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, cultural fusion, and a whole lot of soul. A Love That Defied Borders It all started in the early 1950s at The Grafton, a legendary Liverpool nightclub with a famous sprung dance floor. Ray’s

A round up of our initial research in Norfolk.

A round up of our initial research in Cambridgeshire.

A round up of our initial research in Suffolk.

A round up of our initial research in Essex.

Background to the researchers and their research on Black USAF.

Tamiks is a child born to a white British single mother and an African-American father. From a young age, she battled with her race.

Nate James (right) with his family - his dad is a former US airman who served in Suffolk. Press Release Embargoed: 18 March 2026 Download images here A new collection of powerful audio stories examining the cultural impact of Black American United States Air Force (USAF) personnel in East Anglia has launched on www.blackusaf.org . Since launching last June, the pioneering cultural heritage project, Black USAF: Cultural Connections in Cold War East Anglia , has been capturin

Haywood Magee / 'The Yanks* in England, 1952' /Getty Images. The photo was taken on RAF Lakenheath. Well, here we are in February with Valentine cards and Easter eggs on supermarket shelves! Since our last project update (about the large collection of free high quality images given to Black USAF by Getty Images), we've been focusing heavily on finishing our interviews with the public. Our final interview is now in the bag, and our researchers Eleanor and Isobel are in the f

Mapping 1920s & 1930s Queer Caribbean Journeys We love this new interactive resource which maps places, people and organisations which were key to the Black queer Caribbean community in the 1920s and 1930s. The research contextualises and visualises the lives of queer people with Caribbean heritage that found a home in Britain, in the early 1900s. Many travelled around Europe, with those who were performers or artists often travelling and living in Paris as it became a hub fo

We're beyond thrilled to have been given the use of a set of stunning images from Getty Images Black History & Culture Collection. . We were contacted by the project lead at Getty with the offer of using photography from across the decades free on charge! Other Black-led projects can also request images. Please contact us for the email address. We'll be using the images and more in 2026! Top left. Colour photo of a Black man, Muddy Waters, plays guitar on stage for 'Jazz At

Photo by Isobel Keith. A new mini exhibition at Cambridge Central Library is showcasing five striking portrait photographs of ‘60s soul music legend and former USAF airman, Geno Washington, taken by leading photographer John Ferguson . The photographs of Washington, who has performed frequently in and around Cambridge, will be on display until 31 January 2026 (USAF is the acronym for United States Air Force.) The display is the most recent addition to Black USAF: Cultural Co

Check out a playlist of Geno's music going back to the early 60s! Plus the discography and link to his band's website.

A new mini exhibition at Ipswich Central Library is showcasing five striking portrait photographs of soul music legend Geno Washington, taken by Suffolk-based photographer John Ferguson earlier this year. More info, check out the article.

The Black USAF team is thrilled to update you on the project’s progress since launching in June.

The days of appropriation in the cultural sector are over . And if you know someone who still hasn’t got the memo, it’s time for...

The United States Air Force’s (USAF) presence in East Anglia during the Cold War was driven by a combination of strategic, political, and military factors rooted in post-World War II geopolitics and the emerging East-West divide.

PRESS RELEASE 26/6/25 Download images here Geno Washington by John Ferguson. A new, groundbreaking cultural heritage project will reveal...

By Tamika Green. When Geno Washington joined the Air Force in 1961, it was to elude the looming threat of being drafted into the Vietnam...

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It was founded by the...