a special blog by Christelle Pellecuer
Black History Month has for BSWN always been a time to celebrate the local Black heroes and inspirational members of community. It is no different this year, particularly as Black History Month has never been more relevant and important to celebrate that in 2020. This year has shown us that Covid-19 is not a the great leveller and has a significantly disproportionate impact on Black communities in Bristol and nationally, but also reignited the discourse around Black Lives Matters. The death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Michael Brown in the US and Mark Duggan, Sheku Bayoh, and Leon Patterson in the UK served as the catalyst for a greater uprising against the continuing prevalent systemic oppression here and across the Atlantic, giving voice to a generation of activists unlike seen since the 1980s. It is our hope that by continuing sharing stories of our elders who faced incredible hardships, systemic and personal alike, that we will help inspire the next generation of local activists picking the effort to build a better future for themselves and their communities.
As part of the work under the Intangible Cultural Heritage project, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two wonderful women, to find a bit more about their inspiring stories.
Earlier this month, I met Cherry Hartley over an afternoon tea with Tony Wilson, a long-time friend of Cherry. It was an afternoon to remember as Cherry had so many stories to tell and what an incredibly inspiring woman she is! Cherry has led a life full of strength and resilience and at 87 years strong, she is still very active as Treasurer and member of the Malcolm X Elders group. Cherry arrived in England, from Jamaica, at the age of 27 years old and have been here for 60 years now. She is also an amazing dressmaker and as a fashion enthusiast, I was spoilt by stories of dressmaking but also by the colourful life she has led despite hardship at times. Cherry is truly inspiring and embodies the generation of elders who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1973 and who face many challenges but rise above it all.
Listen to an extract of my conversation with Cherry to find out a bit more about her own story:
You can also listen to her interview with Radio BBC Bristol from October 2014 HERE.
A week after meeting Cherry, I met another inspiring woman, Sheila Hutchinson. Sheila is based in Somerset but as she was visiting her daughter in Bristol, I took the opportunity to meet up with her and discuss her early life in Antigua, growing up on a sugar plantation. Sheila is a great storyteller and listening to her narrating her own story, I could picture life in Antigua in those days. Sheila moved to the UK at the age of 18 to work for the NHS and she has made important contribution in the sector and has passed on her skills to numerous students over the years. We also discussed living in Britain today and Sheila sees the next generation as change makers and see movement such as Black Lives Matter as a positive way to move forward towards a better society.
You can listen to my conversation with Sheila here:
Both Cherry’s and Sheila’s lives are full of poignant stories that should be shared widely to inspire the next generation about determination, resilience and living life to the full however life presents to us. I am grateful to have met them both of them and truly grateful for the time they allowed me to spend with them and for sharing their stories with me.