During October the majority of our content on the Secret Library blog will focus on Black History Month, including links to relevant resources held at the Central Library and signposting to external organisations, most specifically relating to Leeds, its history and heritage. Each week will have a different theme – Research, Events, Social Justice, Windrush and the People of Leeds. In week 2, we are focusing on historically-significant Events, past and present. 

Much of the content will take the form of an archive of tweets on the same theme delivered during our Local and Family History department’s weekly Thursday thread on Twitter. Please follow the Leeds Libraries Twitter account to see those tweets in real-time and for more Black History Month content. By archiving the tweets, we hope to begin building a directory of useful resources for anyone beginning or continuing research into Black History in Leeds.

We know that our collections and our content output do not fully reflect the diversity of experience in our city; this is our starting point, but we know we have much further to go before we can begin to say that our local historical output is truly decolonised. We are always open to feedback, suggestions or contributions. Contact us on 0113 37 86982 or via localandfamilyhistory@leeds.gov.uk with any comments. 

Tweets from October 8

The image on this page is (c) Leeds Libraries, http://www.leodis.net and shows: 

August 1989. Image shows students from CHALCS taking part in the annual Leeds West Indian Carnival. CHALCS stands for the Chapeltown and Harehills Assisted Learning Computer School found by Mr. B.T. Braimah. Based at Technorth in Harrogate Road, it aimed to give children tuition in computing and new techology in school holidays and at weekends.

Find it on our Leodis archive here.