People of African and Asian origin have lived in Britain for at least two thousand years; but, this aspect of British heritage has been largely forgotten. By presenting a selection of relevant records held by The National Archives and other sources, the Black Presence exhibition aims to reclaim some of this history and make it more widely known.
"Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain" is a partnership between The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) and the Black and Asian Studies Association (BASA), funded by the New Opportunities Fund. This exhibition appears on "Pathways to the Past," the National Archives' website for lifelong learners.
The exhibition covers Black and Asian history in Britain from 1500 to 1850. Most of the digitized documents presented in this exhibition are held by The National Archives. The remainder come from a variety of museums, galleries, and other institutions.
One interesting piece of this online exhibit is the "Interactive Learning Journeys." Two "journeys" are available at this time:
A Virtual Tour of Black and Asian Presence is a virtual tour of three cities to examine the places where the Black and Asian presence can be located in Britain’s history. Each city tour has a detailed map which highlights an area of particular interest within each city. A printable version is available in HTML.The 18th Century Voyage of Discovery allows the viewer to read the virtual books on Woodes Rogers, Robinson Crusoe, the Slave Trade, the Goldney family, and Ironbridge.
"Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain" is available at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/
