'We can make changes... together'

In the last few weeks, we’ve watched as the world has come out of lockdown straight into mass protest.

Even my normally sleepy home town of Higham Ferrers held its first protest in living memory last weekend.

Alongside the brutality and violence shown towards many black people across the world, we also know that the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the black and minority ethnic communities.

So, in response, let me say before anything else: Black Lives Matter. They matter to us as individuals and as a programme. However, it’s one thing saying something, and another to do something about it. I’ll be honest with you, the Made With Many team are all White European.

Whilst we know that we need to be more diverse, we’re going to need a bit of help and time to make that happen. And as the British education system has done a pretty awful job of teaching black history, we’ve all got a little bit of self-education to do. What I am confident in, is that arts and culture have a vital role in helping all of us understand other people’s experiences and perspectives. Just think of what you can learn from films and novels that take you directly in to another person’s thoughts and experiences. They’re important in developing respect, understanding and empathy.

Having recently changed our name to Made With Many, we’re committed to making sure that our programmes are created in partnership with the entire community, especially people of colour. We’re going to continue to create new art that tells local stories about the people who call the Corby and Wellingborough areas home to share with the wider community.

So, look out for some new projects telling local stories that will be happening later this year... and if you’re in Corby or Wellingborough and you want to invite us to work with your community, then please get in touch. We can only do this together.

e-newsletter from www.madewithmany.org