Pop up museum celebrating Doncaster's black history opens in Frenchgate

Frenchgate Shopping Centre has announced the upcoming launch of ‘The Way We Were’, an exhibition celebrating Black History Month in Doncaster.

The exhibition is dedicated to the lives and experiences of the ‘Second Generation’ – the children of the Windrush Generation – offering a first-hand view of what life was like growing up in Doncaster for Afro-Caribbean people during the 1970’s and 80’s.

Opening on the ground floor opposite Boots and Superdrug, ‘The Way We Were’ is a follow-on from the Black History Exhibition, which took place at Frenchgate last year and celebrated the inspirational stories of the Windrush Generation.

'The showcase has been produced by Second Generation Community group members Alex Watson, Joanne Brown and Marcia Watson, and will feature artefacts from the 70’s and 80’s as well as a recreation of a typical ‘front room’ of the time.

The Second Generation Community were awarded Lottery Community Funding to help put on the exhibition which will be open from 2-5pm on weekdays between October 4 and mid November.

Karen Staniforth, Assistant General Manager of Frenchgate Shopping Centre, said: “We are proud to be able to host ‘The Way We Were’ in order to commemorate Black History Month and to celebrate Doncaster’s illustrious Black history and fantastic Afro-Caribbean community.

“The project will serve as a reminder of what life was like for the Second Generation all those years ago, with a focus on the experiences they’ve had and the contributions they’ve made to Doncaster.”

Alex Watson said: "Using images, audio and text, ‘The Way We Were’ exhibition tells the story of Doncaster’s Afro-Caribbean second generation, reflecting the voices of those

growing up in Doncaster during the 1970’s and 80’s."

Black History Month is now an annual event originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month.

It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom as well as other parts of the world.