In January, it was announced that the Black Cultural Archives (BCA), had appointed the cultural historian, community leader, and political activist Ansel Wong CBE as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Yesterday (March 5), it was reported that Wong has taken a voluntary leave of absence as a result of an allegation of sexual misconduct. The allegation is tied to Wong’s life before his engagement with Black Cultural Archives. 

In a statement, the charity’s spokesperson Nadine Drummond said:

“We take allegations of misconduct, particularly those of a sexual nature extremely seriously and in accordance with Black Cultural Archives safeguarding policy the issue is being investigated thoroughly and independently. As such, the Chair has taken a leave of absence from his position to allow the investigation to continue unimpeded and is cooperating fully with the Board. Any actions the Board takes henceforth will be informed by its responsibility to act in the best interests of Black Cultural Archives. During this process, the Board has appointed Sharmaine Lovegrove as Interim Chair and hopes to resolve this unsettling issue as quickly as possible”.

Black Cultural Archives is the only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain.