ABSTRACT
The urgent need for such an institution emerged during the late 1960s when children of African and Caribbean ancestry were deemed to be underachievers in the British education system and were therefore categorised as educationally sub-normal (ESN). Early research conducted by the founders of this organisation revealed an absence in the school curriculum of black people's contribution in the arts, sciences, l i terature, classical m u s i c and in the social, economic and political development of Britain. It also became evident that the absence of historical documentation, and social data of verifiable quality of the historical presence and achievements of black people in Britain, contributed towards a sense of frustration and alienation from society, which militated against their participation in wider community interests.
