St Modwen have supported a new ‘Raising Black Voices’ group in Northfield.
Raising Black Voices (RBV) is a collective of young Black artists from, or living in, the Northfield area. RBV leadership is currently made up of mentor Danielle Parker, alongside Taiwo ‘Taiyewo’ Ajose, Ryan Treasure and Stephanie Treasure, with more members consistently joining.
The project was built on seed funding from St Modwen’s as part of their covid emergency response, with a simple mission to gather people of colour of all ages from the Northfield area, to talk about the high impact of COVID on their communities, to reflect on Black Lives Matter, and to find ways to support each other and to work creatively together.
Ryan Treasure is a dance teacher with a difference. He uses his artistic talents not just to support his pupils but to engage with others and communicate his message in a visual fashion. In addition, Ryan is active in supporting local charity work such as food banks.
When the pandemic began it caused widespread disruption but the impact on the young black community throughout Northfield was something that Ryan experienced first-hand. Social media chatter was awash with frustrations but rather than ignore the situation, Ryan decided to take action by not just listening but establishing a group that could be on hand in the future to lend an ear to those in need whenever it’s required. There are undoubtedly similarities to the Black Lives Matter movement that has received huge support around the world but the Northfield based group very much has a local ethos at its heart. Ryan credits Black Lives Matter as being a catalyst for Raising Black Voices but the mission was personal for Ryan as it was about giving something back to the community that he grew up in at a time when people needed support most due to Covid.
Looking back at when the financial support from St Modwen was received, Ryan said:
“The funding helped us to get a space to work in, get events going and activate some workshops. At a time when some young black people in the community were feeling isolated, we were able to reach out to them through social media or on the phone if the pandemic didn’t allow us to do this in person and listen to what they had to say, how they were feeling and any worries that they may have had.”
Coming out of the other side of the pandemic Ryan and the team are setting their sights on next steps and commented:
“The plan is to get all people’s stories together on a storyboard to showcase their experiences through a variety of mediums. These include Dance, Video, Art and others. Regardless of the route, the objective is to encourage positive expression and give people a route to communicate rather than potentially channelling anger in a negative way.”
When people know that there is a group out there who will not just listen but help to direct negative energy and turn it in to something that is positive then that becomes a very powerful tool. Ryan continued: “I don’t want young black people to be ashamed of who they are, I want them to express themselves, show it, they are black, be proud and most of all, have a good time!”
Northfield has seen increased investment in recent years with a new leisure centre opening in 2018, independent businesses being attracted and the ongoing development of the former MG Rover site in Longbridge. Ryan believes that these factors have all helped to contribute towards a brighter future for young people in the community.
In the face of significant challenges, Raising Black Voices has proved that with a sense of belief, commitment and having the right team in place then a vision can become reality.
For more information about Raising Black Voices, or to join the group, contact: raisingblackvoices@gmail.com
BVoices is committed in supporting communities across south west Birmingham and surrounding by keeping them informed and engaged. Please see the following:
• Community Chat for south west Birmingham • Coronavirus support
• Community Classroom – Resources for parents & carers
• Community Together • Mental Health & Wellbeing through COVID-19
• Community Kindness • Positive acts during the COVID-19 outbreak
• SW Brum Camera Club – for the love of the lens – Photography Birmingham
• SWBrum Jobs Page
• Community Recycle – Repurpose & Reuse – SW Birmingham & Surrounding
