“Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is a fantastic initiative highlighting the living legacy of older Black women artists and creatives, whose narratives continue to be underrepresented in the archives.
– Bernardine Evaristo
Speaking Volumes awarded grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to archive the contribution of pioneering older Black British women creatives
Speaking Volumes is announcing a £103,136 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Women Speak Volumes Between Generations, which aims to amplify the neglected contributions of pioneering older Black women creatives and inspire the next generation to engage with archives.
Despite making up 50% of the population, women only occupy around 0.5% of recorded history.1 Although some books are starting to tell these stories, such as the American history of The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis (2023), the proportion of that 0.5% representing Black women in the UK is miniscule.
As for inspiring the next generation, the 2022 report “It’s about handing over power”: The Impact of ethnic diversity initiatives on curatorial roles in the UK arts and heritage sector 1998-20212noted that museums need to encourage school-age children to see their organisations as good places to work. It also recommended greater collaboration with the higher education sector to create stronger pipelines and training schemes.
A partnership with Words of Colour and the George Padmore Institute (GPI), supported by Coastal Carolina University and 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, the National Lottery funded project will capture the lives and trajectories of older Black women creatives, and their hidden legacies, through seven public oral history events. Their stories will be filmed by Speaking Volumes and published in a book by GPI.
Up to 10 young Black women (aged 18-30) will be recruited as volunteers to be part of the Women Speak Volumes Between Generations hybrid programme, giving them invaluable experience in the arts, publishing, heritage, digitising archives, curation, event management, interviewing and filming.
The volunteers will attend eight workshops, led by heritage, arts and culture specialists, receive tailored mentoring and explore developing their own community oral history project, centring older Black women – in their lives and in their communities. A roundtable event for mid-career Black female entrepreneurs will be co-facilitated by the volunteers.
The project also aims to inform the ongoing discussions about the democratisation and decolonisation of archives, collections and heritage spaces, to ensure cultural inclusion and older Black women’s voices are championed as an imperative for all communities.
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Sharmilla Beezmohun, Co-Director, Speaking Volumes, said: “We’re delighted to receive a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for Women Speak Volumes Between Generations, building on our long-term work around older women in the arts. This project will place pioneering Black women creatives front and centre by amplifying their lesser-known stories alongside mentoring and training the next generation of Black women to ensure that British history becomes more inclusive and tells the story of us all.”
Joy Francis, Executive Director, Words of Colour, said: “This is an important, timely and much needed initiative, as it puts a spotlight on the overlooked contributions and narratives of older Black women in the arts and creative industries. Women Speak Volumes Between Generations will also empower young Black women to develop archives and document the heritage of older Black women in their communities, amplifying the importance of heritage and skills building for the next generation of curators and community archivists.”
Sarah Garrod, Archivist, the George Padmore Institute, said: “Archives are often seen as an end point, a historical resource that documents the past. However, participation in the Women Speak Volumes Between Generations project will allow the George Padmore Institute to demonstrate how exploring archive collections can spark innovation, inspire creativity and encourage intergenerational discussion.”
Booker Prize winning author and literary activist Professor Bernardine Evaristo added: “Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is a fantastic initiative highlighting the living legacy of older Black women artists and creatives, whose narratives continue to be underrepresented in the archives. There is a wealth of talent out there among the next generation of young Black women storytellers, archivists and curators, but there are still systemic obstacles to career progression that need to be overcome. This project is an important and creative intervention to redress the balance while celebrating Black women whose entrepreneurial work deserves attention.”
