Speaking about the reception of him and his colleagues, Dr Henry says “We are definitely sidelined in favour of mainstream white academics and writers.” Broadening the argument to the aforementioned institutions, he continues “A black kid who achieves AAAB at A level will generally find it a lot harder to get into a top university medicine course than a white kid who achieves all Bs. The professionals who choose the prospective students need to change their attitude to how they select their students. We need to remedy the impression that a middle class white Oxbridge graduate is somehow more intelligent than an ethnic minority pupil from the inner city. I encourage black people of all ages to study at universities, as once we attain top qualifications and influence in employment, we will form a critical mass which no one will be able to ignore.” Dr William has also gained the reputation as an international speaker, lecturing at many institutions including University Of The West Indies, Department of Literature-Reggae Studies Unit, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica, WI: University of Gothenburg: Centre for Cultural Studies, Gothenburg, Sweden. The African American Studies Department, Yale University, Connecticut, USA. Queens University Belfast: Department of Ethnomusicology, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Howard University: Department of Humanities, Washington DC, USA and African And African American Studies Program, University Of Oklahoma: Tulsa, USA. As an international lecturer, Dr Henry cites the University of Oklahoma as having the biggest impact on him. “My visit there introduced me to an area called the ‘Black Wall Street’ or as the Ku Klux Klan called it, ‘Little Africa’. It was set up as a blacks-only area, as a result of segregation. Ironically, it was the best thing to happen to that community as they demonstrated that they were very autonomous, self-reliant and prosperous without having to rely on handouts and assistance by whites. Unfortunately it was burnt and looted within a day on June 1st 1921 by the KKK as they noticed its growing prosperity.” The model of the Black Wall Street is a model which Dr Henry would like to see developed in communities over here. As far as his plans for the future are concerned, Dr Henry says “Just do what I do and hopefully get paid for it!
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