Black Lives, British Justice

Date / time: 11 June, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Black Lives, British Justice

University of Hertfordshire students have uncovered more than 500 black victims, witnesses, and defendants in London’s courtrooms during the age of enslavement.The records show not just evidence of conflict, but friendship, work, luxury, and everyday life. To promote interest in black history and heritage, we are building a new searchable website of these materials.

But we want to get this right, so we need your input.

  • How should we present historic racist language?
  • Is it more important to highlight employment, or evidence of black leisure?
  • Do you have any concerns we should consider?
  • Have you seen good examples we should follow?

We are seeking to connect with people interested in black history to join us for a free history coffee morning at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton 10am-1pm on 11 June 2019 to learn about and discuss these rich records and the black lives they reveal. This is an opportunity to learn about Black history in London, and to contribute to the future of the field.No experience necessary. Space is limited, so reserve your place now.

What we will be doing:

Working together with historians and postgraduate history students, participants will be exploring a variety of records related to black experience in eighteenth and nineteenth century London. These include satirical cartoons and written accounts of crimes tried at the Old Bailey. Participants are warned that they may encounter material that represents black historical people in stereotypical or racist ways. It is not our intention to promote those views, but instead to challenge them with the historical records themselves.

Questions? Contact: Dr Adam Crymble, Senior Lecturer of Digital History, University of Hertfordshire. a.crymble@herts.ac.uk

This event has been supported by the University of Hertfordshire and the Black Cultural Archives