The Centre for Research on Employment and Work is thrilled to announce that Dr Myrtle Emmanuel has been awarded two research grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the National Lottery Awards for All Community Fund to further her work on Windrush stories. These two grants will help the University of Greenwich continue to contribute to our Race Action Plan (2021-2026) and the University of Greenwich 2030 Strategy.
The AHRC project is entitled: Re-igniting Windrush Folk stories and songs to improve African-Caribbean mental health disparities in the local community of Greenwich & Lewisham. This programme will involve working alongside partner organisations in Lewisham and Greenwich to bring people from the African-Caribbean Community to discuss folk story, folk song, and mental health. Folk stories and songs are passed down generationally and shared between members of the community; supporting and affirming identities, well-being, and positive mental health. Dr Emmanuel’s previous research has explored the ways in which storytelling affirms cultural identities and provides resilience against systems of racism.
The National Lottery Awards for All Community Fund is entitled ‘GRE Windrush 75: Connecting generations’ which is a community engagement event involving a Windrush film screening and panel discussion as part of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in the UK on the 22nd June 1948. This is an important anniversary for celebrating this important movement in our shared history – but also to reflect and engage in wider, sometimes difficult, conversations about the past, present, and future of our society.
The investment in these programmes will enhance the University of Greenwich’s strategic commitment to our wider community, but whose impact will be felt across the communities which whom the projects engage. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Dr Emmanuel for her tireless commitment to the cause of social justice through her research and contributions to CREW and the university. We also wish to express our gratitude to the AHRC and the Lottery Community Fund for their trust and material commitment to this work.
