MEET PEOPLE DEM COLLECTIVE
KNOW BETTER
2020 has seen so many changes we could never have expected. Unfortunately, it has seen many things stay the same, too. People Dem Collective is an organisation based in Margate which aims to facilitate systemic change and promote healing whilst continuing the work of their ancestors. Read.
Help and support the cause
Visit peopledemcollective.com and crowdfunder.co.uk
Victoria and Kelly from People Dem Collective
Meet Kelly and Victoria of People Dem Collective. You may recognise them from the peaceful protests they organised across Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs along with Kane McArthur in June, which saw the attendance of more than 4,000 supporters.
Or maybe you have seen them in and around the current exhibition ‘Margate to Minneapolis’ that they curated at the Turner Contemporary.
These two ladies are formidable champions of a new global social awakening, sparked by the murder of George Floyd in May. Alongside a collective of a Black- and Brown-led team, this formidable duo is working to guide people both personally and professionally to recognise systemic racism. Through acknowledgement, conversation, education and healing, People Dem Collective will make positive changes towards anti-racism.
Their aim is to have a national culture centre on Margate seafront, alongside sister facilities in other areas. A full crowdfunding campaign is underway to realise and develop this building into a world-class cultural destination and heritage hub.
The centre will feature a flexible educational space, a Black British and Roma/Traveller archive, a permanent exhibition and performance space, a radio station and podcasting suite, a family-friendly restaurant and beachside cafe, little learners play area, studios for artists-in-residence as well as youth programmes and employment and raising aspiration initiatives. There will also be a strong, positive focus on supporting white people to become positive allies in their own communities.
Founder and director Kelly Abbott says: “The collective was born out of a shared, lived experience. I was tired of listening to stories of racial abuse and dismissal from Black and Brown people in my social circles, so, I called some of them together in my front room and said, ‘The time is now. We are on a precipice of a positive, beautiful elevation never experienced in our lifetime. Let’s get it! Let's build what's needed and start in our town’.
“The planet is waking up to systemic racism and moving forward. Let’s not get left behind.”
“And so, the collective was born. Fast-forward nine months, and after many meetings and our attendance at the protest in Trafalgar Square to the American Embassy, marching in solidarity with those protesting in the States, I knew we had to do the same in our town.
“Margate is a socially conscious town. We have many different organisations doing great things for so many other communities, such as Pride, POW!, Porchlight, the Oasis domestic violence charity, support for the Roma Gypsy communities as well as for struggling artists, but nothing for Black and Brown communities. So, it's only right and overdue that we do.
“We are confident that Margate will support that and not get left behind. The planet is waking up to systemic racism and moving forward. Let’s not get left behind. The work starts now. The cultural centre gives an opportunity for us to learn about our erased identity, history and culture. To heal from that and also for others to learn about our rich, beautiful history, too.”
Book to see the ‘Margate to Minneapolis’ exhibition at the Turner Contemporary, which runs until September 6th 2020.
Follow @peopledemcollective