think there are potentially some research projects here. Our Brass Band Archive could provide an opportunity to explore the links and relationship between brass banding and black history, whilst our large collection of British Election Campaign material from 1949-1970 could contain information about black election candidates, and be used to study attitudes towards race and certain groups in the third quarter of the 20th century.”

If archives are the evidence of the past, we like other institutions need to make sure that what we capture as archives today truly reflects who we are and the different communities and individuals who make it, representing BAME people, religions and nationalities; this is something that the Library is committed to making happen, to ensure that history in this case is not repeated.

Zines: A Unique Perspective

The Library has recently been working on introducing a collection of ‘Zines’ (a self-published material) – the upcoming collection will offer a perfect opportunity to allow reader to explore new

area of black history, with first-person accounts on subjects often outside of the scope of traditional publishing – we look forward to updating you on impending collection very soon!

A few inspiring examples include:

Shotgun Seamstress by Osa Atoe – Atoe uses cut ‘n’ paste diary-style entries, interviews with fellow black punks and puts the spotlight on influential rockers to discuss her experiences in the white-dominated subculture.

Black Women Organising – A zine that includes accounts from Brixton Black Women’s Group activists about the challenges its members faced.

Temporary Hoarding – A legendary UK fanzine which accompanied ‘Rock against Racism’ events in the late 70’s and early 80’s. You can see this one for yourself at the local Working-Class Movement Library.

Looking beyond Black History Month

The Library believes that celebrating and recognising black history shouldn’t be limited to one month. The Black Lives Matter reading list continues to be updated with new e-books, videos, websites and articles, and any suggestions of items the library can purchase or add to this list are welcomed. Just head to the ‘request a new item’ webpage to put forward your suggestions!

If you’d like to learn more about the zines and plans for a Zine Zone in the Clifford Whitworth library, please get in touch with Abby Kearney (a.kearney@salford.ac.uk). More information about the University’s Archives is available on the Library website or contact Alex at A.Z.Mitchell@salford.ac.uk