And the Poet Laureate of Jamaica is... our dear Calabash Festival friend Kwame Dawes. Congrats! 💚💛🖤

Rebellion To Romance our 2022 ode to 2nd generation West Indians in 70s & 80s #Leeds lives on @ Leodis the city's photo archive w. a selection of images curated by susan pitter and portraits by the great Vanley Burke
⬇️⬇️
tinyurl.com/23ys26y2
#heritagefund #outofmanyfestival

We are so happy to be able to share this important collection on our Leodis photographic archive.

Thank you to susan pitter
JamaicaSocietyLeeds & all the contributors for making this possible.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…

🏏New project UCL History This Is Black Britain, in partnership with The ACE Programme Charity African Caribbean Cricket Association (ACCA).
🏏A free, interactive, online public archive for Caribbean cricket in the UK.
🏏Please share flyer and look out for forthcoming workshops: Sheffield, Preston, Leicester, Bristol, London.

An inspirational, fascinating sharing of too-often ignored experiences of African Caribbean men and women in engineering in #Leeds . We were transfixed. Watch online now to see why.
#EngineeringLeeds #Smeaton300 #Leeds 2023 #heritagefund #ACEsupported #JamaicaLeeds
Details below ⬇️

What a loss. RIEP Benjamin Zephaniah.🖤

This. To say Mr Alford 'Ford' Gardner is deserving of The Leeds Award is an understatement. He is the true definition of a pioneer and trailblazer. We - this city, this country - are indebted. Thank you Mr Gardner. Thank you. 🙏🏾🖤💛💚

Congratualtions to our very own Alford Gardner who answered Britain's call to serve in WW2 and again to help the nation rebuild after the war. He is proud of both his beloved Jamaica and Leeds, his home for 75 years - and we could not be prouder of him. SALUTE Mr Gardner! 🖤💛💚

Today, at our Jamaica House HQ, surrounded by memories of Caribbean WW2 RAF servicemen of #Leeds on #RemembranceSunday and always...
#WeWillRememberThem
#LestWeForget

Our For King, Country & Home pop up exhibition on Caribbean WW2 RAF veterans of #Leeds w. new stories added is at our Jamaica House HQ tomorrow Nov 11 and Sunday Nov 12 then The Reginald Centre Nov 14 + Hunslet Community Hub & Library fr. Nov 22. Times + info ⬇️
tinyurl.com/3mktte47
#LestWeForget

Over 25,000 people visited our Rebellion to Romance exhibition Leeds Libraries, including this visitor a year ago today.

#OutOfManyFestival #heritagefund

📷David Lindsay

Our Rebellion to Romance book is on many a Christmas list. susan pitter gave her take on writing the must-read ode to being Black, British and coming of age in 70s & 80s Leeds, Jamaican culture's impact on her generation and working with Vanley Burke ⬇️

tinyurl.com/4yhamwze

#OtD 21 Oct 1935, the St Vincent labour rebellion began on the British-occupied Caribbean island when workers protesting against high prices in the capital, Kingstown, were fired on by police libcom.org/library/labour…

For anyone who ever asked why my work always reflects on my parents' generation, those who came from the Caribbean to make this #Leeds , this Britain greater than it could ever have been without them, go watch tonight's Pride of Britain Windrush special and tell me how could I not?

We'll be tuning in to watch our very own 97 years young #Leeds superstar Mr Alford Gardner share his Windrush story and pioneering life tonight at 9pm. We've always known he was special. Now the world does too. 🖤💛💚

Leeds Council News

Dad. Copperworks 1970. Like many of his 1st gen. Caribbean peers he worked in engineering rebuilding post-war #Leeds , building lives for their children. Hear more Oct 24 at Smeaton300 Engineering Leeds panel Leeds Libraries A wait list but worth the wait
tinyurl.com/mvxacrfd

✨Would you like to be part of a Leeds call & response to Sonia Boyce’s exhibition? We’ve a singing & a poetry workshop on Saturday led by legends Annette & Paulette Morris aka ‘Royal Blood’, award-winning poet Dr Rommi Smith & renowned musician Christella Litras. See🧵for links

The wonderful #Windrush Monument created by Jamaican🇯🇲master sculptor Basil Watson is 1 of 7 works of public art nominated for excellence in public sculpture in the UK. Please vote for this important work
pssauk.org/awards/ Nadine White. Marcus Ryder Nathaniel L. Peat

Huge big up and congrats to Jason Allen-Paisant winner of the 2023 Forward Prizes for best poetry collection - (plus he's #Leeds ...and #Jamaica ...and one of our super talented #OutOfManyLit writers 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 🖤💛💚

This is Malika Booker. Her poem is Libations. That's the prize. She's the winner! #ForwardPrizes #Leeds