Culture And Memory

Stories of Resistance: Women's Labour and Collective Action in the Black Country

Through Stories of Resistance, Multistory will celebrate the overlooked heritage of women’s labour, activism and everyday working lives in Black Country industries. Many working-class women’s stories, linked to local factories still operating or within living memory, have not been documented as heritage and are now at risk of disappearing. Our vision is to ensure that this intangible heritage (held in memories, skills, objects and stories) is preserved, shared and recognised as a vital part of the region’s cultural legacy. The project will champion inclusion by engaging communities who have historically been excluded from heritage spaces to ensure that local women from diverse cultural backgrounds see their histories represented and feel empowered to shape how they are told. By bringing together creatives, communities and heritage partners, the project will shift public understanding so that domestic, industrial and craft-based work carried out by women is acknowledged and celebrated as significant heritage.