Black Supplementary Schools and the George Padmore Institute Archives

Roxy Harris and Victor Sylvester recall their involvement in the Black Supplementary School movement. Starting in the 1960s, supplementary schools provided (and still do to this day) a space for black and ethnic minority children to receive a rounded education. These classes were often held at the weekend, inside the houses of black activists and teachers, filling in the gaps of a mainstream school system with low expectations for black children. Roxy (a former supplementary school teacher) and Victor (a former supplementary school student) are two individuals who played instrumental roles in the movement.
Featuring: Roxy Harris (Chair of Trustees, George Padmore Institute) and Victor Sylvester
Edited by Bethan Fairhurst
Music: ‘Education’ by Mighty Sparrow; ‘Hot Hot Hot’ by Arrow; ‘Voice of the Poor’ by Fred Locks; ‘Sugar bum bum’ by Lord Kitchener; ‘pianomoment’ from Bensound.com
Image copyright: Julian Stapleton; Toni Gorton; Orbis Publishing Ltd; John La Rose Estate
With special thanks to Nicholas Chapman; Sarah Garrod; Michael La Rose; Nicole-Rachelle Moore
Part of the George Padmore Institute's Reaching New Generations Project funded by Arts Council England.
The George Padmore Institute (GPI) is an archive, educational research and information centre housing materials relating mainly to the black community of Caribbean, African and Asian descent in Britain and continental Europe.
For more information about black supplementary schools in the Black Education Movement and the National Association of Supplementary Schools (NASS) archives at the GPI, visit the website www.georgepadmoreinstitute.org/archive

[@gillianjohnsonbaptiste]

I'm Grenadian, and extremely proud that Grenadians were involved in this.

[@gillianjohnsonbaptiste]

These people were so determined to uplift their kind even without the support of policy makers. Admirable!

[@jonathanneal1319]

I live in the US.
I have been aware of black supplementary schools since 2014.
I want to dreadfully create an institution like this here in the US or even contribute to one, but we only have resource deprived black schools here.
It is frustrating at best.