Haringey Vanguard project

The Haringey Vanguard project, funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF), will establish a community Black LGBTQ+ oral-history and memorabilia archive at Haringey Archive and Museums Service. This will record histories (1980-present) in imminent danger of being lost forever.

This will create a significant contemporary collection, providing a powerful counterpoint to formal records. The project will create the opportunity for communities currently underrepresented in the archive to tell their story and preserve their important histories for the future. Exploitation of new-media and the internet will enable collections to be shared in new and creative ways.

The project will be administered by London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) and Haringey Archives staff, and project funded specialists. They will work closely with participants, volunteers and stakeholders, providing a rich programme of activities, training and education opportunities as the project progresses, including re-visiting existing catalogue descriptions, collections development, interviewing and creating content for the BME LGBTQ+ Haringey History Project website.

The project provides opportunities for Haringey Archives and Museum Service and LMA to work more closely with existing and new BME LGBTQ+ groups, establishing community ownership in a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can contribute, explore and share collective histories. This will provide a strong foundation for future engagement and the long-term development of The BME LGBTQ+ Haringey History Project as an embedded part of Haringey Archive and Museums Service and LMA’s provision.