Black Culture Conversation

A dynamic, creative Southwark is vital for all our futures. A thriving Black cultural sector contributes to the social, economic and environmental well-being and relevance of the borough.

We want to work with our residents, creative practitioners and community organisations to co-create a sustainable vision for Black Culture in Southwark. One that is for the community, by the community.

We are looking for local people with different kinds of experience to lead this exciting conversation. As part of the conversation, we want to explore the ambitions, obstacles and challenges for Black culture in Southwark. We also want to be imaginative about what could be and the steps that might be taken to achieve this vision.

The purpose of the Black Culture Conversation is to understand how Southwark Council could best offer support in the following three areas:

1. Premises and Infrastructure: We want to understand the needs of organisations and buildings that already give a physical home to Black culture in Southwark.

2. Skills, Organisational Development and Networking: We want to explore how partnership opportunities and collaborative skills development opportunities could benefit networks and the non-building-based cultural infrastructure of the borough’s Black cultural sector.

3. Visibility and Celebration Campaigns: We want to hear how specific public realm projects or themed celebration moments can improve visibility and showcasing opportunities to existing organisations, individuals and communities.

We will be rolling out the conversation programme in two stages:

Governance, Planning and Reporting
September to December 2023

Conversation and Engagement
January to February 2024

Page last updated: 06 November 2023