Are you interested in leading a group of visitors around Oxford University to educate them about the history and contribution of Oxford’s black scholars?

Now you can have the opportunity to train as a Black Oxford tour
guide on its first accredited training course.

Black Oxford is the first black heritage guided walking tour celebrating Oxford’s black scholars’ previously untold stories.

We are now recruiting individuals with a good knowledge of black history, communication skills, enthusiasm and a commitment to self-learning for our first tour guiding course.

The course, in partnership with Ruskin College, will cover:
the black presence and contribution
Oxford black scholars’
tour guiding techniques
communication and presentation skills
marketing and promotion.

The course is FREE for individuals with no higher education and on benefits. A fee is payable for individuals with higher education and not on benefits.

To apply, contact Black Oxford for an application form and fact sheet on email: info@artistry-events.co.uk

Telephone: 01494 538 769

Applications from all ethnic backgrounds welcome.

THE FIRST BLACK HERITAGE TOUR GUIDING PROGRAMME ESTABLISHED THROUGH AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP


Artistry Events and Ruskin College have developed the first black tour-guiding programme to train members of the community to deliver the Black Oxford guided heritage walking tour.

The accredited programme is delivered as four residential weekends at Ruskin College, Stoke House. The programme will provide potential guides with the detailed understanding of black culture and history as well as communication, health and safety and practical tour guiding skills to deliver Black Oxford heritage walking tour.

Applicants successfully completing the programme will be competent to lead a tour party of up to 19 people around various colleges of Oxford University informing visitors on the achievements and contributions of Oxford’s black scholars from the 1800’s. Guides will receive a fixed fee for each tour they deliver.

With only ten places available, the programme is competitive; prospective applicants will have to have a good knowledge of black history, communication skills to present information to engage a range of different audiences and enthusiasm for self-learning.
National Patron of Black Oxford and Principal of Ruskin College, Professor Audrey Mullender, said ‘I am delighted that Ruskin College is part of this exciting initiative. At Ruskin we specialise in offering students innovative programmes that aid their self-development.

Pamela Roberts, Founder and Executive Director of Artistry Events, said ‘the development of the first Black Oxford tour guiding programme is a natural progression and builds on last year’s initial training. It is good to see the growth of the project; my aim is to have enough trained guides to provide the Black Oxford heritage tours on a daily basis.
 

For further information please contact
Pamela Roberts, Executive Director, Artistry Events on 01494 535 684, 07950 785 050 email  info@artistry-events.co.uk

Artistry Events is a non-for profit organisation set up to develop and deliver arts and media projects to educate, empower and entertain diverse audiences.

Ruskin College was founded in 1899 as a response to the elitist exclusivism of Oxford University. It opened its door to working class men, many of whom became statesmen, trade union leaders, community leaders, MP’s academics and teachers.

Black Oxford is the first black heritage walking tour celebrating Oxford’s black scholars. The project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, in September 2006, for the development of a walking tour, the production of an exhibition, a DVD and a book.

Black Oxford Patrons are Dame Jocelyn Barrow, Professor Audrey Mullender and Professor Rex Nettleford.
Dame Jocelyn was a founding member and General Secretary of CARD (Campaign against Racial Discrimination), the organisation responsible for the Race Relations legislation of 1968. She pioneered the introduction of multi-cultural education, stressing the needs of the various ethnic groups in the UK. She was the first black woman Governor of the BBC and Founder and Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council. She received the DBE for her work in broadcasting and her contribution to the work of the European Union as the UK Member of the Social Economic Committee.
Professor Audrey Mullender, FRSA, AcSS, BA, MA, PhD, CQSW, Principal of Ruskin College Oxford since 1st April 2004. She is simultaneously Professor of Social Work at the University of Warwick. She is a member of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and Vice-Chair of the Social Policy and Social Work Sub-Panel in the Research Assessment Exercise. Professor Mullender has published over a million words, including 19 books. Her writing has always included a commitment to anti-racism in education, policy and practice.
Professor Rex Nettleford O.M, O.J former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, a graduate from the University of the West Indies with History (Hons.) and a Rhode Scholar from Oxford University with postgraduate studies in Politics.
He is founder, artistic director and principal choreographer of the internationally acclaimed National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) of Jamaica. Professor Nettleford is a Distinguished Fellow in the UWI School of Graduate Studies and an Honorary (Life) Fellow of the Centre for Caribbean Thought.  In 2003, The Rhodes Trust of Oxford established the Rex Nettleford Prize in Cultural Studies.
Black Oxford black heritage waking tour will commence on 9th June and run every weekend until 24th November 2007.

The Black Oxford exhibition is a 12-panel exhibition divided into the following themes: men to ministers, great legal eagles, musical geniuses and Oxford’s originals. The exhibition will open on 12th May at the Museum of Oxford until 1st July and then have an 18th month touring schedule throughout Oxfordshire.
 

Black Oxford Walking tour

 Is an official university tour, you can hear about the history of the colleges and their famous alumnae – Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher – to name a few.

But did you know that John Kufuor, president of Ghana , attended Hertford College ? Or that Raymond Robinson, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago , attended St. John’s College ? What about the jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch, who has a degree in Modern History from Hertford College ?

Indeed, Oxford 's colleges have seen many African and African-Caribbean, African-American and Black-British students pass through their hallowed gates. "Black Oxford : Untold Stories" will highlight some of these black students attending Oxford at the turn of the 20th century.

This new walking tour and exhibition will celebrate their previously untold stories. Please join us to launch this new tour and exhibition. more

About Us

Pamela Roberts, Executive Director of Artistry Events & The 4th International Black Media Festival has great pleasure in inviting you to The Launch of Black Oxford : Untold Stories An event to commemorate the first black heritage walking tour of Oxford and the launch of an exhibition on the history of Oxford University’s black scholars.
 

Lashington Wendall Bruce attended Keble college

Oxford University 1910-1912