History once written solely by the victors, has been unpicked and re-threaded in Tapestry of Black Britons, reclaiming a space for the stories that have always been here. Tapestry acts as a metaphor for the interconnectedness of human experience, asserting that British history is incomplete without recognising the deep and enduring contributions of peoples of African descent.

To launch and grow this initiative, I pivoted into business and founded Tapestry of Black Britons CIC, a community interest company. This multi-panel, touring artwork is being developed in collaboration with artists from across Britain and the Diaspora. It honours historic and ongoing Black contributions— stretching back to Roman Britain and Tudor courts. These stories are British stories. This tapestry can be our shared cultural legacy.

Despite initial challenges in securing funding, I pressed forward, investing in the project and in myself. ‘Build it and they will come’ is an adage I believe in. I am grateful for the the initial just giving contributions and awards from new funders such as Society of Merchant Venturers, Worshipful Company of Weavers and Worshipful Company of Broderers’, but I am still in need of £3500 for the weaving bill incurred to create these first two tapestries (WW2 commemoration and a Yoruba creation story). The inaugural exhibition launch at Bristol’s Arnolfini Gallery in May 2025, aligned with global VE at 80 commemorations. This exhibition offered an opportunity to highlight Black service in WW2. The next exhibition will be 15 August which is the official end of WW2 - VJDay. Location TBA

There has been lots of exhibition interest in the first two tapestries and plans to create more tapestries via creative collaborations are in the works. Exhibition bookings until 2027 include:

Birmingham's Legacy Centre of Excellence

London's Fulham Palace

Liverpool's The Black E

Bristol Beacon

Wells Cathedral

University of Creative Arts - Crafts Study Centre Museum

Hastings Museum

Manchester Central Library

By elevating inclusive British history through an iconic cultural artifact, the Tapestry of Black Britons can help create an inclusive historical narrative that builds awareness, pride, and unity. It will not only bridge historical knowledge gaps but also help foster culturally enriched and connected communities. Since British history is a global history each tapestry also links to the Diaspora. I hope you will want to support this project in its infancy. Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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