Des’ree: Songwriting, Self-Belief and an Individual Sound
Des’ree made some of the most recognisable British songs of the 1990s without sounding as though she was following a formula. Her music could be encouraging,…
EXPLORE THE COLLECTION
Black Women’s History
Women’s lives, achievements, work, creativity, campaigning and community leadership, across different periods and countries.
-
Read the article: Des’ree: Songwriting, Self-Belief and an Individual Sound
-
Gabrielle: Songwriting, Soul and a Voice of Her Own
Read the article: Gabrielle: Songwriting, Soul and a Voice of Her OwnGabrielle arrived in the British charts in 1993 with a song that many listeners still recognise within seconds. Yet *Dreams* was a beginning, not a complete…
-
Veronica Ryan: Sculpture, Memory and Everyday Objects
Read the article: Veronica Ryan: Sculpture, Memory and Everyday ObjectsVeronica Ryan makes sculpture from seeds, fabric, bronze, plaster, marble and objects that others might throw away. Born in Montserrat and raised in Britain, she has…
-
Claudette Johnson: Drawing Black People at Their Own Scale
Read the article: Claudette Johnson: Drawing Black People at Their Own ScaleClaudette Johnson has changed the possibilities of British portraiture by drawing Black women and men as people who command space on their own terms. From the…
-
Carmen Munroe: Desmond’s, Talawa and a Lifetime on Stage
Read the article: Carmen Munroe: Desmond’s, Talawa and a Lifetime on StageDame Carmen Munroe helped make Black family life familiar to British television audiences as Shirley in Desmond’s. Her career also encompasses major theatre roles, directing and…
-
Marianne Jean-Baptiste: Secrets & Lies, Hard Truths and the Art of Listening
Read the article: Marianne Jean-Baptiste: Secrets & Lies, Hard Truths and the Art of ListeningMarianne Jean-Baptiste has brought extraordinary attention to the inner lives of her characters, from Secrets & Lies to Hard Truths. Born in London, she has built…
-
Michaela Coel: From Chewing Gum to I May Destroy You
Read the article: Michaela Coel: From Chewing Gum to I May Destroy YouMichaela Coel brought the friendships, contradictions and humour of her London world into British television. From the solo play Chewing Gum Dreams to I May Destroy…
-
Naomie Harris: From Small Island to Moonlight and Moneypenny
Read the article: Naomie Harris: From Small Island to Moonlight and MoneypennyNaomie Harris has moved between British television, theatre and international film, creating characters as different as Eve Moneypenny and Moonlight’s Paula. Her career reveals the preparation…
-
Sophie Okonedo: From Wembley to Broadway and Beyond
Read the article: Sophie Okonedo: From Wembley to Broadway and BeyondSophie Okonedo has built a career through close attention to character, from British theatre and independent cinema to major international productions. Her work in Hotel Rwanda,…