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HOW IT WAS: An image of 1960s Handsworth by Vanley Burke

HANDSWORTH HAS long been associated with the African-Caribbean community who made new lives for themselves in post-war Birmingham.

It was the city’s black capital, but half a century on that has changed as Handsworth’s bustling Soho Road has given way to a much stronger Asian presence.

Handsworth has had more than its fair share of notoriety over the years – a couple of high-profile riots in the 1980s, repeated 20 years later in 2005, and cases of gang-related shootings have always hogged the front pages of local papers.

Sadly, misplaced perceptions linger long after reality has created a new picture. Many still see Handsworth as unsafe, yet it now has one of the lowest crime rates in Birmingham. And it’s also been the melting pot for some of Britain’s finest musical and artistic talent, such as Steel Pulse, Joan Armatrading, Apache Indian and poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

Bishop Dr Joe Aldred, who is the voice of Saturday evenings on BBC Radio WM with his discussion programme on African-Caribbean issues, feels it is not altogether a bad thing that a lot of the black community has been displaced in Handsworth.

“I’m not sure whether to mourn the loss of Handsworth as a black capital,” says Bishop Joe, who is a former pastor of the Cannon Street Memorial Baptist Church in Soho Road.

“The narrow band of people who first came there have now fanned out and settled in other parts of the city as the Caribbean community has become more upwardly mobile.

“If I would bemoan one thing, it’s the fact that many of the fledgling black businesses that were set up in the 1950s and 60s have not survived, but one significant presence that has remained is the black Christian community.

“The ‘squeezing out’ in Handsworth is all to do with business – the churches are still the heartbeat of Handsworth’s black community and show no sign of diminishing.”

That aside, 3Bs, known as Black Business in Birmingham, which was launched after the turmoil of the 1980s troubles, is still thriving in the heart of Handsworth. Its remit was ‘to target resources at growth-orientated African and Caribbean owned businesses.’

Former Handsworth police Superintendent David Webb, who has been involved with the black community since the 1950s and wrote the book Policing the Rainbow, feels the community has become more united.

“In the early days the community was always split into factions. There was a lot of tension between the older West Indians and the newer generation,” says Mr Webb, who policed Handsworth between 1974 and 1981. “But now the Caribbeans are much more involved in community affairs.

“At one time the only local black role models were boxers, but now there are all kinds of black professionals leading the way. At Handsworth Rotary Club we now have five black members, all with extremely influential roles in the community, such as leading business people and a head teacher.”

Through Handsworth’s changing decades one man’s skills has given him a unique insight into Birmingham – award-winning photographer Vanley Burke.

Armed with a camera given to him by his grandmother in 1965, Vanley has documented the black community’s struggle to establish themselves in their new British base. He famously calls photography ‘writing with light’ – a gift which has given him unparalleled access to many different cultures in Birmingham.

As a young man growing up in Handsworth he recalls the headlines on one of the earlier newspaper cuttings, now archived in Birmingham Central Library, which read ‘The colour problem in Birmingham.”

“Visually Birmingham is a multicultural city but racism is still there. There is still a feeling of exclusion,” says Vanley. “I feel the community as a whole is not represented in the boardroom.”

Unlike David Webb, he feels the community is more divided now than in the early pioneering days.

“Initially everyone was striving for a single goal, then the second wave of people came and so it went on. Those who could, moved out to other parts of Birmingham such as Solihull and Sutton Coldfield, and others remained. The community is far more class-ridden now.”

On the music scene, Basil Gabbidon is undoubtedly Handsworth’s reggae godfather with the evolving of Steel Pulse and their first album, Handsworth Revolution, in 1978.

More than 30 years later, Basil, now 53, is playing as much as ever with his band Gabbidon and still doing gigs until the early hours.

A graduate of Aston School for Social Entrepreneurs, he remembers enduring racist remarks from teachers as a youngster in Handsworth.

Perhaps that forged his passion for justice on an every day level.

“If people are treated unfairly, people should make a noise about it,” says Basil, who is also an instructor for music technology at a local school. “I believe in people being treated fairly.”

He sees his passion, music, as ‘a social glue.’

“Music needs to be more mainstream – the importance of music in this way is still not fully recognised,” he says. “I would like to see free music centres launched as a way of uniting the community.”

But he also feels strongly about giving back what he has got from the music scene during his lifetime.

One business woman who has survived the peaks and troughs of recession is Beverly Lindsay, who runs Diamond Travel, one of Birmingham’s only few remaining independent travel agents.

Specialising in Caribbean travel, Beverly, who chairs the Association of Jamaican Nationals, was born in St Thomas and grew up in Handsworth.

“At one time black people in Birmingham either drove buses or were nurses and secretaries. Thankfully, that has changed – we have progressed into the professions and business,” she says.

“Much has been done to halt the gun and gang issues which have blighted Handsworth and its immediate area. There are fewer and fewer shootings. Many mentoring schemes have worked such as the Street Pastors and the Prison Ministries scheme, which have helped to steer young people away from crime.

“Also, many of the old pubs and clubs where some of the unrest originated are now long gone. But support is still needed for black-led organisations struggling to stay afloat, particularly from Birmingham City Council.”

Nationally recognised anti-gun campaigner Gleen Reid has had first-hand experience of violence in Handsworth. Her only son, Corey Wayne Allen, was shot dead in May 2000 outside the Oaklands community centre in the heart of Handsworth.

Gleen, who founded Families for Peace, has never been afraid to speak out in her crusade to stop another young person dying at the hands of a gun or a knife.

Last year, she condemned a new film which had been made in Birmingham allegedly inspired by some of the city’s most notorious gangsters – the Burger Bar boys and the Johnson Crew.

Although she feels optimistic that the number of shootings are down, she feels knives have taken over as the weapon of choice.

She works tirelessly with young people who she says do not feel valued, often leaving school with little or no qualifications.

“England is one of the worst countries for looking after its young people,” she says. “It makes sure it looks after its own MPs, but not the next generation.”

Gleen is organising her next memorial service at St Martin’s Church in Birmingham’s Bullring on October 31. The event attracts families from across Britain who have lost their children to violent street crime. Photographs of the young victims line the walls of the church.

“These young people should never be forgotten – their families certainly don’t forget and this service helps people cope with the burden of grief.”

One of the key speakers at this year’s service will be Marcia Shakespeare, who lost her 17-year-old daughter, Letisha, when she was shot dead in Aston by machine gun-toting gangsters outside a New Year’s Day party in 2003, along with 18-year-old Charlene Ellis. The story shocked the nation.

But for now the black community is enjoying some long overdue good news – the Jamaican Olympic track and field team, including Usain Bolt, will be using Birmingham as a training base before the 2012 event.

Bishop Dr Derek Webley, who is chairman of the West Midlands Police Authority, said: “This is about celebrating Jamaica’s achievements in Birmingham. Instead of putting its failures under the microscope, the Caribbean community has something big to celebrate with this wonderful news.”

Published: 27 September 2009
Issue: 1391

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