Archives field trip with sweet-thang zine

'By the term 'Ancestors' - I refer to the human souls & non-human beings, that stem throughout the breadth of Black families & lineages, whose knowledge seeps into the sinew of our own, whose intelligence contributes to the life of land around the world, whose crops - reared over millenia - can come to sustain us, if we choose to honour what they've grown.' - Dorneka Ward from sweet-thang, issue 8

As part of sweet-thang's dreaming practice, we believe it is important to reflect, look back and honour the dreams of the writers, artists, teachers, community workers and community that came before us. We believe it is important to continue working to bring their dreams into reality, and remember the work they did to create space for us today.

We'll be looking at a curated selection of material looking at the legacy of Jessica and Eric Huntley - the Guyanese-born political activists and community leaders who led and participated in several movements for racial and social justice in the UK. They were also the founders of the publishing house Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications and published radical texts ad artworks by writers from across African/Caribbean diaspora. Their work has been in the LMA since 2005 - a breadth of archival material charting their impact across many areas of Black British activism.

We can't wait to sift through and reflect on themes of remembrance, preservation, heritage and Black British identity. You'll also have a chance to creatively respond to the material by making your own personal manifesto for community action, preservation and remembering.

The trip will begin at Spa Fields (just behind the archives) with an intention setting stroll - tea included! It's a chance to break the ice, have a meeting point and get comfy. We then walk over to the archives where we'll receive a quick fire tour the archives and then leaf through curated material from the Huntley Archives before ending the day with a creative exercise.

Accessibility information at The London Archives: https://www.thelondonarchives.org/visit-us/accessibility

If you have any access needs or questions, please email [email protected] <3

Info: We will start the event at Spa Fields with tea. This will be a space to break the ice, get to know one another, share intentions for the day and take a relaxing walk before heading into the archives. ADDRESS: 91 Skinner St, London EC1R 0WX

Info: We will make our way to the archives, and meet our tour guide.

Info: We will have a tour of the archives, along with house keeping, handling the collection and more.

Info: We will write our manifestos in the Huntley rooms, and have the opportunity to reflect and write personal manifestos based on the following themes:
Heritage
Preservation
Remembrance
Legacy of Black Publishing/Black Art

We will also encourage people to share with the group!

Host or Publisher Sweet-thang zine