| Lenford (Kwesi) Garrison | |
|---|---|
A clay model - work in progress - for a bronze bust[1] commissioned by the BCA from Fowokan |
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| Born | 13 June 1943 Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica |
| Died | 18 February 2003 (aged 59) Brixton, London, England |
| Known for | ACER Afro-Caribbean Educational Resource, BCA Black Cultural Archive |
| Profession | Educationalist and Historian |
| Specialism | Black British Identity |
| Research | Rastarfarianism and Identity |
Lenford (Kwesi) Garrison (13 June 1943 – 18 February 2003) was an educationalist and historian whose life's work was to catalogue the development of the black British identity and its history and promote the works of young black writers. Garrison was listed as one of 100 Great Black Britons, by Patrick Vernon, acknowledging his contribution to Black British society and culture.[2]
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Garrison's early training was as a photographer, a passion from his childhood, which he studied at King's College London. He went on to become a specialist medical photographer at Guy's Hospital as well as an active freelance photographer for the West Indian Gazette. His educationalist training began in 1971 when he attended Ruskin College gaining a diploma in development studies. He later gained a BA at the University of Sussex in African history and Caribbean history then went on to an MA in local history from Leicester University.[3][4]
Following his degree from Sussex, Garrison was invited to represent Britain at the FESTAC - Festival of Arts and Culture in Nigeria in 1977 (Festac Town) where his presentation was based on his dissertation on the Rastafarian movement which he had written when he was at Ruskin College. Ansel Wong's brief biography of Garrison in the opening of Garrison's book of poetry Beyond Babylon reveals the dissertation was subsequently developed into a book, now in its second reprint - Black Youth Rastafarianisim and Identity Crisis in Britain.[5]
In his work on Rastafarianism and identity Garrison drew the conclusion that the British education system was failing black children as it denied the reality or existence of black history or culture. He believed " Given the right opportunity [Black children] can become an asset to [British] society."[6] He argued what was required, was an educational resource which was multi-cultural - one that recognised and acknowledged black history. In order to do this ACER (Afro-Caribbean Education Resource) was set up. Its aim was be to give black children a sense of identity and belonging to be proud of, and one which could be traced back to their African roots. It would make them black British citizens, with a part to play in multi cultural Britain.
Garrison saw ACER as an archive of Black history from which educational material could be developed for school children of all ages and abilities. He campaigned for two years with the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) and others for the funding and resources until 1977 when the ACER project was launched with Garrison as director.[7] ACER's black history educational packs first introduced at Dick Sheppard School in Brixton went on to be used all over the country. Amongst the many schemes ACER organised the most successful was the Young Penmanship awards for creative writing about their reality and experience as Black young people in Britain. The award has helped launch the careers of many black professionals including the playwright Michael McMillan, novelist and barrister Nicola Williams and the music critic Clive Davis. When ILEA was dismantled in 1988 ACER closed due to lack of funding. ACER's legacy can be seen today in black history being part of the mainstream British educational curriculum[8] and its work has inspired the Dutch to develop similar multi-cultural learning[9].
Garrison took the ACER idea to Nottingham in the late 1980s where he became director of ACFF (African Caribbean Family and Friends) Centre. There he was instrumental in establishing EMACA - East Midlands African Caribbean Arts - an organisation which promotes positive cultural practice in the arts, particularly the black visual arts. He also developed local history work around George Africanus Nottingham's first black entrepreneur.[10]
Garrison believed that “collecting and structuring the fragmented evidence of the Black past in Britain as well as in the Caribbean and Africa is a monumental task, but it is a major agenda item in [the] last decade of the 20th century [to create a] better basis for achieving a fully multicultural British society”[11] To this end he co-founded the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in 1981 and became a trustee.
The BCA’s mission is to ensure that black history was properly recorded and available to all, and to correct “the historical omission” of black people of African descent from Britain’s official history and where their true contributions can be documented and celebrated. In doing so become the basis for achieving the fully multicultural British society that was Garrison’s vision. The BCA’s work continues as of 2010, with plans for a move from its current home in Kennington back to Brixton to the UK's first national black heritage centre, opening in 2011.[12] [13]