An award-winning photographer is sharing the stories of Salford’s black, Asian and minority ethnic communities through an exhibition at The Lowry marking Black History Month.
Still I Rise celebrates black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) culture in Salford and tells the stories of some of those working in the city’s public and voluntary sectors – including our Innovation Manager and Equalities Lead Hemlata Fletcher.
The idea for the exhibition came from Salford’s BAME Mental Health Champions, a group of volunteers representing people in their communities – including African, Yemeni and Chinese – who work with NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group to act as links to mental health services in Salford.
Working with Salford’s Equality Partnership, the champions have co-produced Still I Rise with acclaimed photographer Allie Crewe, a University of Salford graduate and one of the winners of this year’s Portrait of Britain 2019 award.
Still I Rise will run throughout Black History Month (October) opening September 28 until November 3 at the famous Salford theatre and features 16 portraits including Hemlata, Raj Jain, Chief Executive of the Northern Care Alliance, which runs Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Councillor Wilson Nkurunziza of Salford City Council and members of the BAME Mental Health Champions.
Hemlata said: “I was truly honoured to be included and the launch event was wonderful and very humbling for me and my family. The project has highlighted that we are all leaders; being recognised for the outstanding contribution we make on a daily basis. Marking Black History Month in October is an important aspect in all our lives and we should all be striving to celebrate diversity and different cultures all-year round.”
Along with the exhibition, the champions are co-producing an event with Salford CCG and Salford City Council to bring together communities and key agencies to celebrate Black History Month. The event will be held at Eccles Town Hall on Sunday, 20 October. Pendleton residents will also be celebrating Black History Month on Saturday October 26 from 1pm to 3pm at Langworthy Cornerstone, Liverpool Road, Langworthy. It’s a chance for community organisations to get together for food, dancing and share information about what’s on locally as they celebrate different cultures. It has been organised by Salford City Council, Pendleton Together and the UK Unity group. For more information please contact Marie Shields, Neighbourhood Manager, by calling 0161 6034091.
The portraits are of:
| Name | Role | Organisation |
| Abiodun Okunnu | BAME Mental Health Champion | |
| Dr Deji Adeyeye | GP | Pendleton Medical Centre |
| Delana Lawson | Chief Officer | Healthwatch Salford |
| Dionne Duffill | Workforce Development Officer | Salford City Council |
| Edward Vitalis | Governing Body Lay Member, (Finance and Governance) | Salford CCG |
| Eunice Ayodeji | Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Nursing / Mental Health Practitioner (CAMHS) | University of Salford |
| Hemlata Fletcher |
Innovation Manager / Equalities Lead
|
Salford Primary Care Together |
| Hormoz Ahmadzadeh | BAME Mental Health Champion
Director |
Result CiC |
| Linval Smith | Clinical Practice Lead | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust |
| Michal Alfred-Kamara | BAME Mental Health Champion
Outreach and Development Worker |
Salford Carers Service, Gaddum |
| Naheed Nazir | Group Associate Director Inclusion & Engagement | Northern Care Alliance NHS Group |
| Raj Jain | Chief Executive | Northern Care Alliance NHS Group |
| Shahnara Begum | Salford Safeguarding Children Partnership Workforce Development Manager | Salford City Council |
| Tara Leach | Head of Race Equality Charter / Inclusion and Diversity Officer | University of Salford |
| Tracy Tsikai | Infection Prevention and Control Nurse | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust |
| Cllr Wilson Nkurunziza | Councillor | Salford City Council |