EXPLORING BLACK BRITISH LIFE BEYOND LONDON

A family of five with two children sitting on a black leather couch in a living room. The youngest child is sleeping on a man's lap, who is wearing a white shirt. The girl standing in front of the couch is wearing red overalls and a white t-shirt. The man is sitting next to a woman wearing a dark top, reading a newspaper. The background features pink patterned wallpaper, a glass display cabinet with decorative items, and a patterned armchair.
A black and white illustration of the Earth with latitude and longitude lines, showing Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia.

Our Story

Bumpkin Files is a Black British-led platform exploring the underrepresented corners of Black British life, and amplifying stories across the diaspora. We challenge the monolithic narrative of Black life in Britain by documenting and celebrating the rich, diverse, and long-standing communities across the UK. We use visual storytelling, interviews, and archival imagery to challenge the notion of certain communities being absent. The platform aims to provide greater visibility and historical context for these communities, and provide resource to bridge gaps in Black diasporic storytelling.

Our
Manifesto

Bumpkin Files is a resource and forum dedicated to exploring historic and contemporary Black British life through a nuanced lens.

We exist to help bridge the gap between Black British communities, and the cultural narratives that shape public perception.

We seek to diversify how Black British identity is defined, discussed, and represented beyond a London-centric lens.

We encourage the exploration of Black British culture in all its depth, possibility, and regional richness.

We provide insight, inspiration, and context for those seeking to understand our heritage, achievements and contributions from the global diaspora — past, present, and future.

Our mission is to expand, inclusively and intentionally, how our stories are told, shared, presented, and preserved.

Above all, Bumpkin Files is here to amplify the voices of often-overlooked communities across Britain — and beyond.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots." — Marcus Garvey Jr.