Image courtesy of University of Sunderland
Image captionEndurance Idowu said the best way to help Professor Angela Smith was to lend her voice to the project.Article informationAuthorJoanna MorrisTitleBBC News
1 hour ago
Scholars have developed an app to help visitors explore the stories of Black people in the city.
Join a guided Sunderland Black History Walk to gain insight into the city’s “very long history” of multiculturalism.
The app was developed in response to “the global attention on racial equality issues highlighted by the killing of George Floyd in 2020.”
Prof Angela Smith, from the University of Sunderland, said: “It has prompted us to think more about the history and heritage of black and ethnic minority groups in Sunderland.”
She added that “very little has been written about the city’s history in this regard.”
Professor Smith and Dr Michael Pearce developed the app as part of Project North Star, an initiative that brings together education experts from across the Northeast to increase knowledge of black history in the region.
The app takes you on a guided walk through the city, marks key locations and gives you an insight into its historical links to slavery, anti-slavery and anti-racism movements.
It features narration by alumni Endurance Idowu and God’stime David, and includes an illustrated map created by student Sarah Helaua.
“A blessed place”
Idowu said working on the project had been a “privilege and an honour”.
“As well as using my voice, I’ve been learning about the black history of Sunderland, which is something I didn’t know before,” she added.
“I knew Sunderland was becoming a cosmopolitan city but I didn’t realise its history of diversity was deeper than what is visible today.
“It’s important to know these sites existed and to recognize the work they did to help people see beyond the color of their skin.”
“These sites are now being celebrated and it was important to me to make my own small contribution to this journey that began decades and centuries ago.”
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