Black USAF

01/09/2026

Boom.

A research project explores the untold stories of black USAF personnel stationed in East Anglia during World War Two.

01/09/2026

Really chuffed Black USAF is still gaining press coverage.

Our landmark project has truly captured people's hearts 💕 ! And that's due to a strong vision, stories from people with firsthand experience and of course a wonderful team.

Elma Glasgow Eleanor Root, Isobel Keith, Eli Turay, Frederico Ramos, Kate Mason Jerry Glasgow John Ferguson Tola Dibiri Tamika Green Clare Lucas Claire Driver Melda Findikli.

Thank you to BBC Suffolk 's Alice Cunningham for the chat last week, and to presenter Sarah Lilley who's playing out our pre-recorded interview today.

It tells the stories of 10 men with links to East Anglia's air bases and the United States military.

22/07/2026

🤩Meet Ray Campbell.

A 68-year-old whose life reads like a globe-trotting novel: from Brooklyn to Britain and Bavaria via Detroit. A son of an American US Air Force airman who was based at Chicksands in Hertfordshire, among other places.

His love of jazz, reggae, dance was influenced by his parents, whose relationship defied borders.

This article captures the music, laughter and resilience that carried him across continents and his life!

Read more: https://wix.to/hk61O3X

Meet Ray Campbell. At 68 years young, Ray’s life story reads like a globe-trotting adventure novel, set to a soundtrack that spans from Charlie Parker to Bob Marley. As the son of a U.S. Air Force airman and a Liverpudlian mother, Ray’s journey is a vibrant tapestry of Cold War mobility, cultura...

12/07/2026

One of our lovely story contributors smashed it at Summer Soul Vibes yesterday in Ipswich.

Welcome home Natey! Come back soon!

It was gorgeous to catch up in person and feel proud of his talent, local connections and that amazing jacket.



Alt text: A Black mixed heritage man performs a song on stage with his band. He's got a shaved head, wears pink tinted sunglasses, a sequined jacket, green trousers.

12/06/2026

😃Project update!!!

The project's researchers, Isobel Keith and Eleanor Root, have written an article about their experiences on the project.

From being conscious that their whiteness could result in biased research results, they were mindful and checked their biases every step of the way.

As experienced heritage professionals, they started with archive research, but this was a challenge! The stories are probably there, but very hard to find.

They also realised that music is the most traceable connection between local communities and the African American airmen. This is really important in research because we need evidence.

Sadly, the local USAF air base historian was unable to get involved due to Federal agency policy. With a change in policy in the future, we hope they'll be able to help out.

You can't always connect food to a certain group of people - same with sport and fashion. But it became clear that the Black American USAF staff brought their music to our neighbourhoods. And thank goodness that they did!

Check out the very honest account from Isobel and Eleanor here: https://www.blackusaf.org/post/where-to-start-with-big-questions

Huge thanks to and to making this happen!

Photo: Credit: Photo by Haywood Magee/USAF in England, 1952 (In the canteen) via Getty Images



Alt text: 1950s black and white photo of two Black men sitting at a table in a old canteen smoking ci******es. One is in a white shirt and the other is in USAF uniform. On the table is a napkin holder, sugar bowl, cups, spoon, vinegar bottle and salt shaker.

06/06/2026

🤔🥹 We've been quiet over the last couple of months! That's because we've been busy wrapping things up as phase one of the project comes to a close.

😃It's been a wonderful journey - we've heard fascinating stories, we've engaged with people across generations and we've discovered that East Anglia played a central tole to the evolution of music in this country. Yes, little old East Anglia.

We had a feeling that was the case, but our research has more or less confirmed this. And we've only just started!

⭐⭐Our brilliant researchers, Eleanor Root and Isobel Keith, have written a collection of blogs which outlines their research. They cover their methods, findings and the challenges. If you're a researcher or just interested in African American culture in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, check out the articles!

📰Huge thanks to for providing such great news cuttings. And thanks for giving us permission to use your cuttings / Iliffe News & Media Ltd.

And of course thank you to Arts Council England and Essex Cultural Diversity Project!

👉👉👉 Head over to blackusaf.org/blog

Image credit: Iliffe News & Media Ltd.

25/04/2026

Can anyone help?

WERE YOU THERE?

We are keen to speak to anyone who was at the Johnny Nash gig at The Athenaeum, Bury St Edmunds, on May 6, 1972, which featured future reggae superstar Bob Marley.

About 200 people were in the crowd.

Did you see Marley take to the stage? We believe this could be one of, if not the earliest, Bob Marley gigs in the UK and we are keen to know if he performed.

If you, or someone you know, was present, then please email [email protected]