The Launch Party: In the Grip of Change: The Caribbean and its British Diaspora

Senate House Library (SHL) launched ‘In the Grip of Change: the Caribbean and its British Diaspora’ on 29th October 2024 with an evening drinks reception in the Periodicals Room for a wide range of guests including those from the Caribbean territories and communities represented by this year’s autumn exhibition.

The exhibition, designed to showcase the archive of Caribbean material held in SHL’s Special Collections, focuses on the gradual transition to independence in the 1960s-80s, and the period that followed. It explores the pre-independence experience of British Caribbean migrants to the UK, their resilience and resistance in the face of structural racism, and the long history of the Windrush Scandal. It points to the significance of transnational activism through a spotlight on the lives of C.L.R. James, Billy Strachan, and Claudia Jones. With the goal of uniting the personal with the political, the exhibition also draws on oral histories from the AHRC-funded project ‘The Windrush Scandal in its Commonwealth and Transnational Context’. 

At the exhibitions centre stands a suitcase, also called a ‘grip’, which formerly belonged to John Mark Adamson (1938–2024), who came to the UK from British Guiana (present-day Guyana) in 1961. The ‘grip’ pulls the themes of the exhibition together, pointing to the human, personal stories that intersect with the public sphere; the intertwined histories of the Caribbean and Britain, the tradition of migration, transnationalism, and the forces of decolonisation, which continue to impact people’s lives.

In her welcome remarks, the Librarian and Programme Director, Catriona Cannon, talked about the importance of keeping the Special Collection safe for future generations and making them available to everyone by working in partnership with communities and individuals. She observed the exhibition aimed to do exactly that by bringing together items from the collection which have never been exhibited before alongside personal stories from British Caribbean communities. She hoped it would be a springboard for further collaboration and be seen as an opportunity to deepen existing relationships. 

Catriona then invited British Trinidadian actor, Rudolph Walker CBE to provide the evening’s opening remarks. He spoke about his impressions of the exhibition and how one of the items on display had recalled his experience of the ‘colour bar’ in 1960s Britain. He had been invited to record a few episodes of a popular comedy series, On the Buses, including the first episode, The Early Shift.  The character-role he had been offered was due to appear in every episode.  Suddenly this offer was dropped with no explanation. He later discovered the production company felt the Black protagonist would be bad for ratings. Importantly, Rudolph never lost his enduring optimism nor his determination to succeed and is today best known for his long-running portrayal of Patrick Truman in the soap opera, EastEnders. Guests were later provided with the opportunity to meet with him and purchase signed copies of his recently published autobiography, Walking with Dignity (2024).

The award-winning British Guyanese author, publisher, and spiritualist Dr Michelle Asantewa was called upon by Catriona to officially launch the exhibition with the pouring of libation, a ceremonial tradition rooted in West African culture. She offered homage to the ancestors of  all present and asked that we all bear in mind those who, like Paulette Wilson, lost their lives before receiving compensation for the devastating impacts of the  Windrush scandal. She spoke too about the importance of showcasing the history of British Caribbean communities and remarked on the goodwill that could be felt in the room. Guests responded to Asantewa’s deeply moving words with ’Àṣẹ’, the latter calling on the power of manifestation and sharing similarities with the word, Amen. 

The co-curators of the exhibition Argula Rublack and Dr Juanita Cox followed Asantewa’s libation with a short talk about their respective interests and the expertise they brought to the shaping of the exhibition.  Rublack, Academic Librarian (History) at SHL, had been keen to make more members of Black British Caribbean communities and emerging scholars aware of SHL’s Caribbean collections.  She pointed out some of the collections of particular interest, which are also featured in the exhibition: papers formerly belonging to historian and intellectual C.L.R. James, the papers of civil rights activist Billy Strachan and Political Archives gathered by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS). 

Argula remarked on one of the standout items of the exhibition, a letter from Norman Washington Manley to C.L.R. James dated 1960. The letter originates from three boxes of C.L.R. James papers, which cover his time as Secretary of the West Indies Federal Labour Party, and his campaigns against the break-up of the West Indies Federation. The Federation was established in 1958 to achieve regional independence, but the letter on display reveals some of the forces that eventually pulled it apart in 1962. Norman Manley, then Premier of Jamaica, reports that he has been in negotiations with London to give Jamaica independence as a single nation apart from the Federation. C.L.R. James’ reactions to Manley’s letter are inscribed on the page with annotations, question marks and exclamation marks, which reveal his incredulity at this historic turn of events. 

She also highlighted the Billy Strachan archive featured in the exhibition, which she considers 'a treasure trove for materials on 20th century activism on anti-colonialism and civil rights campaigning for the Black community in Britain.’ Rublack concluded her talk by explaining that many of the items had been selected for their visual impact as well as their importance as historical documents. While the selections of materials are eclectic due to the nature in which they were collected, the vibrant and rare materials capture a sense of the significant period of transiting to independence for many countries in the Caribbean.

Dr Juanita Cox, Black British History Community Engagement Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR), started her remarks by talking about the exhibition’s title and the Old English origins of the term ‘grip’ (then ‘grippa’) and its journey through time, becoming ‘gripsack’ – a portable rectangular case for clothing - in the 1870s. The history of the word speaks to language and transnational cultural interchange as it returns to Britain in the 1940s as a ‘grip’, a heavy suitcase whose handle West Indian migrants held tightly. She hoped visitors would notice the many important interconnections that the exhibition signposts. Examples included the independence of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, in 1962 with the passing of the first Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962. The latter was introduced with the abstruse aim of restricting the number of Black Commonwealth citizens settling in the UK as confirmed in the recent government report "The Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal.”

The connections between the wide-ranging dates of independence can been seen to tally with the increasingly restrictive immigration laws and culminate in the 1980s with the independence of St Kitts and Nevis in 1983 and the passing of the 1981 British Nationality Act (effective 1st Jan 1983). This Nationality Act effectively replaced the 1948 Nationality Act and significantly redefined the concept of British subject status. It re-enforced the relatively new policy in Britain of jus sanguinis (Latin for ‘right of blood’), a principle of nationality law that links a person's citizenship to their parents' descent, rather than on their birthplace (jus soli). Dr Cox ended her talk by noting that were inevitable gaps in the exhibition, but that she and Argula hoped these would be addressed in the programme of events that is to be run alongside the exhibition until the end of March 2025. She hoped everyone would take something away from the exhibition and continue the conversation beyond the walls of the University.

After the line-up of speakers, guests networked, enjoyed Caribbean-inspired canapes and drinks, and watched the enthralling musical performance provided by award winning international double base jazz player Gary Crosby OBE, sensational saxophonist Aleksandra Topczewska and dynamic tap dancer Annette Walker. Guests included academics, activists and influencers like Margaret Busby CBE, Ansel Wong CBE, Dawn Hill CBE, and Professor Gus John; Friends of Senate House Library, Senior University and SHL staff and respondents who had been involved in the Windrush Scandal project. One of the attendees, Professor Gus John, soon afterwards followed up with an email endorsing the exhibition. He noted it was ‘a privilege to attend the launch of the wonderful and rare exhibition’ and that he:

...found the exhibition so very evocative.  For not only does it help to correct the narrative about how we defined ourselves and how the struggle for African liberation and against imperialist capitalist domination informed our local struggles in the Caribbean, e.g., embracing a Pan-Africanist vision and identity with Africa as the Motherland and India on account of indentureship, rather than Britain as the ‘mother country’, it signposts the key events that helped shape our emergence as nation states, especially international workers’ struggles and the movement for national independence and sovereignty.

Other guests were equally impressed with the exhibition. Several expressed their delight yet surprise to hear Black History being spoken about in such profound and respectful ways in a space as awe-inspiring as the Periodical room. 

As with most things numerous people contributed to the success of the exhibition as well as its launch.  This story would not be complete without extending our thanks to the following people for their contributions and support:

• Catriona Cannon, SHL Librarian and Programme Director, Library Transformation Programme, for making this project possible. 
• Lucy Evans, Head of Collections, for oversight and constant support and troubleshooting.
• Susan Dymond, the consultant for heritage interpretation.
• Northover & Brown, creative designers: Alison Brown and Mel Northover.
• Salvador Alcantara Pelaez (Senior Conservator, Special Collections) and Christos Fotelis (Paper Conservator, SHL Special Collections) for conservation and care of the items.
• Pete Williams (Deputy Librarian) and Louise James (Customer Services Manager, SHL) for sorting out access to the spaces and briefing Customer Services.
• Maja Vukicevic (Head of Development and Director, LTP Fundraising Campaign), Lindsay Hands-Triggs (Head of Campaigns and Philanthropy Operations, Development Campaigns) and Francesca Osborne (Doner Relations Officer, Development Campaigns) for invitations, liaison with Vice-Chancellor Wendy Thompson, bios, documentation, and organisation of the launch event.

Since the launch, numerous visitors have walked through the doors of SHL’s exhibition space and taken advantage of guided tours. We would like to encourage you and your friends to do so too!  Please spread the word. 

Events programme and exhibition tours

‘In the Grip of Change’ opened on 29 October 2024 and closes on 31st March 2025. Further information about the exhibition’s events programme and curator-led tours can be found on the In the Grip of Change exhibition website.

Free access to the archives and special collections

Senate House Library offers free day tickets for researchers accessing archives, manuscripts, or special collections. (This ticket is not valid for accessing other areas or resources within the Library.) Visit our Special Collections Reading Room page to find out more.

The Next Chapter - Library Transformation Programme

We have embarked on an ambitious multi-year project that will showcase the importance of Senate House Library as a national research and teaching library for the arts, humanities and social sciences, benefiting not only University of London students and federation members but also the wider research and local communities. To find out more visit the Transforming Senate House Library page.