African People's Historial Monument Foundation

In the early 1980s, a group of parents based in Brixton formed the African Peoples Historical Monument Foundation (UK) in order to co-ordinate the development of a Black Cultural Archives (BCA) to collect, document and disseminate the history and culture of Black people in the diaspora. Documents state that by the summer of 1982 a twelve member board of trustees was formed.

In the early days, BCA was primarily concerned with educational activities. Among its founders were Len Garrison, who's experience in setting up the Afro-Caribbean Educational Resource project (ACER) informed the team in their mission, and Richie Riley of Les Ballet Negres, Britain's first known Black and internationally renowned dance company. In 1983 the group had applied for educational charity status, and their aim was to have a staff team of a librarian, a researcher and a photographer. The project was supported by the GLC who also granted funding towards the establishment of the new centre which was originally intended to be based on the model of the Schomburg Research Centre. The founders were keen that the organisation recorded not only the traditionally noteworthy, but also the life experiences and "walking archives" of the Black community. Early activities included open meetings, concerts and social events, and fundraising. The focus was on education and educational activities for a number of years. Various documents on the initial aims and mission of the organisation can be found in BCA/1/7/6.

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