This special Black History Month event brings the remarkable story of Mary Ann Macham back into the history of North Shields.
Born into slavery in Virginia in the United States, Macham escaped and eventually made a new life thousands of miles away in North East England.
Her story is one of those extraordinary connections between local British history and the much larger history of slavery, abolition and the African diaspora.
The event begins with a new 20-minute documentary following sculptor Keith Barrett as he creates a permanent bronze memorial honouring Macham.
Filmed over several years, the documentary follows the sculpture from its earliest stages through carving and bronze casting while also examining the historical research that helped shape the finished work.
The screening is followed by a question-and-answer session with Barrett, filmmaker Dan Prince and a panel of historians.
Macham’s journey is particularly important because it challenges the idea that Black history in Britain belongs only to major cities such as London, Liverpool or Bristol.
The history of the African diaspora reaches into towns and communities throughout Britain, including the North East.
North Shields became part of Macham’s own story of freedom and belonging.
Her experiences also remind us that people who escaped slavery did not simply disappear from history once they reached freedom. They created new lives, families and communities, although those stories were often poorly documented or subsequently forgotten.
Recovering those histories has become an important part of contemporary Black British historical research.
The memorial and accompanying documentary therefore do more than commemorate one individual.
They restore Mary Ann Macham to the historical landscape of the town in which she lived.
The Old Low Light itself describes the event as a Black History Month Special Event, making the connection here explicit rather than editorial. The venue has said that holding the event during Black History Month is particularly fitting given Macham’s story of enslavement, escape, freedom and remembrance.
Taking place at North Shields Fish Quay, this is one of the strongest North East Black History Month events announced for October 2026.
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