The History Hotline

The second part of our episodes with Dr Michelle Yaa Asantewa and Craig Riley where we continue to discuss the life and legacy of Michael Abbensetts and Empire Road.

Why does Venezuela claim Essquibo and what will this mean for Guyana? Currently a referendum is on to Venezuelans to claim part of Guyana which is oil rich, which could mean the annexation of the territory from Guyana. Tune in more to find out about what is happening in the region and how this links to other global conflicts in Palestine and Congo as the powers that be exploit for their own gain....

Join us this week as I chat with Dr Michelle Yaa Asentewa and Craig Riley to talk about Michael Abbensetts and Empire Road. Empire Road is a British television series that was aired by the BBC from 1978 to 1979. It was produced by Peter Ansorge and written by Michael Abbensetts . It was the first British TV series to be written, directed and acted by predominantly Black artists and creatives. Born...

This week we're joined by Ama Badu (English Literature BA, QMUL 2018). Ama is an assistant editor at Faber and Faber. We talk about all things literature, history, publishing and the current state of British society. Connect with us here Follow Ama here Books mentioned: Clean by Juno Dawson, The Women in Me by Britney Spears, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, All...

In August 1970, the MV Christena, a government owned and operated ferry boat crashed in between the islands of St Kitts and Nevis. This week's episode explores what happened that day and the legacy of such a tragedy for one of Britain's colonies. Follow us on social media here.

A YouGov poll has found that 53% could not name a single Black British historical figure. This was reported in a Guardian article which was shared widely with many comments about the state of the education system amongst other issues with the public perception of Black British history. In this episode I'll be discussing the research and thinking about the ways we might see a change in this area. C...

After a brief pause (apologies) we're back! This week's episode is all about critical thinking amongst many other things. I talk about my experiences on the Young Archivist course organised by Serendipity. I also think about what is happening in Palestine and how we must critically evaluate and think about the way we are taking in information in the age of [mis]information. Our socials #FreePalest...

This week we talk about the Black British Voices survey and wider findings ( https://www.bbvp.org/ ) as well new publications within Black British History. Lawrence Wishart Radical Black Women series ( https://lwbooks.co.uk/radical-black-women-series ) and Preeti Dhillon's new book ( https://www.dialoguebooks.co.uk/titles/preeti-dhillon/the-shoulders-we-stand-on/9780349702827/ ) Our socials: https...

This month is Black History Month in the UK and the theme is 'Saluting Our Sisters' so this first episode is all about Mary Prince (c.1 788 - c. 1833) who was the first Black woman to publish an autobiography of her experience as an enslaved person. Our socials: https://linktr.ee/thehistoryhotline BHM Events, Wandsworth Library: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/caribbean-women-in-britain-tickets-728...

This week's episode reflects on the Black British History conference I co-organised, exploring 'truths' within Black British History... bringing together scholars, students, public historians, practitioners and those in adjacent studies together to discuss the discipline and these are my reflections and musings. Our socials: https://linktr.ee/thehistoryhotline

This week's episode is all about the Black Parents Movement (BPM) and intergenerational activism featuring Hannah Francis. We discuss her chapter in Many Struggles: New Histories of African and Caribbean People In Britain edited by Professor Hakim Adi ( https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745347653/many-struggles/ ) the campaign to save the MRes at Chichester ( https://www.historymatters.online/save-mr...

On this week's episode I talk through my PhD research and give you a little bit more of an insight into my current work exploring 'the intergenerational experiences of West Indian children in the British education system in Britain and the West Indies.

This week we're joined by Raafeke from Parrotbeetie podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2lxVY4Cmn4INPwuyXqI3yY?si=5120fcc66f5e43d4 Our Socials: https://linktr.ee/thehistoryhotline

This week we'll be thinking about the first iteration of Caribbean carnival on British soil, in January 1959. Spearheaded by Claudia Jones and supported through the work of the publication she founded: The West Indian Gazette. We'll explore the carnival and the Carnival Queen beauty contest it boasted and what that meant for the politics of beauty and how Black women's beauty was broadcasted on th...

You might be just as shocked as we are to find out that The University of Chichester have stopped enrolment onto The History of Africa and the African Diaspora MRes (Masters of Research) and Professor Hakim Adi who worked tirelessly to build the course has been told his post is at risk of termination. This is disgusting behaviour by the University of Chichester and action is urgent to re-open enro...

This is an end of season roundup, I'll be discussing Windrush75 "celebrations" and also thinking about some current news topics and updates of events covered in previous episodes such as the Stephen Lawrence case and the case of ChildQ. If you have any episode requests for after the summer break please email us at: thehistoryhotline@gmail.com or contact us via social media... Socials: https://link...

The arrival of the Windrush ship to Britain in 1948, is the symbolic mark of post-war migration from the Caribbean. It is often credited with being the first (even though it wasn’t) ship to bring people from the Caribbean to Britain and 'Windrush Generation' is now the term given to that generation that arrived between 1948 and the early 1970s. This episode is part two of episodes on the Windrush...

The arrival of the Windrush ship to Britain in 1948, is the symbolic mark of post-war migration from the Caribbean. It is often credited with being the first (even though it wasn’t) ship to bring people from the Caribbean to Britain and 'Windrush Generation' is now the term given to that generation that arrived between 1948 and the early 1970s. This episode begins to explore the Windrush Scandal w...

John Richard Archer born 8th June 1863, he is most known for being elected Mayor of Battersea in 1913. The first Black mayor of a London borough. We discuss his political career, his acceptance speech and subsequent attitudes towards his race and racism and his legacy. Our socials: https://linktr.ee/thehistoryhotline

Pan Africanism was one of the major political traditions of the 20th century and it was as early as 1898 that Trinidadian Henry Sylvester Williams conceived the idea of a world conference of black people... which took place in 1900 but the vision was very clear, early on from Williams.

In the aftermath of King Charles III's coronation I share my thoughts and reflections on my time in Jamaica... considering Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness' absence at the coronation and what that may or may not mean... The question of Jamaica becoming a republic, what the people think about it and the other Caribbean islands considering making the leap to becoming republics. Links: https://...

This week we are joined by special guest Professor Hakim Adi, speaking about the History Matters Journal, The Young Historians Project, his most recent publication and upcoming special collection. We discuss the lack of Black history teachers, making history more accessible, the impact of BLM on History within higher education and institutional racism in the 20th and 21st century. Read the latest...

This week's episode continues on from 105, we'll be thinking about the organisation founded by Dr. Harold Moody... The League of Coloured Peoples (LCP). Links: https://linktr.ee/thehistoryhotline

The life and times of Dr Harold Moody, the Jamaican born doctor that studied at king's College London in the early 20th century. We discuss his politics, religion and beliefs and think about why some may argue he is an underrated figure of the era. Links: https://linktr.ee/thehistoryhotline

On 22nd April 1993, 18 year old Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a gang of white youths in a racially motivated attack. 30 years on from the anniversary of his death, this episode details the battle fought by his family to get justice for Stephen. It explores the policy changes and legislation shifts that have followed his death from the Macpherson Report (1999) to amendments to the Race Relations...