Heritage Grants
Developed by the Angelou Centre, a black-led women’s centre based in Newcastle, this grassroots initiative involved women from a wide range of backgrounds in the recovery, mapping, digital archiving and promotion of their unique heritage and cultural identities.
Over 30 ethnicities were represented in the project. Using a participatory approach, over 260 black and minority women were supported to be active decision makers in the project and learn new skills.
Over 100 women gained accreditation through the Open College Network in volunteering, research and digital skills. Participants connected through community workshops, art practice, training events and heritage visits and, in turn, engaged thousands more people with the online archive and local and regional exhibitions they produced.
'Movement' hosted by the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, for example, celebrated the migration stories of minority ethnic women, so rarely part of local heritage narratives.
Adeola, a regional volunteer, said: “I really enjoyed [the project] because before I was not an outspoken person but in the group … I was able to communicate with people. I met people from different countries and backgrounds. I learnt about people’s heritage. Things I didn’t know before … when we saw the play about the suffragettes I learnt that women here also went through a lot before we got to this stage. I was thinking that the laws for equality were always there. I really love the group.”