ABOUT THE COLLECTION: EQUALITY

No one today would argue against ‘equality’ which has become a dominant theme in Northern Irish society since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Fair employment is an accepted norm and has become one of the more successful stories to come out of the recent Troubles, but back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, attitudes were more polarised. Northern Visions holds what we believe are the only archives of the campaign for fair employment, including American footage Northern Visions recorded of Senate hearings in Ohio. In New York we recorded interviews with those responsible for the investment of pension funds and their active involvement with the MacBride Principles. Given that fair employment is no longer a disputed issue it provides us with a rare opportunity to interpret an aspect of sectarianism within an historical timeframe, and one, which was successfully resolved.

The building of an inclusive society and equality are central to the Good Friday Agreement and this Special Collection contains archives on minorities and diversity, particularly race, sexual orientation and disability.

Open Arts, Disability Action, Jeff Dudgeon, Douglas Sobeym Gerry Walls, PA Maglochlainn, Donegall Pass Community Forum, Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group, Windsor Women’s Centre, ArtsEkta, African and Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland.