Black British Voices Research Project
Image by Anete Lusina from Pexels
The Black British Voices Project (BBVP) is the first study of its kind — designed to investigate a significantly neglected area of contemporary British society, namely the evolution of Black British identities.
At a time when what it means to be either Black or British are both undergoing critical transitions, the complex relationship between these categories offers a unique opportunity for impactful and transformative research. The BBVP brings together a committed team from the media, consultancy and the private sector to work alongside leading researchers from the Department of Sociology to deliver a richly detailed and up-to-date portrait of Black Britishness, and British Blackness, today.
Its flagship report and accompanying toolkit will be used across a wide range of sectors to drive change, increase prosperity, improve policy, overcome obstacles and maximise participation in key institutions and professions.
In 2021, Black Britons are still largely misunderstood and misrepresented in many facets of life — this research should make clear what is important to us and how we can address certain issues. We must manage and communicate our own narrative on how it feels to be Black and British.
The Partnership
Our team combines world-leading expertise from the private sector with an international group of specialist academic scholars. Led by Dr Kenny Monrose, urban ethnographer in the Department of Sociology, with Dr Ali Meghji, Lecturer in Social Inequalities, the research is being carried out in close partnership with award-winning consultant Maggie Semple, OBE, founder of I-Cubed, and Paula Dyke, Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Britain’s leading black newspaper The Voice.
Aims and objectives of the study
- Undertake the first large-scale survey exploring Black British views and attitudes toward eight key areas of contemporary social, economic and political life
- Identify key areas of concern that are seen to be major priorities for Black Britons today
- Identify areas where there is a broad sense of consensus, and, in contrast, areas where a wide range of views and/or disagreement prevails
- Identify which areas of contemporary British life feel most inclusive and positive to Black Britons, and those areas most in need of change and redirection
- Identify previously under-reported or undiscovered areas of particular interest or concern to the Black British community
- Shed light on how the Black British community is changing and evolving over time
- Deliver a baseline data set that can guide future research
Get involved
Philanthropic support is essential to ensure the success of this ambitious first-in-kind research project.
By supporting this Black British Voices Project you will help to ensure we not only succeed in our initial aims but help transform the project into a regular annual survey backed up by a fully-funded research team. This is an opportunity to be part of a major and overdue research exercise with the potential to transform the Black British community at a time when the voices of Black Britons need more than ever to be heard, documented, amplified and shared. In supporting this work, you will emphasise that Black voices matter and enable us to identify critical obstacles to greater inclusivity and recognition for the Black community in the UK.
You can support the BBVP by donating online or for further information, please contact Clare Gordon:
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