The French Atlantic: A Tricoloured Ocean Workshop

We are happy to announce an upcoming collaborative workshop that will focus on the French Atlantic:

“Final details – including the rationale behind the workshop, information about speakers and a full programme - for ‘The French Atlantic: A Tricoloured Ocean’ are now available on the website of the Centre for the Study of International Slavery, based at the University of Liverpool:

http://www.liv.ac.uk/csis/

This is a collaborative workshop taking place at the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, on Monday 21 May 2012 from 12.30 to 4.30 pm. As spaces are limited, we would be grateful if you would inform Devi Hardeen (d.hardeen@liv.ac.uk) by Monday 7 May 2012 if you would like to attend.

We hope that you will be able to join us.”

Black Salt: Early Black Sailors and Nelson’s Navy

Dr Ray Costello’s forthcoming talk at the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, on Friday 21 October 2011: “Black Salt: Early Black Sailors and Nelson’s navy. A talk on the experience of seamen of African descent in Nelson’s Royal navy”.

Places are limited – for more events details click here

Toxteth 1981

(Via liverpoolmuseums.org)

A community exhibition to mark the 30th anniversary in July 2011 of the riots in Liverpool 8. A timely exhibition which features the memories and photographs of local people who were affected by Liverpool’s riots in the 1980s. The exhibtion includes previously unseen materials.

At the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool: 1 July 2011 – 1 July 2012.

For more information click here

’42′ Women of Sierra Leone

(c) Karen Lee Stow (detail of photo)

The exhibition ’42′ Women of Sierra Leone presents 42 portraits of the women of Sierra Leone, by British photojournalist and writer Lee Karen Stow. This exhibition is part of Liverpool’s first ever international photography festival, Look11.

At the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool: From 4 March 2011 – 5 April 2012

For more information click here

New Review: Sex and Race in the Black Atlantic Mulatto Devils and Multiracial Messiahs

The Black Atlantic Resource is pleased to present a review of Dr. Daniel McNeil’s, Sex and Race in the Black Atlantic by Muli Amaye

As a part of the Routledge Studies series on African and Black Diaspora this book is a necessary and useful addition. The fact that it brings a lot of research and theory together makes it a good starting point for information on an important part of the diaspora that is often overlooked, other than with curiosity or somewhat derogatory terms.

Overall the book is informative and provides the reader with extensive notes at the end broken down by chapters and a thorough bibliography. McNeil has linked theories and philosophies to literature and contemporary TV/film in a way that provides the reader with understandable examples and brings the text to life. The writing is accessible and readable using language in a way that opens the book up from pure academia and puts it into the public sphere.

The book is split into 6 main chapters plus a preface and a conclusion. The headings for the chapters do not give a lot of information to the reader looking for specific information, however, the short preface deals with this. Each chapter draws on what has been written previously i.e. Schulyer, Rank and Dubois are used comparatively throughout, which gives the book coherence.

Overall this book is a comprehensive look at the mixed race population bringing the debate right up to date and offering a fresh look at theories and philosophies by introducing creative expression into the forum. By challenging what has been written and debated before, McNeil encourages the reader to think beyond what has always been on offer by leading theorists and to question whether it is time for a fresh look.

Click here to read a brief overview of each chapter.

Battersea’s First Black Mayor: John Archer

New! John Archer profile at the Black Atlantic Resource. This profile details the life and political career of John Archer one of Britain’s earliest black mayors.

John Richard Archer (1863-1932) born and raised in Liverpool, was elected Mayor of Battersea in 1913. A self-styled ‘race man’ John was elected as a representative to the first Pan-African Conference at Westminster in July 1900. Also a life-long socialist, John travelled at least three times around the world in his youth, living for a while in the West Indies and North America.

When John was nominated for Progressive candidate for Mayor in Battersea in November, 1913. the black vote was very small indeed. The newspapers made something of a fuss, as the first Catholic mayor T. P. Brogan, had been John Archer’s mentor prior to his election. When John was elected on 10 November, the Black American activist, W. E. B. Dubois, wrote in his journal, the Crisis, that he “…fears no man, and brooks no insult because of the race to which he is proud to belong.”

This profile has been contributed to the Black Atlantic Resource by historian Dr. Ray Costello from his publication Liverpool Black Pioneers to find out more about this publication click here.

Read more about John Archer… and leave your comments here.