Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities collections guide

Southwark Archives holds the following resources and collections. Please get in touch if you would like more information, or if you have material you would like to donate to the archives.

Biographies

• Climbing up the Rough Side of the Mountain by Sam King (920 KIN)
• Mary Seacole the most famous black woman of the Victorian age by Jane Robinson (920 SEA)
• Lee Boo of Belau: A Prince in London by Daniel J Peacock (920 LEE)
• Rio: my story by Rio Ferdinand with Shaun Custis (920)
• The life of Una Marson 1905-65 by Delia Jarrett-Macauley (920 MAR)
• Speak Of Me As I Am: The Black presence in Southwark since 1600 by Stephen Bourne (325.1)

Religion

• Being Built Together: Black Majority Churches in the London Borough of Southwark, 2013 (289.9)
• Sunday Service by Chloe Dew Mathews (289.9)
• Cuttings and ephemera relating to Black majority churches in Southwark (Cuttings files: 289.9)

Reminiscence

• Beautiful Blues: Stories by Caribbean Elders edited by Jacob Ross (PAM325.1)
• A Place to stay: memories of pensioners from many lands compiled by Age Exchange Theatre Company; edited by Pam Schweitzer (325.1)
• So this is England Peckham Publishing Project, 1984 (PAM325.1)
• Caribbean reminiscences: 50 years on transcribed by Barbara Ellis; illustrations by Lasmin Ellis (PAM325.1)
• Our story by Alo-wa black women's oral history group. (pamphlets 325.1)

Arts and culture

• North Peckham Civic Centre, Posters and Ephemera c.1970s-1990s (Cuttings files: 791)
• Cuttings/flyers relating work of black theatre companies: Blue Elephant Theatre, London Bubble, Umoja Theatre Company, Theatre Peckham, Dual Impact productions, Temba Theatre, Southwark African Arts and Culture Group etc. (Cuttings files: 791)
• Walworth and Aylesbury Community Arts Trust c. 1980s (pamphlets: 374)
• Blue Elephant theatre annual report, 2001 (PAM792.6)
• Live Arts For Southwark – report including needs of Ethnic Minorities in the borough, 1984 (PAM706 SOU)
• Carl Campbell Dance Company 7 – 25 Years of Contemporary Caribbean Dance (PAM 793.32)

Family history

• A tree without Roots by Paul Crooks (929.1)
• Immigrants and Aliens: A guide to sources on UK immigration and citizenship by Roger Kershaw and Mark Pearsall (325.1)
• Tracing Your Caribbean Family leaflet by Southwark Archives, 2012
• Tracing Your West Indian Ancestors by Guy Grannum, 1995 (books 929.3 PRO) (2012 edition available at Peckham Library)

Immigration and travel

• The Peopling of London: fifteen thousand years of settlement from overseas edited by Nick Merriman (325.1)
• Keep on moving: the Windrush legacy. The black experience in Britain from 1948 by Tony Sewell (325.1)
• Cosmopolitan London: past, present and future by Marian Storkey, Jackie Maguire, Rob Lewis (325.1)
• Windrush : the irresistible rise of multi-racial Britain by Mike Phillips and Trevor Phillips (325.1)
• Black Londoners, 1880-1990 by Susan Okokon (325.1)

History

• Reasons for using East India Sugar printed for the Peckham Ladies African and Anti-Slavery Association (1828) (reproduction) (PAM 325.1)
• Crowther’s Journey: The life and times of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther produced by Southwark Pensioners Centre (PAM 325.1)
• A sermon on the African Slave Trade preached at Maze Pond, Southwark by James Dore (1788) (reproduction) (252 RESERVE)
• The impact and significance of Dr Harold Moody and The League of Coloured Peoples in its promotion of social reforms in housing and employment for black migrants in London between the 1930s and 1940s by John Graves (2014) (PAM 920MOO)
• Harold Moody and the League of Coloured Peoples (Race, Faith and Politics Lecture) by David Killingray (1999) (PAM 920MOO)
• The Colour Bar by Dr Harold Moody (Pamphlets: 325.1MOO)
• The Keys: The official organ of The League of Coloured Peoples 1933 – 1939

Modern Communities

• B-One: Stories of Bengali People in SE1 – audio interviews and project booklet, 2011 (Archives 2011/57)
• Tackling Racial Harassment in Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and the London Borough of Southwark – by Southwark United Group Against Racism, 2002 (books 325.1 SOU)
• London’s Ethnic Minorities: One City, Many Communities – an analysis of 1991 Census results by Marian Storkey (books 325.1 STO)
• Sun-a-shine, Rain-a-fall – London Transport’s West Indian workforce (PAM 325.1)

Films and audio

• Divided by Race: United in War and Peace 2013, 90 mins (LHLDVD129) - a documentary on race relations in Britain after WWII with testimonies of veterans including West Indian and African women and men.
• Eid Celebration at Harper Road 1990, 47 mins (LHLDVD5) - general views of children and families celebrating the religious festival of Eid at Harper Road Library.
• Looking for Sierra Leone 2011, 23 mins (LHLDVD127) - the Sierra Leonean community of Southwark discusses their history, politics and culture on the 50th anniversary of Sierra Leone’s independence.
• Mosque: The Story of Islam in Southwark 2010, 2 hours (LHLDVD113) - five films exploring the history of Islam in Southwark and the role of its mosques within their communities.
• Not Our Problem 1984, 26 mins (LHLDVD20) (LSA4378) / 26 mins – the experience of being black and living in Southwark.
• Peckham Travellers 2010, 90 mins (LHLDVD120) / 90 mins - selection of films focusing on traveller life from the Southwark Traveller’s viewpoint.
• Southwark For Jesus 2013, 10 mins (LHLDVD112) - film promoting this organisation’s work.
• Brandon Estate Cine Club Films 1960s-1970s – home movies featuring black communities from Southwark.
• Hidden History: Harold Moody 2000, 29 mins (LHLDVD40) – the story of Jamaican-born Dr Harold Moody who established the League of Coloured Peoples in London.
• Sam King Interview (audio) 42 mins (LHLTAPE49) - former Mayor of Southwark Sam King recalls his upbringing, experiences during WWII and returning to the UK on the SS Empire Windrush.
• Carnaval del Pueblo 2001, 60 mins (LHLDVD182) – a film of the latin-American carnival in burgess Park that was once a regular event on the Southwark festival Calendar.

Page last updated: 15 September 2023