Celebrating Equiano’s Cambridge connections
This Black History Month blog shares our recent work to explore and celebrate the Cambridge connections of Olaudah Equiano, Britain’s most important Black Abolitionist. Within his 52-year lifespan, the time that Olaudah Equiano spent in Cambridgeshire might appear insignificant. His documented associations lasted less than seven years from summer 1789 until spring 1796. And yet the people whom Equiano met…
Rediscovering Anna Maria Vassa’s Grave
We have always known that Anna Maria, the eldest daughter of Black British abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, died on 31 July 1797 and was buried in Chesterton. However, the exact site of her grave had long been forgotten. This Black History Month blog is the story of our rediscovery of Anna Maria’s grave. This discovery builds on research initially conducted by…
Creating a Happy Place at the Fitzwilliam Museum
What does wellbeing look like in a museum? In spring and summer 2025, the Fitzwilliam Museum invited young adults to help answer this question, co-creating an immersive wellbeing pilot Happy Place designed to spark joy, connection and calm in a challenging world. Happy Place is a collaborative participatory research project exploring how museums can support young adult wellbeing through co-designed…
