Making of Black Britain announce partnership with Tesco

Broadcaster Diane Louise Jordan, of Blue Peter, is delighted to announce that the oral history and digital storytelling project, The Making of Black Britain (MOBB) is partnering with Tesco PLC, the leading  multinational retailer.

The brainchild of Diane Louise Jordan, MOBB  is a mass collection of stories from all over the United Kingdom exploring what it means to be Black British, a British story about nationality, citizenship, identity and belonging, set to be the UK’s biggest ever audio and digital gathering exercise.

At the heart of MOBB’s mission is the creation of an oral history archive, which documents the transformation of mainland Britain (or the British metropole) from the start of mass migration from Commonwealth nations post war. It will take the British Nationality Act of 1948 as its anchor point, which recognized Commonwealth subjects as British citizens and recognized their right to work and reside in the UK on an equal status to other British residents.

Over the course of our late Majesty’s reign, the Commonwealth grew from just seven nations to 56 member states. Representing more than 2.5 billion people and more than a third of the world’s population, the commonwealth helped make the rich diversity of our country in 2022. Housed on Google Arts and Culture*, The Making of Black Britain is a living public oral history archive, inviting every colour, class and creed, from generation to generation, to share their story,exploring their history and present-day experiences.

To kick off the partnership on 1 September 2002, the MOBB team led a digital storytelling workshop for Tesco staff members. Colleagues from right across the business and the country had the chance to tell their fascinating life stories, as part of Tesco’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity, diversity and supporting their colleagues.

Diane Louise Jordan:

“We are thrilled to be announcing our partnership with Tesco and are delighted to be working with Jason Tarry and his colleagues, this exercise will be transformational for Tesco. We have started with the workshop and look forward to the many possibilities this partnership will provide. When members of a business have an insight into their colleagues’ life stories, working relationships are transformed and very special things begin to happen”. 

Charlene Henry, Chair of the Race & Ethnicity Colleague Network at Tesco:

“We’re proud to be the first retailer to partner with MOBB and support this vital storytelling archive. As one of the UK’s largest employers we are proud of the diversity of our colleagues, but know there’s more work to do to make Tesco a truly inclusive workplace. This partnership is a small step towards this and ensuring all our colleagues feel seen and heard.”

The next activity in the partnership will see colleagues given the opportunity to attend a‘Conversation with’, discussion between  Jason Tarry, CEO Tesco UK and ROI and Diane at the company’s first Black History Festival, later this month. Jason joined Tesco in October 1990 on the graduate programme. He has held a number of positions in the UK and internationally across both food and non-food divisions.

Tesco is the largest private employer in the UK with thousands of suppliers and millions of customers, making decisions every day which touch many communities. After joining the Black British Network, an organisation set up to help solve the problem of systemic racism in the UK in 2021, they created their Black Action Plan. A transformative plan designed by and for its Black colleagues, the Black Action Plan lays key foundations to help Tesco begin to address the barriers disproportionately faced by its Black colleagues and communities. The Making of Black Britain is delighted to be the latest partner in supporting Tesco with its mission to give all employees a voice.

For further information contact [email protected] 07725 035738 or [email protected] 07909977335

*Google Arts & Culture is a non-profit initiative that works with cultural institutions and artists around the world. Together, their mission is to preserve and bring the world’s art and culture online so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere.