Papers relating to Len Garrison, including material regarding the organisations he
was involved in; aspects of his research, and academic papers written and gathered
by him; personal papers, photographs, postcards and invitations; and educational resources.
Community activist and academic, Lenford Kwesi Garrison (1943-2003), was born in St
Thomas, Jamaica. His parents moved to London in the early 1950s, and Len followed
a few years later to complete his secondary education.
A keen photographer, at a young age Garrison worked as a part time projectionist
at a cinema in Clapham Junction, and a medical photographic assistant at the Royal
Free Hospital School of Medicine from 1962-66. During his time at the Royal Free Hospital
he set up, and managed the Medical Illustration Unit at the Institute of Psychiatry
in South East London. He went on to work at the Maudsley Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry
from 1966 -71, where he was appointed head of the Media and Photographic Unit. While
working, Garrison studied part-time, participating in courses in Photography at Regent
Street Polytechnic, London College of Printing, and Media Studies at Goldsmith's College.
Taking on freelance opportunities, Garrison worked with Claudia Jones photographing
events for the West Indian Gazette in the early 1960s.
In 1971, Garrison returned to full time education and completed a Diploma in Development
Studies at Ruskin College, Oxford. He continued his studies at Sussex University,
and Kings College, London. While at Sussex University, Garrison co-edited the Afras
Review Journal, a publication specialising in African, Asian, and African-Caribbean
affairs. Garrison also completed an MA at the University of Leicester, specialising
in the post-war settlement of African-Caribbean people in Nottingham. In 1977, Garrison
represented Britain at the colloquium of the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC
77) in Nigeria, presenting his paper "Self Image and West Indian Black Youth in Britain".
This paper was later expanded and published by the Afro-Caribbean Education Resource
Project (ACER), under the title "Black Youth, Rastafarianism and the Identity Crisis
in Britain".
Garrison was heavily involved in voluntary work, and was passionate about the importance
of community. He was a founder member of the International Social Group in the early
1970s, this later became the Wandsworth Council for Community Relations (WCCR). He
was the founder and Director of ACER , an independent educational charity researching,
developing and producing learning materials drawing on the black experience. Home
schools were supported by ACER, and links were forged with community schools. The
Inner London Education Authority endorsed ACER's work and their resources and publications
were used across the country. The project established the Black Youth Penmanship Awards
scheme to enable young black people to be celebrated for their literary achievements.
A number of black professionals including music critic Clive Davis, and novelist and
barrister Nicola Williams, received the award in their youth.
Afro-Caribbean Family and Friends (ACFF) in Nottingham, was another project on which
Garrison sat as Director. The objects of the association were to advance the education
of the public, in particular those of African-Caribbean origin or descent through
the establishment of an education, study and culture centre. While there, he established
a successful mentoring project, known as BUILD, and gained funding for Timeout, a
scheme for supporting the carers of orphaned and abandoned black children. He also
set up East Midlands African Caribbean Arts (EMACA). Garrison played a large part
in the production of The Black Presence in Nottingham, an exhibition in 1993, at the
city's museum.
While in Nottingham, Len was remotely involved in the Black Cultural Archives which
he had set up in Brixton in 1980. Returning to London in 1997, he picked up where
he left off and was involved in a joint project between the BCA and Middlesex University
with the aim of establishing the first Archive and Museum of Black History. Garrison
was also a trustee of both the Yaa Asantewaa Arts Centre, and the Caribbean Teacher
in Education Project. His portfolio of published material includes a volume of poetry
"Beyond Babylon: Collection of Poems, 1972-82" (1985).
This administrative history was compiled using material from the collection. Additional
sources include the following sites
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The collection was formed in a piecemeal fashion. As Len Garrison was a founder of
the Black Cultural Archives and its predecessor, ACER, it is likely some material
has always been in the custody of the Black Cultural Archives. However, a substantial
amount of material was also donated by Marie Garrison after Len's death in 2003.
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
Subjects:
Political activists
Academics
Historians
Community action
Poetry
Charity
Education
Voluntary work
Personal names:Garrison , Len