New Centre Established for Black Community in Ealing
Launch coincides with publication of 'Black History in Ealing' quiz book
Members of the Caribbean and African Collective, Ealing
March 13, 2025
A launch event was held last weekend (Saturday 8 March) for the Caribbean and African Collective, Ealing (CACE) is a Black-led organisation made up of Ealing-based charities, business-owners and supportive individuals.
The organisation was established last year with the aim of establishing a cultural centre to celebrate the talents and achievements of Black people in the borough.
It was seeking to follow the example of communities such as the Polish, Iranian, Assyrian, Afghan diaspora, which, despite in many cases arriving later in the borough than Caribbean and African people, have managed to acquire their own physical spaces to promote and share their culture and history.
This aim was partly achieved last month when the CACE group was offered a residency space at the SET Ealing building in West Ealing at 113 Broadway (at the old Herbert Brown jewellers) and the event was organised to celebrate its new home.
TV producer and filmmaker Michelle Brooks, who is of Jamaican heritage, is chair of the Collective, and grew up in West Ealing said, “We decided that it was up to us to create a space for ourselves.
“Although it’s not a space just for ourselves – everyone is welcome to join us and share the joys of reggae music, amapiano dancing, jollof rice, Windrush theatre, and so much more. We are finally putting the Ealing Black community on the map.”
The group still has the ultimate aim of acquiring a building of its own and is applying for grant funding and is launching a number of fundraising initiatives.
One of these is the publishing of a local Black history quiz book, featuring 100 multiple-choice questions about noteworthy Caribbean and African events and personalities in Ealing’s past, such as Jessica and Eric Huntley, Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, and Misty in Roots. Each answer is supported by a linked online source at the end, and there are also 100 original related photos provided as “hints” to the reader.
The book was written and published by CACE vice-chair, local journalist Carlene Bender, and is available on Amazon in paperback (£9.95) and on Kindle (£7.95). All profits from sales of the book (between £1 and £2 from each sale) will be donated to CACE.
Carlene Bender (left) with the cover of her new book
She gave a short talk at the launch event about interesting facts she found out during the research for the book.
Ms Bender says that the book aims to combine learning with a bit of fun, “It’s not about how many questions you get right (or wrong), but about what you learn just from reading the questions, and looking at the sources linked to each answer.”
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