Amplifying the stories of Black Londoners from the 18th Century

As part of Black History Month we’re sharing Remember Us, an original spoken word piece by Alim Kamara, a British-born Sierra Leonean rapper and storyteller. He was inspired by members of London’s Black community who journeyed to Sierra Leone in 1786-7. Over 400 people attempted a journey of intense hardship; only 315 survived.

Some of these journeys began at the White Raven Tavern in Whitechapel, where relief was distributed to London’s ‘Black Poor’ – relief that became conditional on resettlement to West Africa. We became aware of the story of the White Raven as a result of our excavations at Stepney Way, which finished in 2019. Our investigations into this tavern built on the work of community historians and have generated further collaborative research.

Alim has been involved with this project since early 2023. He visited the site on Stepney Way, handled objects and spoke to archaeologists about Georgian East London. For Alim, sharing the story of the White Raven “is about reclaiming narrative and ensuring that our stories are told authentically. I believe it will encourage audiences to appreciate the complexities of our shared past and inspire meaningful conversations about identity, heritage, resilience.”

These collaborations led to an exhibition at UCL East Culture Lab, co-curated by Sarah Wolferstan (ASE), Sarah Byrne (The Culture Lab), Mercedes Baptiste Halliday (Black Archaeo) and community historians Harry Cumberbatch, Fabian Tompsett and Dorothy du Boulay. It features artefacts related to past Londoners’ lives such as toothbrushes, clay pipes, dominoes and whistles. Remember Us is part of the online exhibition, where you can find out more about the objects, and even hear a performance of music that may have floated out of nearby taverns.