03 Sep 2025
Take a walk through an immersive, giant-sized record of untold stories from Hertfordshire’s Black heritage and discover the histories of a diverse local community.
Opening this October at St Albans Museum + Gallery for Black History Month, Our Stories; Tracing Black Histories in Hertfordshire is inspired by research from the museum’s Black History Research Group (BHRG).
The exhibition is brought to life through powerful artworks and an imaginative life-size zine installation. Alongside the display, a special one-off publication of the zine has been developed into a lasting resource for the community, ensuring these stories continue to be shared long after the exhibition closes.
Zines were historically created by marginalised groups to share counter-narratives and self-expression through articles, poems, plays, and illustrations. The BHRG’s zine reflects four years of work by 30 local volunteers, shining light on overlooked aspects of St Albans and Hertfordshire’s Black history.
The research spans 2,000 years, from Roman Verulamium to the present, and considers both the difficult realities of slavery, exclusion, and persecution as well as stories of resilience, entrepreneurship, and family life within the Black community.
The exhibition is co-curated by Aisha Adi, chair of BHRG and founder of The Collective Gallery on Holywell Hill, and Laura Lennard of St Albans Museums.
Aisha said: “Our Stories exhibition and the publication of an A5 zine is the first time a project of this kind has taken place in St Albans. The history of Black people in this country is often falsely portrayed or ignored and it’s important to document this history in a way that is honest and accessible. The exhibition and zine seek to do this with a focus on the history of Black people in Hertfordshire.
“The research undertaken and stories told by the Black History Research Group is an important and permanent resource for St Albans Museums. Ensuring that these histories are available for the public and are a resource to learn from and share. We are especially proud that copies of the zine will be delivered to schools and libraries across the district, providing educational resources for young people on Black history in the region.”
Laura added: “A central resource, bringing together the Black histories of Hertfordshire, has not existed before, and it’s all thanks to the dedication of the Black History Research Group that the Our Stories zine and exhibition exist today. It’s incredible that so many community members have contributed to this project, drawing on lived experience and sharing their voices, research, experiences, writing and ideas. It’s been so exciting to see talented contemporary artists bringing the historical research to life too.
“Thank you to everyone who has entrusted St Albans Museums with their stories. It’s been an honour for us to play a part in sharing the Black histories of Hertfordshire across the wider community.”
The exhibition includes artwork created by accomplished Black artists who responded to the group’s research to bring local histories and stories to life. The six chosen pieces will sit alongside work by renowned Black artists such as Peter Brathwaite who recreated portraits of Black people from throughout history.
One of the featured artists, London-based award-winning Jahnavi Inniss, known for her powerful Black history quilting, said: “This project is a fantastic opportunity to engage people with new stories that empower Black communities in St Albans, Hertfordshire and across the wider UK. This is crucial in challenging the exclusion of Black people within narratives surrounding Britain’s past, present and future.”
Artist Baraka Carberry aka Bokiba, explained: “I was drawn to this project because of its focus on celebrating and shining a light on just how deeply connected Black history is to St Albans – both historically and in the present day. I’ve always loved exploring the past, present, and future through my work, and this really resonated with me as an artist who’s all about honouring diversity and my heritage through unapologetically vibrant colours and bold shapes.
“This felt like a real chance to go deeper and reflect on the darker realities of our past – something I’d never properly explored in my practice before, which has mostly centered around more recent/contemporary moments and celebrating joy. The topic I chose was far from that.”
Artist Venetta Nicole added: “I joined this project because I wanted to be a part of documenting the somewhat forgotten history of St Albans’ Windrush Generation. It was great that St Albans Museum listened to the community’s voice and wanted to amplify it.”
While journeying through the seven-foot-high zine, visitors can also experience soundscapes, poetry recordings, and oral histories from the Windrush generation, alongside historical zines, magazines and objects.
A reflection area offers space to rest and contemplate and to learn about local community groups, while empty zine pages invite visitors to contribute their own reflections and responses.
SADC arts, tourism, heritage and culture manager Farhana Begum, head of St Albans Museums, said: “By making the Black History Research Group’s findings accessible and presenting them in engaging formats that can be shared widely, we are hoping to open up important conversations across our community. We are proud to celebrate the group’s ongoing work and remain committed to Black history programming. Thanks to generous funding from Arts Council England, we can continue to bring these stories to life in imaginative ways and enrich our archive as a resource for the future.”
Alongside the exhibition, St Albans Museum + Gallery will host a series of engaging events including a family cook-along session and a mindful collage workshop. Artwork will be displayed on the railings of the museum from November 8 to December 10.
The zine will be available to buy for £6 in the museum shop and will be gifted to schools, libraries and community partners
The project doesn’t end here. To learn more or to join the Black History Research Group, email museum@stalbans.gov.uk
