Friday Headlines

Black Heritage Walk

Sixth Form

09 February 2024

Year 13 English students recently visited Handsworth to partake in a Black Heritage Walk, informing their study of ‘Small Island’ by Andrea Levy which concerns the experience of the Windrush generation. The walk was led by Marcia Wallace, a former teacher who founded Black Heritage Walks with her colleagues to let people know about the hidden history of Birmingham. Here we share the students' thoughts from the day.

"An extremely valuable experience to learn about the communities that were and still are so intrinsic to the history of our city. Often, when learning about history, we talk about it on a national or global scale, so it was very refreshing to talk about such a local type of history and a history that is often discarded or demeaned too." Costanza, Year 13 student

Isobel: The walk began at Soho House, the home of Matthew Bolton from 1766-1809.

Tea: The walk really opened my eyes to the local history that is on our doorstep, and I will definitely walk around with much more interest in where I live.

Jaimie: It really taught me more about local history and the information surrounding the Handsworth riots was interesting; definitely worth the walk in the cold

Keera:  The Black Heritage Walk was socially enriching; learning about our local history is crucial to our understanding of today's society.

Alma: I was fascinated by the amount of local history that we drive through every day but never notice.

Jemima: I was interested to learn that the racism and stigma black people faced during the time was significant, but also that many white British people also had a strong hatred for the Irish.

Milla: It was engaging and interesting. It really made me think about what different people had to go through and how it has come to make the society we live in today. It was fascinating.

Ruby: The day was really informative and it was great to learn about local history that relates to our current studies.

Costanza: An extremely valuable experience to learn about the communities that were, and still are, so intrinsic to the history of our city. Often, when learning about history, we talk about it on a national or global scale, so it was very refreshing to talk about such a local type of history and a history that is often discarded or demeaned too.

The students particularly appreciated guide Marcia Wallace who really brought the local history to life:

“Marcia was so insightful and knowledgeable on Birmingham’s Black history and we loved learning from her.”

“Marcia was absolutely hilarious and really engaging; a great speaker.”

“I really admired how she was able to stop on the most unexpected street and explain the deep history of Handsworth and enjoyed discovering the unlikely hidden treasures of my own city.”

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