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In the summer of 1997, five interpreters got together in north London. Those interpreters were Hetty May Bailey, the brain child, Loquessa Smart, Arusa Ghani, Zane Hema and Audrey Simmons. The aim was to create a network that would reach out to Black and Asian interpreters across the country. After much deliberation, we called this network BASLIN: Black and Asian Sign Language interpreters Network.
During the five years that the network was running, it became a source of support for not only Black and Asian interpreters but also the Black Deaf community. We held regular meetings across the country and produced a newsletter, edited by Grace Peddie, with articles written by members. The membership was small and we had no funding, but we did have a directory with the names, contact details and additional language skills of our members.
BASLIN worked with the London Ethnic Minority Deaf Association (LEMDA), which was a Black Deaf-led organisation supporting the cultural needs of the Black Deaf community. We also worked with the Asian Deaf Women Association (ADWA). We provided interpreting support for their training and events. We were in a unique position at the time. We were qualified interpreters with the extra language skills and cultural understanding that the Deaf community felt they needed.
The original attendees of Jacqui Beckford's workshop in December 2019
In addition, we were lucky enough to be able to go to the USA to attend the National Association of Black interpreters (NAOBI) conferences that took place every year at different venues across the USA. We participated in training, met other Black interpreters and shared our story of what it was like to be a Black interpreter in the UK.
We also attended the National Deaf Advocates conference, which aimed to empower the Black Deaf community by offering peer support in a range of activities. We met Deaf educators, storytellers, Black Deaf professionals and Deaf elders, which we had never come across in the UK until then.
Fast-forward to July 2020 and the Interpreters of Colour Network has mushroomed in an incredibly short space of time. The catalyst was a two day performance theatre workshop set up by Jacqui Beckford in December 2019, aimed at non-White interpreters, exploring the under representation of black and brown interpreters working in the arts and performance domains. Many of the attendees felt that this workshop offered a safe space and prompted Azaria Francis to set up a WhatsApp group. The COVID-19 global pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, instigating the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, coalesced and gave the group traction.
The difference this time is that in the BASLIN days we didn’t have WhatsApp, Zoom and the Internet. Technology has allowed us to connect with interpreters of colour from across the UK and Europe. We have gone from a workshop of 12 people to the vibrant international network that we see growing before us. The difference this time is we are a catalyst for change, deploying the wealth of talents and knowledge that our members possess.
IOCN is led by an elected Board of Directors, informally known as the Steering Group. The original Steering Group came together in summer 2020 to establish the organisation and guide it through its early development and rapid growth.
Steering Group Founders:
Akbar Sikder
Arusa Abdul Ghani
Audrey Simmons
Nikki Harris
Jacqui Beckford
Previous Steering Group Members:
Samuel Rojas
Mindy Lainie
Azaria Francis
Suzy Evans
Current Steering Group Members:
Ali Gordon
Nana Badu-Danso
Janine Ellis
Shannene Anderson
Disclaimer
IOCN is not an interpreting agency. Booking an interpreter or translator through this site means that you agree to abide by the individual’s terms of business and charges. These terms will be provided to you by the individual at the time of booking. IOCN does not take any responsibility for individual business arrangements made when making a direct booking with a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or translator. BSL IOCN acts as an introduction platform and does not charge for its services.