Our Cultural Diversity in Worcestershire resource pack is now available
- 14th July 2017
Worcestershire Archive Service is pleased to be able to relaunch two of our previously created resource packs. These packs were originally put together in response to an emerging interest in Black and Asian history in Worcestershire, but later developed to encompass a much broader view, containing aspects of many different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. We have now made the decision to bring these separate resources together under the heading of Cultural Diversity in Worcestershire and have been working to update the packs ready for relaunch.
Italian prisoners of war working in the fields around Worcester, c1945, some of whom may have stayed on after the war. Taken from the Worcestershire Photographic Survey, register no. 67192
To source the items featured in the Cultural Diversity pack we encouraged our Archive users to note any relevant references they came across in their own research and pass these on to us. We retained the contributors’ names next to each document. We will continue with this idea, and sources found will be credited.
Although the primary focus is diversity within the county, the resource also contains items that are not strictly Worcestershire based, such as newspaper articles relating world news and documents sent to and from Worcestershire residents from all across the world. We have taken the view that although these documents are not strictly Worcestershire based, they reflect the interests, knowledge and experiences of Worcestershire people and evidence their international travels and global awareness. The records also bring the world to Worcestershire, broadening our outlook and horizons and enriching our knowledge of other cultures across the centuries.
An obituary paying tribute to Thomas Otempora, a much valued black servant, dated 1781. The article featured in Berrows newspaper. Document ref: x989.9:695
It is important to note that the original documents contained within our Cultural Diversity resource pack reflect the attitudes and sensibilities of their time and sometimes use terminology that would be totally unacceptable today. We have retained original text in our index as we feel that the historical record cannot be altered nor should it be ignored, forgotten or buried. It is imperative to understand this historical perspective and to consider the prejudices, lack of understanding and empathy which are evident in some of these records. This approach enables us to better understand our present day inheritances, and acknowledge the causes and contributory factors that have helped shape Worcestershire, and the world, today.
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