New project hopes to remove barriers to Black British literature in schools

A play set in St Agnes charting one girl’s hopes and dreams against the backdrop of the Bristol Bus Boycott in the 1960s could soon be taught in schools across the UK.

Princess & The Hustler by playwright, Chinonyerem Odimba, was originally performed at Bristol Old Vic in 2019, and watched by some of the city’s biggest heroes, including civil rights activists Roy Hackett and Paul Stephenson.

Now a new project is hoping to put it at the forefront of the syllabus in schools, alongside a host of literature by Black British authors.

‘Lit. Legacies’ is a new project launched by Amy Saleh, a senior lecturer in education at UWE Bristol.

‘The Princess & the Hustler’ charts the life of Phyllis Princess James as she finds out what it is to be black and beautiful in a city that perceives beauty through a white-only prism – photo: Bristol Old Vic

Saleh wanted to break down the barriers to teaching Black British literature in schools by creating unique teaching tools that teachers can use in the classroom.

The lecturer has collaborated with four Black British teachers for the project, with the support from Black community leaders and young people.

Their combined knowledge, skills and lived experiences is a distinctive feature of the project, which will be made up of two workshops run in two local secondary schools for GCSE students to get to know Princess & the Hustler, look at sample resources, and offer their evaluations.

Speaking about the project, Saleh said: “In 2020, the absence of Black writers from GCSE English Literature set text lists was widely acknowledged in educational reports and news outlets. Since then, UK exam boards have added a range of Black British texts.

“That includes Princess & The Hustler, but despite Black writers appearing on set text lists, previous research has found that most students are likely to study texts written by White authors.

“Issues of time, money, subject knowledge, and teacher confidence are barriers, in addition to most secondary school teachers having had no training on how to talk about race.

Amy Saleh believes that Chino Odimba’s ‘Princess and the Hustler’s could become a popular text in schools if teachers are given the right resources to teach Black British literature – photo: Lit Legacies

“I thought: ‘What can be done to remove some of those barriers, and so, the project was conceived.”

The six-week scheme will offer work including a set of lesson plans and resources for teachers, including Kahoot quizzes, contextual links, and exam-style questions with model responses.

There will also be resources to enable teachers to develop their racial literacy and prepare for issues that may arise when facilitating ‘race talk’ in the classroom.

Teachers, secondary school students, parents, and those working in education are encouraged to attend a launch workshop for the project.

In one of the workshops, when asked why a play like Princess & The Hustler should be studied in schools, a student said, “Because it’s relatable, and it’s useful for people of colour to have an example of what their home life can look like”.

Saleh hopes the project will extend to schools across the UK, as a starting point to break down the barriers to teaching Black British literature in schools.

Lit. Legacies will take place between 6pm and 8pm on January 31 at Fairfield High School.

Main photo: UWE Bristol

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