Arlington House towerblock in Margate became a huge projection screen on Friday (September 25) in a People Dem Collective takeover.
The community organisation based in Margate was behind the two Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Thanet this Summer. The group promotes and campaigns for racial equality and has plans to create a cultural centre at the former seafront Primark building to give space, engagement and inclusion for Black, Brown & Diaspora communities, as well as Roma/Traveller and LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Genderqueer, Queer, Intersexed, Agender, Asexual, and Ally) and neuro-diverse (eg autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Tourette Syndrome, and others) communities.
The projection starred rapper Che Lingo, singer Nao and singer and percussionist Falle Nioke as well as Broadstairs resident Kane McArthur -known as Hu Man – who performed a spoken word piece using his own rap verses. Kane,23, also did a ‘bun hate let’s skate’ which has raised £600 towards the cultural centre.
People Dem Collective say the projection on Arlington House was an example of the work they will do in the cultural centre and community, giving young people the freedom and platform to work with artists who demonstrate black excellence.
The culture centre is the latest in a string of successful initiatives over the last six months that have galvanised community support.
The organisation has raised more than £30,000 in six weeks for their cultural centre fundraiser and can boast the world’s only art exhibition in a national gallery – Turner Contemporary -responding to the BLM protests following the murder of American George Floyd
People Dem Collective also is in partnership with the Margate Festival to co-curate the annual arts event this year to authentically provide voice and representation to the black, brown and diaspora community.
Victoria Barrow-Williams, Co-Director of People Dem Collective, said: “Healing will be a key part of the cultural centre’s provision. This is important for our Black and Brown communities and for our allies who have started their anti-racist journey.
“It’s overwhelming to see how local communities are just getting it! They are completely on board”
Kelly Abbott founder and director of People Dem Collective, added: “After attending a protest and reading a book on white privilege, people are asking, what now, how do I sustain my journey? The cultural centre will support that journey and provide a beautiful destination for us all to celebrate & support Black excellence”
Cynithia Lawrence John, international stylist and local business owner, said: “People Dem Collective have worked tirelessly to bring communities together in Margate, through the peaceful marches, art and cultural exchange. They have united the community not divided it”
Find out more
Facebook: www.facebook.com/peopledemcollective
Website: www.peopledemcollective.com
I am surprised the moaners are not commenting on this don’t give in to this stand up and be counted.
They’ve made Arlington House look even worse, quite an achievement!
Comment of the year-love it.
LGBTQIA + and neuro diverse communities.
Explanation, please?
Lettuce, Gherkin, Bacon, Tomato, Quinoa… oh, I give up!
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Genderqueer, Queer, Intersexed, Agender, Asexual, and Ally
Neuro diverse = variations in how human minds think. These differences can include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Tourette Syndrome, and others.
That’s the last time I try ordering a baguette at Gay Pride! ; )
No confusion there then-it seemed to be much easier o understand & not have to think about every word you say for fear of upsetting the permanently offended decades back-when you had men, women, gays, lesbians, transvestites & a few transgenders-although certainly no five & six year olds being told by these lobby groups via portions of the mainstream media-especially ITV, their woke/hipster parents etc that they are trapped in the wrong body they need a sex change
Basically just the Oppression Olympics being updated to be inclusive.
Actually it doesn’t sound like the local communities are just getting it “and are completely on board” from these comments. Maybe People Dem Collective need to be more in touch with all the local communities.
Unfortunately for them the overwhelming majority of Thanet residents are white, so we are unlikely to get behind something that by everything we have seen put out from them thus far doesn’t want to include us, seems to hate us & calls us privileged-quite amazing they can look around a deprived area like Thanet & see white privilege-when they are probably better off than the majority of white residents living on the breadline.
But when you are so equally balanced you have a chip on both shoulders, see racism etc in everything & everybody white & go out of your way to alienate them then there you are. Shame, as most white people in Thanet would no doubt like to support their overall ethos, if it was put in a decent & inclusive manner to them-rather than the constant attempts at guilt trips, demonising, demanding black panther salutes & apologies for stuff that happened centuries ago etc.
Did they ask the flat dwellers their permission before beaming the projectors light on them. No thought not.
Thought they would need permission from the council, but of course TDC are a bunch of spineless cockroaches that know a good bandwagon when they see one.
No.
I guess something of national importance can seem scary guys! But hey, no one’s forcing you to embrace equality. I think it’s great- the whole point is that we’re meant to be quaking in our boots because we’re clueless and this is how we move forward as a society… embracing change and learning where we’re going wrong. If we’d always stuck with what we knew then women wouldn’t have the vote and corporal punishment would still seem normal. So, just out of interest Kathy, would epilepsy count as neuro diverse?
I’m not sure Liza, I would have to read up on it a bit more
Actually I STILL think banning corporal punishment is a bad idea (this happened halfway through my schooling, and even THEN I thought it was a bad idea!)… but that’s a whole different debate!
Otherwise, by the standards of the average person nearing 60 (I’m 57), I consider myself reasonably tolerant, having been partly raised by an excellent black stepdad in a largely Caribbean area in South London, and having several long-time gay friends (including one elderly chap who campaigned to make it legal in the ’60s). What I DO object to is when public funds are used to (let’s face it) preach to the converted. As someone else has pointed out here, I’d much rather see weeds cleared from the gutters and roads swept.
The reality is most people don’t give a hoot what sex or race people are & those that do will always be that way. The problem comes when a group is patently anti-white, non-inclusive to the white community-when we make up the overwhelming majority of Thanet & are calling us privileged-when whites & non-whites are lining up in huge numbers for food-banks to eat, on some of the worst wages in the country etc & this constant demand that white people be on their knees doing black power salutes & feeling guilt over things that happened long before most of our great grandparents were even born.
The problem just like jumping on extreme right bandwagons with jumping on extreme left bandwagons is there is no real difference between them. An inclusive group would not be excluding/demonising white people.
Very well said Steve.
Don’t care , will someone just get rid of the weeds growing along the roads
This must cost money? Nothing is for free.
So would the money have been better used for proper community things such as homeless,community groups for young and old. Cleaning up the area. Placing extra police on streets,ect ect the list could go on.
TDC made it obvious a long time ago there will be endless cash for art projects-Turder Centre, all the luvvie arty shops surrounding that area, while the high street, seafront & everything else can go to hell. This is heaven for the council-a chance to jump on the BLM, Trans, healthy at every size etc bandwagons all in one go & get Tracey ‘My dirty bed is worth 2.2 million quid & yours is just a dirty bed’ Emin & all the others pretentious twots down to wax lyrical about this.
How can only 30,000 pounds fund the proposed centre at the old Primark building? What does the present owner say? Isn’t this up for journalistic scrutiny, as it’s frustratingly half a story. It’s baffling my neurons for sure.
It would be nice to know what they think & what other business might move in there-but no doubt if the owner expressed any doubt & is white the race card would be pulled on them, if not then the trans or delete as applicable any other victim group can be used & it seems either these are the only people showing any interest in the site, or the only one being reported on via the agenda.
Racist remarks are welcome on this platform? Wtf?
Not at all. It isn’t manual moderation 100% of the time, I shall check comments shortly
So no room for white heterosexuals in their cultural plan then.
Of course not-us White, CIS types are all privileged devils. If you spend the next decade down on your knees doing black panther salutes to Malcolm X you might get token acceptance
Well said & you do wonder how these snowflakes/victims would cope living in an era of real racial prejudice-like the West Indians who came here to help rebuild the country after WW2, the Indians & Pakistani’s. Over the pond in the US & in South Africa segregation & grinding poverty.
The image of these people in designer clothes, designer trainers, with smartphones costing thousands of pounds/dollars going on about how hard things are for them, while many of them also are out there looting stores of more material objects is not comparable to Rosa Parks or Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney.
How naff, cheesy and elitist
Pretentious artists
Self fulfilling advert
Let’s focus on black on black crime.
Black lives do matter so why are most crimes committed against black people by black people.
And by the way , I’m Nigerian
Peter asks why objectors to the project aren’t surfacing; well the answer is standard woke procedure of deleting all opposition posts