Black History Month
October was Black History Month - a time for us to celebrate the Black British community in Camden and beyond, and to recognise their contributions and discover their stories.
Marking this occasion, Fortune Green councillor Nancy Jirrira wrote eloquently in the Camden New Journal about her journey from Zimbabwe to Camden and shares the stories of others like her who have made Camden their home.
She recounts how Nelissa grew up in a Jewish-Caribbean-West African family, her family’s support for Grenfell survivors, and her passion for social issues expressed through poetry. She also tells us the story of Ashante, who moved from Brixton, and her advocacy for African and Caribbean women. These glimpses offer a taste of the rich tapestry of stories and experiences that make up Camden’s Black community.
You can read the full write-up here.
"I came from Zimbabwe and settled in Camden 50 years ago and spent my lifetime working in the NHS. My story is perhaps typical of many who came to Britain. I love the many stories of people who came from Africa and the Caribbean and chose to settle in this bustling bit of London.
There’s Nelissa, one of thirteen children of a Jewish/Caribbean and West African family who moved to Camden in 1969. She went to St. Michael’s school and recalls table tennis at Fairfield playcentre and feeding animals at City Farm. Though she remembers being afraid of the National Front, the community cohesion and diversity in Camden was always stronger. Her family helped support victims of Grenfell, where two family members died. She was amazed by all the donations by the people of West Hampstead, through her church there.
She finds her voice on social issues through writing poetry, which has taken her into schools, prisons and youth clubs. Last year she performed at ‘Black on the Square’ in Trafalgar Square.
There’s Denny the tube driver, whose mother was English and his father from the Caribbean. His family was loving and free from racism, but at school he was aware of being mixed-race. He told me this experience of being conscious of his identity gave him an acceptance of different kinds of people.
Ashante came to Camden from Brixton in the 1990s. She liked the varied culture, the markets and the Green Spaces. She misses having ethnic shops that sell foods like yams, plantains and okra. She goes out of Camden for these!
She was involved with a community organisation in Somers Town, supporting African and Caribbean women. She said the African and Caribbean community is the ‘invisible’ ethnic group, which only gets heard when there is something that has gone wrong across London, like knife crime.
These glimpses into the lives of three among 1000s who settled here, give a feeling of the richness of experience of Black people in Camden and the many roles they continue to play."