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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2021-22

Date updated: 22/02/2023

LMA has always been fully committed to race equality, however in response to the Black Lives Matter movement LMA recognises the need to go further. We have begun to re-examine the collections we hold, the stories we tell and the role we can play in engaging critically with the colonial legacy of London both in terms of the collections and our work with the wider public, organisations and community groups.

The EDI action plan is informed by our overall EDI policy.

Inclusive practice and programming

Collections and Digital

LMA is systematically scoping collections it owns to identify material reflecting London’s diverse communities for further investigation, identifying issues around language, description and structure within the catalogue, and framing longer term objectives and projects.

A new project dataset, Switching the Lens - Rediscovering Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous Heritage, 1561 to 1840 highlights records of over 2600 Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage. The dataset drawn from Anglican parish registers at LMA is the result of research carried out by staff and volunteers, which began as the British Library funded Black and Asian Londoners project carried out 2000-2002. Following publication of the dataset in 2020, work is continuing locating and adding further entries through an online volunteer project.

The Digital Services team are developing the London Picture Archive by improving tools and methods available to discover Londoner’s of diverse heritage and London’s diverse communities. We are creating new themed galleries and researching and adding new images to ensure that the London Picture Archive reflects London’s diverse heritage and communities.

Staff Development

A bank of resources has been created and is fully accessible by all staff. Staff are being encouraged to both regularly check the resources available as well as to contribute their own as they come across them. We are hopeful that this will build a comprehensive database which will help staff to be actively anti-racist in the work they do through education on the subject matter. All staff will undergo mandatory Diversity and Inclusion training delivered by an external trainer with specific knowledge of how the issues of race relate to the work we do as an archive service.

Learning Programme

Our Learning programme will continue to deliver a diverse programming showcasing London and the lives of all Londoners. 2021 will have a specific focus on Black British Collections. Highlights for 2021-22 include:

Podcast Series – Londoners Archived

A new podcast series Londoners Archived highlights the work LMA does with community groups to preserve contemporary histories. The first in series across 2021-22 will focus specific on Londoners of African, Caribbean, and Black British Heritage.

Haringey Vanguard

BME LGBTQ+ History project focused on the history and contributions of Haringey-based community activists in the 1970s – 1990s whose influence was felt well beyond the borough.

Launched in July 2018 and culminating in February 2021, the project was funded by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by Haringey Archive and Museum Service (Bruce Castle) supported by LMA working together to improve access to existing collections and to encourage the donation of new material. This brought together formal records with personal and community collections, enriching the wider Haringey LGBTQ+ history and ensuring the preservation of this important history by placing older BME LGBTQ+ residents’ experiences at the heart of the project.

The EDI action plan 2021-22 is informed by our overall EDI policy.

Visit the Haringey Vanguard project website

2021-22 partners

Key partnerships for 2021-22 are:

Culture&

LMA has committed to funding a place on Culture&’s New Museum School Advanced Programme of Study in partnership with Leicester's School of Museum Studies. More information on the programme can be found on the Culture& website.

The Friends of the Huntley Archive at LMA (FHALMA)

LMA cares for the collection of Jessica and Eric Huntley, Guyanese born political activists and founders of Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications which published a wide range of radical Black books and seminal texts by writers from across the African diaspora. LMA has been working in partnership with FHALMA for the past 17 years hosting its annual conference and this partnership will continue into 2021-22. More information on the Huntley collection at LMA and FHALMA can be found in the LMA Research Guides.

81 Acts of Exuberant Defiance

LMA has successfully partnered with 81 Acts of Exuberant Defiance and Arts Council England to produce a podcast marking the 40th Anniversary of the uprisings in Brixton. We have also submitted a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support 81 Acts in activity for the next year marking this important moment in black British History.