Collection of original material and publications relating to the early years of Ansel
Wong's career and involvement in activism. The collection includes; material relating
to the West Indian Student's Union (newsletters, pamphlets, flyers); material relating
to the AFIWE school and education (journals, minutes, reports, newspapers, magazines,
pamphlets); reports and conference papers on various subjects; creative writing by
young people (stories, poems); material relating to the Black Panther Party; ephemera
(flyers, posters, pamphlets, programmes, essays, newspapers, journals, newsletters);
articles and written work by Ansel Wong; press cuttings; and personal material (letters,
photographs).
Ansel Wong was born on 4 October 1945 in San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago. His early
education included attendance at San Fernando Boy's Government School, Trinidad (1953-1958),
and Naparima College, Trinidad (1958-1964). In 1965 Wong arrived in the UK to attend
Hull University, his studies there ended in 1968. Wong went on to study at the Institute
of Education University of London, and Brunel University.
In the early 1970s Wong was involved in the West Indian Students' Union/West Indian
Students' Centre. He was chairman of the West Indian Students Union, edited a number
of their publications and contributed articles. His arts organisation, the Black Arts
Workshop, regularly held workshop sessions and staged productions with the support
of the Union.
From 1974-1976 Wong was the Education Co-ordinater of the Ahfiwe school which was
a project of the Council for Community Relations in Lambeth, ILEA. Linked to The Ahfiwe
school was the Gresham project's supplementary education scheme for which Wong was
Education Co-coordinator. The Gresham Youth Centre (Gresham Project) was set up with
the assistance of the Home Office under the terms of the Urban Programme. Its aim
was to provide an "unstructured" centre for young people of Brixton. The main clients
of the centre were African-Caribbean people aged 16-25 years. These young people were
subject to a multitude of social problems including housing stress, educational deprivation,
unemployment, and a lack of social and recreational ameneties. Traditional education
was also found to have hampered the development of young people through inadequacies
in teaching quality, therefore the Ahfiwe school was set up in 1974 with a one year
grant from the Community Relations Commission, Saturday classes were held at Santley
School. The Gresham project also ran adult education classes in the evenings and an
advisory service. Wong also planned external activities such as a camping holiday
to Paris involving teachers, pupils and parents.
Wong had a long and varied career in education and management regarding causes that
reflect his beliefs. His appointments include; Teacher, Sydenham Girls Secondary School,
ILEA (1971-1973); Director of Elimu Community Education Centre, Westminster Community
Relations Council, ILEA (1977-1982); Principal Race Relations Advisor, Greater London
Council (1982-1986); Head of Race Equality Policy Group of the London Strategic Policy
Unit, London Borough of Camden (1986-1988); Education Officer-Policy, Planning and
Personnel, London Borough of Ealing (1988-1989); Director Education Policy and Evaluation-Deputy
to Chief Education Officer, London Borough of Lambeth (1989-1991); Vice Principal
of Morley College (1992-2003); Managing Director, Purple International Limited (2006-2007),
clients include London Notting Hill Carnival Limited, Slavery Memorial Trust, St Albans
Council, and South African Government); Director of Learning & Development, Focus
Consultancy (2003-2010), clients include Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman,
The Entertainer, Highbury Grove School, Metropolitan Police Authority, University
College London, Government Office for London, Learning & Skills Council, Gateshead
Council, Wirral Council, Croydon College, Queen Mary College, University of London
, Learning & Skills Council, Birmingham City Council, Training & Development Agency
for Schools, and Southwark College); Company Secretary & Examinations Officer, Savile
Row Academy, a training centre for bespoke tailoring and cutting skills (2007-2012),
and Managing Director of Tsingtac Associates Ltd (2007-2012) clients included Carnival
Village, London Fire Brigade, BAE Systems, Elimu Carnival Band, Community Health Action
Trust, CMB2Group, Conservatoire of Dance & Drama, International Security Logistics
Ltd, SEC BME, Network, Harris Academy Peckham, and the Department of Transport).
Wong's public appointments include Chair of North West London Workforce Development
Confederation; Non Executive Director, North West London Strategic Health Authority;
Chair, Alcohol and Drug Use in London; Chair, London Health Commission; Chair, Community
Health South London NHS Trust; Chair, Brent and Harrow Health Authority; Non Executive
Director, North West London NHS Mental Health Trust; Member of Independent Enquiry
into the National Centre for Industrial Language Training, London Borough of Ealing;
and Member, Independent Panel Reviewing Members' Allowances, London Borough of Harrow.
He was also involved in a great deal of voluntary and third sector organisations.
The following list illustrates these; Shanghai Tourism Festival; Trinidad & Tobago
Professional Network UK; Caribbean Development Trust; Ageing Matters: Ethnic Concerns,
Age Concern England; Foundation for Young Musicians; Advisory Panel on Cultural Diversity
English National Opera; Caribbean Advisory Group; Vice Chair, London International
Carnival Mas' Association; Robinsfield/Barrow Hill Schools City of Westminster; Chief
Executive Lennox Lewis College; Management Committee Race and Housing Research Unit
of The Runnymede Trust; Chairman, Westminster Community Relations Forum; Member, Advisory
Committee to High Commissioner, Trinidad and Tobago, Selection Committee; Chairman,
Advisory Committee to High Commissioner, Trinidad and Tobago; Chairman, Fatel Rozack
Group; Chairman of Jury, One World Broadcasting Trust Annual Awards, Overseas Television
Productions; Founder / Director Black Arts Workshop, Community Arts, Dance and Drama
group; Member, Caribbean Teachers Association-Professional Association of Black Teachers;
Member, Cardinal Hume's Advisory Group on the Catholic Church's Commitment to the
Black Community; Chairman and Director of Cultural Co-Operation, promoter of non-Western
traditional music and art festival - The Music Village; Director, Open Channels; Director,
Flamboyan Community Association; Chairman & Trustee, Notting Hill Carnival Trust;
Director, Carib Charitable Trust; Editor, Grassroots Newspaper, monthly publication
of the Black Liberation Front, using the pseudonym of Ade Kimathi.
Ansel Wong is also a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Arts, and a Justice of the
Peace, Middlesex Area Commission. He has had a number of research papers and other
written works published. Ansel Wong is currently involved as Managing Editor with
Hansib publications (2010-) and has been a committee member for the Memorial Gates
Committee (2009-).
The papers were donated to Black Cultural Archives by Ansel Wong in December 2008.
This material was donated to Black Cultural Archives in one large chest. To avoid
placing an unintended order on it, the collection has been catalogued in series according
to the subject matter/type of material.
This collection is available for research. Readers are strongly urged to contact Black
Cultural Archives in advance of their visit. Some of the material may be stored off-site
and advance notice of at least a week is needed in order to retrieve this material.
The reading room is open for access to archive materials Wednesdays-Fridays, 10am-4pm.
The reading room is also open late every second Thursday of the month, 1pm-7pm.
Please email the archivist to book an appointment archives@bcaheritage.org.uk
See also, LIBFRONT/ and the 'Grassroots' publications from the Runnymede Trust Periodicals
Collection at Black Cultural Archives.
Subjects:
Access to education
Education and culture
Trade unions
University students
Pan African politics
Politics and culture
Performing arts
Personal names:Wong , Ansel
