Humans of Lewisham

Inspired by the Humans of New York, we've created a photoblog that celebrates the people of Lewisham. If you know someone you would like us to feature contact [email protected].

[humansoflewisham]

“My mother and father are from Jamaica but my father has Scottish roots.  

I was brought up in Bristol. I moved to London about 2004. It’s very diverse.  I wouldn’t go back to Bristol now.  I love London.

My dream is to live in the Bahamas.  I have family there.  I don’t feel like England is really where I’m going to be for the rest of my days.”

[humansoflewisham]

“We moved to Devon when I was 7, and I consider Devon my family home but to me roots isn’t so much a geographic connection but more about the relationships within a family.”

What roots us together is the support we give to one another and the special connection you have with your family.”

[humansoflewisham]

“My ancestry is Scottish on both my mum and dad’s side.”

[humansoflewisham]

“My dad comes from a long line of Welsh coal miner.  He was the first in his family not to work down the mine. My grandad did, when he was a teenager, before they closed for good.

After that he was enlisted in the Second World War, based in a military barracks in Wiltshire where he met my grandmother who was a local girl. They got a home during the first big wave of council house building in the 1950s. My grandmother stayed in that house for over 60 years.  She came from a generation where a woman’s place was in the home. Moving to Wales must have been a major upheaval so I think the house gave her the stability and comfort she craved.”

#HumansOfLewisham #Stafftakeover  #celebratingdiversity

[humansoflewisham]

“Both my parents are Nigerian.  I was born and raised here in London, Mitcham.  Still south of the river!  

Growing up I was really quite in touch with my culture.  I can do the Nigerian thing and I can do the British thing.

My favourite Nigerian meal has to be Jaloff rice!  The most common meal but also the nicest!  It’s up there with a Sunday roast. Literally after church, there would always be Jaloff rice, right from when I can remember.  Sunday afternoon, sunny day, put the football on with the family with Jaloff rice. And peas and chicken.  And always a Supermalt.”

#HumansOfLewisham #Stafftakeover #BHM #celebratingdiversity

[humansoflewisham]

“Both my parents are Nigerians, from the east part of Nigeria, Igboland.  

While I was on my father’s land laying him to rest, I experienced for the first time the rich culture of our Motherland, unknown to other parts of the world.

It was here that I realised that I had an identity, that I was someone and belonged to someone.  I felt overwhelmed with emotions that I really cannot be put into words. I was truly home.  

This, to me, is my roots.”

 #HumansOfLewisham #Stafftakeover #BHM #celebratingdiversity

[humansoflewisham]

“My parents are from Hong Kong.  They moved to Northern Ireland where I was born.

I think because of having that cross cultural element in my background, there isn’t really a clear definition to my roots.

One of the reasons I’ve stayed in London is because I love the fact it’s so multi-cultural.  You don’t feel as if you’re excluded, there’s something for everybody. There’s such a rich diversity of people.  I think it’s given me a firmer appreciation of what I believe in terms of who you see as a person.”

#HumansOfLewisham #Stafftakeover #BHM #celebratingdiversity

[humansoflewisham]

“My mum’s side of the family is Italian. My Dad’s family has Lithuanian and Polish roots.

My surname Rumney comes from Ramues.  It means camomile in Lithuanian. The name comes from my grandfather, who was a Jewish rabbi and used to prescribe Camomile tea to people who were distressed.

I think family is not who you get.  You make your own family. My girlfriend and my flatmates are part of my family too.

There’s a massive importance, even in Italian schools, about when you eat and sit down together. My flatmates and I have a meal together every day.”

[humansoflewisham]

“These pictures of my mum, grandma and me highlight the family resemblance. 

My roots are Portuguese, Dutch, Black Zimbabwean, Irish and a bit of Indian somewhere.  

I was born and bred in Zimbabwe. I moved to England when I was 16. My mum thought it was a better opportunity for me.  I don’t have the British accent.  I’ve kept to my roots because I’m quite proud.

I consider myself as Zimbabwean but England is my home now.”

[humansoflewisham]

“My Nain and Taid, (my Gran and Grandfather), moved from Wales to Corby because my Grandad was an engineer. It was in the 50’s when the steel industry was big and lots of people moved from Scotland and Wales.  Corby was a steel town.  All my family were brought up in Wales before that.”

[humansoflewisham]

“If you don’t know where you’re coming from, you don’t know where you’re going. That’s what I think. My parents’ background is Sierra Leone but I grew up in Brockley.

My ethos is Black History Month is about empowerment.  I think it’s important to concentrate on the positive stuff.  Like the Malian empire.  The King, Mansa Musa, was the richest man to ever walk on the earth. He set the price of gold!  If I’d known about all this stuff when I was growing up, I think I would have been a completely different person.  Even more positive than I am now! “

[humansoflewisham]

“Roots are the beginning of your culture, where you come from.  What you grow up to know and understand. I’m a person that has strong roots.

I was born in Lewisham hospital.  My parents are from the countryside of Jamaica.  There’s fruit, breadfruit, Ackee and salt fish.  It’s been 19 years since I’ve been there.  Everything about it is fresh and nice. Organic stuff. The vitamin D you get from the sun! I’m really pining to go again.”

[humansoflewisham]

I lived in Ireland until I was about 4.  I consider myself British but my blood is Irish.  

Deptford had an Irish pipe band which I was part of.  I was 7 or 8 in this picture and it was the St Patrick’s Day Parade.  Everybody loved it.  I got teased all the time about the kilt.

The pipes I’ve got in this picture, they were called war pipes, and they were banned right up until the 1st world war. It was illegal to play them.  They used to say they incensed the blood.  They’d make the followers go frenzied.  

[humansoflewisham]

This is a picture of Carter Goodwin Woodson the father of Black History Month.

We are doing another #Stafftakeover for HumansOfLewisham. As it is #BlackHistoryMonth we are choosing to celebrate the diversity of our staff.  

So for the month of October we will be showcasing stories and pictures shared by our colleagues of their family roots as part of our #BHM celebrations.

[humansoflewisham]

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Left to right:

“I want to be a firefighter”

“I want to be a bus driver”

[humansoflewisham]

At our Garden Party this year we asked residents what they wanted to be when they grew up and received some great responses. We also decided to kick it old school and used a Polaroid camera.

"I want to be a millionaire."

[humansoflewisham]

I started as a Graduate in the Community Engagement team.  Through studying Human Geography and Urban Geography I became really interested in resident engagement and how people can shape their own environments.

If you get a graduate position you’ll get amazing experience and if you go for it and you’re willing to work hard, people will trust you with quite serious projects.  On top of that you’ll get the chance to develop.  

My mentor encouraged me to shadow team members, involved me in meetings and gave me advice on what I could research.  She gave me great feedback on what I was doing but was also honest with me and helped me to improve.  She invested a lot of time in my development and gave me the confidence to apply for my current position as a Trainee Project Manager.