We recently partnered Black Country Living Museum to partner with us with their ‘Forging Ahead’ project. BCLM is the Midlands most visited cultural venue and they have a new focus on the 1950s-1970s in their building programme as a new attraction within the Museum. A couple of their new buildings focus on a factory and a pub from Wolverhampton. Significantly both the places were where Black and Asian communities went for work and leisure in the post war era. This gave us an opportunity to invite the Punjabi community to a place where they had no connection with and reason to visit in the past as the Museum largely highlighted the Victorian era. We are thankful to the Museum who helped with hospitality and a venue for the community to bring their images as early migrants from the above time period and share their stories of the early years of their migration. Special thanks goes to the Aman group who took oversight of the ladies ready for their tie with us.
Sharan Dhanda at BCLM explains the ‘Forging Ahead’ project taking place that recognised the work of Punjabis at the Lavender Factory which is been g rebuilt at the Museum. (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA
Punjabi ladies proudly share their photographs from their family history in the Black Country at BCLM. (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA
The Punjabi ladies group share incredible historical images from their early years of migration of mother and daughter in the Black Country this one taken in the early 1960s. (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA
The group share their stories and images with each other individually for all to hear. Took a long time to get around! They were all wonderful! (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA