In the Grip of Change: history’s vast sweep illustrated by deeply moving human stories

‘In the Grip of Change’ at Senate House Library is about the grand sweep of history as experienced by those at the sharp end: the people of the Caribbean, the colonies themselves, and their descendants and supporters across the world.

This moving exhibition includes a vibrant range of materials from the library's Caribbean and Black history collections: items on display include pamphlets, posters, newspapers, comics, calypsos, poetry and badges. On selected dates until March 2025, visitors can be accompanied around the exhibition by one of the exhibition’s curators, Dr Juanita Cox and Argula Rublack. On the day I attended, Juanita was our expert guide.

Juanita, as Black British History Community Engagement Fellow at in the Institute of Historical Research at the School of Advanced Study, was also one of the two research fellows behind the AHRC-funded project ‘The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context.’ Before beginning the tour, she provided useful contexts about the transatlantic slave trade, the Cold War, and indentureship – reminding us that the Caribbean has long been multicultural, with Indians, Chinese and other nationalities contributing to the ethnic mix.

Though indentureship – where Indians were transported to the Caribbean to work in the plantations – formally ended in 1917, injustices continued. Many Caribbeans worked in appalling conditions for extremely low wages, and this, along with the economic Depression of the 1930s led to civil unrest, strikes, the rise of the trade union movement and the establishment of political parties.

Whilst outstanding schools existed in the region for members of the elite, educational standards were for the majority relatively poor, and levels of literacy low. Juanita explained how mediums such as comics and music were used to educate people about democracy and politics. She also reminded the group that Britain already had a substantial black population before the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948.

The Windrush scandal is of course extensively explored in the exhibition, both in the form of pamphlets, letters and articles, as well as the oral histories curated by Juanita, which can be heard via earphones. Juanita put the scandal in context, demonstrating how undocumented British Caribbean migrants were hounded, misled, and treated as second-class citizens – despite having arrived in Britain as Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC). 

Even now, people of Caribbean and wider Commonwealth descent can find access to NHS treatment, banking and pensions limited due to hostile environment polices and a lack of documentation that no-one warned they would need. In cases where they do have the right documentation – such as a passport - officials sometimes refuse to accept they are genuine. A climate of fear – where neighbours are encouraged to “shop” neighbours suspected of not having full citizenship – has sometimes led to threats of deportation.

What makes the exhibition so interesting is the fact it focuses both on well-known activists like Trinidadian historian CLR James, war hero and lifelong Communist Billy Strachan, and Claudia Jones, the “mother of Notting Hill Carnival” – and the many people whose stories are often overlooked. People like John Mark Adamson, who came to Britain from British Guiana (present-day Guyana) in 1961. John’s ‘grip’, or suitcase, is at the centre of the exhibition, surrounded by letters, records and other items of importance, including his pork pie hat.

Also told here is the story of former cricketer Learie Constantine. In 1943 London’s Imperial Hotel attempted to bar him because of the objections of US servicemen. Learie took the hotel to court and won, and went on to be prominent in the Bristol bus boycott of the early 60s. The exhibition also touches on radical black literature of the 1970s, the 1980s Brixton riots, and the enormous – and still growing - cultural and economic importance of black people in Britain. This is perhaps best summarised by the lines of the poem It Dread inna Inglan by Linton Kwesi Johnson, at the centre of the exhibition:

Come wat may 

We are here to stay.

The exhibition, which runs until March 2025, was launched with a celebratory evening that brought together leading voices from British Caribbean communities, including actor Rudolph Walker CBE, and a traditional libation ceremony led by Dr Michelle Asantewa.

In the Grip of Change: the Caribbean and its British diaspora is showing on the fourth floor of Senate House Library until 28 March 2025. Entry is free.

Tours with personal commentary will take place on the following dates:

• Thursday, 17 January 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Thursday, 13 February 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Thursday, 13 March 2025, 13:00-14:00

Tickets available from Eventbrite.