This month we thank Haringey Vanguard volunteer Susan Miller for her blog. She thoroughly enjoyed helping out at the London Metropolitan Archives stall at this year’s Pride London.
We were proud of Pride this year – thrilled by our rainbow family who marched through London. According to the Indy 1.5million revellers and activists poured into the city. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-pride-2019-lgbt-rights-equality-prejudice-party-a8991631.html
And we were proud of our city which opened its streets, and shops and parks, and overflowed with Rainbow happiness.
As HV volunteers, most of our actual Pride 2019 was spent in Soho Square at the London Metropolitan Archives’ stand, promoting HV and two other LMA projects, including the National HIV Story Trust project, which is collecting the stories of those affected by HIV in the 80s.
We could hear the whistles and the roar of the crowds in the distance, but surrounded by other cheery stallholders and watching regular visitors to the Square it didn’t feel like we were too far away from the action.
As the morning passed into afternoon more people flocked into the Square and we saw an array of flags and rainbow-coloured people in all their glory. The visitors to our stall were all in a great mood – next door the Bishopsgate Institute’s stall was packed with badges and memorabilia to give away – and happy to chat.
I grabbed a ‘Glad to be Gay’ badge from their stall… having meant yet again to dress up I’d come plain. Memo to self, next year it’s Rainbow from head to toes!
Our stall guests and passers-by more than made up for it. We met people from all over the UK and the world, drawn to one of the world’s biggest Pride events. Our giveaway of packets of condoms – don’t ask – were extremely popular and so were our bags and LMA book markers promoting our upcoming LGBTQ+ History & Archive conference In December. Veronica’s assortment of lurid-coloured sweets also attracted interest and not just from me.
Our memorabilia posters proved popular, with younger people remarking on the ticket prices advertised from events in the ‘80s – sometimes just a pound or so as the entry fee – and the older visitors fondly remember the exciting names of bands, poets and activists performing.
We even got to meet the man (below) whose photo was used as part of the National HIV Story Trust project, he came over to have a look at his younger self and we grabbed the chance to photograph him. It was very moving.
So was chatting to the man who’d lost a lot of his friends to HIV in the epidemic, tears in his eyes and mine. We exchanged a big hug. Another hug from a countryman of mine, all the way from the humid, beautiful city of Durban. Both of us long-time Londoners but with memories to share.
And we signed up new BAME people with memories of Haringey in the 80’s to be interviewed for the HV project and also new people who wanted to volunteer their skills to assisting Hv and the National HIV Story Trust project. Many people were fascinated by the range and depth of materials held at the London Metropolitan Archives, so we know that place will be buzzing even more than usual, with dozens of people keen to visit it.
Pride is a huge party. One of the biggest in the world.
But loads of people want to give back – to the people who went before and paved the way, and to those still battling. And so, they flocked to the many good projects at stalls dotted all over the Square and elsewhere in town.
Projects like HV give people a chance to meet older activists, contribute – our volunteer posters based on original memorabilia were superb – and even learn new skills. It’s a blast to chat so many people. Inspirational and fun.
And there’s a seriousness too. This was the second year the lesbian and bisexual women asylum seekers group (https://www.refugeewomen.co.uk/marching-with-pride/), the Rainbow Sisters, marched at Pride – being allocated 25 wristbands this year. At Black Pride the next day they appeared on the Wellbeing and Wellness stage to talk about their struggles.
Their message: “We need your support as allies. Asylum seeking and immigration are LGBT+ issues.”
Held in Haggerston Park in Hackney for the first time, moving north after a hugely successful 2018 in Vauxhall Pleasure Garden, this year’s Black Pride was the biggest yet. Over 10,000 revellers packed in for an amazing day.
Black Pride co-founder and creative director Phyll Opoku-Gyimah (Lady Phyll) said it left her ‘overcome with emotion’ as she remembered the very beginnings of the event 14 years ago in Southend-On-Sea. (https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/blog/ukbp-2019-thank-you)
Back at the HV stall which was shared with the Opening Doors charity, Veronica hailed the day a success too. Lady Phyll popped by and more than twenty new people had signed up to be interviewed for HV and we’d chatted “to dozens more!”
Being proud – and aware – has never seemed so important. And neither has being involved… In the words of that 80’s hit by King ‘That’s what my heart yearns for now – love and pride’. Don’t we all!
Susan Miller loves chatting and writing – in that order. A very experienced content editor, she’s convinced of one thing. People will never cease to amaze you with their amazing life stories. As a HV volunteer, she’s enjoying learning more about the UK’s LGBT+ politics in the ‘80s and the workings of the LMA.
Thanks to our Pride volunteers Susan, Becky, Savi, Elaine, Zarieu, Philip, Aldina, ShoSho, Sue, Veronique and Aimee.
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Upcoming events-
Haringey Vanguard Volunteer Interest Group meeting. Please come along to find out more about the project, our workshops and interviews. We will be running our popular Sound Recording and Oral History Interviews workshops again so do sign up.
August 25th 2019 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Bruce Castle Museum
Lordship Ln, Tottenham, London N17 8NU
Refreshments will be provided.
Our volunteer Rachel is also the Opening Doors Community Engagement worker for the BAME LGBTQ+ 50+ Group. Their next event with filmmaker Claire Lawrie is a screening of Beyond. It’s an amazing film, and Rachel has invited us all along. It’s free and link is here.
https://bamelgbtover50saug.eventbrite.co.uk
This will be Rachel’s last event before she moves on to pastures new, so please support, and from all of us at HV- THANK YOU!
Over the summer we will get the bulk of the interviews completed, so if you are interested please email with dates of availability to haringeyvanguard@gmail.com.
Also please check us out on social media.
Enjoy the sun!
Haringey Vanguard 