Forgotten Foundlings? Voicelessness and invisibility in the story of care
Monday 30 October, 6 - 7.15pm
Coram Society and In Between Lines are pleased to invite you to this free online event marking the close of Black History Month 2023.
This year’s event centres on the voices of those that have been missing from the historical record, as well as the experience of our speakers and young people in the Voices through Time: The Story of Care programme. The programme participants have been using Coram’s Foundling Hospital Archives to reconstruct and connect with stories of care from the 18th century.
Hannah Dennett, PhD Candidate at Warwick University, will present her research on the lives of children at the Foundling Hospital which was featured in a recent exhibition at the Foundling Museum (Tiny Traces).
Anthony Lynch will examine how voicelessness can persist in the care system today and the importance of lived experience in the narratives surrounding adoption and fostering.
The event will be chaired by Dr Carol Homden CBE, Group Chief Executive of Coram, addressing also the continuing work of Coram to get young voices heard in decisions that matter.
Coram’s Voices Through Time: The Story of Care programme is made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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Speakers
Hannah Dennett
Hannah Dennett is an AHRC History PhD candidate whose project is in partnership with the Foundling Museum and funded by Midlands4Cities. Her research uncovers the lives of children of colour admitted into the London Foundling Hospital during the long eighteenth century. By piecing together fragments of these children’s lives from the archives, for the first time, their stories highlight something of the lived experiences of foundlings of colour in the past. In doing so, the ‘voices’ of children of colour take their place in the historical narrative of the Foundling Hospital, and more broadly, add to our understanding of Black British history. Hannah recently curated the Foundling Museum exhibition, Tiny Traces: African and Asian Children at London’s Foundling Hospital, which was based on her research findings.
Anthony Lynch
Anthony Lynch is a mixed non-binary adoptee, who was adopted through Coram at 20 months. They co-created and run In-Between Lines, an award-winning community exploring the lived experience of multiple cultural, ethnic, or family identities e.g.: adoptees, mixed-heritage, third-culture kids, and immigrants. Originally a student project, In-Between Lines has toured the country, working with organisations such as the University of Exeter, Leeds Beckett University, and Mind. Over 180 tickets have been sold for their conversation panels, poetry nights, and workshops, and they recently won a Marsh Award for their peer support work. They’ve launched a website, where they host resources and will commission individuals to tell their story through art, blogs, poetry, and film.