A Caribbean Reminiscence Day & Annual Lecture

During Black History Month 2019 we held a day event which included a reminiscence session in the morning where the Caribbean community was invited to share their stories of life in the UK. Here is the advertising callout we made in conjunction with Newham Black History:

“We are holding a Reminiscence day where we are asking for members of the community who are above the age of 50, who came from the Caribbean to Britain and especially Newham after WW2. We would like for you to bring items and stories! Maybe the ‘Grip’ you came with or the hat you travelled over to this strange new place. We would like to hear about your experiences which will be recorded or filmed and then edited and kept in the Heritage and Local Archives Library for future generations Of Newham Residents to ‘Recognise the past’.”

This was followed by our 2019 Lecture which was given by historian and community activist Bro Cecil Gutzmore titled ‘Caribbean Settlers in Britain Post WW11’. His talk covered why African people from the British Caribbean came to the UK, the challenges they faced and their legacy going forward. It was well received and followed by a lively Q&A chaired by Dona Henriques. Bro Gutzmore had spoken at our very 1st Event/Lecture in 2010 so it felt quite special and right for him to ‘have the floor’ and speak to us once more.

Pearla Boyce and Winston Pinder both received our Community award and the Barbados Nation newspaper covered the event with a double page spread. Our attendance was down mainly due to a clash with the funeral at the same time of a popular member of the community. Refreshments were well received and it was the first time we had held a lecture in the South of the borough. We very much appreciated the excellent facilities and the kind support of the staff of the Custom House and Canning Town Community Neighbourhood Centre and Library.

Event Photos