Virtual tour of the Black Cultural Archives

About the Black Cultural Archives

Their mission is to collect, preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in the UK and to inspire and give strength to individuals, communities and society.

They have become the leading non-governmental and heritage institutional voice for the Windrush Generation; and are part of the Windrush Action Group and the Windrush National Organising Committee.

About the speaker

Ayshah Johnston, Learning and Engagement Manager, Black Cultural Archives

Ayshah Johnston joined the learning and outreach department of Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in January 2019. She divided her time between her role at BCA and the completion of her PhD, which concerned the development of poor relief and social services in the Caribbean from 1838 to 1938, focusing on gendered perspectives of the experience of poverty, as well as on the work of women as activists in movements of self-determination.

Upon completion of her thesis in December 2019, Ayshah’s role at BCA evolved to include responsibility for programming and wider public engagement. She draws on her experience as a museum and community educator to reach out to adults and young people who are not accessing formal education, and also facilitates research collaborations with UK universities, with a view to disseminating BCA’s collections to diverse audiences.