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Ebony on the road was a six part series presented by Brinsley Forde Aminatta Forna and Martin Shaw, in which Ebony goes out on the road to meet Britain’s Afro-Caribbean communities. This one takes us back to Butown, Cardiff in 1984 and features performances by Welsh bands Bissmillah and Denym as well as interviews with community leaders including Gaynor Legall. 

Our favourite segment is the highlight on Mount Stuart Primary School. It features Wales’ First Black Headteacher and Champion of Multiculturalism, Betty Campbell. Born into a working class family in Butetown in 1934, Betty overcame setbacks and racism and made history putting Black culture on her Cardiff curriculum.

As a Black-led organisation based in Butetown, Cardiff, we aim to achieve self-determination for minoritised communities across Wales by recognising and celebrating the beauty of diversity and creating a space where our community can express their passions and achieve success.

Racism is an everyday lived experience for many of the students, tutors and creatives that we work with – from the more obvious racially motivated incidents to the subtle micro-aggressions. We live in a society structured by racial injustice, in Wales this has profound effects on access to social and economic opportunities as well as personal health and well-being. It’s our daily work to create change, both in the creative industries as well as in the individual lives of the young people we mentor. We have and always will stand with our community to fight against historic oppression and systemic racism.

Dismantling systems of oppression takes dedication and commitment – we are here, we support the #blacklivesmatter movement today and for the future. We will continue to put in the work so that the next generation may not face the same discrimination, inequality and injustice that exists today.

To inform and educate our audiences, we’ve collated a growing list of resources including organisations to support, reading materials, podcasts, films and more. Access via Google docs.

In a special collaboration, local grassroots music & events organisations Rotary Club & Blue Honey held an online all-day streaming event to raise funds to support our online classes as well as refugee support charity Oasis Cardiff.

“Jukebox Collective is an amazing hub of all of those things that can help shape the minds of many people who don’t know they’ve got that talent there.”

Jukebox Collective members Reuel Elijah & Jo-el Bertram were featured in a BBC Wales Today news story on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts sector in Wales which highlighted the importance of future funding for the industry’s survival. Reuel & Jo-el discussed the impact that Jukebox has on the local community by providing opportunities towards a career in the arts and how our activities aim to change the lives of young people.

“Be undeniable.”

In ‘Black History Month: Butetown’s vibrant community with deep roots’, Mo Jannah featured Jukebox Collective as a key figure leading the thriving Black community of Wales. When Mo moved to Cardiff from Birmingham 14 years ago he had expectations of what Wales would be like, but he didn’t expect to find the rich Black history of Butetown that can be traced back through generations. In this short documentary, he explores the presence of the Black community in Butetown, from those here today, back to the history of how their families settled in Wales. 

Jukebox Collective dance leader Reuel Elijah is introduced as a ‘musical trailblazer’, teaching class with our students and instilling them with the confidence to reach their potential. He tells Mo, “It starts with the dance, but the confidence can take you anywhere.”