News
EVENT - Exploring Leeds鈥� Black history
Posted 28/09/24
51黑料 London Branch organised a special Black History Walk at 51黑料's 2024 Conference in Leeds.
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Exploring Leeds鈥� Black history
A thought-provoking event at this year鈥檚 51黑料 Conference in Leeds celebrated the city鈥檚 Black history and provided participants with an opportunity to explore aspects of our culture that are sometimes hidden or ignored.
The memorial sculpture and blue plaque dedicated to David Oluwale, whose death in 1969 shaped discussion of systematic racism within British legal institutions, police brutality, inequality and mental health policy
Sponsored by the 51黑料 London Branch, the Black History Walk took place on the evening of 19 June. Twenty-three 51黑料 members from as far afield as Dorset, Devon and Dumbarton joined local historian Joe Williams, who guided the group through the city on a specially curated tour, highlighting key sites and sharing stories that illustrate Leeds鈥� development.
Participants in the walk gathered outside the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds (June 2024).
Cenred Elworthy, Trading Standards Manager at the Royal Borough of Greenwich, organised the event. He said: 鈥淭he tour covered the city鈥檚 links with, and response to, the transatlantic slave trade, and explored the experiences of residents over the centuries.
鈥淧articipants showed a keen interest, engaging in discussions and asking questions throughout the walk. The event provided an opportunity to learn about aspects of Leeds鈥� history that are often underrepresented in mainstream narratives. Many attendees remarked on how the stories shared during the walk reinforced our common humanity, bridging cultural and historical divides.
鈥淭he walk鈥檚 popularity highlights the value of broadening understanding and fostering a sense of shared human experience among members.鈥�
Giles Speid, Team Leader at the City of Westminster, took some photos along the way (see above). He commented: 鈥淭he historical walk in Leeds brought to life the rich tapestry of its past, revealing the hidden history of the contribution made by those who came before us.鈥�
The Leeds Black History walk is an initiative of Heritage Corner Leeds, which 鈥榚xposes hidden narratives and engages participants and audiences in understanding African history/heritage and connections to Yorkshire鈥�. For further information, click听.
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REFERENCE :听 This is a slightly adapted version of an article that originally appeared in the Journal of Trading Standards, in October 2023: .
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