JAMAICANS IN BRITAIN: A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP

CO-AUTHORED AND CURATED BY JOY SIGAUD IN COLLABORATION WITH THE JAMAICAN HIGH COMMISSION UK

An EDITIONS Media Windrush Legacy Publication

The would-be analyst of leadership usually studies popularity, power, showmanship, or wisdom in long-range planning. But none of these qualities is the essence of leadership. Leadership is the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants …The man who successfully marshals his human collaborators to achieve particular ends is a leader.

The Harvard Business Review “Understanding Leadership” by WCH Prentice

A Windrush Legacy Publication

Editor: Joy Sigaud

Assistant Editor: Miranda Pyne

Editorial Assistants: Carol Lee-Lea, Serena Lee, Claudette Barrett-Francis

Design: Frank Tyson

Production Manager: Angus Thompson

SPONSORS:

Windrush Day Community Grant Scheme

Grace Foods (UK)

Jamaica National Bank (JNB)

Victoria Mutual Building Society UK

Port Royal Patties

National Commercial Bank (NCB) UK

Editions Media Limited

JP Shipping Services Limited

NBC Distributions Limited

The Voice Newspaper

JLB Shipping

Diamond Travel

Dees Import

Professor Sir Godfrey Palmer CD, OBE

Mr. Wade Lyn CD, CBE

Lady Colin Campbell

Acknowledgements

This book is published by Editions Media Limited on behalf of the Jamaican High Commission UK.

His Excellency, Seth George Ramocan High Commissioner of Jamaica wishes to express his gratitude to the volunteers, sponsors and all who have contributed to the compilation of this book:

The Nurses Association of Jamaica UK for their invaluable support.

The publishers wish to acknowledge the staff and interns at the High Commission including Deputy High Commissioners Angella Rose-Howell (former) and Patricia Laird Grant for their time and dedication.

Members of the Executive Committee include: His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, Mrs Joy Sigaud, Ms Paulette Lewis MBE, Ms Carol Lee-Lea, Mrs Vivienne Siva, Mrs Delores Cooper OD, Editions Media Limited, Mrs Angella Rose-Howell. Other supporting High Commission staff members include: Mrs Juliet Dennison, Ms Angela Edwards, Ms Ann-Marie Pinkney, Mrs Claudette Barrett-Francis.

Features and articles written by J Sigaud (Editions Media) unless otherwise stated.

NOMINATIONS SECTION

Writers and Sub-Editors: Alex Gordon, Colin Tomlin, Jacqueline Thomas, Veronica Clarke, Debbie Lawrence, Lorna Jackson, Beverly Lindsay, Emelia Kenlock, Serena Lee, Georgina Robinson, Merika Ramocan, Paula Neil, Martin Williams.

Research and Administration: Charles Small, Oryo Eubanks, Aisha Asher-Morgan, Alan Oakley, Skinder Hundel OBE, Karen Hamilton-Bannis, Valerie Graham, Nadine James, Shayna Lewis, Sherece Rainford, Georgina Robinson, Dr. Michael Sivapragasam, Tameka Small, Tiffany Stewart, Tanesha Westcarr, Raona Williams. Monica Coke, Dr Lola Ramocan, Joan Blaney CBE, Winifred Adeyemi, Michelle Curtis, Lenaine Foster-Bennett, Janet Lawrence, Hermin McIntosh, Susan Pitter, Mia Morris, Claudette (Laws) Parry, Pablo Reid, Melody Walker, Alan Oakley.

We also wish to acknowledge and thank: The Windrush Foundation, Visit Britain, Tate Britain, Goldsmiths University of London, Black Cultural Archives, Jim Grover, Evewright Arts Foundation, National Portrait Gallery, Britannica, Wikipedia, Charlie Philips, Museum of London Archives, Supra National Consultancy Limited, Sandals Foundation, “Moving Out” by Lorna Holder, Mervyn Weir, University of Huddersfield Professor Wendy Webster, Vanley Burke, Neil Kenlock.

cannot always be read as

accurate but we have endeavoured where possible

Courtesy:

The Jamaican High Commission South Kensington, London

INTRODUCTION BY JOY SIGAUD EDITOR

MESSAGE FROM JAMAICA’ S PRIME MINISTER, THE RIGHT HON. ANDREW HOLNESS ON MP

MESSAGE FROM THE HON. KAMINA JOHNSON-SMITH, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS & TRADE

A MESSAGE FROM H.E. SETH GEORGE RAMOCAN CD, HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR JAMAICA

MESSAGE FROM THE NURSES ASSOCIATION OF JAMAICA (UK)

WINDRUSH THE STORY BY JOY SIGAUD

TRIBUTES: MARCUS GARVEY, MARY SEACOLE AND BOB MARLEY

JAMAICANS IN BRITAIN - A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP

Courtesy Neil Kenlock

introduc tion

W elcome to the first edition of Jamaicans in Britain - A Legacy of Leadership. It is with thanks to His Excellency Seth George Ramocan the Jamaican High Commissioner to the UK who in 2017, at his welcome reception for leading members of the Jamaican diaspora, announced that it was his mission to create a record of Jamaicans who had made significant contributions to Britain and the Jamaican communities here. In particular those who came in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

Members of the Jamaican diaspora were invited to nominate the names and information about people whom they would like to see acknowledged in the book. The response was astounding. The more names and biographies that were submitted the more we realised that our presence here was and remains of tremendous significance.

It was instantly evident that the first wave of migrants who had arrived in 1948 on the HMT Empire Windrush and those who followed in subsequent years had not only positively affected the lives of their immediate communities, but also the wider society. The descendants of these people continue to make the same strides and today Jamaican influences are seen in many aspects of society including speech, colloquialisms, culture and food fusions. The impact we have made in science, politics, fashion and music to name just a selection, has been phenomenal. The input into the health sector is unparalleled and game-changing to say the least.

Our ancestors were removed from Africa to Jamaica where with the migration of many other nationalities and races we became ‘Out of Many One People.’ We moved to Britain, where many if not all, has at least once ancestor. It has to be acknowledged that our fame has branched out globally. Every part of the globe knows of a Jamaican for outstanding achievements. Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey, Usain Bolt, Harry Belafonte, Grace Jones, Mary Seacole, Naomi Campbell are household names. The global impact of the early Jamaican pioneers in Britain must never be underestimated.

The beauty of recording for posterity, is that although history can seem seamless, it is not often the case in reality. This book gives more than a hint of some of the individual and collective struggles that we have overcome and furthermore, many are still ongoing. Jamaicans have led the way in standing up for their rights, often inspiring other communities to do the same and this is encapsulated in the title: “A Legacy of Leadership.”

In this book we document names of many people, some well-known, others less so, who have devoted their lives and invested in the well-being and development of the Jamaican diaspora in Britain. We recognise that for each person mentioned there are at least ten more unmentioned, who have given comparable levels of devotion to the enhancement of the community at one time or other in their lives.

The representations in the book have been submitted and written by a variety of nominators so at times it is from a singular perspective or simply a memory. Our goal was to document as many worthy names as possible alongside their respective fields of activity and it should be read as such.

Jamaicans in Britain A Legacy of Leadership. It is not the work of any one individual but over a period of 4 years it has evolved with a collective of members of the Jamaican diaspora coming together, including volunteers, sharing their expertise whether it be administrative, planning or editorial at different times and on varied levels. Without all these people this publication would not have been possible.

I personally would like to acknowledge all who have persevered from its inception. The collaboration between all the volunteers, the executive committee, editorial teams, The Windrush Foundation, the Jamaican Tourist Board, The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the British Tourist Board and the photographers. All who took the time to submit nominations and not least the staff of the High Commission are to be commended for their input and support.

Joy Sigaud Editor

Message from:

The Most Honourable Andrew Michael Holness ON, MP, Prime Minister of Jamaica

I t is with great pleasure that I extend heartiest congratulations to High Commissioner Ramocan and his team on the publication o f this commemorative opus, Jamaicans in Britain: A Legacy of Leadership.

The book, which proudly acknowledges the achievements of outstanding members of the Jamaican community in the United Kingdom from the pre and post-Windrush periods, profiles the remarkable history of these men and women of various socio-economic backgrounds and their commendable impact at the local and international levels. It highlights the stories of people who have, through diligence, determination and courage defeated great odds - social, racial, physical, cultural and economic to become trailblazers in their respective fields.

The publication encapsulates the Jamaican spirit, that of a people of tremendous God-given talent and potential who have been able to triumph over obstacles and hardships regardless of their country of domicile. It also fittingly exemplifies the resilience, tenacity and strength of those featured in the book, who have individually and collectively impacted the lives of those around them and have laid the foundation for generations to come.

I am immensely proud of these men and women of Jamaican heritage, including the many Windrush pioneers, who have excelled in areas such as education, health, science and research, business, sports and the arts, as well as in community development. They have truly represented our island to commendable standards and have made us proud.

As Prime Minister of Jamaica, I remain firmly committed to serving and protecting the interest of all Jamaicans, whether at home or abroad. This includes the valuable members of the Windrush generation for whom we continue to strive for justice. I feel confident that I can count on your continued support in our pursuit for peace, progress and prosperity for all Jamaicans - for today and for generations to come.

Royal Blue Mountain Coffee Co. Courtesy: Tarike Mitchell

Message from:

The Honourable Kamina Johnson-Smith Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade

I am pleased to convey greetings and commendations to High Commissioner Ramocan and staff at the Jamaican High Commission in London and indeed, all the amazing volunteers and sponsors that have supported the publication of this book, “ Jamaicans in Britain: A Legacy of Leadership.”

The publication is a highly praiseworthy initiative showcasing members of the Jamaican community who have contributed over many years to the development of the United Kingdom (UK). The book also demonstrates the many personal sacrifices made to build and improve their communities at home and overseas. It is certainly a most fitting tribute to their impressive lives and work.

The positive impact of the Jamaican Diaspora to the development of Jamaica and indeed to their countries of domicile, is well known and appreciated all across the world. In the case of the UK, with a large and vibrant Jamaican community, there is a rich legacy of outstanding performance by persons of Jamaicans heritage, who have excelled in their respective fields and have contributed to the overall development of Britain. A significant part of this constructive contribution was led or inspired by members of the Windrush generation and their descendants, some of whom are featured in this publication.

Over decades, these pioneers have broken down barriers and have created bridges across racial, social and even geographical and digital divides to achieve excellence with great dignity in many walks of life, vocations and professions. They have essentially converted the various stumbling blocks and obstacles into stepping stones and have competently promoted brand Jamaica.

I wish to use this opportunity to convey my deepest respect and appreciation to the Windrush pioneers, including the trailblazing nurses, as well as the many men and women who have contributed to the enrichment of the British society, and through their philanthropic acts, to Jamaica. I thank you for elevating our black, green and gold and for being de facto Ambassadors for Jamaica in the UK.

This publication has in essence demonstrated that the spirit of Jamaica – caring, creative, confident, communal yet cosmopolitan - is vibrant and thriving in our Diaspora. I encourage wide circulation and sharing of the information which will no doubt be of interest and of great inspiration to all readers.

Jamaican National Fruit, the Ackee (Blighia Sapida)

Sunset at Belmont, Jamaica courtesy Clive Jones

Birmingham City Centre - courtesy VB

Black Cultural Archives in Windrush Square

Daffodils

Message from:

H.E. Mr. Seth George Ramocan, CD

High Commissioner for Jamaica

M y greatest delight as Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has been the privilege of meeting and serving fellow Jamaicans across the UK. I am extremely proud of the remarkable display of resilience and the extraordinary achievements of the members of our community, many of whom are trailblazers in their fields of endeavour and hold important leadership positions in the public and private sectors and in civil society. I am indeed proud that amid these landmark achievements they remain deeply steeped in their culture, and are generously supportive of their homeland Jamaica while being firmly committed to the wellbeing of the United Kingdom.

It is therefore fitting that this compendium titled, Jamaicans in Britain: A Legacy of Leadership, is published in honour and recognition of the significant contribution our community has made to the wellbeing of the UK as well as to build a positive public awareness of our community. It will also serve to remind present and future generations of the priceless contribution our community has made to the development of the UK.

Indeed, it was Jamaica’s first National hero, the late Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, ONH, who said, “A people without the knowledge of their history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” and it is with this view in mind that this volume is published.

This compilation of interesting stories on the lives of our outstanding Jamaicans, is also a testament to the indomitable Jamaican spirit and a Iasting and fitting tribute to the many Jamaicans, who arrived ,

settled and assisted in rebuilding the United Kingdom to become the country it is today.

Sadly, as evidenced by the Windrush crisis, many of these nationals suffered unduly in the same country they helped to rebuild due to radical immigration laws and insensitivity to their circumstances. We welcome the bold steps taken by the UK Government to address these disparities and look forward to further steps in improving this relationship.

The coinciding of the 70th anniversary of the Windrush arrival and the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) made it clear that the two are inextricably linked. It bears testimony to the significant contribution of Caribbean nurses to the health sector as much as our teachers, social workers, civil servants and men and women of other vocations have contributed to other sectors.

Jamaicans in Britain A Legacy of Leadership was first announced at the Jamaica 55 2017 celebrations and has now come to fruition.

My heartfelt thanks goes out to all the sponsors, volunteers and the many Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica who supported this effort. In particular I wish to thank our editor Joy Sigaud who in the end pulled it all together. There is no doubt that this book, will serve to inspire present and future generations of Jamaicans in Britain.

Jamaican National Symbol - (Trochilus Polytmus) The Doctor Bird

Message from:

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK)

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK) was founded in 1978 by a small group of Windrush Nurses and gained charity status in 199 8.

On behalf of the President, Trustees, Executive Committee and Members, it is truly an honour and a pleasure to collaborate with the Jamaican High Commission on this significant legacy publication project.

This publication entitled “Jamaicans in Britain - Celebrating a Legacy of Leadership” will amongst other things highlight and c elebrate the contributions of Windrush Nurses to the development of the British Society.

We are grateful for and cherish the symbiotic working relationship that exists between the Jamaican High Commission and the Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK), which has resulted in the success of our application for support for this significant project to c elebrate our Windrush Generation.

Undoubtedly, Caribbean nurses have made an immeasurable contribution to British Society and continue to provide a well-needed service

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK) is therefore pleased and proud to be involved as one of the partners with the Jamaican H igh Commission in executing this project as a lasting legacy for generations to come.

Paulette Lewis MBE Former President /Trustee, Public Relations Officer, Nurses Association Jamaica (UK).

Courtesy: VB

Courtesy Neil Kenlock

Windrush The Story

The story began long before 1948. The mighty British public relations machine had successfully enticed the British to migrate from England to Jamaica up until and during the colonial era. In wartime Britain the machine was again switched on, but this time, in reverse.

Of the 15,204 soldiers from the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR), formed in 1915, a staggering 10,280 were Jamaican and that was not the beginning of the military story. As far back as 1795, free Blacks and slaves had been recruited to fight for the British in the former West India Regiment. In 1807, all serving Black soldiers who had been recruited as slaves were freed by an Act of Parliament.

Much of Europe was destroyed during the Second World War. By 1944, the British government realised that just as they had called on the Colonies for assistance in warfare over the centuries, they would now need assistance to rebuild and grow. The propaganda machine set to work again, but this time to invite Afro-Caribbeans to come to live and work in Britain, with the promise and prospect of a better life.

Every Jamaican child had learned about Great Britain in school. Demobbed veterans of World War II had returned to Jamaica after the war with tales of their experiences in Britain and many yearned to return to the “mother country.” The public relations campaign in Jamaica was so effective that when the HMT Empire Windrush docked in Kingston, Jamaica, in May 1948, there was in fact a scramble to purchase tickets for the journey. People came from all over the island, some had existing skills, including the many ex-servicemen. In May 1948, 492 Jamaicans boarded the ship at a cost of £28.10 shillings (approximately £1000 today).

Windrush migrants - 22nd June 1948

HMT Empire Windrush set sail from Kingston on 24th May 1948 and arrived at the Tilbury Docks London on 21st June, almost a month later. The Jamaican passengers disembarked on the 22nd June 1948. Some already had relatives or friends in Britain and those passengers with no place to stay were offered shelter in the former underground Air Raid Shelter in Clapham South, London. For these passengers, many of whom had only intended to stay a few years, save some money and return “home” it was the dawning of a new life. This first wave of pioneers and those who followed in subsequent decades had no idea that Britain was to become their permanent home and the home of their children for generations to come. Their lives had changed forever!

This generation who arrived between 1948 and 1971 became known as the Windrush Generation and in June 2018 the first official national Windrush Day was announced to celebrate and symbolise 70 years since the arrival of those first pioneers who travelled to Britain on the HMT Empire Windrush.

The first 70 years were not the easiest. Many encountered open racism for the first time and the culture was a far cry from the images they had been given “back home” but they were determined to get on with it and make new lives for themselves in this new world. Faced with hostilities and open racism in areas of employment, housing and socially, they swiftly organised themselves; assisted each other in securing employment by making recommendations and welcomed new arrivals in their homes which often was just one room in a house. They formed pardner groups which eventually facilitated most buying and owning their own homes. They formed social groups where they would gather at weekends in people’s homes to dance, play dominoes, have a drink or just socialise. One area where they regularly congregated was the church.

They were not openly welcomed at many British churches, so they formed their worship groups, initially in people’s homes. These “churches” eventually grew into one of the largest denominations across the UK, well supported and self-sufficient. As the traditional British churches suffered dwindling congregations, the Caribbean churches in Britain were thriving. These churches were able to provide support for their respective communities in many ways ranging from housing to mentoring and fellowship.

Meanwhile, in the workplace, the nurses were forging ahead. One thing many people are not aware of is that, in Jamaica under colonial rule,

Black people were only allowed to enter certain professions such as teaching, nursing, the police force etc. It was in fact the brightest of the country who would have gone into the nursing sectors when they came to Britain and as is evident today, they became the driving force and engine room of the newly formed NHS. Outside of the workplace these nurses also founded social and support groups for themselves. The Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK) is just one example.

The Windrush pioneers became the backbone of the manufacturing industries, food processing factories such as McVities, Heinz and Walls are just some examples. Car production - Rootes Motors Limited for example, and the public transport system to name just a few. The industrial and transport sectors were vital for the rebuilding and growth of Britain in post war years.

The Windrush Generation persevered through difficult times. They saw riots, marches, and open injustices but never faltered. These pioneers have raised children, grandchildren and great grandchildren since they first stepped off the numerous ships and planes that landed in Britain from the time of that maiden British bound voyage of civilians from Kingston Jamaica to London in 1948. Today, they continue to make strides through their descendants, often in the face of adversity but never forgetting the relatives they left behind.

Britain is the place they now call home. Jamaicans in Britain, A Legacy of Leadership is a tribute to those people.

Joy Sigaud

Photos courtesy Neil Kenlock

Photo courtesy Jim Grover

His name is known and honoured worldwide. He remains an inspiration, as he has been for generations, setting a precedent for the advocacy of Black fundamental rights and Pan-Africanism throughout the 20th Century.

He used his skills and intellect to bring about definitive change. A formidable son of Jamaica, he travelled often to remote regions at a time when Jamaican workers were branching out to other countries in search of work to raise money and create a better life for themselves and their families back home. He finally settled in England in 1935 where he spent his final years. His legacy lives on.

Born in St Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Garvey was the youngest of 11 children, but only he and his sister Indiana survived to adulthood.

His father, Malchus Garvey, was a stonemason, and his mother, Sarah Jane Richards, was a domestic worker. Marcus Garvey had a keen interest in books, and he made full use of the family’s extensive collection. He attended elementary school in St. Ann’s Bay, and it was as a boy that he began to experience and recognise racism and colourism in the society in which he lived.

At 14 years old, Garvey became a printer’s apprentice and it was here that he had his first encounter with activism.

In 1903, he led a strike for higher wages, and in 1905, moved to Kingston and worked for the printing division of the P.A. Benjamin Manufacturing Company.

marcus garvey

Marcus Mosiah Garvey (17 August 1887-10 June 1940), is Jamaica’s first National Hero.

Marcus Mosiah Garvey ONH

He quickly rose through the company ranks and became their first Afro-Jamaican foreman. In 1908 Garvey became a trade unionist and his leading role in a print workers’ strike caused him to be fired as a troublemaker.

His awareness of the inequalities present in Jamaican society made him increasingly uncomfortable.

Garvey became involved in the National Club, Jamaica’s first nationalist organisation, and by 1910, he was the first assistant secretary. In 1910, Garvey moved briefly to Costa Rica where he worked on a large banana plantation owned by the United Fruit Company (UFC), and here too, he experienced strikes and unrest. Again, he was angered by the lack of worker’s rights, and he launched a bilingual newspaper Nation/ La Nacion which criticised the actions of the UFC in 1911. Between 1910 and 1914, Marcus Garvey spent his time travelling throughout Central America: Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, taking casual work along the way.

He had by then politically matured and envisaged a future for persons of African descent that would combine the economic nationalist ideas of Booker T. Washington and the burgeoning movement of Pan-Africanists. Garvey moved to London in 1912, where he attended Birkbeck College to study law and philosophy. He also worked for the African Times and Orient Review, which was published by Dusé Mohamed Ali, an influential Egyptian nationalist and anti-racist campaigner.

Garvey often spoke at London Hyde Park’s Speakers’ Corner, and, gaining confidence, founded The Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and African Communities League in 1914. The profound developments of UNIA enabled him to visit Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee USA in March 1916. He also met a number of other Black leaders and together they began developing ideas to promote social, political and economic freedom for Black people. Following the 1916 riots in East St Louis, Garvey delivered an address declaring the riot “one of the bloodiest outrages against mankind.”

Garvey used the UNIA’s Negro World newspaper to communicate with its members and attract new members. By August 1920, UNIA had four million members. The International Convention of UNIA held in Madison Square Garden on 1st August 1920 was attended by 25,000 people and international delegates. All had come to hear Garvey speak.

Garvey’s movement continued to attract an enormous number of followers under the slogan “One God, One Aim, One Destiny”. He was recognised as an inspirational orator, political leader, publisher, journalist and entrepreneur who formed and led the most revolutionary African movement of its time - Garveyism.

He was not only president-general of UNIA and the African Communities League (ACL) - the engine room of the organisation - he was also president and director of the Black Star Line, a shipping and passenger liner incorporated in Delaware.

Although it is more than eighty years since he died, Garveyism is revered and followed by people throughout the African diaspora, including political movements across Africa, the Caribbean, the Nation of Islam Rastafarianism, and the Black Power Movement of the 1960s.

Garvey died in London on 10 June 1940. In 1964, over two decades later, his body was removed from the crypt in West London and transported to Jamaica where it was re-interred at a shrine in National Heroes Park. He was proclaimed Jamaica’s first National Hero.

Marcus Garvey continues to be honoured in Britain as a great leader of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora with several movements and monumental gestures preserving his legacy. The Marcus Garvey Library in Tottenham is one example and there is an English Heritage Blue Plaque affixed to his former home, 53 Talgarth Road Kensington as well as to his former UNIA offices at 2 Beaumont Place West Kensington. He was a great promoter of Pan-Africanism and founder of the UNIA which remains the single largest Black organisation ever.

Note: ONH (Order of National Hero)

seacole l

Her

Mary Seacole learned many of her nursing skills from her mother and with extensive knowledge of tropical diseases, she was accustomed to treating the sick and injured from a young age. She was acutely aware of the importance of hygiene, hydration, rest and empathy when caring for the sick. After her mother’s death Seacole ran Blundell Hall.

Seacole travelled around the Caribbean caring for the sick and spent some years in Panama with her brother where, amongst a variety of diseases in 1850 there was a serious Cholera outbreak. She developed a reputation for nursing the sick successfully back to health and attended to the dying with the same measure of devotion and care. She was a skilled and trusted practitioner - treating the wealthy and poor with the same degree of compassion.

Mary Seacole (1805-1881) was born in Jamaica to James Grant, a Scottish Lieutenant in the British Army and a free Jamaican woman - Mrs Grant. In 1836 she married Edwin Horatio Seacole who died in 1844.

mother, Mrs Grant was skilled in the knowledge of traditional Jamaican medicines and healing techniques. She was a herbalist and business woman who owned and ran Blundell Hall in Kingston, a very well regarded boarding house that catered to military staff and civilians who fell ill in the tropical climate.

Mary Jane Seacole OM

Having travelled to England on two earlier occasions, in 1854 Seacole made her way to England again with the intention of attending to her investments in the gold-mining business. The war in Crimea (between an alliance of British, French, Sardinian, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire) was raging and soldiers were dying from disease by the hundreds, mostly cholera.

Seacole applied to the War Office and other government offices, including the Crimean Fund (a public subscription organisation to support the wounded in Crimea) and offered her assistance. However, she was dismissed by all. She even approached Florence Nightingale, who also declined her offer for service, although, over the years, it seemed they developed cautious respect for each other.

With sheer determination, Seacole made her own way to Crimea using her own funds. She was assisted by an acquaintance, Mr Thomas Day. There she set up the British Hotel and, using her skills and experience, worked nursing the sick, wounded and dying. She became affectionately known as Mother Seacole.

Armed with tea, a kettle, a stove for boiling water, bandages and needles to dress wounds, she often braved the battlegrounds to attend to the wounded whatever the weather whilst the hotel provided a clean and hygienic repose for the sick and injured.

After the war, almost penniless, Seacole returned to England. Various fund raising efforts were made on her behalf and in 1860 she eventually returned to Jamaica, where she had gained even further prominence.

Mary Seacole’s life is a complex narrative of a determined woman who, despite racism and sometimes ridicule, never faltered in her relentless pursuit to treat the sick and needy, whether this meant boarding a ship to Europe or

travelling by horse and cart through the rough terrains of Central America.

She spent much time in London, where she became well respected by royalty and the military elite. She had been the personal physician to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria’s nephew Prince Victor, Count Gleichen, whom she had nursed during the Crimean war, sculpted her bust in 1871.

Despite her prominence, Seacole was largely forgotten during the late 19th Century after her death on 14th May 1881.

A century later, her memory was resurrected by campaigners, and today she is celebrated as the greatest Black Briton topping the votes in the 2004 edition of the book 100 Great Black Britons. She is commemorated in museums and a statue was erected in her honour outside St Thomas’s Hospital London in 2016. Further still, hospital wards are named in her honour, as well as board rooms in national institutes and university departments.

An English Heritage Blue Plaque was erected at one of her former residences, 14 Soho Square, and her portrait was featured as one of ten notable Britons on a first class stamp to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery in 2006. She was featured alongside, Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare, T S Elliot and other prominent Britons.

Additionally, to celebrate International Women’s Day in 2019, Norwegian Airlines featured a portrait of Mary Seacole along with nine other British women on the airline’s tail fins dubbing them as Tail Fin Heroes.

Mary Seacole’s story is now included in the schools National Curriculum. She is buried at St Mary’s Cemetery Kensal Green in West London.

bob marley

O ne of the best-loved musical talents of the 20th century, Bob Marley spoke to generations of people worldwide. A pioneer of reggae music, a singer, songwriter and poet, his reggae-rock fusion of melodies and soulful lyrics addressed the social, political and human-rights injustices, which affected the marginalised who lived in the shanty towns of Jamaica.

Robert Nesta Marley OM

The core message of his music, with its roots in the suffering of these people, resonated with people from all walks of life, all ages and had an unprecedented global impact to much acclaim.

Robert Nesta Marley (1945-1981) was born on February 6 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann - a parish in Jamaica, to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Booker.

An iconic Jamaican figure, Marley raised the profile of reggae music worldwide and in doing so, heightened the presence of Jamaica and its diaspora internationally. He brought recognition to the Rastafarian movement which is now accepted worldwide. His lyrics told stories of the African roots of the Jamaican people whilst incorporating everyday life issues and struggles.

During his relatively short life he managed to touch hearts on a global scale with his messages of one love, unity and freedom. Bob Marley famously used his skills the 1970s to negotiate the politically charged violence in Kingston Jamaica and successfully united two opposing party leaders at his groundbreaking One Love Concert. Another pivotal moment was Zimbabwe’s Independence Day Concert celebrating the birth of Zimbabwe in April 1980.

Marley was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 and in 2006 a section of Church Avenue in Brooklyn New York was renamed Bob Marley Boulevard.

His music was a channel for subtle rebellion to shake-up the nations. It gave insight and understanding to the conditions of the poor and oppressed whilst imploring listeners to peace and love. In 1978 he received the United Nations Peace Medal of the Third World for appealing for justice and peace during the time of political unrest in Jamaica. The award recognised Marley’s efforts on behalf of disenfranchised Blacks around the world.

In 1981, Marley was awarded The Order of Merit for outstanding contribution to Jamaican Culture. Marley was posthumously inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and in December 1999 ‘One Love’ was designated Song of the Millennium by the BBC and Time Magazine. His album ‘Exodus’ was named Album of the Century in 1977. To coincide with Reggae Music’s cultural listing by UNESCO World Heritage in 2018, English Heritage erected a Blue Plaque at 42 Oakley Street in Chelsea, London. The Nubian Jak Community Trust placed three plaques to him. Today there a many plaques around London honouring him.one at Ridgmont Gardens Bloomsbury where he once lived, at Basing Street, West London, honouring him and his original band members, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, and at the Crystal Bowl for their final appearance together.

Bob Marley remains one of the best-selling recording artists of all time and the posthumous album Confrontation by Bob Marley and the Wailers still commands eye-watering chart topping sales, whilst the album Legend released in 1984 is the best selling reggae album of all time.

Bob Marley was diagnosed with cancer in July 1977 and he passed in Miami in May 1981. His body was returned to Jamaica where he was given a state funeral.

FOREWORD

By Arthur Torrington CBE

When MV Empire Windrush landed at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 22 June 1948, British Pathé News announced: “The Empire Windrush brings to Britain 500 Jamaicans, citizens of the British Empire coming to the mother country with good intent.”

On Wednesday June 23, 1948, The Times newspaper reported the arrival of MV Empire Windrush under the headline “Jamaicans arrive to seek work.” The article said:

“Of the 492 Jamaicans who arrived at Tilbury on Monday to seek work in this country, 236 were housed last night in Clapham South Deep Shelter. The remainder had friends to whom they could go with and prospects of work. The men had arrived at Tilbury in the ex-troopship Empire Windrush. Among them are singers, students, pianists, boxers and a complete dance band. Thirty or forty had already volunteered to work as miners.”

The ship in fact carried more than 1027 passengers, including hundreds of other men, women and children from the West Indies/Bermuda, British Guiana (now Guyana), Trinidad, Barbados, and British Honduras (now Belize), as well as 66 Polish refugees who embarked at Mexico. The ship travelled from Tilbury Docks, then Southampton, Trinidad, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Cuba, Bermuda and Tilbury Docks.

The passenger list shows people of diverse heritage including African, Indian, Chinese, European, et al. Their arrival signalle d the beginning of a new era in British history.

Among the passengers was a WWII RAF serviceman, Jamaican born, Sam B. King, age 22, who was determined to make Empire Windrush iconic, and their arrival to be annually commemorated. On board, he took the names and addresses of dozens of his friends. He s ent them Christmas cards annually, and on 22 June 1988, he brought them together at Lambeth Town Hall, London, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their arrival. The event was hosted by the Mayor of Lambeth. There is a Plaque on the Town Hall’s wall to mark the occasion, and the event, the first occasion of its kind. The now late Sam King was the first to coin the phrase, Windrush Generation, to represent his fellow passengers and friends.

Sam and Arthur Torrington (of Guyanese heritage) set up Windrush Foundation, a charitable organisation, in 1995 to ensure that the Windrush Day commemoration of June 1988 would continue forever. This was materialised in June 2018 when the British Government institutionalised Windrush Day, as one to be nationally commemorated. 2018 was also the year that brought to light an immigration scandal that highlighted gross injustices to thousands of Caribbean people who had travelled to the UK with their parents during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. British Government’s hostile environment laws caused them, now aged over 50 to be wrongly put into detention centres, deported to the Caribbean, sacked from their jobs, denied health service treatment, and other horrendous things. The injustice became known as the Windrush Scandal, and most of the victims were Jamaicans. The Government’s apologies and an offer of more than £300 million in compensation to victims have not ameliorated the situation.

Sam B. King was among hundreds of Jamaicans who made outstanding contributions to Britain. This book includes some of them. Their services feature in all walks of life. They were in the majority on Empire Windrush and after 1950 hundreds of thousands settled in the UK. They have played a crucial role in the rebuilding of Britain after WWII, having brought with them their own culture which has become an integral part of Britain’s culture.

This book will introduce you to new personalities and new stories.

Many people who arrived during the winter months were quite perplexed by the deciduous trees, void of leaves and greenery, believing they had all withered and suffered an unfortunate demise.

Photo: Winter Scene Courtesy Hardt Antoine

Britain’s first Black female MP Diane Juliet Abbott was born in 1953 in west London to Jamaican parents Reginald and Julia Abbott. She was educated at Harrow County School for Girls and read history at Newnham College, University of Cambridge.

After university, she was fast-tracked into a senior civil service role at the Home Office. From 1978-80, she worked as the race relations officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties before working in the media, first as a researcher for Thames Television, then as a press officer for the Greater London Council before becoming head of publicity for Lambeth Council (1986-1987).

In 1982, Abbott was elected to Westminster Council, serving a four-year term. During this period, she was active in the Labour Party Black Sections movement and sought greater representation for Black and Asian members.

Her historic election to the House of Commons in 1987, alongside three other Black MPs – Bernie Grant, Paul Boateng and Keith Vaz, changed the face of parliament. Abbott has been re-elected as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington continuously since 1987.

Abbott has chaired the All-Party Parliamentary British-Caribbean Group and the All-Party Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Group and founded the London Schools and the Black Child Initiative.

Abbott’s speech on civil liberties during the Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008 debate won The Spectator magazine’s Parliamentary Speech of the Year Award.

She swung behind Jeremy Corbyn’s successful election as Labour leader and in 2015 found herself back on the front bench as shadow minister for International Development. She was promoted to shadow home secretary in 2016 until Keir Starmer was elected as Labour leader in 2020.

Abbott is known for her principled views on a variety of subjects, including Britain’s military interventions and cutbacks in public services. Abbott married the Ghanaian architect David P Ayensu-Thompson in 1991. She divorced two years later and has one son.

Jamaica, and attended school in the parish of Portland.

In 1971 Ade-John left Jamaica to join her parents in Birmingham, England.

She worked as a secretary before migrating to Nigeria in 1976 with her fiancé, where she worked as a personal assistant to a professor at Lagos University. On the birth of her daughter in 1980, Ade-John returned to Birmingham and joined the Commission for Racial Equality on their Community Service Scheme to find quality placements for unemployed young people.

She gained a 2.1 honours degree in Sociology from Birmingham Polytechnic (1989) and, following two lecturing appointments at Sandwell College and Solihull College, left to pursue her first love: community work.

Camille was manager of education at the Afro-Caribbean Association for Economic and Social Security and liaised with Sheffield University and Birmingham City Council to place young people in sustainable employment and university.

She was a founding member and education and training manager of The Drum Arts Centre in Aston, Birmingham, where she successfully fundraised to furnish and equip the building for technical and catering training.

Ade-John, along with Joan Campbell, founded Community Vision West Midlands, focusing on at-risk families, providing support for a wide range of socio-economic problems and victims of serious crime.

She has held numerous positions, including as member of the Race Equality Advisory Group and the Scrutiny Group of West Midlands Police. Ade-John was also a member and director of COPE, a Black mental health charity (2005-2011). In 2004, Ade-John raised funds and assistance for the Grenadian victims of Hurricane Ivan. When she returned to Jamaica in 2015, the then Jamaican High Commissioner, and over 200 guests, gave her a resounding farewell party.

and moved to the UK at the age of 17.

Afflick wanted to study medicine or law, but the racism he encountered in the enrolment process deterred him, and he sought alternative employment to earn a living.

His first job was in the weaving room at Horrockses Mill on Stanley Street in Preston. He lodged with his uncle before later moving in with Sybil Daley (his life partner).

Passionate about cricket, Afflick hosted the first meetings to address discrimination and racism in this field. He pointed out that when Black cricketers sought to join various cricket clubs in Preston, they were not welcomed. This eventually led to the founding of the Jalgo Cricket Club (JCC) in 1962, which, shaped by Afflick, became a symbol of perseverance and strong leadership.

JCC’s place in the Preston League opened possibilities for West Indian cricketers to play in English teams and in higher divisions. Black cricketers and supporters from across the Caribbean were given the opportunity to join, strengthening the support network for Black people in Preston.

Afflick served as the League’s secretary for nine years. However, interest waned, and when it closed in 1994, there were only remaining five teams remaining.

Afflick’s contributions went far beyond the JCC and indeed the UK. He ensured that Caribbean people became a central part of the Preston Guild in different sectors and ensured that Black heritage and history were well represented in the years that followed. He led a fundraising campaign to provide a solar hot water system in the National Children’s Home in Kingston, which was realised in 2014.

Afflick was a founding member of the Jamaican National Council, and in 2002 he succeeded Lewis Walker as chairman of the northern region.

Diane Abbott MP Politician

Lorenzo Aitkin Musician

Singer Lorenzo ‘Laurel’ Aitken (April 22, 1927 - July 17, 2005) is considered one of the pioneers of ska music. Born in Cuba of Cuban and Jamaican descent, Aitken’s family settled in Jamaica in 1938. After a job at the Jamaican Tourist Board, serenading visitors arriving at Kingston Harbour, he performed in nightclubs.

His first recordings in the late 1950s were traditional mento tunes, often laced with a heavy dose of RnB. His 1958 single, “Boogie in My Bones/Little Sheila” was one of the first records produced by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and one of the first singles from Jamaica to be released in the UK. Aitken’s other RnB-orientated singles from this period include “Low Down Dirty Girl” and “More Whisky” both produced by Duke Reid.

Aitken moved to London in 1960, releasing 15 singles on the Blue Beat label before returning to Jamaica in 1963. He recorded for Duke Reid, often with backing from the now-legendary Skatalites, before returning to the UK to work with Pama Records.

While with Pama, he cemented his position as one of ska’s leading artists, earning the sobriquet ‘the Godfather of Ska’. His loyal following extended beyond the West Indian community to Britain’s White youth sub-culture of the day, the Mods and the Skinheads.

Aitken settled in Leicester with his wife in 1970. His output slowed in the 1970s as he concentrated on working as an entertainer in local nightclubs and restaurants, including the popular Costa Brava Restaurant in Leicester under his real name, Lorenzo Aitken.

In 1980, with ska enjoying a resurgence in the wake of the 2-Tone movement, Aitken had his only success in the UK singles chart with “Rudi Got Married”. Ska’s periodic resurgences and global spread have made Aitken’s music popular internationally.

A blue plaque in Aitken’s honour was erected at his Leicester home in 2007.

mother and Jamaican father.

He grew up in Kentish Town, London. His adopted name “Akala” means “immovable” in Buddhism.

Akala released his first piece of music on his independent music label, Illa State Records (2003), followed by The War Mixtape (2004) and his debut album, It’s Not a Rumour (2006). The latter includes the single “Shakespeare” (a reference to Akala’s self-proclaimed title “The Black Shakespeare”) and made the BBC Radio 1 playlist. Another mixtape, A Little Darker, was released under the name Illa State, featuring Akala, his sister MsDynamite, and other artists (2006). In 2006 he also received the MOBO award for Best Hip-Hop Act.

Akala’s Shakespearian reference led to a challenge on BBC Radio 1Xtra to produce a rap containing the Bard’s play titles. He responded by writing and performing a minute-long rap containing 27 play titles.

Akala later recorded and turned the piece into the single, “Comedy Tragedy History”, which was included in his Freedom Lasso album (2007). The War Mixtape Vol. 2 plus an EP of acoustic remixes were released in 2008. Akala’s third album, Doublethink (2010), played with Orwellian themes.

Akala was the first hip-hop artist to perform at a concert in Vietnam (2007). In 2010, he toured the UK with US rap artist Nas and Jamaican Damian Marley on the “Distant Relatives” tour, which included rap artist Ty. Akala published Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire (2018) and has become an A-lister commentator across all mediums.

Akala received an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University in 2018.

to the UK as a baby with her mother to join her father. After leaving school, Alasia worked in the administration for Transport for London. In 2004 Alasia was amongst the first group of interns at the Grace Kennedy Jamaican Birthright Program, where she enjoyed learning about Jamaican culture. In 2007, she started work at Queen Mary University of London as an equality and diversity officer.

In 2007 Alasia was elected general secretary to the Jamaican Diaspora Youth Organisation and attended the Jamaican Diaspora Conference in Jamaica in 2008. Alasia then joined the UK Labour Party and, in 2014, was selected as a candidate for European elections for the London region - the only Black female candidate across all political parties.

She was later appointed by then Prime Minister David Cameron as a member of the European Union Committee for the regions. In this forum, Alasia was able to put across issues facing local government, and, in 2015, she was elected deputy leader of the UK delegation.

Alasia has since become a champion and speaker for people who feel excluded from public life. In 2018, she was elected by her fellow councillors as the civic mayor of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, becoming the youngest mayor and the first Black female mayor of Barking and Dagenham.

Bishop Dr Joseph Daniel Aldred

Bishop Dr Joseph Daniel Aldred left St Catherine, Jamaica, in1968 to join his parents in the UK.

His first job was as a statistical clerk with British Telecom, followed by a career in sales and marketing.

His life in the church, meanwhile was evolving; his first post was a Sunday school teacher, then followed stints as youth leader, evangelism director and assistant pastor before becoming a pastor and bishop. He studied and gained his master’s degree and PhD in Theology and Ministry from Sheffield University.

For thirteen years, Bishop Aldred served as pastor and bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy in Ashford, Oxford and Sheffield, as well as an associate pastor in a Baptist Church, Handsworth, Birmingham (20032005). He was then director of the Centre for Black and White Christian Partnership. Until his retirement in 2020, he served as an ecumenist at Churches Together in England, supporting intercultural relations.

Bishop Aldred is also distinguished for his widespread media presence. He was a broadcaster on the Daily Service and Prayer for the Day on BBC Radio 4 and Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2. For ten years, he presented on BBC Local Radio WM and regular appearances on other broadcasts. He is author and editor of several books including Respect: Understanding Caribbean British Christianity (2005), The Black Church in the 21st Century (2010), Thinking Outside The Box – on Race, Faith and life (Hansib 2013), and From Top to Mountain - An Autobiography (Hansib 2015).

Although he is now retired, Aldred volunteers with the National Church Leaders Forum - A Black Christian Voice. He is also a member of the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group.

of Jamaican origin. Born in 1966 in London, he spent his childhood in Jamaica before returning to London. Of part Maroon ancestry, “Clive” became Kofi after one of his frequent trips and cultural explorations of Ghana.

Allen is a self-taught photographer who captured the transcendental image of reggae singer Buju Banton for the Til Shiloh album cover (1995) and the US rappers Notorious B.I.G and Craig Mack in a potent joint portrait. He shot the first photographs of the Fugees on British soil and is considered a pioneer of Afrofuturism Photography. His ethereal capture of British R&B artist Des’ree (1997) is part of a permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery and his Last Supper series of photographs within a work acquired by the Hayward Gallery.

Allen is known for a distinctive and arresting photographic aesthetic and an accompanying multicultural narrative that often challenges stereotypes. Nature, emotions and humanity inspire him, and his medium has included works printed upon metal and wood or resin-set. Allen’s works have been on view at several galleries, including Brixton Art Gallery, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Ecco-Homo Kunsthal, Museum Harlem, Neue Galerie New York, Royal Academy of Arts, Royal College of Arts and Szombatheley Art Gallery.

In 2015, Allen was commissioned to produce a body of work for exhibition at the International Ebola Recovery Conference hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters in New York.

His insightful and moving pictures reflected the economic and human tragedy and softly influenced pledges totalling over $5 billion.

In 2019, Allen’s innovative work and visionary status were recognised by the British cultural consultancy AFRICA: Seen & Heard and their partner institutio, The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization.

Alongside legendary Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu, Allen will represent CBAAC as an inaugural Creative Ambassador.

the UK and qualified as a state registered nurse (SRN) in Croydon, South London. She married a fellow Jamaican and had two children.

In 1968, she responded to a recruitment campaign becoming the London Metropolitan Police’s first Black female officer. Detective Sergeant Norwell Roberts QPC was the first Black officer in 1967.

In an interview, Allen recounted how “On selection day there were so many people there, the hall was filled with young men. There were ten women, and I was the only Black person.” After taking exams and a stringent medical, she was successful and began work as a police officer at Croydon’s Fell Road Police Station.

Recalling that her first day on the beat was not as bad as expected, Allen said she did get some stares. Reporters wanted to take pictures of the new “celebrity”. She wanted to be a police officer and had not set out to make history by being a “first”. Only later did her managers reveal how they had concealed the hate mail and threats and encouraged her by showing the most positive letters.

Nethertheless, as a police officer in the ‘70s, Allen was often treated with suspicion by the Black community. Within a year Allen was posted to Scotland Yard, where she worked in the Missing Persons Bureau before being transferred to Norbury police station in Croydon. In 1972, Sislin resigned and returned to Jamaica where she joined the Jamaica Constabulary.

In 2020 she received a Lfetime Achievement Award from the National Black Police Association (NBPA), and an annual award was named in her honour. Allen died at her home in Jamaica in 2021.

Bishop Joe Aldred Faith

Barrington Anderson was born in 1957 in St Catherine, Jamaica, and in 1963, along with his six siblings, moved to St Paul’s, Bristol, to join his parents.

Anderson began dancing at the age of nine and later joined the Bristol West Indian Dance Company founded by Carmen Beckford. In 1976, he founded the Ekome Dance Company (Ekome means Unity in the Ghanaian language).“In a society full of poverty and problems,” he once said, “dancing gave me a means of expression, a sense of my roots and a profession”.

Ekome specialised in Afro Caribbean Dance, which has a rich repertoire and unique drumming arrangements. Each performance retold cultural stories of love, war and ceremonies.

Ekome toured throughout the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Tunisia and Yugoslavia. A special event was performing at Ghana’s Panafest where music and dance from across the African Diaspora came together.

Ekome has also performed as support act for international artists and groups, including Fela Kuti, Franco, the great Zairean guitarist, and Peter Gabriel’s “Rhythm of the Heat”. Television appearances have included The Patti Boulaye Show, Ebony, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Only Fools and Horses.

Ekome has trained many dancers and technicians in African Performing Arts, and their work includes touring schools, colleges, and universities in and around Bristol teaching dance movements to drum rhythms.

The group’s achievements have not gone unnoticed. In 1984 over 80,000 people voted Ekome Best Dance Company in Time Out magazine; they received the City Limits Award for Best Dance Act and the Black Dance Development Award for contribution to African arts in the UK. The latter was presented by HRH Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

A documentary charting the group’s achievements has also been featured on Melvin Bragg’s South Bank show.

in 1949.

Raised by his grandmother and aunt in Jamaica, Anderson reunited with his parents in 1976, bringing “family culinary secrets” to the UK with him.

He is now known as “Guru of Caribbean Cuisine” in Manchester, England.

In the 1970’s, Caribbean food could only be found in Afro-Caribbean communities, but Anderson began selling his food from a van at massive music festivals including Glastonbury and WOMAD.

This venture was a success, leading Anderson to open a restaurant in Prestwich, Manchester, which gained a strong reputation for its authenticity. He earned the name “Buzzrock” because his fried dumplings were “tight like rocks!” He later relocated his restaurantBuzzrock, to Hulme, Manchester, where he continues to serve the community. Ian Brown of the band Stone Roses declared food from his restaurant to be “the best in the North West, no contest”.

Anderson is an advocate for youth empowerment and community development; he has employed many young people and become a mentor and father figure for several young men in Manchester. His contribution is also seen in his work with the Manchester based Partners of Prisoners Support Group (POPS), which supports families of prisoners. In partnership with POPS and the management of HM Prison Portland, Dorset and HM Prison Buckley Hall, Manchester, he initiated a project, that taught both kitchen staff and prisoners the art of Caribbean cuisine. Its success has resulted in diverse Caribbean menu options in both facilities.

Anderson’s culinary expertise has won him the Best Black Urban Business in Northwest Manchester, and an appearance on TV Grubs Up with Chef Simon Rimmer.

Jamaican father. A promising athlete with interest in the performing arts, Anderson embarked on a degree in psychology, a masters in social work, and a short-lived career working with disadvantaged young people.

Anderson moved from social work into local government. His first role was with Wakefield Council, where he managed the cultural services team. He then relocated to the Midlands, becoming chief executive of Wolverhampton Council. During his ten years, he led the council to achieve “City” status, strong youth-centred initiatives and a night-time economy.

In 2006 Anderson moved back to London where he was appointed chief executive of Lambeth Council, a council described then as the worst in London. In ten years, he made significant organisational changes. He broke down hierarchies and barriers, built strong, dynamic teams, dismantled the Chief Officers’ management team and put a leaders’ network in place to respond to the pressing needs of the area.

In 2012, Lambeth’s Children’s Services were rated ‘Outstanding’ and Derrick was named Public Leader of the Year by the Guardian.

Since stepping down from Lambeth in 2014, Anderson has been focusing on assisting social organisations to identify alternative sources of funding. He also sits on the Council of the University of Birmingham, and works with aid and development organisations in Southern Africa and the Caribbean.

Anderson was awarded a CBE for services to local government in January 2003 and received honorary degrees from Staffordshire University and the University of Birmingham. He has participated in several national organisational reviews, including Arts Council England.

Barrington Anderson MBE Dance

Dudley Anderson was born in Jamaica in 1925, and, like many other young West Indian men, in 1944, he volunteered to join the Royal Air Force (RAF). He travelled to England, where he trained and served as a medical orderly.

Before being demobbed, he took a book-keeping and typing course at Wednesbury Commercial College, West Midlands, but there was no work upon his return to Jamaica in 1947. On hearing of the Empire Windrush’s fare of £28.10s to England, he used some of his RAF bursary to buy a ticket.

He described the trip as an excursion with plenty of entertainment provided by calypsonians Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner.

In June 1948, after only a few days at the Clapham Common Deep Shelter where many of the new arrivals were staying, some officials from the BBC visited to recruit trainee engineers. Anderson signed up. He went for training in Cardiff but did not take a permanent job, as it would have involved returning to work in Jamaica.

Dudley returned to London and again found it difficult to find a job and accommodation. He worked as a road sweeper for a year and eventually got a job as a telephone company fitter and a room in a hostel in Paddington. He became very frustrated with his housing situation and decided to save enough money to buy his first house, which he purchased in the 1950s in West London. He worked for Post Office Telecommunications and for Standard Telecom. His last job before retirement was as a security guard at the National Gallery.

to Jamaican parents from Kingston, Jamaica.

His family arrived in England in the early ‘50s and his father settled in security work whilst his mother, a qualified teacher, became a nurse.

With speed and agility, Anderson became the first choice right back (defender) in Brian Clough’s team of the mid-1970s. The team won promotion to the First Division in 1977, winning the title and the League Cup, a year later.

In 1978, Anderson became the first Black footballer to play for England and went on to make 30 appearances against strong competition.

During the ‘70s racism was expressed openly and Anderson regularly suffered racist abuse, racist chanting and was regularly pelted with bananas.

In early 1980, Arsenal paid a fee of £250,000 for Anderson, which revitalised his international career. He won six consecutive caps from 1984 into 1985, including four qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

In 1987 Anderson was transferred to Manchester United for £250,000 to be a significant part of Alex Ferguson’s rebuilding plans to create a title-winning side. Alas, eventually Denis Irwin was purchased to play defensive right back.

Anderson then joined Sheffield Wednesday in January 1991. The team finished third in the 1991–92 First Division, seventh in the first season of the new Premier League and reached the FA Cup and League Cup finals in 1993.

Throughout his career, Anderson played for various clubs with a combined appearance of 594 games and 38 goals, seven major trophies, including European Cup 1978-79 and 1979-80 and European Super Cup 1979 with Forest.

In 1997, Anderson was voted by fans into Forest all-time greatest XI – at right back, gaining 96% of the vote. Anderson was awarded an MBE in January 2000 and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004 for his impact on the English league.

His stepfather, Ulrich Gordon, moved to Handsworth, Birmingham, and his mother, Kathleen (a nurse), soon followed. In 1960, at the age of 13, Andrews joined his family there.

Andrews enrolled at Birchfield Secondary Modern School in Birmingham and, upon leaving, worked as a welder for nine years. During this time, he became a Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU) member, and increasingly got involved in grassroots community organisations. Through his work with the Afro-Caribbean Self-Help Organisation (ACSHO), Andrews met his future wife, Carole Andrews, who worked for The Race Relations Board.

Andrews set up the Black Community Workers Organisation with John Benjamin and Ben Snipe. The organisation worked in the community on many pressing issues, including homelessness, police brutality, discrimination and unemployment.

Andrews then founded the black self-help organisation, Harambee Housing Association. The Association opened a hostel for homeless black youth, a nursery, advice centre and bookshop. In addition, the Association ran summer schools and assisted young people with social housing in Birmingham.

Andrews attended University of Warwick as a mature student and studied Law. He became a solicitor and human rights advocate and opened Maurice Andrews Solicitors in 1988. He initially specialised in Criminal Law, later expanding into other fields, including Family, Immigration, Conveyancing and Civil Law.

Andrews’ work continues through his three children.

His son, Dr Kehinde Andrews, is an author and Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University. His daughters, Nzinga Foster-Brown and Zakiya Andrews have worked in education and founded The Blackbirds, a socially responsible community bakery.

Andrews now divides his time between Jamaica and Birmingham, where he is still active in the community.

Viv Anderson

Dudley Anderson RAF

Maurice Andrews

Aswad Music

Aswad (meaning ‘Black’ in Arabic) were an iconic and uniquely Black British band, whose members grew up in the Ladbroke Grove area of north west London in the sixties

Aswad, the sons of immigrants from different Caribbean islands and mainland Guyana, expressed the new roots reggae sound of a young, Black and English generation. The band’s original members were founder and vocalist Brinsley Forde MBE (a famous child actor who also became a DJ for VH1 and a presenter on BBC Radio), Angus Gaye (drums/ vocals) Donald Griffiths (lead guitar), George Oban (Bass) and Courtney Hemmings (keyboards). They were joined later by Tony “Gad” Robinson.

Their debut album was simply: Aswad on Island Records (1976). They gained world attention when their track “Back to Africa” hit number 1 in the UK reggae charts. In 1979 their second album Hulet, was released and they also produced the famous soundtrack for the iconic British film Babylon, a powerful instrumental called “Warrior Charge” (1980). The group’s 1983 Island release Live and Direct is considered one of the quintessential live reggae albums. The famous single, “ Don’t Turn Around” topped the UK chart in 1988, and “Give A Little Love” was a top 20 hit.

English-born footballer of Jamaican heritage. During his career as a striker, he played in England for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Manchester City. He also played for teams abroad, including in Spain for Real Sociedad, in France for Metz and, in Turkey for Fenerbahce. In 1994 he won the Football League Cup with Villa.

The young and fast Atkinson impressed the football world first at Ipswich Town, especially against Middlesbrough in the 1987-88 season. In 1989, manager Ron Atkinson brought him to Sheffield Wednesday. In his only season there he scored 10 goals but was unable to save them from relegation.

He then went to Real Sociedad for £1.7 million - the first Black player in its history. Atkinson was affectionately nicknamed El txipiron (The squid) by Sociedad fans during the 1990–91 season, during which he made a good contribution, scoring 12 goals in La Liga.

Atkinson joined Aston Villa for £1.6 million in July 1991, where he was praised and loved by the fans. He scored against Wimbledon in a 3–2 away win on 3 October 1992, which won Match of the Day’s Goal of the Season award for the 1992–93 season, and also scored Villa’s first Premier League goal at Ipswich, and scored winning goal in the 1994 League Cup final win against Manchester United. In 1995 Atkinson was sold to Fenerbahce for £1.7 million.

respected headteachers.

Born in Jamaica (9 April 1950), Atkinson, his mother and two younger brothers relocated to the UK, to join his father in Battersea, London when he was seven.

Atkinson went on to do teacher training in Portsmouth and took up his first teaching appointment at Portsmouth Modern Boys’ School in 1971. He became a deputy head and head at age 31 and 36, respectively.

He is a graduate of King’s College London (MA, 1980) and has held several headteacher posts: Holloway Boys School, Copland Community School and Cranford Community School.

In 1995 he became headteacher at the Phoenix High School, Hammersmith and Fulham, when it was one of the most challenging schools in the UK with only 4% of pupils achieving five top grade GCSE passes. He agreed to take the post on two conditions a) he would be the only candidate interviewed, and b) he would be allowed to manage without interference from the education authority.

With a strong and resolute management style that put pupil educational interests first, he started the transformation. Under his guidance ,the school was turned around and eventually stood at the top of the Government’s exam tables for improved performance, receiving an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted report.

Aswad has toured ‘worldwide’, and played with a vast range of musicians. They are the only British group to have recorded and/or performed in concert with top Jamaican artists such as Burning Spear, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Dawn Penn. According to band members, Aswad’s crowning moment was performing at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert (11 June 1988), in front of 75,000 well-wishers at Wembley Stadium, broadcasted to 67 countries and a worldwide audience of 600 million.

Aswad have twice been nominated for a Grammy Award and received a MOBO award for Outstanding Contribution to Music (2000).

Sadly, Atkinson died on 15 August 2016 after an incident in which he was unlawfully tasered and kicked in the head by a police officer near his father’s house in Trench, Telford. Atkinson went into cardiac arrest on the way to the Princess Royal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and a police officer was found guilty of manslaughter in 2021.

Atkinson was knighted for “Services to Education and Community Relations” and has received several other awards, including the London Schools and the Black Child “Teacher of the Year” Award (2008). He has also recieved honorary doctorates from The Open University and University of North London for Services to Education. He has contributed to a range of television and radio programmes including Newsnight, Panorama and Question Time. Atkinson has been a member of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Standards Task Force; Special Measures Action Recovery Team; The Industrial Society; J. Sainsbury Education Board, and the Home Office Youth Justice Task Force.

Shaun Bailey AM Politician, Journalist

Shaun Bailey was born in London to Jamaican parents in 1971. His grandfather, who had served in WWII had lived in Britain since 1947. He grew up in social housing with his mother and the support of his uncles.

Bailey had a chequered youth and overcame many adversities and the trappings of gang culture before turning his life around.

By the age of 27, he had graduated in computer-aided engineering from London South Bank University. In May 2006, Bailey co-founded MyGeneration, a charity that aimed to address inner-city social issues. Shortly afterwards, Bailey entered politics and was selected by the Conservative Party to stand in the Hammersmith constituency where he was unsuccessful. He also began research work at the Centre for Policy Studies - writing articles for the press. In 2010, he was appointed by the then Prime Minister David Cameron as a special advisor on youth and crime. Following that period, he was moved to the Cabinet Office on a part-time basis. In 2015, Bailey was selected as the third Conservative candidate on the London Assembly top-up list after Kemi Badenoch and Andrew Boff.

Bailey became a household name when he was selected as the Conservative candidate in 2018 to run in the 2020 London Mayoral Election. He came second out of numerous candidates in the final vote, which was eventually won by the incumbent Labour party candidate Sadiq Khan.

organisation that supports young people to improve their lives by providing education, training and employment opportunities.

Barnes had a troubled start to his life and spent time in prison, experienced gang life and was homeless.

Inspired by his daughter to make a change, he decided to turn his life around and give back to the local area by supporting young people to make positive life choices. In 2012, Barnes started working in the local community to find out more about what support local young people needed.

Acknowledging Youths CIC now offers young people one-to-one support to help them identify where they could get work, help with CV writing and training in interview techniques. The organisation also works with juvenile ex-offenders, drug dealers, gang members, young people in care, and pupil referral units for young people who are not able to attend mainstream education, often due to exclusion. To date, AY CIC has worked with 4,000 young people across London, and they plan on opening a community hub to promote positive community cohesion and wellbeing.

Barnes recognises how entrepreneurial young people are, and to help them get started, he set up an Enterprise Club in partnership with NatWest to give them the opportunity to make it on their own.

the son of a Trinidadian military officer, Roderick Barnes and Jamaican mother Frances Hill. At the age of 12, the family moved to London.

At age 17, Barnes signed for Watford. Over six years, Barnes made 233 appearances, scored 65 goals and made his international debut for England in 1983.

Barnes joined Liverpool for £900,000 (1987), becoming part of the formidable Liverpool attacking line. Between 1987 and 1997, Liverpool won the First Division and FA Cup twice, with Barnes playing a pivotal role. Barnes was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice (1987–88 and 1989–90) and the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year (1987–88). In a poll of Liverpool fans’ Favourite Player (2006), Barnes was fifth, and a year later, 4 4 2 magazine named him Liverpool’s Best Player of all Time.

By 1995, the last time he played for England, Barnes had been capped 79 times – then a record for Black players. In the run-up to England’s 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign, he recorded the official team song, New Order’s World in Motion.

After two years with Newcastle United, he ended his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999. At Club Management, Barnes managed Celtic (1999) for one season, Jamaica National Team 2008-09 and Tranmere Rovers for four months in 2009.

Barnes withstood racial abuse in the game, but remained one of Britain’s beloved players.

In 2005, Barnes was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

Imported fresh foods, a staple of Jamaican diet, were soon available in markets. Today yams, plantains and sweet potatoes are nationally incorporated into British diets - even in the form of snacks and crisps. Many are now referred to as “Super Foods” because of the high nutritional value. Photo courtesy Angus Thompson

Approximately one third of the Empire Windrush’s 492 passengers from the Caribbean were former RAF airmen returning from leave or re-joining the service. Hubert Baron Baker from Jamaica had been a former RAF Policeman. He reportedly had suggested the Clapham South Deep Air-raid Shelter (underneath Clapham Common) as temporary accommodation for 236 Windrush passengers. Spending time there himself, he eventually moved to Notting Hill where he lived until his passing in 1996.

In 1958 Baron Baker found West Indians living in the Notting Hill area of West London were being terrorised by racist fans, so using his RAF Police training skills he effectively organised a neighbourhood watch scheme employing Black veterans.

role in exposing the Windrush scandal in 2018. Natalie’s mother Paulette Wilson was sent to Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre in 2017 and faced deportation to Jamaica, even though she had lived in the UK since 1968, having arrived from Jamaica aged 11 to join her grandparents.

Barnes took up her mother’s case and, for almost two years, accompanied her on monthly visits to the Solihull Home Office reporting centre and tried to explain that mistakes had been made. When Paulette Wilson was put in detention, Barnes worked with the Refugee and Migrant Centre in Wolverhampton to gather papers and evidence.

She found records showing her mother had been in Wolverhampton before the critical date of 1 January 1973 and got her MP Emma Reynolds involved in Paulette’s case resulting in her release. In interviews with the media, especially one she and her mother did with the Guardian, Barnes brought national attention for the first time to the Windrush scandal, which had affected thousands of people from Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. This publicity put the issue onto the political agenda and led to a promise of compensation for those affected, including a right-to-residency and UK citizenship.

and Enna Barrett who had met and married in the UK in 1955.

Barrett holds a BSc in Sociology from the University of Essex, a PGCE in Education from Goldsmiths, University of London and a Diploma in Management Studies from Buckinghamshire College. She has had a successful local government and civil service career spanning 35 years.

After various posts in teaching, youth work, and educational administration, she was appointed executive director, education and culture, at the London Borough of Lewisham from 1996 to 2001. She then worked at the Department for Education and Skills (2001- 2006) as head of the Children’s and Young People’s Unit and then directing its Vulnerable Children Group.

In 2007 she joined Arts Council England as executive director, arts planning and investment, becoming chief operating officer (2009–2012) and then deputy chief executive (2012-2016). As well as leading on the development and implementation of the organisation’s investment strategy, she was also responsible for operational delivery and corporate planning across the organisation and for leading ACE’s work with children and young people.

Currently, Barrett is chair of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing; a non-Executive director of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; a non-executive director of Channel 4; and chair of Ballet Black. Barrett is also on the judging panel of UK Social Mobility Awards.

In 2013 she was included in Power List 2013: Britain’s Most Influential Black People and in 2016 she was listed as number 43 in the “Top 100 BAME business leaders in the UK” (and was again in 2017). In 2016, Barrett was awarded a CBE for services to arts and culture.

Courtesy: Windrush Foundation

Photo: Baron Baker courtesy Lambeth Council

Carlton Lindsay Barrett Writer

Carlton Lindsay Barrett born 15 September 1941 in Lucea, Jamaica, is a prolific novelist, artist, poet, essayist, and journalist of international standing.

Barrett attended Clarendon College in Jamaica. In 1959 he worked as an apprentice journalist at the Daily Gleaner and The Star. In early 1961, he became news editor at the the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation.

Barrett moved to England, where he worked as a freelancer for the BBC World Service Transcription Centre that broadcast the works of African writers in Europe and Africa. In 1962, he left England for France, and travelled throughout Europe and North Africa.

After attending the 1966 World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal, Barrett took up residence in Nigeria that same year, in search of “the renewal of spirit of ancestral hope”.

Barrett’s first novel (1967), Song for Mumu “an allegorical novel of desire, love, and loss,” was published to critical acclaim in London. Barrett’s second novel, Lipskybound (1977), has influenced the work of many younger Nigerian writers interested in breaking the mould of traditional creative writing.

The third published novel, Veils of Vengeance Falling (1985) has been used as a set book in the Department of English at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

From the 1960s onwards, Barrett authored many plays staged in England and in Nigeria, including Jump Kookoo Makka Leicester University Commonwealth Arts Festival (1967) and Home Again was performed by Wole Soyinka’s company. He served as director of the East Central State Information Service during the Nigerian Civil War under Chief Ukpabi Asika. He was Director of the East Central State Information Service during the Nigerian Civil War under Chief Ukpabi Asika. In the 1970s Barrett was a founding member of the Nigerian Association of Patriotic Writers and Artistes.

In the 1970s Barrett was a founding member of the Nigerian Association of Patriotic Writers and Artistes. He became a naturalised Nigerian citizen in the mid-1980s and became known as Eseoghene.

She went on to hold a variety of posts in the Jamaica Professional Secretaries Association (1976-1986), including public relations officer, treasurer, assistant secretary, secretary and vice president.

In 1989 she became secretary of the UK branch of the Voluntary Organisation for the Upliftment of Children (VOUCH). VOUCH UK supports VOUCH Jamaica and the Bustamante Children’s Hospital, both of which are based in Kingston, Jamaica.

Bartlett’s executive helped the Camden Black Teachers and Parents Association with the installation of a computer and accessories for their Saturday classes. They also supplied funds to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London towards their sickle cell programme.

In 2005, Bartlett also became secretary of the Windmill Gateway Club, an organisation that caters to young adults with learning disabilities. Under her direction, the Club’s executive arranges visits to the zoos, cinemas, theatres, pubs and animal farms.

Bartlett has also served on the management committee of Lambeth Family Link and Lambeth Contact-a-Family. For many years, Bartlett has also been a governor of Michael Tippett School, a special needs school. Overall, she has given over 30 years of long and faithful service to underprivileged children and adults with learning disabilities, both in Jamaica and the UK.

Since then, she has held several senior positions in the NHS and higher education sectors. She is well known and respected as a diligent campaigner for diversity.

Her academic research into the discrimination and harassment encountered by Black and minority ethnic and overseas nurses is widely regarded and helped to bring the issue to a national platform.

Baxter was head of Equality, Diversity and Human Rights at NHS Employers, retiring from this position in 2014 to focus on non-executive directorships in the NHS and voluntary sectors. She is currently principal research fellow in the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London and a trustee at the Employer’s Network for Equality and Inclusion. She was awarded a CBE in 2009 for services to Equal Opportunities and was inducted into the Nursing Times Nursing Hall of Fame in 2010.

Voices - Real Experiences

Too many questions . . .

. . . Afterward, getting a job was a problem for me. I went to Raleigh, Boots, so many places. At Boots, this lady came with her book ‘What’s your name. Are you married…? How many children?’

Loretta Barrett - Nottingham

Enjoying the sun Courtesy: AngusThompson

Gary Beadle born 1965) is a British actor, best known for playing Paul Trueman in television series EastEnders and Gary Barwick in Operation Good Guys. Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London. As children, he and his elder brother Rikki produced a version of the 1976 youth musical-gangster film Bugsy Malone for Southwark London Borough Council.

In 2012 he appeared in Hustle as a police officer. In 2015 he played Docker in BBC One drama The Interceptor and also featured in the Ron Howard-directed movie In the Heart of the Sea which was released in December 2015.

In 2016, he starred as Abioseh, an ex-tribesman in the Royal National Theatre’s production of Les Blancs and as a detectivechief inspector in Silent Witness. In 2017, Beadle starred as Archdeacon Gabriel Atubo, in Series 3 of Grantchester.

his Jamaican mother, Monica. He is the eldest of three siblings and he attended Lois Acton’s Experimental Bermondsey Lampost Free School.

At the age of 17, Beadle and fellow singers, Robert Chevara and Michelle Baughan, formed “Three People”. In 1979, Beadle won the Evening Standard’s Edward Bond’s Young Playwright Award for, A-Z. He wrote the screenplay for Nigel Finch’s film Stonewall, about the Stonewall Riots (1994).

In 1999 he wrote, Native - a Radio 4 play and short film, directed by Rene Mohandas. In 2000 Beadle wrote and performed a series of short Radio 4 plays – including Fares Fair, Puppy Love, Finders Keepers, Silly Me and Open Pores. In March 2001, he wrote, produced, and directed the Channel 4 series Metrosexuality, in which he played a lead role.

In 2005, Beadle wrote and directed, Bashment for Theatre Royal Stratford East, which tackled homophobia in ragga/hiphop music.

Bashment was nominated for “Best New Play” at the national TMA Awards.

In Autumn 2007, FIT, a play for young people and tackling homophobic bullying, was commissioned by queerupnorth and Stonewall. Beadle directed, choreographed, composed and wrote FIT. It has toured the UK and played schools in large cities. FIT has performed at The Drill Hall in London, The Birmingham Rep, The Contact Theatre (Manchester), the Unity Theatre (Liverpool), and the CCA (Glasgow).

Amongst his other credits are a full production of Step written by Lynette Linton, and he wrote, directed, and designed Gutted - at Theatre Royal Stratford East (May 2013). Beadle was appointed an MBE in the 2016 for services to drama.

and left to train as a nurse at Ashford Hospital in Kent. She moved to Bristol in 1965 to work as a midwife and soon became active in the local community.

In 1967, she was instrumental in setting up Bristol’s annual St Paul’s Carnival (St Paul’s Festival) with the support of St Paul’s and Environs Consultative Committee and the West Indian Development Association, aided by the vicar of St Agnes Church.

Beckford, a lover of music and dance, was put in charge of entertainment at the carnival which grew to host more than 100,000 people.

She was encouraged by the Jamaican High Commissioner to apply for the role of Bristol’s first community development officer at Bristol City Council, a role she held between 1978 and 1986, which included working to improve race relations in the city. She also sat on the Commonwealth Coordinated Committee (alongside bus boycott campaigner Paul Stephenson) and established the well-travelled and successful West Indian Dance Team in Bristol. Beckford said of the team: “I would tell my girls when you are walking on the street keep your head high and no loud talking as you are members of The West Indian Dance Team.”

Beckford’s work remains in the hearts and minds of her community, but fittingly in 1982, she was awarded an MBE, becoming the first Black recipient in the South West.

She passed away on 24 July 2016 after a long illness. Her legacy, however, has been immortalised in a giant mural as one of the “Seven Saints of St Paul’s”. Paying tribute, Peter Courtier, former director of Bristol Racial Equality Council, said Beckford “courageously fought against racial discrimination and inequality” in a city which “owes her so much”.

Now a piece of art, public telephones were a lifeline Courtesy: VB.

Gary Beadle Actor

Robert Beckford (born 1965 in Northampton) is a British academic and Black liberation theologian of Jamaican parentage.

He is currently a professor in theology at Canterbury Christ Church University, the first Black professor of theology in British history.

Beckford was raised in the Pentecostal church and after taking A-levels won a scholarship to study religion and sociology at Houghton College, New York. He then studied for an MA at the London Theological College, Middlesex.

After a year in community organising, he studied for his PhD at the University of Birmingham while also working part-time at The Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham.

Professor Robert Beckford has been an educator for most of his career. He taught adult literacy at Bournville College in Birmingham in the early 1990s, then became the first-ever tutor in Black Theology at Queens College, Birmingham (1992-8). As well as teaching at the University of Birmingham, he has held visiting professorships at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Kings College, University of London. In 2021, he became the director of the new Institute of Climate and Social Justice at the University of Winchester.

He has written six books on Black religion and culture including, Jesus is Dread: Black Theology and Black Popular Culture in Britain (1998), Jesus Dub: Theology, Music and Social Change (2006) and Documentary as Exorcism: Resisting the Bewitchment of Colonial Christianity (2014).

In 2004, he began a dynamic career as a television presenter with Channel 4. His first documentary God is Black, compared White and Black people’s interpretation of Christianity. Others include, Empire Pays Back (2005) on reparations for slavery, and The Great African Scandal (2007) an examination of the perils of globalisation on Ghana. Other programmes include Barack Obama (2009), Brazilian Religion (2014). He also co-wrote (with Kwame Kwei Armah) Father, Son and Holy Ghost (BBC 3, 2013), and Jesus Piece (BBC Regions, 2017).

James Berry OBE (hon) FRSL Award-Winning Poet

James Berry (September 28, 1924 - June 20, 2017) was born in Portland, Jamaica, the son of Robert Berry, a smallholder, and his wife Maud, a seamstress. He began writing stories and poems while still at school. As a teenager during the Second World War, he went to work as a farm labourer for six years in the US.

Berry returned to Jamaica but soon began to feel the “the same old desperation of being stuck” and made his way to London, sailing to the UK on the SS Orbita. He enrolled in night school and worked in the Post Office but honed his writing skills in his spare time. He once said, “I knew I was right for London and London was right for me. London had books and accessible libraries.”

As an active member of the Caribbean Artists Movement, founded in 1966, he was elected acting chair in 1971. In 1976 Berry compiled the anthology Bluefoot Traveller and in 1979 New Beacon Books published his first poetry collection, Fractured Circles. He rose to prominence in 1981 when he won the National Poetry Competition with Fantasy of an African Boy, the first poet of Caribbean origin to do so. He went on to edit the landmark anthology News for Babylon: Book of West Indian British Poetry (Chatto,1984), which was described as “ground-breaking”.

Berry wrote many books for young readers, including A Thief in the Village and Other Stories (1987) – for which he won the Smarties Book Prize – The Girls and Yanga Marshall (1987), Anancy-Spiderman (1988), Don’t Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a Bird (1996) and First Palm Trees (1997).

His 2011 book of poetry, A Story I Am In: Selected Poems, drew on five earlier collections: Fractured Circles (1979), Lucy’s Letters and Loving (1982), Chain of Days (1985), Hot Earth Cold Earth (1995), and Windrush Songs (2007).

He was awarded an OBE for services to poetry in 1990. In September 2004 he was one of 50 Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature to feature in the historic A Great Day in London photograph at the British Library. His archives were acquired by the British Library in October 2012, containing drafts of an unpublished novel, The Domain of Sollo and Sport.

THE FAMOUS YOUNG TRIO

all Jamaican: John Hazel 21 years old, Harold Wilmot 32 and John Richards 22 at Tilbury Docks in June 1948. All went on to live fruitful lives.

Dr Robert Beckford Faith

Professor Jean Besson Anthropologist

J ean Besson (née McFarlane) is Professor Emerita in Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Besson was born in Kingston in 1944 and grew up in Trelawny.

Between 1962 and 1974, Besson studied at the University of Edinburgh where she obtained an MA in English Literature and History (1965), an MA Honours in Social Anthropology (1967) and a PhD in Anthropology (1974). Her PhD thesis, “Land Tenure and Kinship in a Jamaican Village”, based on fieldwork in Martha Brae, Trelawny, highlighted the significance of “family land” as a basis of identity for Jamaicans in the island and overseas.

She established teaching on Caribbean societies in the British university curriculum: at the University of Edinburgh (1975), at Aberdeen University (19761990) and at BA, MA and PhD levels at Goldsmiths (1991-2014). A legacy of this teaching is that all Goldsmiths Anthropology undergraduates now take a course in Caribbean Ethnography.

Besson has undertaken intensive research on Caribbean cultural history over a period of 50 years. She conducted fieldwork in Martha Brae and other Trelawny “free villages” publishing Martha Brae’s Two Histories: European Expansion and Caribbean Culture-Building in Jamaica in 2002. This book uncovered the history of Martha Brae as a slave-trading town and its transformation, by emancipated slaves, into a transnational free village that endures today. Between 1979 and 2009, her fieldwork among the Accompong Maroons of St Elizabeth and Maroon Town, St James resulted in a comparative study, Transformations of Freedom in the Land of the Maroons: Creolization in the Cockpits, Jamaica in 2016.

She is a founding co-editor of the journal Progress in Development Studies and sits on the Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. She is a founder member (1977) and past chair (1987-1989) of the Society for Caribbean Studies in the UK and was awarded Life Membership of the Society in 2010.

the youngest and only girl amongst brothers. In 1961, she came to the UK to train as a nurse and worked in Kent during the ‘60s.

Beswick’s ministerial journey started in April 1969. She is now the senior pastor of Nebaioth Prophetic Church and has spent 50 years as a pastor working in Brixton and Stockwell in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Beswick is the founder and president of the Joint Council of Churches for All Nations (JCCAN), formerly known as the Joint Council of Anglo Caribbean Churches (JCACC).

Beswick continued her ecumenical work in east London when she became the chair of the Zebra Project, a Christian-based race relations organisation. She was a hospital chaplain at Whipps Cross University Hospital (1986-1991). Beswick also became the first Black woman appointed president of the Churches Together in England (2002-2006) representing the Black Majority Churches, the Lutheran Churches, the Orthodox Churches and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In 2002, in the presence of her Majesty the Queen, she co-signed the first covenant committing English Church Leaders to working together. She is also a former president of the Christian Muslim Forum (2005-2010) and is currently an honorary president.

She has put her energy into founding many community projects, including the Drug and Alcohol Awareness project which has been operating since 1992 and was launched by the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

years as an agent and manager to many artists and bands. She helped launched the careers of UK stars such as Gabriel and X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke.

She worked with The Drifters, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder when they toured the UK. She also worked closely with singers Karen Wheeler and Melissa Bell (of Soul II Soul fame) and Carl Douglas (who had a hit with “Everybody Loves Kung Fu Fighting”).

Born in Kingston, Black moved to England when she was eight and began her working life as a secretary before discovering her love for the music and entertainment industry. Black had two marriages, first to Lawrence Collington, with whom she had a son, Miles, while her second marriage was to well-known nightclub DJ Al Needles.

But it was during the 1990s that Black really made her mark on the UK entertainment scene when she was the lead compere at the popular West End nightclub Moonlighting in Soho. She hosted the nightly talent shows for both signed and unsigned artists, including Gabriel and Tahira Jumah.

Her consecration as bishop elect was held in 2015 and her image is displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in the Religion and Belief section.

The nightclub was also the place where many international music and sports stars would make an appearance when they came into town. She was popularly referred to as the “Mother to The Stars”, a title used as an acronym for her entertainment management company MTTS, which gave many young artists the platform to launch successful careers. Black was highly regarded as a consummate professional, possessing a wealth of knowledge about the music and entertainment industry.

Lloyd Blackford “Sir Coxsone” System Sounds Producer DJ

Lloyd Blackford popularly known as Lloyd Coxsone is the internationally renowned founder, owner and DJ of Sir Coxsone Outernational Sound System. He is best known for being a dance and stage show promoter, reggae producer and record shop owner. He was born in 1944 in Cottage Pen village near Morant Bay, St. Thomas, where he attended Morant Bay Government School. In 1962, he joined his father and brother in England.

Lloyd is a Rastafarian and has been a member of the Ethiopian World Federation, EWF, since the 1970s.

He entered the world of sound systems by first persuading DJ Roger of the Queen Of The West Sound System to let him play on Friday nights. Then, he graduated to a bigger sound, Barry Sky Rocket’s Sound System in Balham, then to Duke Reid, securing his place in the top league.

Lloyd built his own sound system in 1969 and named it Sir Coxsone after the original Sir Coxsone owned by Clement Dodd in Jamaica to rival Reid, who had named his sound after Duke Reid “the Trojan” and was the main rival of Sir Coxsone in Jamaica.

Sir Coxsone played all over England and became the top sound in Britain circa 1973. He was the resident sound at Flamingo, Roaring Twenties, Columbos and Peoples Club in the West End, and at Georgian and Four Aces in Croydon and Hackney, respectively.Lloyd was the first soundman to buy and cut large quantities of dub plates with the great King Tubby (Osbourne Ruddock) from Waterhouse, St. Andrew.

Castro Brown was his first renowned toasting/talking DJ, and Festus was his second and excellent selector DJ. He was the first sound in England to play in Scotland, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Holland, France, Ireland, Canada, Denmark, etc. In 2013 the former Jamaican High Commissioner, Mrs Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, gave Lloyd Blackford, Mandingo and others, awards for their contributions to Jamaican music in Britain.

Voices - Real Experiences

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In 1965 I worked as a painter for British Celanese, which made tyres, batteries, chemicals and produced textile yarns.

It was mostly shift work, working in risky places with chemicals.

Some of the substances you could not work with for more than fifteen minutes before you had to take a break to get fresh air in your lungs.

They did not provide us with protective clothing or facemasks, gave no health and safety guidelines to the painters because we were not part of the permanent workforce. I knew it was dangerous, but any time I complained, they threatened to sack me . . .

Powell

Simon

Christopher Perry Gordon Blackwell was born on 22 June 1937, in Westminster, London.

His mother was Jamaican heiress Blanche Lindo and his father, Joseph Blackwell, was a member of the family responsible for the Crosse and Blackwell brand. An idyllic childhood in Jamaica was followed by education at Harrow Boys School, London. Instead of university, Blackwell returned to Jamaica to become an aide-de-camp to Jamaica’s Governor, Sir Hugh Foot. Later, he pursued a career in real estate and happened to manage jukeboxes across Jamaica, which brought him into contact with the Jamaican music scene.

At age 22, he formed Island Records (May 1959), with his parents’ start-up investment of $10,000. Blackwell began recording Jamaican popular music, achieving a number one hit with Laurel Aitken’s “Boogie in my Bones/Little Sheila”. By 1962, he had released 26 singles and two albums.

Blackwell returned to England in 1962 and achieved success with the niche market of Jamaican music.

Blackwell brought a fifteen-year-old Millie Small to England and in 1964, he produced “My Boy Lollypop”, one of the first songs to be recorded in the ska style. It sold over six million records worldwide.

With the backing of Stanley Borden, Blackwell’s business and reach grew, leading him to collaborate with Bob Marley, Grace Jones and U2 amongst many other high-profile acts. He has produced many seminal albums, including Marley’s Catch Fire and Uprising, and The B-52’s’ self-titled debut album in 1979.

Island records moved into film and released The Harder They Come in 1972 in the UK., starring Jimmy Cliff and directed by fellow Jamaican, Perry Henzell.

Blackwell sold his stake in Island Records in 1989 and resigned in 1997.

Blackwell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and bestowed with the Ahmet Ertegun Award (2001). It was stated that he is “the single person most responsible for turning the world on to reggae music.” The UK magazine Music Week, named Blackwell the most influential figure in the last 50 years of the British music industry (April 2009).

parents. Blackwood’s entertainmentpacked career (comedian, actor, presenter, singer) began at the age of 22, when he was an undercard at the Hackney Empire. This was followed by his first job as a presenter (at age 24) for MTV Hot. In 1999 he starred in the short-lived Richard Blackwood Show on Channel 4, drawing more than one million viewers per week.

He also presented Singled Out on Channel 5 and MTV Select with Donna Air and worked as a presenter on Choice FM and Capital FM radio channels.

In 2000, he reached number three on the UK Singles Chart with “Mama Who Da Man”. Other music chart successes include “1.2.3.4 Get with The Wicked” (No. 10), “Someone There for Me” (No. 23) and the album You’ll Love to Hate This (No. 35).

Blackwood appeared as the title character in the 2002 television series Ed Stone is Dead; on Holby City (2003); Channel 5’s Celebrity Detox Camp (2003); Bollywood smash-hit film Don’t Stop Dreaming (2007) and Princes of ComediiDVD release (2005).

In 2010, he moved to the stage, appearing in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, alongside Adrian Leister and James Earl Jones at the Novello Theatre London. One year later he performed In Anuvahood, and Shrek the Musical.

In February 2015 Blackwood made his first appearance on EastEnders - a popular BBC soap opera. He played the character Vincent Hubbard until 2018.

In 2020 he began portraying the role of Felix Westwood in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.

He is also an in-demand comedian on the national scene, and the success of the Black Comedy Circuit is in part due to Blackwood’s huge popularity and influence.

attended Jamaica College, where he developed his football skills.

Blake was a professional footballer for over 23 years, during which he played 602 games and scored 37 goals. He spent two years with Birmingham before signing with Portsmouth.

Whilst he did enjoy some success at Portsmouth winning promotion as Second Division runners-up in 1987, Blake had problems with racial abuse from his own supporters, at a time when racism was rife in English football.

After making over 150 appearances with Portsmouth, Blake joined Leeds United on a free transfer, and he helped the club to promotion as Second Division champions in the 1989–90 season. However, his opportunities were limited the following season with Howard Wilkinson (Manager) looking to spend heavily on new players.

Blake’s old manager at Portsmouth (Alan Ball) tempted Blake to join him at Stoke City in 1990.

Ball was sacked in February 1991 and Stoke’s new manager Lou Macari only used Blake sparingly. He joined Bradford City in 1992, initially on loan and then permanently.

Blake played for Scottish side Dundee before ending his playing career with Exeter City.

Blake was manager of Exeter City (January 2000 to September 2001). A qualified coach and holder of the UEFA Pro Licence, Blake was appointed in February 2007 as one of the Football Association’s National Coaches to work with players in England’s youth teams and to assist with coach education. He was placed in charge of the England under-19 team in 2009, leading the side to the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in both 2010 and 2012 before leaving the Football Association in June 2014.

Chris Blackwell Entrepreneur

Barbara Makeda Blake-Hannah OD Author & Historian

Barbara Blake, born 5 June 1941 in Kingston, is the daughter of respected journalist, author and social activist Eyrell “Evon” Blake. Blake wrote lovingly about being taught to use a typewriter by her father and has never looked back.

Blake has achieved a wide and varied career in journalism, film and television. In 1968 Blake made history as the first Black TV journalist on British television at Thames TV and later, the BBC and Channel 4.

Blake’s interests brought her back to Jamaica to work on the film The Harder They Come (1972), spearheading its promotion worldwide. A real love for writing was sparked, resulting in newspaper articles, one of which led her to writing and publishing, Rastafari - The New Creation (1981) - the first book on the Rastafari religion written by a member of the faith. She also wrote a book inspired by Bob Marley: Joseph: A Rasta Reggae Fable.

Blake has produced and directed six documentaries and two TV feature films, organised Black film festivals in Jamaica and has represented Jamaica internationally.

She has shared her knowledge and expertise with students internationally, including at the University of the West Indies, University of Vienna, New York University, Florida International University, University of Guyana, and the University of the Virgin Islands.

Blake is a recipient of several awards, including the United Nations Peace Medal (1974); Ethiopian Crown Council’s Adowa Centenary Gold Medal (1997); Lifetime Achievement Award at the Black Entertainment, Film, Television and Theatre Awards in the UK for journalism (2011); Outstanding contribution in the field of film by the Caribbean Development for the Arts, Sports and Culture Foundation (2014); UNIA Lifetime Achievement Award (2018); and Jamaican Officer Order of Distinction (2018).

England, was born on 1 February 1958 in Falmouth, Jamaica. At age five, he arrived in England and lived with his family, including brothers and sisters, in Willesden, north London, where he attended Willesden High School.

Blissett is synonymous with Watford, holding its record for appearances and goals; 503 games and 186 goalsin three spells. He was part of Graham Taylor’s “project” that took Watford from the Football League Fourth to First Division in consecutive years.

Blissett left school in 1974, began an apprenticeship with Watford and turned professional in the 1975-76 season. He broke into the first team under new manager Graham Taylor in 1977–78; six goals in 33 games helped Watford win promotion to the Third Division. Blissett’s 21 goals the following season helped to secure a second successive promotion to the Second Division. He remained among the club’s top goal scorers over the next three seasons as Watford consolidated and finally reached the First Division (1982). Blissett scored 19 league goals. In Watford’s first-ever First Division season, he was the Division’s top goalscorer with 27 goals, and the team finished second to Liverpool and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Blissett was sold to Italian clubs, AC Milan for a fee of £1,000,000 in 1983. Unfortunately, Milan’s and Blissett’s styles were too different; the Italians played from the back, building slowly and he was a striker with blistering speed used to the “long ball”. Blissett’s statistics were relatively poor; 30 appearances and 5 goals. He returned to Watford for a fee of £550,000 in 1984.

In his second spell and first season at Watford, Blissett scored 21 goals. The team reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 198687, but a year later were relegated with Blissett scoring just four times in the league.

Between November 1988 and September 1991, he played for Bournemouth and scored 19 goals in 30 league games. Blissett was capped 14 times by England. After retiring Blissett coached a variety of teams. In 2021 he was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Watford and Deputy Lieutennant of Hertfordshire.

Frankfield High School (Comprehensive)

– now Edwin Allen High School – first as a pupil and then, after qualifying as an English teacher at Mico College, Kingston, as a teacher in 1977. She entered one of the winning poems in the Jamaican Festival, which was included in the festival anthology the following year, and performed all over the island in the speech festival.

After coming to England in 1979 and marrying Douglas Bloom, Valerie engaged actively in cultural life. She contributed a topical poem every week to BBC Radio Manchester’s Caribbean magazine programme, directed a Jamaican Folk Singing Group comprised of members of the Jamaican society and performed her poetry at events around the country.

Her first book of poetry, Touch Mi Tell Mi, was published by Bogle L’Ouverture in 1983. Since then, she has published thirteen more volumes of children’s poetry, novels and picture books, one of which, Fruits, A Caribbean Counting Poem (Macmillan Children’s Books), won the Smarties Prize Bronze Award in 1997. It was listed in the National Centre for Children’s Books’ 2014 Diverse Voices list of 50 books that celebrate the cultural diversity of modern Britain. She has also edited or co-authored seven other poetry books. In addition, since 1984, her poems have been included in several hundred anthologies for both adults and children, including Poems on the Underground, Read Me, The Works, and international textbooks.

Over the last thirty-five years, Valerie has conducted workshops and performed in thousands of schools, colleges, libraries and literary festivals. She has featured in several shows at the British Library Windrush season, including a 2011 tribute to Louise Bennett. She regularly begins her set with a crash course in Jamaican and performs with equal facility in Jamaican language and Standard English.

Valerie attended the University of Kent from 1982-84, where she gained a first class honours degree in African and Caribbean Studies with English Literature and was awarded an honorary masters degree from the same University in 1998. She was awarded an MBE for services to poetry in 2008.

Valerie has appeared on many radio and television programmes. She made two programmes for Radio 3, on Jamaican women poets Una Marson and Louise Bennett. In 2005, she also made a three-part series for Radio 4 called Island Voices, on writing in Jamaica.

Kenneth George Boothe was born in Denham Town, Kingston, on 22 March 1948. He is a singer known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre and developed an international reputation as one of Jamaica’s finest vocalists to have had hits in mainstream and reggae audiences.

Boothe became involved in the Sir Percy sound system and recorded two songs. However, his breakthrough in Jamaica’s music industry came in 1963, at age 15, when he partnered with Stranger Cole to become “Stranger and Ken”. The duo recorded their first single, “Hush Baby” on the B-side of Cole’s Last Love for Island Records. Although they did not remain together, they released several records.

was awarded the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in December 2018 in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours for her services to ‘Sports Coaching and Administration’. She was also voted Women’s Sporting Ambassador 2018.

Lorna is a double Olympian who represented Great Britain at Montreal (’76) and Moscow (‘80) Olympics and is a former British Record holder for the 100mts hurdles. She is also a Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist in the short hurdles and former Commonwealth Games record holder.

Once retired from competitive sport, Lorna moved into sports administration and coaching. She worked for the International Association for Athletics Federation (IAAF) in various roles; she was the Great Britain Athletics team manager for nine years and was the Senior Team Manager at the Sydney Olympics. Lorna has led Britain’s U23 and U20 age group athletes in sprints, hurdles and relays in her coaching role. Most memorable was U23 women’s 4 x 100 silver at European Championships in Tampere (2013) and U20 women in Eskilstuna (2015) gold in both 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays. Lorna has also been a personal coach to many succesful international athletes and coaches and mentors young people.

and raised by her grandparents in Jamaica. A Jamaican poet and storyteller she is acknowledged as the first woman to write and perform dub poetry. She wrote nine books of poems and stories often speaking of the Black female experience.

Her fusion of poetry with reggae rhythms was of great appeal to the Black community in Britain and worldwide from the ’70s onwards.

She was a powerful force in what was a male dominated genre, having come to Britain in 1985 at the invitation of Linton Kwesi Johnson. Much of her work has been recorded. She was a scriptwriter, theatre director, choreographer, actor, and teacher. Binta performed her works worldwide and she is acclaimed as one of the most influential poets of our time.

Boothe also recorded with Roy Shirley as “Roy and Ken” and released “Paradise” in 1966 and later in 1966, recorded the ska version of The “Train is Coming” (backed by the Wailers). In 1967 Boothe and Alton Ellis successfully toured the UK. In the same year, the classic “Moving Away” was released. He worked extensively with Lloyd Charmers in London, recording for Trojan (part of Island Records). The 70s was Boothe’s most productive and successful period, releasing “Everything I Own” and “Crying Over You,” which achieved number one and 11 respectively in the UK charts.

Over the years, Boothe continued to record, and in 2001 a two-disc set of his songs for Trojan titled “Crying Over You” was released. In 2003 Boothe was Government for his long contribution to Jamaican music.

As an English Sports Council Racial Equality Advisory Group member, she worked with the Commission for Racial Equality to set up the now high-profile Sporting Equals programme.

Lorna currently sits on the European Athletic Coaches’ Association Council. A British Athletics’ ‘Women On Track’ COACH exhibition showcased Lorna as a pioneering positive black female coach succeeding in a male-dominated working environment as one of the very few senior Black women in sports coaching and administration.

Lorna’s son Tremayne Gilling has followed in her sporting footsteps and is an international athlete, currently representing Great Britain in the 4-man bobsleigh team.

Binta Breeze received many awards during her lifetime, including a NESTA Fellowship. She was an Honorary Creative Writing Fellow at the School of English University of Leicester.

In 2018, Breeze received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Leicester, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jamaican Poetry Festival as well as a silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica.

In August 2018, Breeze’s poem “Dreamer” was displayed on the London Underground alongside other poets in a set entitled “Windrush 70 A Celebration of Caribbean Poetry” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the first wave of migrants in Britain on the Empire Windrush from Jamaica in June 1948.

Yvonne Brewster née Clarke (born 7 October 1938) enjoyed a privileged upbringing and attended St Hilda’s Diocesan in Kingston, where her passion for European and British theatre began. In 1956 Brewster went to England as Britain’s first Black woman drama student, attending Rose Bruford drama school and the Royal Academy of Music, where she received a distinction in Drama and Mime. She returned to Jamaica to teach drama and in 1965 jointly founded (with Trevor Rhone) The Barn, Jamaica’s first professional theatre company.

Upon her return to the UK, Brewster worked extensively in radio, television, and directing for stage productions.

Between 1982 and 1985, while she was drama officer at the Arts Council of Great Britain, she co-founded Talawa Theatre Company (with Mona Hammond, Carmen Munroe and Inigo Espejel), with Greater London Council funding.

Brewster was Talawa’s artistic director until 2003. When asked about the name Talawa, she explained: “In Jamaica, we have a saying, ‘She may be small but look how she’s talawa,’ meaning gutsy, feisty.”

Brewster’s ground-breaking body of directorial work includes the first-ever black production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest at the Opera House, Newcastle. She has also directed Lorca’s Blood Wedding, Wole Soyinka’s The Road; Shakespeare’s King Lear; and John Ford’s ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Whore.

Her work in films include The Harder They Come, Smile Orange and The Marijuana Affair, and for BBC TV The Fight Against Slavery and My Father Sun Sun Johnson.

Brewster is patron of Rose Bruford College, recipient of the Living Legend Award - National Black Theatre Festival (US) and an Arts Council Woman of Achievement Award.

She is the recipient of honorary doctorates and fellowships by the Open University and University of London’s Central School of Speech and Drama and she was named one of BBC’s top 100 Women. In 1993 she received an OBE for Services to the Arts.

Jamaica, to Catherine Howard and Joshua Brooks.

His grandmother brought him up when his parents left for England. He joined his parents in Stratford upon Avon, West Midlands, in 1971 when he turned 16 years old

Brooks is now the senior pastor of New Jerusalem Apostolic Church, deputy president and CEO of Jabula (New Life) International Ministries, which is represented in 27 nations around the world. He is an accomplished author, international speaker, mentor and overseer of churches worldwide. Brooks believes that the church has a huge role to play in the community.

He works with marginalised single parents and vulnerable young people, especially those who have been excluded from mainstream education. Together with his wife, Yvonne, the assistant pastor, they offer a variety of counselling services, aimed at strengthening and supporting marriages and relationships.

Brooks has served on the Parole Services Board and is currently chaplain at Draken Hall Women’s Prison.

In 2004 Brooks received an award from the House of Commons for astounding work in prison ministry.

He is a board member of Nechells Development Programme and sits on the governing body of two inner-city schools. He is also chairman of Windrush Training and Education Consortium.

joined his parents in Birmingham.

On his first day at school, Brown was set upon by a group of six White boys who lifted his coat and asked, “where is your tail?” Fortunately, he had been pre-warned by his older brother that he would have to defend himself physically, and he did.

Their parents instilled in the siblings a strong sense of their African cultural identity. So when Brown’s mother sent him to buy The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey, at the age of 14, his education began in earnest.

Since then, Brown has worked tirelessly to raise the consciousness of Black African people in the UK, the Caribbean and on the African continent.

In 1964 he co-founded The African Caribbean Self-Help Organisation (ACSHO) and later the Pan African Congress Movement (1976), both of which have stoutly defended the interests of the African Diaspora.

ACSHO was central to the success of the Saturday School Movement in the UK (1967) and has provided parents with support and representation whilst fighting to reduce the high levels of exclusions amongst their Black boys and girls. ACSHO also campaigned to improve the health of Caribbean people by lobbying for GPs to test for vitamin D deficiency. It is now known that the lack of vitamin D can lead to many illnesses, specifically affecting Black people.

As an activist, Brown has helped to organise pickets at police stations against police brutality, and he has demonstrated against poor social housing, racism in the workplace and within trade unions.

He continues to provide advice and support to members of the Afro-Caribbean community on a range of issues.

Yvonne Brewster OBE Theatre

Courtesy: Sandals Foundation

Castro Brown (Glenville Brown) from Alford, Portland, was born 25 May 1950.

His father was a trumpeter in a Mento band, and Castro played the trumpet as a boy. He joined his mother in London circa 1961 and, in the late sixties, became the first talking DJ for Sir Coxsone Sound System, resident at the Roaring Twenties club at Carnaby Street in London’s West End.

In the 1970s, after the closure of the Roaring Twenties (later called Columbo’s), Castro started the successful Georgian club in Croydon, where he made Sir Coxsone the resident sound. He also opened the Morpheus record shop at Melfort Road in Thornton Heath and made it a famous shop for the latest and best Reggae records. He made the Lovers Rock girl trio ‘15, 16, 17’ into stars as a producer. Also in the 1970s, Dennis Brown and Castro operated the DEB record label and shop in Battersea and released songs with Gregory Isaacs, his brother Jackie Brown, 15, 16 and 17, Junior Delgado and others. Between 1983 and 1986, he joined forces with the Kilburn sound, Lion, (formed in 1977 by Lloyd Lewis, the owner and DJ Cecil Thompson, his brother-in-law) to establish Morpheus sound.

From the 1970s onwards, he promoted some of the biggest Reggae shows in Britain with Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Delroy Wilson, Pat Kelly, Big Youth and other stars. In the late 1980s, he ran New Name Music label and recording studio at Maxfield Avenue, Jamaica and helped Lady Saw, Mikey Spice, Luciano and others get their start to stardom. His studio was the most advanced digital studio in Jamaica. He owned several racehorses in Jamaica and was also a boxing trainer and manager.

Brown relocated to London in the noughties and introduced the first 24-hour restaurant and takeaway at Coldharbour Lane in Brixton, which he named ‘Nyam Food’. Castro promoted stage shows right to the end. He died in London on 11 May 2019

His father was a scriptwriter and actor, and his mother died early in the ‘60s. The family of four siblings lived in a large tenement yard in Kingston.

At the tender age of 12, Brown was already showing signs of his vocal abilities. He recorded a number of songs for “Coxsone” Studio One label, from which the hit single, “No Man is an Island” (1969) was taken.

In 1972 - “Money in my Pocket” version - “A-So We Stay”, went to number one on the Jamaican charts. “Westbound Train”, was the biggest Jamaican hit in 1973, resulting in Brown being voted Jamaica’s top male vocalist by Swing magazine. He followed with “Cassandra” and “No More Will I Roam”, and tracks such as “ Africa” and “Love Jah”, became staples on London’s sound system scene.

His first album (1977), Visions of Dennis Brown, proudced by Joe Gibbs was his biggest successblending conscious themes and love songs. A reissued, “Wolf and Leopard” single, and the eventual album release of the same name both topped the Black Echoes chart.

Brown moved to Battersea Rise, London and relaunched the DEB Music label, featuring Junior Delgado, Bob Andy and Gregory Isaacs. Brown had further success with a disco-mix of, “ How Could I Leave You”. In March 1978, a new version of “Money in my Pocket” and DJ version, “Cool Runnings”, gave Brown his biggest international hits, and he was featured on the cover of the NME, February 1979.

In 1980s a new label “Yvonne’s Special” was launched. His biggest success of the decade came in 1989 with the Gussie Clarke-produced duet with Isaacs, “Big All Round”, and the album, Unchallenged. He continued to record prolifically in the 1990s, resulting in, “Three Against War” (1995) with Beenie Man, raising his profile and sales in the US. Brown’s 1994 album, Light My Fire and Let Me Be the One, were nominated for Grammies.

In May 1999 Brown passed, survived by his wife Yvonne and ten children. In August 2011, the Governor-General of Jamaica posthumously conferred the Order of Distinction for his contribution to the Jamaican music industry. In April 2012, a blue plaque was placed on Brown’s home in Harlesden by the Nubian Jak Community Trust.

with the New Testament Church of God (NTCG) for over 40 years. During this time, he has successfully led five congregations and held various positions, including national director for Youth and Christian Education and member of the National Executive Council In November 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Divinity for his demonstration of sound theological knowledge.

An internationally renowned motivational preacher, Bishop Brown has travelled in Europe, the Far and Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean spreading the Gospel of Christ and His Church.

He concluded his third consecutive term as the administrative bishop for England and Wales at the end of August 2014. During this time, he also served as regional superintendent for NICG in England, Scotland, Ireland and Norway as well as being a member of the Church of God World Missions Board (a position he still holds).

In October 2013 Bishop Brown was elected as the first Pentecostal president to serve alongside five other presidents of Churches Together in England, an organisation which provides spiritual leadership to the national ecumenical movement and helps facilitate closer working together of all churches in England.

Brown has been recognised for his contribution to local community initiatives and involvement in the political arena. He has extended his pastoral care and spiritual guidance to a variety of organisations, including the Citizens Organising Foundation, the Haringey Peace Alliance and the Black Christian Leaders Forum, amongst other worthy causes.

He currently holds the ministerial role as bishop for the Brixton District and senior pastor at the Brixton NTCG, an inner-city church in the heart of the community.

Dr Kevin Brown is the UK North Representative on the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC). He is the chair of the Jamaican Diaspora UK (JDUK).He is an inventor, patent holder and author of several technical papers published in international journals.

Kevin was born in Jamaica and is a former president of the Students Union at the University of Technology, (UTech) Jamaica where he pursued a diploma in mechanical engineering. In 2000, with the assistance of Lord Bill Morris, Kevin obtained a scholarship to pursue further tertiary studies in the United Kingdom and went on to complete a masters and PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham. After graduation, in 2008, he joined the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham as a research fellow leading research on novel composite materials and numerical computation analysis.

In 2013, Kevin joined the Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace Department as a principal technologist working on research and technology across a range of jet engine programmes. He is currently a project lead in system design at Rolls-Royce for the Trent XWB A350 jet engine programme.

Also a community volunteer, he has held leadership positions in several community organisations over the past 15 years, including Nottingham Jamaica Friendship Society (NJFS), Black Families in Education, BUILD, ACNA Center and Marcus Garvey Action Group (MGAG). In addition, he is the co-founder of Springboard, a project at the University of Nottingham that aims to encourage Black boys to pursue tertiary education.

He is a radio broadcaster and host of the Talkback Show on 97.5 KEMET FM, an urban community radio station.

Kevin is recipient of the Union Prize and the Outstanding Contribution to a Society Award from the University of Nottingham Students Union. In 2018, he received the Power in Poetry Award for Service to the Community. Kevin is a former club cricketer and football coach. He is coach and manager for youth football at FC Cavaliers, an inner-city football club in Nottingham.

Jamaica was the frontman, writer and singer for the famous Soul and Funk band Hot Chocolate.

Errol’s single mother entrusted him to an aunt when he was seven to make a better life in England. He joined her five years later when he was 12 in 1955. His mother died at 38 years old when he was 19.

Along with Tony Wilson, he debuted in 1969 with an amended reggae cover version of John Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance”

They sent the demo to Apple to get Lennon’s permission, and he liked their version and told them that he would release it on the Beatles’ Apple label.

Their first self-penned “Love Is Life” reached six in the charts in 1970. Over the next 15 years, they had over 30 hits, including “It Started With A Kiss”, “You Sexy Thing”, and “Everyone’s A Winner”. Hot Chocolate is the only group to have a hit for 15 consecutive years in Britain. They performed for Prince Charles and Lady Diana at one of their pre-wedding receptions. In 1997 “You Sexy Thing” was re-released by EMI because it was used in the movie The Full Monty. Their only number 1 in the British charts was “So You Win Again”, their 16th single. The band had hits in the USA and worldwide.

and he has worked in education for over 40 years.

He served for 37 years in the education sector and 11 years as a school advisor supporting 20 primary schools, working as part of the Birmingham local authority’s primary leadership and management team. He served as a headteacher at Foundry Primary in Birmingham for ten years from 1989.

Brown has successfully delivered bespoke leadership and management training for school leaders in various school networks and has coordinated informal coaching and support networks for aspirant BME school leaders, which led to many of the participants becoming successful headteachers.

Brown was the co-founder of the KWESI mentoring programme, which coordinated 30 mentors across 30 schools, contributing to a reduction in exclusions.

He has written numerous articles for Race Equality Teaching and the NPQH programme on successful leadership in a culturally diverse school setting.

He continues to utilize his experience and knowledge from education in his association with Standing Ovation (a mentoring programme that improves behaviour and self-esteem through the arts) and Every Teacher Matters(an initiative that supports and improves the well-being of teachers).

He chairs the governing board for the King Solomon Business International school.

He received an MBE in 2003 for his services to the British music industry and, in 2004, the Ivor Novello Award for his outstanding contribution to British music industry and in 2004 the Ivor Novello Award for his outstanding contribution to British music. An owner of National Hunt horses, several houses and luxury cars, he was a Tory supporter who performed at a Conservative Tory party conference in the 1980s. He died at his home in the Bahamas on 6 May 2015.

Since 2014 Brown has served as pastor of the Mount Shiloh Apostolic Church in Wolverhampton and is co-founder of the Nu Shiloh Initiative (community outreach). He is also a member of the Churches 4 Positive Change Initiative, through which pastors work collaboratively to address issues facing the African Caribbean community.

Dr Kevin Brown PhD MEng (Hons) AMIMechE Engineer, Inventor, Community Projects

Catherine, Jamaica, and who travelled to England in the early ‘50s. The family settled in Handsworth, Birmingham, but Brown’s father died whilst he was still young.

His mother encouraged her children’s passion for music, allowing them to play music in the backroom and build sound systems in the backyard. The “Wassifa Sound System” developed from these activities, becoming one of the most popular sound systems in Birmingham and later nationally and internationally.

Brown graduated with a degree in media and communication in 1998 and in 2000 and was employed by South and City College as a lecturer.

He progressed his career in further education from curriculum lead, section lead, head of school and finally, assistant director.

Throughout his career, Brown encouraged student’s development via extracurricular activities, including international educational visits to countries such as Gambia, Swaziland, Egypt, Italy, Spain and France. He has supported and inspired several young people in achieving their goals in education.

Brown was recently awarded an MBE for outstanding work in the community under the banner of his organisation, “Mykal Wassifa Brown CIC”.

As a community champion he further extended his charity work and has raised over £5,000 for teenagers with cancer.

Elsie, both of whom had moved to England from Clarendon in the early 1960s.

Brown started his career in 1985 as an apprentice mechanical engineer at Cookson Precision Castings.

In 1990 he joined Imperial College London as a junior technician. He is currently the mechanical instrumentation workshop manager in the Department of Physics at Imperial College.

Brown and his team provide technical support for teaching experiments and research within the College, designing and manufacturing bespoke scientific apparatus. His team have developed instrumentation for the European Space Agency Solar Orbiter mission, launched in February 2020. The purpose of the 10-year mission is to study the sun and its effects on the solar system.

Brown played a key role in re-establishing the mechanical technician apprenticeship scheme at Imperial College in 2011 and continues to be involved in the recruitment and management of the scheme. He also served on the Imperial College Court between 2008 and 2016 as the elected non-academic staff representative.

Brown was awarded the Imperial College President’s Medal for research support in 2016. He was named in the Queen’s Birthday honours list in June 2017 and awarded an MBE for services to Higher Education.

Brixton - Courtesy: Angus Thompson

Sonia Brown was born in London to Jamaican parents. Brown states that her inspiration comes from her parents who saved £75 to come to England to create a better life for their children. Brown grew up and was educated in Ealing.

She later gained a BA and MA and is now pursuing a PhD.

Brown founded the National Black Women’s Network (NBWN) in 1999, inspired by one of her mentors who advised her that she should create her own ideal job.

NBWN is a forum where women can come together and talk about their route to success and share that knowledge with other women less fortunate than themselves. Central to NBWN is the need to “build resilience and the bounce back factor”.

In 2008, Brown founded SistaTalk, an online forum connecting over 3,000 members from 27 countries and offers networking opportunities without the obstacles of borders and distance.

Brown was named one of the Top 50 diversity figures in public life on the Global List nominated by readers of The Economist and is the International Alliance for Women (TIAW) 2015 World of Difference 100 Award Recipient for the economic empowerment of women.

She was also awarded the BBI Honorary Woman Business Leader of the Year (2016). Brown was rewarded with an MBE and OBE (2011) for services to diversity and women.

variety performer and one half of Harriott and Evans. Born in Banes, Cuba, he was one of 10 children born to Jamaican parents. He trained as an engine-room seaman and left Jamaica for Britain in 1939, before serving in World War II as a steward on tankers. In 1944, he made newspaper headlines when his ship was torpedoed, leaving him to cut the lifeboat away from the sinking vessel: “Burly West Indian Saved Crew”.

Back in Britain, he sang and played the guitar for dances organised by the League of Coloured Peoples.

In 1943 Brown married Kameedea Packwood and in 1947, they moved to West Africa, where she was working as a nurse. While there, he joined Ghanaian music troupes and he also joined the dance-and-drum troupe of veteran West African Prince Zulamkah. He went into partnership in a timber enterprise and managed a hotel in Kumasi, where he sang with a band that included drummer Guy Warren (Kofi Ghanaba).

When his business ventures failed, the couple were made homeless and returned to the UK.

Brown began performing with his brother Noel, working their way to the Gateways, a pioneering lesbian club in Chelsea, where he met the pianist Chester Harriott. The pair formed a duo, with Chester on the piano and Brown singing (he was a tenor), an arrangement which proved successful. They spent eight years playing and touring the world as a variety act.

The pair wore white tie and tails for cabaret and in Paris they socialised with jazz musicians, getting Quincy Jones to write for their act and carousing with trumpeters Clifford Brown and Art Farmer. If the charismatic, moustachioed pianist attracted greater attention, it was universally agreed that Brown was the better singer. They went their separate ways in 1962. Brown died in 2016, aged 95.

2018, an achievement celebrated at a party attended by family and friends from across the world.

Born in Bath Mountain, Westmoreland, she was the second oldest of eight siblings. At a young age, Brown was orphaned and was severely abused physically and mentally by her carer. She married young, and the union produced eight childrenone of whom died in infancy.

Seeking a better life for her family, Brown moved to England in 1962. However, leaving her eldest children and husband in Jamaica for two years before they reunited was challenging. Nevertheless, Brown overcame the loneliness and societal obstacles through her faith in God, love for family and determination to bring everyone together. The couple were eventually able to raise a deposit to purchase a house in Erdington.

Brown has instilled in her family the importance of education. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have achieved undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees, and one grandchild is studying for a PhD. Additionally, the Brown family has produced some famous individuals including, Michael Page in sport and actress Nicole Reece.

After retiring in 1977, Brown became the unofficial community childminder - enabling single parent mothers to continue their education and work. When she is not visiting the sick and needy, her home is known as a drop-in centre where a meal and conversation can be found.

On turning centenarian, Brown received a letter from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, presented to her by the Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito – a fellow Jamaican.

Courtesy: Windrush Foundation

List of past Jamaican High Commissioners in London

Since Independence, thirteen Jamaican High Commissioners have been accredited to the Court of St. James, as follows:

H. E. Seth George Ramocan, CD

H.E. Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, CD

H.E. Anthony Johnson, OJ

H.E. Hon. Burchell Whiteman, O J

H.E. Gail Mathurin, CD

H.E. Maxine Roberts, CD

H.E. David Muirhead, OJ, QC

H.E. Derick Heaven, CD

H.E. Ellen Gray-Bogle, CD

H.E. Herbert Walker,

H.E. Ernest Grafford Peart, OJ

H.E. Dr. Arthur Wint, OJ

H.E. Sir Henry Laurence Lindo, OJ,CMG

- December 2016 - Present

- May 2012 - May 2016

- May 2010 to February 2012

- January 2007 – January 3, 2010

- April 2005 – September 2006

- September 2002 – December 2004

- July 1999 – August 2002

- April 1994 – May 1999

- Sept 1989 – November 1993

- November 1981 – August 1988

- September 1978 – August 1981

- July 1974 – March 1978

- August 1962 – December 1973

Frank Roy Bruno MBE Boxing

Frank Bruno, born 16 November 1961, was raised with five siblings in Wandsworth, London by a Jamaican mother and Dominican father.

Bruno’s professional boxing career spanned 14 years (1982 -1996). Bruno was known for his excellent jabbing and punching power, resulting in 45 bouts, 40 wins and 38 by knockout.

Throughout his professional career, Bruno overcame a diverse range of boxing styles. His career was ultimately eclipsed by his peers, including the formidable Iron Mike Tyson (twice), the elegant ring craft and punching of Lennox Lewis and Tim Weatherspoon. After the second match with Tyson, Bruno was advised not to fight again to avoid the risk of causing permanent damage to his sight. He retired soon after. In 1990 Bruno was awarded an MBE for services to boxing

Bruno’s publicist, sports historian Norman Giller, wrote three books with him, Know What I Mean, Eye of the Tiger and From Zero to Hero.

Bruno’s appearances on the early Comic Relief (1980s) and performances in pantomime transformed him into a celebrity.

In 1995, the year of his world championship fight, he released a cover version of “Eye of the Tiger”, of Rocky III, fame. It reached No. 28 in the UK charts.

In 2003, Bruno was hospitalised and diagnosed as suffering from mental health challenges. He later admitted that addiction problems had contributed to his struggles.

In 2006, Bruno published his autobiography, Frank, Fighting Back. It won the Best Autobiography category of the British Sports Book Awards.

reunited with her parents in Nottingham aged 11. Councillor Bryan started her working life making women’s clothing for Marks and Spencer.

When she found a job in a local bakery and joined its union (1986), she discovered a passion for advocacy equality and the progression of Black people in the workplace.

Cllr Bryan rose through the trade union ranks to become chairperson of the district branch and a delegate to East Midlands Labour Party and National Policy Forum. She also served as an executive council member on the union’s management board. In 2001, she became the district secretary for Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands. In 2007, she was elected councillor, representing the Arboretum Ward. Cllr Bryan was appointed Sheriff of Nottingham in 2012 and a year later, Lord Mayor of Nottingham.

In 2011, she launched the Black Achievers Awards, to recognize and promote the achievements of the Black and Minority Ethnic Community in Nottingham.

In 2014, Cllr Bryan worked in partnership with Panay Banjoko, author and founder of the Nottingham Black Archive, to launch the exhibition, We Will Remember Them: bringing to the fore the hidden histories of Caribbean, Africa and South Asian soldiers.

In 2018, she organized and hosted a civic reception in recognition of the invaluable contribution eighty Black women have made towards the development of Nottingham.

In 2013, she received the Community Leadership Award from OSCAR Nottingham and the Windrush Award for Inspirational Leadership, issued by the Windrush Project (2015). She is currently director of the Mojatu Foundation, a charity aimed at developing the capacity and skills of disadvantaged young people from Afro-Caribbean communities through training and mentorship .

St James, Jamaica.

He trained as a carpenter in Jamaica, migrating to England in 1961. He settled in Catford, South-East London, with his brother Donald, and later sent for his partner Joyce whom he married in 1962.

Bulgin saw opportunities in the building trade for the redevelopment of post-war UK. During 1962-1970, he became an independent builder. He purchased houses in London for renovation, including his own family home in Forest Hill which became his very first business project.

Bulgin then went on to form ‘Formwork & Conversion Construction Company’, a building company that found great success through local authority contracts.

Bulgin went on to establish Heathwood Homes Limited which was responsible for the building and development of many residential homes in South-East London.

Aside from his entrepreneurial pursuits, Bulgin’s legacy include the vocational opportunities that he extended to those around him. A firm believer that young people should have the opportunity to learn a trade, he personally saw to the training and development of the various tradesmen that he hired and mentored.

Nevertheless, Bulgin’s story of entrepreneurial success is not without hardship. For a great portion of his life, he could not read nor write without assistance and to conquer this, he attended adult evening classes to learn the basics of literacy.

By June 1985, the toxic environmental challenges of construction had taken its toll on Bulgin’s health. He suffered from asbestos exposure, was diabetic from the young age of 36 and was affected by several other age-related illnesses.

Martino Burgess Corporate Finance

Marti Burgess is a partner at the national law firm, Bevan Brittan LLP. Her particular areas of specialism are company and business sales and purchases as well as providing companies with all the contracts they need to structure or run their businesses. She joined Bevan Brittan in September 2019 and is a corporate partner in the Commercial and Infrastructure department looking after SMEs.

Burgess also sits on the board of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and is the chair of St Pauls Carnival CIC the organisation that organises one the largest celebrations of African Caribbean culture in Europe and the Black South West Network, a BAME-led organisation delivering race equality work with the ambition to have a society where inequality and discrimination on the basis of racial or ethnic categorisation is wholly and completely absent.

Marti is also a business member of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and a director of a family business.

he was sent a Kodak Brownie 127 camera by his mother, who had moved to England in the late 1950s, while he remained with his aunt in St Thomas. In 1965, he went to join his parents taking his camera with him. Around 1967 he began seriously documenting the Black community in England.

His first notable exhibition, Handsworth from the Inside, was held at the Ikon Gallery Birmingham and then the Commonwealth Institute in London in 1983.

Since then, his work has been exhibited extensively in London, Birmingham, Manchester as well as New York and Mali.

Capturing images of his community’s arrival in London, he made a concerted effort to move away from the stereotypical images found in mainstream media.

Burke’s interests also expanded to include other communities.

Burke’s work has been used in documentaries, television programmes, books and on record sleeves. Now a grandfather, his work is studied by students and the Vanley Burke Archive is maintained by Birmingham City Council and remains a constantly growing photographic and documentary resource of huge range and depth.

Known in Britain as the “Grandfather of Black British photography” he has won a number of awards and been bestowed with several honorary degrees.

served as a consultant obstetrician, obstetric lead for clinical governance at Barking, Havering, Redbridge University Teaching Hospital (BHRUT) in Romford, Essex for 10 years.

After achieving a medical degree from the University of the West Indies, Burrell undertook medical training at Cornwall Regional Hospital, Montego Bay, and later, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford. She completed a master’s degrees in medical law at the University of Manchester Salford Law School and the Cardiff Law School.

As a Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (RCOG) National Assessor, Burrell investigates hospitals providing substandard care for pregnant women and makes recommendations to improve the standard of care. As a member of the All-Parliamentary Party Group (APPG), she meets regularly in Parliament to discuss national strategies to reduce stillbirth rates, thus getting politicians involved in medical policies.

Burrell is an international and in demand speaker addressing strategies to reduce the stillbirth rate.

Her passion and drive were rewarded with the BHRUT Hospital CEO Award for Outstanding Patient Care - in 2016. She was awarded the Fellow of RCOG in 2015.

Courtesy: Vanley Burke

BLACK CULTURAL ARCHIVES

The Home of Black British History

Co-founded by Jamaican born Len Garrison in 1981, the Black Cultural Archives has become a central hub in Brixton, housing the most important archives and collections of facts, records, documents and data pertaining to African and Afro-Caribbeans in the United Kingdom.

Deon Burton Football

Deon John Burton (born 25 October 1976) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker with Portsmouth, Derby County and Brentford. Born in Reading, Berkshire, he represented Jamaica internationally.

He was named Jamaican Sportsman of the Year in 1997 for almost single-handedly getting the country to the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, having scored four goals in five games.

His professional career started with Portsmouth, making his debut in the 1993-94 season, playing in two games. Burton would play intermittently for Portsmouth over the next three seasons helping them to remain in the First Division in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town in May 1996. In 1997, former Portsmouth manager Jim Smith signed Burton for Premier League club Derby County in a £1 million move.

In July 2004 he signed for Brentford, playing for them in the 2004-05 campaign and helping the club to the League One play-off semi-finals against Sheffield Wednesday, as their top scorer.

Bedford to a Jamaican father and a mother from Nevis. At sixth form, he won an award for poetry in a county-wide competition and credits his creative sensibility to childhood experiences, he describes as “very lively”.

Burton went on to study literature at Kingston Polytechnic and enjoyed its modern slant. He was introduced to the writings of Ralph Ellison, Tony Morrison, Alice Walker, Dr Maya Angelou, Richard Wright, and James Baldwin “This was literature speaking to me about my experience and that was a profound kind of waking up call about the dialog of writing - about the mirror and reflection”.

Burton pursued a master’s degree at SOAS University of London. Having studied works by Black American writers, he now wanted to learn more about Caribbean writers.

Unfortunately, the course had been discontinued, so Burton was persuaded to specialise in African literature. Yet, he discovered the writings of Louise Bennett, Rex Nettleford and others.

He gained a greater appreciation for language as a tool of communication and began to examine the meaning of Blackness. “I believe Louise Bennett created the harmony between an Englishness, an English… voice and [a] Jamaican Creole [voice]. It was a conscious and deliberate use of language. Growing up, we battled with ideas of not being English and being a Jamaican-ness. If you didn’t speak a certain way, you’re not Black enough. … There were so many ways not to be Black enough. … What they internalised as resistance language was under-aspiration.”

His credits include poetry collection Seasoned (2008). In radio and theatre: Armour of Immanuel (2007), The Chosen One (2009), Deacon (2017, 2019) and Old Vic co-productions Curry Goat & Fish Fingers with Miles Chambers, An Abolitionist Returns (2018) and Anansi & the Grand Prize (2019).

joined the RAF as an aircraftman to help the WWII effort.

After the war, Burton returned to Jamaica and was employed by Higgs and Hill - renowned contractors. In 1954 he was transferred to Higgs and Hill in London.

Later the firm was taken over by Holloway Brothers, where Burton continued to work diligently until his retirement.

Having withstood racism in various forms and manifestations, Burton knew that the Caribbean community needed to seek ways to empower themselves. He was one of the first to start a “Paadna”, as Banker, eventually enabling many persons to use their bank savings with Paadna “Draw” as down payment on a house.

Burton bought a house on Balham Grove, which became an open house for friends and family from the Caribbean, where he also assisted them with paperwork, housing and banking.

A lover of music, Burton and his cousin Narsa operated Queen of the West - one of the first sound systems in south London.

Burton, his friend Fairweather, and eleven other men joined together to purchase a building for the Caribbean community. Getting a bank loan was difficult but eventually they secured a loan and purchased the property on Balham High Street. In May 1970, The Balham and Tooting Sports and Social Club (BTSSC) opened.

In the beginning, Burton turned his hands to many tasks, including cooking, supporting and promoting the cricket clubs, organising trips and outings to the seaside, Europe and the Caribbean. The BTSSC was visited and attended by many dignitaries, including Caribbean countries prime ministers and ministers, performing artists, sports personalities and ex-servicemen.

Burton’s activism continued as member of The West Indian Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association in Clapham, Wandsworth Police Consultative Committee, West Indian Standing Conference championing Race Equality.

Dawn Petula Butler, was born 3 November 1989 in Forest Gate, East London. Her parents were Jamaican and she grew up with six siblings.

She was educated at Tom Hood School in Leytonstone and Waltham Forest College. Her working life began on the family market stall and in their bakery, cementing in her a life-long belief in the importance of small business. She went on to qualify as a computer programmer and became a manager in the employment service.

Butler’s entry into national politics came through trade unionism. She worked as an officer of the GMB Union, including time as a national race and equality officer. Butler later advised former Mayor Ken Livingstone on employment and social issues.

Butler was elected MP for Brent South (20052015) and served as minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement at the cabinet office - the first African-Caribbean woman to serve in a British Government. Butler returned to Parliament as MP for Brent Central (2015-Present) and is currently shadow cabinet member for Diverse Communities.

A natural campaigner, Butler took on the ‘Big 6’ energy companies over the excessive cost of pre-payment meters and ultimately secured a recommendation from Ofgem to cap the cost of energy prices for pre-payment meter customers, saving them on average £70 a year.

A champion for the environment, Butler is deputy chair of the All-Parliamentary Party Group (APPG) on Renewable and Sustainable Energy. Furthermore, she is chair of the APPG for Jamaica, and the APPG on Governance and Inclusive Leadership - campaigning for greater inclusion of ethnic minorities on corporate boards.

Butler believes progress in the Labour Party in selecting and electing BAME MPs has stalled, which led her to found “Bernie’s List”, named after Bernie Grant MP and modelled on “Emily’s List”, to support African-Caribbean people in becoming more involved in civic life.

At age two, she migrated to the UK to join her parents. Growing up, she was determined to succeed despite her family’s financial challenges and became the first person in her family to attend university, where she obtained a BA in economics and history, an MSc. in human resource management, an MBA (with distinction) and a PhD from the University of Oxford.

Dr Byfield subscribes to the philosophy, that education is vital to a nation’s development and critical to prevent the transmission of poverty between generations.

Consequently, in 1999 she established, Excell 3 - a charity aimed at raising the academic achievements and aspirations of pupils from socioeconomic disadvantaged communities and is the CEO of the organisation.

Dr Byfield authored the 2008 research-based book, Black Boys Can Make It: How They Overcome the Obstacle to University in the UK and US. The research dispels the myth that Black boys are synonymous with underachievement and discusses the need for educational policy reform.

In her quest to provide impactful education Dr Byfield founded the King Solomon International Business School, an all-through school for students aged 4 to 19 years.

Dr Byfield’s contribution to education and youth development has been recognised. Her charity, Excell 3 was cited as an example of best practice in the Conservative Party’s Policy Document (2008) and she was voted by Keep the Faith Magazine as one of the top ten most influential Black Christian Women in England (2008).

1939 and lived in Jamaica until 1960, when he migrated to the UK. He settled in Leeds in May 1960 and worked in the transport sector for 20 years before transitioning into education as a tertiary education officer.

As an integral part of the growing Leeds Caribbean community, he became active in the voluntary sector by founding and serving various organisations like the Chapeltown and Harehills Law Centre and serving as chair of the Law Centres Federation.

He was editor of the Chapeltown News from 19721976 - the voice of Leeds Caribbean community during a period of collective agitation for equal rights.

A pioneering advocate for Black housing associations, he first explored this passion by setting up the East Potternewton Residents Association (1970s) and the Leeds Harambee Association in 1980. In 1984, he was elected the chair of Leeds Federated Housing Association – the then largest housing organisations in the city. He went on found the Unity Housing Association in Leeds, one of the largest providers of housing for Caribbean, African and Asian communities and served as chair for 16 years.

In 1990, Cameron was awarded an MBE for his voluntary work in the community. In 1995 he was appointed to the Board of Governors of Leeds Metropolitan University (now Leeds Beckett University) serving for ten years and eventually becoming deputy chair.

Cameron actively worked for Black and minority groups to gain greater access to tertiary education. At the end of his term of service, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in education and was made fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.

Dawn Butler MP Politics

Betty Campbell was born Rachel Elizabeth Johnson 6 November 1934, in Butetown, Cardiff. Her mother, Honora, was Welsh Barbadian. Her father, Simon Vickers Johnson, was Jamaican, who had come to the UK when he was 15 years old. He was killed in World War II when his ship the Ocean Vanguard was torpedoed in 1942. Betty won a scholarship to the Lady Margaret High School for Girls and wanted to be a teacher from a young age. She faced discouragement from one of her teachers who told her that the problems for a working-class black girl would be “insurmountable”. This reduced her to tears, but it made her more determined to achieve her goals.

She was married to Rupert Campbell in 1953 and they had 3 children. She later trained as a teacher, eventually becoming head teacher of Mount Stuart Primary School in Butetown, where she taught for 28 years. She put into practice innovative ideas on the education of children and was actively involved in her community.

In 1998, as a member of the Commission for Racial Equality, she was invited to meet Nelson Mandela on his only visit to Wales. Betty was invited to be part of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Commission on Education, which published several research papers on education. In 1993, it published the book Learning to Succeed.

A board member of BBC Wales in the 1980s, she was made an honorary fellow of Cardiff Metropolitan University In 2003, she was awarded an MBE for services to education and community life. In 2015, she received a lifetime achievement award from Unison Cymru’s Black Members’ group, for her contribution to Black history and Welsh education

In January 2019, she topped a Hidden Heroines vote. A statue of her was commissioned and erected in her memory in the plaza of Central Square in 2021

Betty Campbell had four children, one of whom had ‘special needs’,14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

songwriter and producer affectionally known as “Prince Buster”. He was born in Kingston and whilst at school, performed regularly at the Glass Bucket Club. He was drawn to the sound system and created Voice of the People. In 1961, Campbell released his first single “Little Honey/Luke Lane Shuffle”, featuring Rico Rodriquez, as Buster’s Group.

Campbell recorded prolifically throughout the 1960s, including; “Madness “ (1963), “Wash Wash One Step Beyond” (1964), and “Al Capone” (1964), reaching 18 on the UK chart. He toured America and promoted the RCA Victor LP release The Ten Commandments (From Man To Woman) reaching 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. By the late 1960s the new music was rocksteady. The album, Judge Dread Rock Steady was released in 1967, and the title track “Judge Dread” proved to be popular to the point of parody. In 1968 the compilation album FABulous was released which was regularly reissued in the UK.

In 2001, Campbell was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government for his contribution to music. He performed at key festivals, including: Legends Of Ska festival in Toronto, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2003, the 2006 Boss Sounds Reggae Festival in Newcastle upon Tyne, the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with the Delroy Williams Junction Band, and the 2007 UK Rhythm Festival in Florida.

The records Campbell released have influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that would be drawn upon later by reggae and ska artists, as illustrated by the Two-Tone revival in 1970s: The Specials, The Beat and in September 2002, electronic duo Mint Royale’s sampling of Prince Buster for Sexiest Man in Jamaica on their album Dancehall Places, debuted at number 20 on the UK singles chart.

and grew up in Birmingham. He is a graduate in Electronic Engineering and a lecturer at both Coventry and Birmingham Universities.

He is also a fellow of the Chartered Insltitute of Managers (FCMI), fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Member of the Institute For Learning (MIFL), and holds a doctorate in philosophy and history and an MBA.

Derrick is the regional director at the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) a role which followed his tenure as an IPCC Commissioner since 2013.

He has a long history of working with communities in the UK. Before joining the IPCC, Campbell held a number of high-profile posts, including chief executive of West Midlands-based Race Equality Sandwell, chairman of the National Independent Advisory Group (NIAG) and UK Tsar on gun and knife crime, the first person in the UK to hold this role. In 2008, as a member of the National DNA Database Ethics Group, he advised the government on the use of the database and the associated ethics. In 2005, Campbell was voted as one of the 20 most influential men in the West Midlands.

Campbell has published two books: Am I Apostolic? The Teachings of the British Apostolic and Am I Still a Slave? The Effects of Colonialism on Black Leaders in Britain. He has also contributed to international journals dealing with a range of subjects such as human trafficking, economic migration to Britain and the social challenges of a multicultural society.

Food fusion

Betty died in 2017, aged 82.

Prawns, a Jamaican favourite. Levi Roots captures the very essence of integrating Caribbean flavours and ingredients with European staples.

Evadney Campbell MBE PR, Media

Evadney Campbell MBE is an awardwinning successful, dedicated and creative lecturer, broadcast journalist, trainer and public relations consultant with over thirty years of experience in media, education and consultancy.

She has worked with the BBC as a video journalist, radio presenter and producer across TV, Radio and online.

Evadney is a certified adult trainer with a strong ability to develop and engage learners at professional level, undergraduate, and postgraduate level. She’s a visiting lecturer at LCC, London and at the University of Bedfordshire.

She’s a published author - How to Carry out Media Interviews and has contributed to Future Proof, Edition Four, recently published and also available on all book-selling platforms.

In 1995, Evadney was awarded an MBE for her voluntary work and for founding a charity in Gloucester. She now runs a successful PR and media training agency - Shiloh PR, which she launched in 2013 with her daughter.

In 2019, Evadney was awarded WINTRADE Woman of the Year and has been listed as one of the UK’s 100 entrepreneurs. She is an ambassador and mentor for women in PR, sits on the Lloyds Bank Advisory Black Business Board, and is a judge for the Royal Television Society (RTS) News Journalism Award and the Great British Entrepreneur Award (GBEA).

live in Jamaica in the early ‘80s and attended the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus.

He soon developed a zest for supporting his community and upon returning to the UK, Campbell volunteered as chairperson of the African and Caribbean Network in Glasgow.

During that time, he founded and oversaw the refurbishment of the African Caribbean Centre in Glasgow (2008 - 2013) - the first venue devoted to the African and Caribbean communities. Since 2012, he has been a board member and previous chairperson of Africa in Motion Film Festival and also the secretary and board member of Ethnic Minority Civic Congress.

In 2014, he was the driving force behind the first Emancipation Day in Scotland and produced Emancipation Acts, a large-scale production that attracted hundreds of people. He has been the chairperson of Flag Up Scotland Jamaica since 2014, the organisation’s main purpose is to showcase the links between Scotland and Jamaica and also to campaign for restorative justice for the enslavement and abuse of people from the African continent.

Campbell was elected as a Glasgow city councillor in 2017, the first person of Caribbean heritage to be elected to such a civic post. He represents Springburn Robroyston ward in the North East of the city, one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse parts of Scotland.

Campbell uses his position to encourage people from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to become politically active and he also works to increase diversity in the council workforce.

Campbell has co-organised a number of Black History Month (BHM) events focussing on the growing African Caribbean population in Glasgow.

1949) is a Jamaican-born British writer, socialite, and television and radio personality.

Campbell is one of four children of department store owner Michael George Ziadie and Gloria Dey (née Smedmore). A genital malformation saw her christened George William, but though her family life was otherwise happy, Campbell has spoken and written of the struggles she faced being raised as a boy when she was physically female.

Campbell moved from Jamaica to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. She was not able to have corrective surgery until she was 21, when her grandmother discovered what had occurred and gave her the $5,000 she needed. At that time, Campbell legally changed her name to Georgia Arianna and received a new birth certificate.

She had already started work as a model in New York City prior to her surgery.

On 23 March 1974, she married Lord Colin Ivar Campbell, the youngest son of the eleventh Duke of Argyll. However, their relationship quickly soured, and she left him after nine months. The couple later divorced.

She has published several books about the British Royal Family, including Biographies of Diana, Princess of Wales, which was on The New York Times bestseller list in 1992, and on Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. She has also written two autobiographies and more recently Megan and Harry The Real Story and People of Colour And The Royals. She is frequently called upon for comments regarding the Royal Family.

was a businessman who began his historic British Jamaican journey with Campbell Photography Studio, and Campbell and Sons Travel Agents, in Brixton, UK, in the 1960s. In Jamaica, his businesses include LIL’s Supermarket, Bakery and Petrol Station.

Through his endeavours and business knowledge, he was able to maintain and develop his own businesses whilst assisting others in setting up and growing their ventures by way of advice, contacts and funding. Campbell founded the Jamaica Overseas Family and Friends Association (Joffa) and was instrumental in securing a boarding slot at London’s Heathrow Airport, for Air Jamaica, the then national airline of Jamaica (circa 1983).

Campbell found time to actively engage in the promotion of community events and activities, both sides of the pond - England and Jamaica.

His public contributions include the return of the remains of Marcus Garvey and hosting high-profile events and activities in honour of special guests - Louise Bennett, Jamaica’s honourable Prime Ministers, Hugh Shearer, Edward Seaga and Michael Manley.

Returning to Jamaica in 1975, he continued his business and community involvement, including the building of valuable infrastructure in his home town of Frankfield and Discovery Bay, providing local jobs for many in those communities.

Campbell was a true Jamaican entrepreneur, trailblazing at a time in England when there were many obstacles to overcome. His record of service to the Jamaicans and his adopted community, since arriving in England in 1950 has been remarkable and truly epitomises the spirit of the Windrush generation.

London, the daughter of Jamaican dancer Valerie Morris. From the age of three, Campbell attended the Barbara Speake Stage School, and at ten years old, she attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where she studied ballet.

Throughout her career, she has fronted the covers of over 1000 magazines, been featured in campaigns for celebrated houses including Burberry, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and Louis Vuitton, and walked iconic shows for Chanel, Christian Dior and Versace.

Campbell was the first Black model to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, French Vogue, Russian Vogue and the first British Black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue. The runway was her domain as she showcased the collections of top designers.

Always versatile, Campbell has appeared in countless TV shows (in front and behind the camera), music videos and films. She has raised funds for several charities, including with Nelson Mandela, who named her Honorary Granddaughter (2005) for endless activism via Fashion For Relief (FFR) which she established in 2005, which focuses on environmentalism, human rights and women and children’s global health.

Sol Campbell Football

Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell was born on 18 September 1974, in Plaistow, London, to his Jamaican parents, Sewell and Wihelmina.

He was a talented schoolboy and was part-educated at the FA’s School of Excellence at Lilleshall.

After being a part of West Ham United Youth programme, Campbell joined Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) in December 1992, making his first team debut on 5 December against Chelsea at White Hart Lane, scoring a goal in the 2–1 defeat. He cemented himself as the club’s number one central defender and was captain for most of his nine years at White Hart Lane. He made 255 appearances, scoring ten goals, and led the team to victory in the 1999 Football League Cup Final against Leicester City.

Two years later he joined Arsenal on a free transfer which alienated his Spurs supporters.

Campbell has played for England for over 11 years and gained the first of 73 full caps at age 21.

In May 1998, he became what was then England’s second-youngest captain, after Bobby Moore. In 2006, he was the only player to have represented England in six consecutive major tournaments; 1996, 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships and 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

Campbell was named in the Teams of the Tournament for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.

Other honours include being in the PFA Team of the Year three times, in 1999, 2003 and 2004.

Campbell graduated with a degree in psychology from Middlesex University, and worked as a senior planner within the Strategy and Service Development directorate of London Underground before becoming known as the winner of the first series of “The Apprentice” in May 2005. After his victory, Timothy joined Lord Sugar’s company Amstrad on an annual salary of £100,000. He became project director of Amstrad’s new Health & Beauty division and was kept on at Amstrad after the end of his initial 12-month contract. He left in 2007 to set up Bright Ideas Trust. Lord Sugar said Timothy had been a “great asset”.

In 2006, Timothy held a series of advice sessions for budding entrepreneurs, organised by the British Library’s Business & Intellectual Property Centre. In 2007, he represented Social Enterprise, a British government initiative, which aimed to apply modern business solutions to social and environmental challenges. The programme is led by the Social Enterprise Coalition, supported by the Office of the Third Sector, a government department responsible for charities, co-operatives, voluntary and community groups.

Timothy is a member of the Estate Office Property Consultants agency, focusing on investments and acquisitions for high-net-worth individuals and organisations seeking prime property opportunities. In 2012 he was awarded the MBE for Services to Enterprise Culture. He is the current chair of the governing body of St Bonaventure’s Catholic School, which he attended as a boy. In 2016, he co-founded Marketing Runners Ltd with Derin Cag.

Clarendon, Jamaica, arrived in the UK at a time when racism was overt, making it difficult for Black people to secure roles in the professions. However, Campbell began working in banking, and became a deputy managing director, then a managing director at Charterhouse Bank.

In 1963, Campbell was selected alongside Lord David Pitt to comment on the first Immigration ACT to affect African Caribbean communities in Britain; his long involvement in community campaigning had begun.

As chair of the Enfield Race Equalities Council, Campbell took the senior management of the Bruce Grove Trades Hall to Court for racist policies and won. He also exposed how the National Front, a right-wing racist party, had infiltrated a secondary school in North London by contacting ITV to help expose the school’s racist management. The school later became one of the best and most sought-after Grammar Schools in the country.

Campbell’s broader work in education, employment and community relations earned him a Queen’s award in 1976 for services to industry. His life story was included in the school curriculum for year seven pupils at schools in the London Borough of Enfield. Campbell was admired for his advocacy as a race advisor and his journey, which exemplified triumph over adversity.

Bristol Balloon Fiesta - Courtesy: VB Eric Nathan

The Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin MBE, QHC Bishop of Dover is a stalwart figure in the community, known and well-respected by all. Her annual sermon at the Jamaican Independence Day Celebrations in London are always eagerly anticipated and a special part of a day that the diaspora travel from all over the UK in their thousands to attend. See page 135 for her profile. Photo credit wikiwand

Count Suckle Nightclub Owner

Wilbert Augustus Campbell aka Count Suckle was born on 12 August 1931, in Kingston, Jamaica. He grew up in poverty, one of thirteen children. His friends included Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon and Vincent “Duke Vin” Forbes.

He began supplying records for sound system operator Tom the Great Sebastian. In 1952 Wilbert, Vin and Lenny Fry stowed away on a Banana Boat to the UK, where they settled in Ladbroke Grove, London

Campbell was influential in the development of British ska and reggae music, and by 1956, was running the Count Suckle Sound System in competition with Duke Vin. Known now as Count Suckle, he built a large following, playing at private parties, and at the Flamingo Club in Soho, where he began to attract a following of white musicians.

In 1961, he became the resident DJ at the Roaring Twenties club in Carnaby Street where he began showcasing records sent to him privately by Prince Buster directly from Jamaica as well as R&B record labels from the US. His clientele included Mods and leading White musicians Georgie Fame, the Rolling Stones and John Paul Jones.

In 1964 he began managing his own venture, the Cue (later Q) Club, which played a mixture of ska, reggae, soul and funk music, and also featured live performances by leading Jamaican and American musicians such as Prince Buster and Edwin Starr. In 1970, he also ran Q Records, a short-lived subsidiary of the Trojan record label in 1974.

In 1981 The ‘Q’ changed its name to the People’s Club and closed in 1986, when Suckle retired. In 2008, Suckle contributed to the documentary film, Duke Vin, Count Suckle and the Birth of Ska. directed by Gus Berger.

Count Suckle died of a heart attack on 19 May 2014 at his home in Edgeware Road London.

from Clarendon. The family, consisting of four siblings, lived in the London Borough of Southwark.

Carty’s distinguished career as a cultural leader spans more than 25 years. She has successfully spearheaded a range of initiatives with some of the UK’s prominent arts, education and cultural agencies and organisations.

Carty’s love and passion for people and dance, led to her becoming dance and mime officer for East Midland Arts (1980s) and later a manager of the transformational African organisation, Adzido Dance Company (1990-94). She was director of culture and education at London 2012, part of the successful Olympic bidding team, and director of dance at Arts Council England.

From 2011-2017, Carty founded Co-Creatives, a management consultancy, through which she shared her knowledge and expertise in arts and cultural matters. She is a visiting research fellow at the School of Management and Business, King’s College, London where she directs an international Executive Leadership Programme: Leading Culture in the 21st Century.

She is currently a member of the Learning and Participation Committee of the Royal Opera House, trustee of the Horniman Museum & Gardens, and director of Creative United. Previous appointments include trustee of the Arts Foundation and director of the Siobhan Davies Dance Company.

For her dedication, Carty has received three honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Westminster (2014), Middlesex University (2010) and De Montfort University 2001.

Charmaine Case Health

Charmaine Case is the eldest of three girls born in England. Their Jamaican parents settled in Fulham, London in the early 1960s. In 1983, she began her nurse training in Canterbury, where she was the only Black nurse for two years until another one came along in 1985.

She returned to London and worked in Croydon for seven years during which time she pursued a Cancer Practice Degree at the Royal Marsden and secured a junior sister role after a year.

In 2000, she worked at St George’s Hospital as a Macmillan Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) caring for Breast cancer patients. In 2014, she was involved with Macmillan in their “No one faces cancer alone” campaign, which included talks and multimedia.

Case’s passion for health promotion led to her involvement in 2015 with Public Health England’s campaign, “Be Clear on Cancer” delivering talks to Black and Ethnic Minority communities to encourage the over 70s to continue with screening.

Case is the president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK) (NAJ), which promotes participation in seminars, conference debates on social health and professional issues. Within St George’s Trust she has been part of the Staff BME forums and has mentored and coached many junior nurses as well as working with the Mary Seacole Memorial Association.

November 1918, where she grew up with her father, a fisherman, her stepmother, four siblings and a stepsister. She left school at 15 years old and went to live with her sister, who found her a job as a carer for a wealthy woman in Kingston. In Kingston, Cassell decided to start her own business, selling milk and sweet potato pudding to office workers, who would pay her on Friday when they got paid.

She saw an advert for workers wanted in England and decided to apply, using savings from her small business and left Jamaica with £100 in her pocket. Cassell’s journey via a banana boat took 17 days, arriving at Southampton in 1952.

With no accommodation, no job and no friends, she travelled to London to find a job. What she did have was a strong faith in God. She soon found a room which she shared with one of the ladies she met on the trip.

Within a relatively short time span, Ivy and her family were able to purchase a house for £1,900 with 6 rooms and they rented out 2 rooms. This led her and her partner to purchase a 10-room house in Ladbroke Grove for £4,000, enabling her to operate as a landlord and start a child minding and fostering business.

Cassell was a born entrepreneur and community-minded soul, and she used some of the proceeds from her ventures to assist many Black people in Portobello Road and Ladbroke Grove, where she lived between 1963 and 1973. Cassell has left a wonderful legacy for her seven children, 25 grandchildren, 50 great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren.

England, to Jamaican parents. He always enjoyed mathematics at school. In 1991, he graduated from Coventry Polytechnic with a BSc in Mathematics. In 1993, he achieved an MSc in Industrial Mathematical Modelling at Loughborough University and completed a PhD at Portsmouth University in 2014.

Dr Chamberlain has worked all over the world and has more than two decades of experience writing mathematical models/simulation algorithms that solve complex industrial problems. He created a mathematical cost capability trade-off for HMS Queen Elizabeth, the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers, modelling the lifetime running costs of aircraft carriers versus operating budgets. Dr Chamberlain is one of the few British mathematicians to be discussed in the US book “The Encyclopaedia of Mathematics and Society”, which highlights two of his mathematical models, and in 2014, was named by the Science Council as one of the UK’s top scientists.

Dr Chamberlain regularly gives public lectures, discussing the significance of mathematics in human achievements. He campaigns for more diversity within mathematical sciences and frequently gives talks in UK schools, through the charity “Speakers for Schools”. His lecture series, “The Black Heroes of Mathematics”, is popular all over the UK and since 2017, he has been listed in the Powerlist annual editions, celebrating the 100 most influential British people from African and African Caribbean heritage. In 2020, he was the first Black person to be appointed the president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

West Indians in Britain during World War II

Art History

Eddie Chambers, born 1960 in Wolverhampton, England, to Jamaican parents.

While studying for a Fine Art degree at Sunderland student Keith Piper. Alongside Marlene Smith and Donald Rodney, they formed the BLK Art Group (Group), an association of Black British art students and played a key role in encouraging, producing and exhibiting Black identity visual art politics of the ‘80s/’90s.

After leaving the BLK Art Group, Chambers continued to champion the work of other artists, curating exhibitions throughout the UK and internationally.

He set up the African and Asian Visual Artists’ Archive (AAVAA), which was the first research and reference facility in the country for documenting British-based Black visual artists. He also initiated the online research and reference facility Diaspora Artists.

In 1998 he was awarded a PhD in History of Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London, for his thesis Black Visual Arts Activity in England Between 1981-1986: Press and Public Responses.

Chambers has moved into academia and art writing - contributing catalogue essays, anthology entries, articles and books with a focus on the work and history of Black British and African diaspora artists.

In 2010, Chambers was appointed assistant professor of art history at the University of Texas, Austin, and also published Things Done Change: The Cultural Politics of Recent Black Artists in Britain (2012), which garnered enthusiastic responses in leading journals, including Art Review, which described his writing as excellent and nuanced. In 2014, Chambers published an expanded consideration of his themes in Black Artists in British Art: A History from 1950 to the Present.

Euton Christian was born in Jamaica and volunteered to fight for Britain in 1944, at the age of 20. Many of his friends had already signed up, and he did not want to be left behind. After a short spell of training on the island, he and other volunteers sailed for England.

Christian’s role was an aircraft finisher, involving the art of camouflage, and he was trained to paint vehicles. At the end of the war, he signed up for additional years’ service, but then went on leave to Jamaica in November 1947 and returned to the UK in May 1948 on the Empire Windrush.

He was demobbed in 1952 and immediately travelled to Manchester, where he felt life would be better for him, especially as he had a friend who had moved to Manchester in 1941 to work in the ammunition factory.

After being employed in various jobs, including as a spray painter, plastic moulder, store keeper and railwayman, Christian joined the Post Office, where he was employed for 30 years.

In 1971 wishing to give something back to his community, Christian was trained and was eventually appointed the first Black justice of the peace in Manchester.

Voices - Real Experiences

Linford Cicero Christie was born on 2nd April, 1960 in Saint Andrew, Jamaica and was raised by his grandmother before he was reunited with his parents in London, England at 12 years old. Despite not taking athletics seriously until he was 19, just seven years later, Christie won the 100m Gold at the 1986 European Championships and Silver at the Commonwealth Games.

At the 1987 World Championships, he finished fourth, but was later awarded the Bronze. At the 1988 Olympics, Christie was awarded Silver. He ran it in a time of 9.97 - a European record.

In 1992, Christie became Olympic Champion in Barcelona. At the age of 32, Christie became the oldest Olympic 100m Champion. In 1993, Christie became the first man in history to hold 100m Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles, the Stuttgart World Championships was in his fastest ever time of 9.87. For his accomplishments, Christie was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

In 1994, he defended his Commonwealth title in his second fastest ever 100m time of 9.91 and set a new world indoor 200m record of 20.25, in Liévin (1995) becoming the third-fastest sprinter on the all-time list. Christie remains the British record-holder at 100m with a time of 9.87 at the 1993 World Championships.

By the end of his track career, Christie had won 24 medals, more than any other British male athlete before or since. Christie was appointed MBE (1990) and OBE (1998) and in 1993 the West London Stadium was renamed the Linford Christie Stadium in his honour.

Professor Eddie Chambers

...When these boys killed my son Stephen, they created a legend ...

Neville Lawrence

The Black Church Movement

By Bishop Dr. Joe Aldred

T here has been a black Christian presence in the UK for centuries and the Black Church Movement became prominent during the Wind rush epoch since WW2 peopled by communities from Africa (mainly Nigeria and Ghana) and the Caribbean (mainly Jamaica). The UK reach ed out to its colonies and former colonies to find workers to help in its national rebuilding programme after the two World Wars.

Courtesy Jim Grover

It is well known that migrating communities take their religion with them and true to form African and Caribbean people in the UK quickly established the mainly Pentecostal churches they had belonged to “back home” but did not find in the UK e.g. Church of God in Christ, New Testament Church of God, Church of God of Prophecy, Cherubim and Seraphim, etc. Those who had belonged to European denominations “back home” such as Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist to name a few, sought to worship in those churches in the UK but were largely frozen out due mainly to racial prejudice.

As one of the pioneers of the UK Black Church, Lo Smith recalls “I was looking for love and warmth and encouragement, I believed the first place I would find that was in the church, but it wasn’t there.”

Not all who faced rejection left the British churches. One said, ‘I told the minister, ‘I am a Baptist, this is a Baptist Church, and I am staying here!’ Today it is generally agreed that some inner city mainstream churches would be closed were it not for the presence of its black members who have remained in areas that were affected by white flight to the suburbs. Black Pentecostals have brought a vibrancy and renewed focus on mission and evangelism in the nation. Black Pentecostal churches can be found in most urban areas and are slowly establishing a rural presence. These churches represent diverse ecclesial and theological identities as independent fellowships as well as belonging to wider regional, national and international bodies.

The Archbishop of Canterbury in a Foreword to a recent publication on Pentecostals and Charismatics in Britain said ‘…from time to time a significant movement arises, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that stands the test of time and has lasting effect on the Church for years or even centuries.’

Together these churches constitute a significant block. In 2018 the combined assets of five well known national churches: New Testament Church of God, Church of God of Prophecy, Calvary Church of God in Christ, New Testament Assembly and Ruach City Church was £86 million, based on purchase, not market value which would of course be considerably more. The net worth of all Black Pentecostal Churches in Britain is unknown but will run into hundreds of millions of pounds sterling. These churches also are deeply involved in social enterprises such as food banks, education, and are increasingly becoming politically active. These churches have empowered and equipped many to take their place in British society, making significant contributions in religious and secular spheres. A recent publication 100 Great Black Britons, included Bishop Oliver Lyseight - a pioneer of the New Testament Church of God and the Black Pentecostal Church Movement. Many have received honours from the Queen, other establishments and societies as recognition for their valuable contributions to society.

Little wonder that mainstream British churches now actively seek Black Pentecostal Churches as ecumenical partners in mission in Britain. Recently the Church of England changed its legal canons through its General Synod to allow for independent – including Pentecostal - churches’ preachers to legitimately preach in its churches. The Black Church’s contribution to music is phenomenal as exemplified by the influence of Black British Gospel so well exampled by Kingdom Choir that took the 2018 Royal wedding by storm.

Respected as ecumenical partners for mainstream establishments that were once viewed as ‘sects’, they must now face up to the intergenerational challenge to engage emerging Black British communities. Calling for a robust political agenda that goes beyond social care for its members to speak truth to the principalities and powers that impact its members’ lives and that of the country: socially, spiritually, economically, politically and environmentally.

Bishop Dr Joe Aldred National Church Leaders Forum; Windrush Cross-Government Working Group; Honorary Research Fellow, Roehampton University

Bishop Dr. Joe Aldred

Eunice Campbell-Clark Politics

Eunice Campbell-Clark is a Labour councillor who has represented both the Byron Ward and the Bulwell Forest Ward, on Nottingham City Council. Between 1971-2002, she had amassed over 41 years of experience in the voluntary, local government and private sectors

In 1993, Campbell-Clark set up the first African-Caribbean Employment and Training Enterprise Company that assisted over 430 young people to get back into training and employment. From 2007-9, Campbell-Clark worked with NBI Ltd and New College Nottingham, supporting the unemployed to access training providers.

In 1996, Campbell-Clark was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council, where she served on a number of important committees, including the Domestic Violence Forum, Equal Opportunities Committee and the Women’s Consultative Group. Her several chairmanships included the Women’s Consultative Group, Trading Standards Committee, Personnel and Equalities, and the Early Years and Childcare Partnership.

In 2003, Campbell-Clark was elected to serve on the Executive with portfolio responsibility for human resources, equalities and access to services.

Campbell-Clark helped to deliver three Joint Service Centres in Clifton Cornerstone, Hyson Green and the Bulwell Riverside. In 2009, she took over the portfolio responsibilities for Adults and Health, and a year later she officially opened Cherry Tree Centre for dementia care. In 2011, she was involved in the implementation of the new Day Care Centre at Albany House in St Ann’s.

From 2009 – 2012, she was vice chair of Adult Social Care Commissioning Board, chair of One Nottingham Health and Wellbeing Partnership and member of the Interim Health and Wellbeing Board. In 2012, Campbell-Clark launched the Nottingham Circle, a social enterprise programme set up specifically to support the over-50s.

Campbell-Clark’s contributions are immense, which have been recognised with an honorary BSc in Social Sciences, and in 2012, she was awarded Councillor of the Year for Partnership Working.

October 1895 and has the distinction of being the first Black pilot to fly in combat for Britain.

When World War 1 broke out, Clarke, then 19 years old, paid his own passage to Britain and joined the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) on 26 July 1915. At first, he served as an air mechanic, but on 18 October he was posted to France as a driver with an observation balloon company.

Clarke wanted to fly and he was accepted for pilot training in England in December 1916. On 26 April 1917, he won his wings and was promoted to sergeant. On 29 May 1917, Sergeant Clarke joined 4 Squadron RFC at Abeele in Belgium and began flying R.E.8 biplanes over the Western Front.

On the morning of 28 July 1917, on a reconnaissance mission over Ypres, five miles on the German side of the lines, Clarke and his observer, were attacked by German scouts and were seriously wounded, losing consciousness. Miraculously, they were able to make it back alive.

a wealthy Jamaican family. His grandfather, Robert Clemetson, had been enslaved and was later freed and inherited the plantation. He later became a member of the House of Assembly of Jamaica in 1840.

When war was declared in 1914, as a law student at Trinity College, Cambridge University, he enlisted in the 23rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Although Britain acknowledged the need for Black and Asian men, these enlisted men were confined mostly to segregated units and provided auxiliary services, some of which were dangerous and dirty jobs.

He was one of a handful of Black officers to hold the rank of lieutenant, in charge of white troops, but this was a fairly well-kept secret due to the colour bar in the British Army. Clemetson was killed near Péronne, in September 1918, less than two months before the Armistice of 11 November 1918.

He is buried at Unicorn Cemetery in Vendhuile and listed on the British West Indies Regiment Memorial in his Jamaican hometown, Port Maria. A portrait of Clemetson is displayed at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston.

Sergeant Clarke recovered from his wounds and returned to duty as a mechanic. He was honourably discharged in 1919, receiving the Silver War Badge.

After the war he returned to Jamaica to work in the building trade. He was an active veteran and became life president of the Jamaican branch of the Royal Air Forces Association.

Clarke, the first Black pilot to fly for Britain, died in April 1981.

Monica Coke Business

Monica Coke was born in St Thomas, Jamaica and arrived in the UK as a child in 1961. At school, she achieved good GCSEs and successfully completed a BSc in Sociology. In 1999, Coke joined Advantage West Midlands, Regional Development Agency as the Ethnic Minority Business Development Policy lead, where she was instrumental in ensuring small-medium sized businesses took up trade opportunities for the Caribbean, South Indian and North American, which resulted in some £650,000 worth of trade.

Coke chaired the African Caribbean People’s Movement (ACPM) between 1994-1999, influencing the North Birmingham Mental Health Group about the need to better provide solutions and services to support the needs of the African and Caribbean communities.

Coke sits on various boards nationally, including the Caribbean Board under the auspices of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She was also a College Governor at City College, Birmingham and Governor 2000-2004 when the College awarded scholarships to Jamaican students. The College had an active partnership with Community Council of Community College of Jamaica.

Coke is committed to serving her community in a variety of ways from being a founder member of the Friends of Princess Margaret Hospital, which raised thousands of pounds for the Hospital in her home parish of St Thomas as well as Jamaica School Resources, leveraging her influence to gain support for Jamaica’s schools.

She currently works with the Jamaican Consulate in Birmingham, UK.

care educator who served as deputy dean in the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London where she had responsibilities including strategic project management, portfolio reviews, organisational and staff development, professional development, as well as contributing to university-wide activities.

Dr Collington started her career as a staff midwife in 1975 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a midwifery sister a year later and a senior midwife and obstetric nurse teacher at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton in 1980. She then became a midwife teacher at the Carshalton and Croydon School of Nursing in 1989.

In 1995, Dr Collington gained her masters in Sociology from South Bank University, before going on to study a PhD at Kingston University, where, in 1997, she became the head of the School of Midwifery, and later deputy dean in 2010. Then, in 2012, she became the acting dean of the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, retiring two years later. Dr Collington also served as joint chair of the London Deans for Health Group.

Dr Collington is a volunteer governor at St George’s University Hospital Foundation Trust, and she is also a long-standing trustee, treasurer and later chair of the Jamaica Hospitals League of Friends (JHLOF). Under her tenure as chair, in 2017 JHLOF worked with the Jamaican High Commission to raise funds that went towards Jamaica’s Adopt-a-Clinic project.

Dr Collington has made presentations at a number of conferences in the UK and around the world, and between 1998 and 2002 she served as a consultant on several nursing and midwifery programmes in Gaza. She has also been a prolific contributor to a number of academic journals on the subject of midwifery.

told him about life in England. He wanted to go but the only problem was, how would he get there?

“As things would have it, there was an advert in the local paper saying that a ship was going to be coming to Jamaica and you could book a passage to England for just £28.10,” he remembered.

The ship was the Empire Windrush, which was due to arrive in Kingston Harbour in May of that year. His parents agreed that he could go and managed to raise the money for the fare.

Described as a machinist on the passenger list housed at the UK National Archive, Collins celebrated turning 17 on board. After disembarking at Tilbury Docks, he was taken by coach with more than 200 other passengers to Clapham South Deep Shelter in south London, a former bomb shelter that had been converted into makeshift accommodation.

It was here that his image was immortalised in the famous press photo of him in his striped pyjamas carefully folding up his clothes.

After five days he found a room to rent in Earl’s Court, then a job at a sweet factory. He later obtained work as a welder, having taken a course at a technical college.

London’s thriving Black music scene meant there were many places Caribbean migrants could go to enjoy themselves. One of these was the Paramount dance hall in Tottenham Court Road, which was run by a fellow Jamaican.

It was one of Collins’ regular haunts and it was there he met Joan Fiddler, a young English woman whom he married in Paddington in March, 1953. They went on to have three children, Christine, Kathryn and Marilyn.

He loved playing cricket. He was in a team that played all over London and the Home Counties, and he was able to take his wife and daughters to see him play.

Ena Collymore-Woodstock OD MBE

WW2 Veteran, Radar Operator, Barrister

“I haven’t come all this way just to be stuck behind a typewriter!’ This was Mrs Ena Collymore’s comment in a letter to Army Bosses in 1943 as she battled top brass to be allowed out from behind a typewriter to play a vital role defeating the Nazis.

Born in Jamaica in 1917, Ena Collymore-Woodstock (now 103 years old) is Britain’s oldest surviving female WWII veteran having left Jamaica to join the Allied effort after answering a recruitment advertisement in 1943.

After an initial posting to the UK Coast, she was sent to Belgium.

After the war, she broke yet more boundaries by training to become a barrister at London’s Gray’s Inn and embarked on a legal career spanning four decades. In 1975, she became the first woman to hold judicial office in Jamaica as a magistrate. In 1975, she became the senior resident magistrate for St Andrew Parish. That same year, she was honoured with the Order of Distinction for her contributions to the justice system of Jamaica.

Mrs Collymore-Woodstock was awarded an MBE in 1967 for her work with the Girl Guides. She married Victor Woodstock, a civil servant in 1951 and had two daughters and a son. She now mainly lives in Barbados.

Yvonne Conolly arrived in England, 1963 in what she describes as a “posh banana boat” from Jamaica.

She was a 23-year-old budding teacher with some teaching experience in Jamaica. Conolly’s plan was to pursue a B.Ed. degree in Britain and return home, a qualified teacher. Life, however, had other plans.

Her teaching journey saw her working as a supply teacher in London. Her daily commute meant getting up at 5:00 am to catch a bus, and Conolly recalled sitting at a bus stop with tears rolling down her face, trying to work out the buses she had to take.

Despite prejudice expressed by both the school and the students’ parents, she persevered and within a few years, Conolly became a deputy head.

Nine years later, at the age of 29, with encouragement from her headteacher, Conolly was appointed headteacher at Ringcross Primary School, Highbury, London, becoming the first Black woman headteacher in Britain. This provoked some racist threats, including to burn the school down. Conolly stayed at Ringcross for seven years and under her leadership, the school was a happy place - staff were excellent and the student body was comprised of both Black and White pupils. Later in her career, she helped set up a Caribbean Teaching Association and worked as an inspector for Ofsted.

Delores Cooper is an accomplished Diasporean Leader in the Jamaican community in the UK. She was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, and was educated at several prestigious institutions in both Jamaica and the UK.

Over the course of her professional career in Jamaica, Cooper has held several senior positions in education, including project manager for the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) Project – Rural Services for Children with Special Needs and executive director for Private Voluntary Organisations Limited.

She has leveraged her influence by serving as the Jamaican High Commission’s first community relations officer playing a pivotal role for eleven years in strengthening the existing relations between the High Commission and the Jamaican Community in the UK. Cooper was appointed director for the Victoria Mutual Building Society UK Office.

As the former executive director of Jamaica Special Olympics she’ has led national teams to two World Summer Games and three World Winter Games also serving as patron, chairman and council committee member of a number of voluntary organisations in Jamaica and the UK.

In 1994, Cooper received the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) by the Government of Jamaica for services in the field of Education and Community Services.

Always modest, Conolly did not appreciate the magnitude of her achievements, until a person she did not recognise, informed her that, she Conolly, was the inspiration to become a teacher.

Cooper is a member of the Anglican Church, and is married to Donovan. They have three daughters, two grandsons and supports Manchester United football team and is patriotic about all things Jamaican.

Courtesy: Windrush Foundation

Lorna Cork MBE Education

Lorna Cork MBE was born in Jamaica in 1958 and left Jamaica in 1962 to join her mother in England.

Upon arrival the family faced many challenges from financial ones to simply fitting into British society, particularly surrounding the stereotype of being a Jamaican.

With a passion for education and all things Jamaican, Cork chose to work with children as a teacher before moving on to acquire a PhD in education from the University of Cambridge, where she also received the Isaac Newton award. After completing her doctorate, she decided to train teachers and school leaders in education and leadership. Cork is also an academic tutor with Leicester University’s Masters programme in Educational Leadership as well as leading an independent social enterprise and consultant. Her consultancy is reputed for their child and family centred approach, which recognises that equality is integral to school improvement.

As a teacher, Cork organised Croydon’s first Black History Month event, and has partnered with Brixton based bookshops, art gallery and Local Authority Leader for the Black Pupils’ Achievement Programme (BPAP) in Birmingham. She has led and organised two of three study visits to Jamaica.

To extend her support for teachers, Cork set up the Black & Asian Teachers Network and is Co-ordinator and Chair of the Education Voluntary Organisation.

April 1961 and moved to England with his family when he was 11. He is a former cricketer who played in 19 Test Matches and 23 One Day Internationals between 1982 and 1985 for the England Cricket Team.

Norman was a right-arm fast bowler and a right-handed lower-order batsman and became the 500th person to play Test cricket for England.

He played County Championship cricket for Middlesex and then Hampshire cricket clubs, winning three Championships and four limited-overs titles (all with Middlesex) in his fifteen seasons. On his first tour overseas, on England’s defence of the Ashes in Australia in 1982/83, he often struggled, was wayward in line and length, and was underbowled by captain, Bob Willis, until the crucial Fourth Test at Melbourne, a match England had to win if they had any hope of retaining the Ashes that they had won at home in 1981.

Cowans played the game of his life at the MCG in 1983, where he took a match-winning 6 for 77 following his first innings 2 for 69 (which included the first ball scalp of Greg Chappell) in England’s dramatic three-run victory. This victory sent the series to Sydney for the deciding Fifth Test, which ended in a draw.

Norman was nicknamed ‘Flash’ because of his ability to bowl a cricket ball at almost 100mph.

He is currently a regular commentator on Sky and BBC 24.

and went to Manchester Metropolitan University to study physiotherapy.

Cox began sprinting competitively at 15 years old on the advice of her hockey coach. Over the next three years, she competed at regional under-17 meets gaining several podiums finishes in the 100m events.

After initially being diagnosed with a stroke, she was tested and diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which led her to join the Paralympic team. She was selected for the Great Britain team to compete at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, where she entered the T37 100m and 200m sprints and broke the record for the 100m in the heats and won gold at the finals.

Norman prides himself on the personal service and attention to detail provided by Norman Cowans Sports Promotions.

Competing for Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in both athletics and cycling, she won a bronze medal in the Women’s 100m T38 sprint, before winning a gold medal in the Women’s C4-5 cycling time trial, and another gold in the T38 400m sprint. She became the first British paralympian to win golds in multiple sports at the same Games since Isabel Barr. Cox won gold in the 500m time trial in the 2016 Paralympics: her time of 34.598 seconds also set a new world record.

Cox was subsequently selected as the flag-bearer for the British team at the closing ceremony. Cox was appointed member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017 for services to athletics.

Windrush Anchor Retrieval Project 2019. Minutes in graphic by Pen Mendoca

Asher Craig Politics & Activism

Before her work current work as the deputy mayor of Bristol, Asher Craig was instrumental in the development of the Malcolm X Community Centre and the Black Development Agency, previously known as the Bristol Black Voluntary Sector Development Unit, where she served as chair. She had also set up Mosaic Advocacy Centre CIC in 2013 to provide support to vulnerable people, including ex-offenders, older people, individuals with mental health issues, and learning disabilities.

In January 2016, Craig received an email from a friend with an unexpected request - she was asked to run for political office. After initially deleting the email her friend persisted and after careful reflection, she agreed.

With the election seven weeks away, the campaign appeared daunting. However, Craig drew upon her communication and networking skills and won more votes than the other three candidates combined to became a councillor in May 2016.

Within a year, she was appointed as cabinet member. She subsequently become one of two deputy mayors with the portfolio for communities, equalities, and public health.

and left at five to join her parents in Birmingham.

She grew up to become a leading British actress on stage and television.

In her 40 plus career, she has worked extensively in the theatre for many years and notable productions include The Christ of Coldharbour Lane, Mistress Overdone in Measure for Measure in Plymouth and Elmina’s Kitchen at the National Theatre.

In addition, she has appeared in popular British television soaps such as Family Affairs, Doctors, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and Brothers and Sisters.

She does a considerable amount in the community, from working with prisoners and ex-prisoners to producing shows in prisons and theatres to delivering wide-ranging educational projects for young people.

Voices - Real Experiences

The Voyage on board HMT Empire Windrush

... It was jolly on the ship,” he said, recalling the voyage. “We had two or three bands – calypso – and one stowaway woman. She was a washer-women who did laundry in the port and came on board. But she couldn’t stay hidden for long and we all helped to pay her fare.

I would like to know what happened to that woman. I haven’t seen or heard from her since...

Oswald Denniston

descent. He progressed through the youth ranks at Stoke City signing professional contract forms in March 1976. He made his debut in April at home to Coventry City becoming the first Black player to play for Stoke since Roy Brown in the 1940s. In the 1976-77 season, his first full season, he was top-scorer.

He also played for Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion (WBA). Throughout his career, Crooks was an active member of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and was elected its first Black chairman.

Many Black players suffered racist abuse from the stands and Crooks was no exception. He was the first Black player to score in an FA Cup final with his equalising goal in a 3-2 win over Manchester City in 1981.

His first media appearance was a guest presenter on 25 March 1982’s Top of the Pops on BBC1, then as a match analyst at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups. He later worked as Match of the Days reporter at the England camp at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup. In the late 1990s, Crooks became presenter of the political television show Despatch Box and as the lead pundit on BBC Sport’s Final Score on Saturday afternoons.

In 1999, Crooks was awarded an OBE for services to football punditry, specifically citing his ability to bring passion to football.

Gary Crosby OBE Music

Born in London, on the 26th January 1955, to Jamaican parents, Gary Crosby OBE is the nephew of the legendary Jamaican guitarist, Ernest Ranglin OD.

Crosby was a founder member of the seminal Jazz Warriors in the 1980s as well as founder and leader of the award-winning bands, Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and Jazz Jamaica. He has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s most respected bassists and band leaders whilst, as co-founder and Artistic Director of Tomorrow’s Warriors, he has nurtured the nascent talent of hundreds of aspiring young jazz artists currently forging successful international careers.

Crosby has maintained a commitment to Jamaica and its musicians, appearing in the Jamaica Heritage & Jazz Festival, The Ocho Rios Jazz Festival as well visiting Alpha Boys School to deliver workshops for young musicians. He arranged the music theme for the TV documentary, Windrush presented by Trevor Philips.

He has received a host of awards for his tremendous work, including an OBE and Queen’s Medal for Services to Music.

PROUD MOMENTS

immigrated to the UK in 1962.

Crosdale is an activist. He set up the West Indian Student Union whilst at college, and later, he advocated for the change in discriminatory practices, procedures and policies in community building across the Midlands. He set up the Commonwealth Citizens Association in Nottingham in 1964 to assist people with local issues, and during the seventies, Crosdale was one of the pioneers who established Nottingham ACNA Centre. He also chaired four related organisations.

From 1980 to 1985, Crosdale served as the chief officer for Derby Racial Equality Council (REC).

He was instrumental in the extension of the Derby West Indian Community Centre and secured funding to build three Asian Community Centres. He helped set up the first Black housing association - TUNTUM Nottingham in 1988 and served the Nottingham REC as Director from 1985 until 2004.

Alongside his REC duties, Crosdale served many boards and committees, and in 1984, Crosdale was elected a Labour councillor for Derbyshire and served as the County representative on the Police Authority.

In 1997 he became vice chair of the Social Services Committee for Derby City.

Crosdale received an OBE in 2001 for his services to the community and serves as a deacon and dedicated member of Pear Tree Baptist Road Church.

was introduced to music from the young age of seven when she was chosen as lead vocalist for the local church choir. Her parents were strict church-goers, so it was in the Pentecostal church that her talent for playing the piano, singing and writing songs was initially discovered.

Sandra came of age during the original outbreak of the UK’s lovers’ rock movement during the early seventies. In 1979 she entered a school talent contest with a composition entitled “I Adore You’.”

She won the contest and accepted the prize of recording the song under the production of a local record producer. However because of her reluctance to attend classes at school, and her “spells” of running off late at night to sing, her parents concluded that they had lost total control of their only daughter and decided to hand her over to the local authorities. Sandra was 14 years old when she was placed into a home for truant children, and it was whilst she was there ‘I Adore You’ went straight to the No.1 spot in the UK reggae charts.

Over the following years, four more No.1 hits followed, the biggest to date entitled “Country Living” spent a whopping 10 weeks at the No.1 spot in the UK and European reggae charts in 1985. 12 top 10 albums followed as Sandra went on to accumulate popularity and fame in the reggae industry. She became one of the most admired lovers rock singers in the business and earned the title of the BBC listener’s “Britain’s Best Female Reggae Singer” for six consecutive years between 1986 -1991.

With over 20 years of experience in the music industry, more than 12 albums and singles which were followed by headlined tours throughout Europe, America and Japan plus seven international music awards, Sandra Cross is regarded as one of the leading forces of England’s ‘lovers’ rock’ era. She has become one of the most successful and respected singing talents of the UK.

Usain Bolt

Patricia Cumper MBE FRSA wa s born in 1954 in Jamaica. She attended Queen’s School in Kingston, where she won a scholarship in 1973 to study Archaeology and Anthropology at Girton College, Cambridge University.

While there, Cumper was a College Exhibitioner and was also awarded a full swimming Blue, captaining the swim team.

After graduating in 1976, Cumper returned to Jamaica, where she began a career writing for the radio, including two major soap operas, Malvina’s Revenge and Mortimer Simmonds.

In 1993, Cumper returned to Britain and continued as a playwright working for BBC Radio 4. She also wrote a novel, One Bright Child which was published in 1998.

Cumper is best known for her work with Talawa, the UK’s largest Black-led theatre company, which in 2002, performed her acclaimed play The Key Game at the Riverside Studios, London. In 2006, she became Talawa artistic director, stepping down in 2012 after overseeing its 25th anniversary season.

In January 2015, Cumper’s adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved was broadcast in 10 episodes by BBC Radio 4 as part of its 15-Minute Drama programme and in 2017, her play Chigger Foot Boys, which pays tribute to African and Caribbean soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War, was produced at Tara Arts and received glowing praise.

Cumper is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and in 2013, was awarded an MBE for services to Black British Theatre and became a trustee of the British Museum.

parents in March 1956 in London and his family lived in Finsbury Park.

Cunningham was a brilliant left winger worthy of inclusion in any team. He enjoyed a career lasting fifteen years, during which he played for clubs, such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Rayo Vallecano and Marseille, scoring 67 goals in 348 appearances.

He became the second Black player to wear an England shirt at any level and was capped six times.

Between 1975– 1984, Cunningham played for Leyton Orient, West Bromwich, Marseille, Leicester City. In 1979, he was transferred to Real Madrid from West Bromwich Albion, the first British player to do so, for a fee of £950,000. He scored twice on his debut and helped Real win the league and cup double.

Sadly, Cunningham was killed in a car crash in Madrid on the morning of 15 July 1989. He was survived by his Spanish wife and their son.

Cunningham has amassed a long list of honours posthumously: he was named as one of 16 WBA greatest players and featured in a mural of former players displayed at The Hawthorns (November 2004); Nubian Jak Community Trust unveiled a Blue Plaque outside Brisbane Road (October 2013); English Heritage erected a Blue Plaque at Cunningham’s childhood home in Stroud Green (September 2015); a statue by Graham Ibbeson was unveiled in Coronation Gardens at Leyton Orient near Brisbane Road (November 2017).

Patricia Cumper MBE FRSA Playwright

Arthur Curling

WWII War Veteran

In 1944, when the British government advertised in Jamaica for volunteers for the Royal Air Force against Germany, Arthur Curling answered the call. At barely 16 years old, he passed the test and enlisted. He recalled, “My parents did not approve in the beginning, but they had no choice at the time, and like everything else, it’s your life and your education, you gain an experience.” Like many other Jamaicans, he underwent training on the island, before travelling to England.

Curling served on the home front until the war ended in May 1945 and soon returned to Jamaica, but he yearned for more.

The arrival of Empire Windrush at Kingston Harbour was just what Curling was waiting for, and he did not hesitate to purchase the one-way ticket to England, in May 1948. At twenty years old, he found the going hard just after returning to the UK. He went for a job as a cleaner, but was refused because the owner did not want any “darkies” working in his business.

Having raised a family, (in retirement) he often travelled and visited North America, and countries in the Caribbean. He also travelled to the African continent and visited Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

Janet Jessica Daby born on 15 December 1970 in South East London, is the third and last child to her mother, Jane and her late father, Cecil. Her mother was originally from Jamaica and is a ‘proud Jamaican’ from Manchester and her father, of Indian descent, is from Berbice, Guyana.

Daby went to university to become a social worker. Having reached a high level in this field, she became frustrated with the limitations and constraints of policy and instead found a voice through politics. As a local councillor and cabinet member for Lewisham, she has achieved much for her ward and borough.

One of her personal highlights was when she founded the Whitefoot and Downham Community Food Plus Project, an organisation that provides food, advice and support to local residents. In 2014 the project won a National Award from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Food Poverty for being the most innovative project in the country to tangibly alleviate food poverty.

Prior to being elected as the MP for Lewisham East, Daby served as a Lewisham Borough councillor and later as deputy mayor of Lewisham. She also worked in volunteer management, as well as in children’s social care and acted as a registered fostering manager.

As an MP, she speaks out against poverty, inequality and racial, social and economic injustice. Janet recognises that she can play a part in the struggle to create a better future. She wishes to uphold the same legacy passed to her by her mother, not only to her children but to all our third and fourth generation young people. Daby is married and has two children.

Louise Da-Cocodia (affectionately known as Mrs D), was born in Church Penn, St Catherine, Jamaica. In 1955 she came to England to train as a state registered nurse (SRN) in London.

After completing her SRN training, Da-Cocodia qualified as a midwife and health visitor. In 1989 she took early retirement, ending her distinguished career as a senior nursing officer. Much of her time thereafter was spent in the development of community initiatives.

Da-Cocodia was a founder members of Arawak Walton Housing Association (AWHA), Cariocca Enterprises (CE) and Cariocca Education Trust (CET). Following her passing in 2008, the CET was re-named in her honour in 2009 at Manchester Metropolitan University, where Professor Carol Baxter was the special guest at the launch of the Louise Da-Cocodia Education Trust (LDET).

LDET work has included the Mrs D Saturday Supplementary School based in Moss Side. Children who attend were involved in the film Our Moss Side, aimed at challenging stereotypical views about the area.

LDET partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University to produce the Manchester Conference for Black Parents Children and Young People which led her to become a school governor.

Da-Cocodia was a dynamic leader who has profoundly impacted Manchester. As a former deputy lord lieutenant of Manchester and past chairperson of the West Indian Organizing Coordinating Committee (WOCC), she ensured that community organizations like the Jamaica Society became involved in community activities.

Da-Cocodia has contributed to many organizations, including health care, housing, women’s groups, businesses, among others, for which the City of Manchester has benefited.

Windrush march to Whitehall London 2018

Founder of Miss Jamaica UK, which she launched in 1990, she has been instrumental in bringing 2nd and 3rd generation descendants of the Jamaican diaspora closer to the birthplace of their parents and grandparents, giving them a sense of understanding and pride. She is an educator and entrepreneur.

June Daley received an award for her humanitarian work in 2016, being conferred with an honorary doctorate at Birmingham University from the Academy of Universal Global Peace for Humanity work.

Michelle Daley is respected for her contribution towards disability equality and promoting the experiences of Black disabled people. She was born on the 2nd January 1972 and raised in east London by her Jamaican parents. It was their experiences that equipped Daley with lessons about discrimination and prepared her not to shy away from it.

Daley learned that the world was not favourable towards disabled people, Black people, and women at an early age. However, she was always a fighter and learned how to create her own opportunities and challenge discriminatory barriers strategically.

Her life is a testament to her advocacy and determination, which has shown others that disabled people can achieve and succeed in everyday activities where barriers are removed.

Daley completed an MSc in NGO and Development Management. At present she is the interim director for Alliance for Inclusive Education ((ALLFIE) a prominent organisation which works closely with the Government to promote and influence inclusive education for all disabled learners. Daley has held senior board positions, including on the Government’s Equality 2025 and also Office for Disability Issues - Independent Living Scrutiny Group, advising on disability equality. She is currently a board member of Independent Living Alternative, one of the key personal assistant services in England.

Better known as Ms Dynamite, Niomi was born on 26 April 1981 and raised in Archway, north London to a Jamaican father and a Scottish mother. The eldest of eleven siblings, one of whom is Akala, Ms Dynamite grew up listening to reggae and hip-hop music and her biggest aspiration was to be a musician.

Ms Dynamite’s debut album, A Little Deeper (2002) featured hit songs “It Takes More” and “Dy-na-mi-tee” winning her the prestigious Mercury Music Prize, for A Little Deeper. She donated the £20,000 prize to the NSPCC. In 2003, the album was released in the United States to critical acclaim. Ms Dynamite performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games at the City of Manchester Stadium. On July 2005, she performed at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London.

Among the songs performed was Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”.

In 2005, Ms Dynamite took time off to have her son Shavaar, returning to the limelight with Judgement Days, a socially-aware album, which reached No. 25 in the UK Singles Chart.

In 2009, Ms Dynamite was an expert adviser on Goldie’s Band: By Royal Appointment on BBC Two. Additionally, she appeared on several collaborations, including Katy B’s second single, “Lights On”, which peaked at number 4 in the UK singles chart in 2010, and the Magnetic Man track “Fire”, which appeared on their debut album.

She is committed to equality, providing outstanding leadership and tireless efforts to advocate for disability equality and justice locally, nationally and internationally.

Ms Dynamite’s talent is recognised globally resulting in a number of awards: Mercury Music Prize/Album of the Year; MOBO/Best Single Awards, UK Act of the year and Best Newcomer; Brit Awards/Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Act. In addition, she was awarded 14th place on 100 Great Black Britons.

June Daley

Educator Food

who has promoted social inclusion and equality of opportunities for over 24 years.

His inspirational knowledge and tireless dedication have received accolades and recognition. After completing a BSc and MSc in Hungary (19881993), Dallas went on to complete an MBA at the University of Liverpool (1993) and the city has been his home ever since.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Dallas has held managerial roles in several companies. The experience gained from supporting local disadvantaged communities urged him to study the law; and he now holds a BSc in Law from the University of Central Lancashire and a Master of Laws (LLM) in Business and Employment Law.

His entrepreneurial work focuses on diversity and inclusion, business consultancy and sustainability.

In 2014, Dallas founded and hosted the annual National Diversity and Inclusion Conference to explore how organisations can gain Business Growth and Competitive Advantage through effective Diversity and Inclusion. In 2015, Dallas was appointed Ambassador for Liverpool Central Libraries, with responsibility for promoting its library nationally and internationally.

In 2019, he was appointed Liverpool Commonwealth Association (LCA) chairperson with overall responsibility for leading its strategy and delivering on its aim of being the most successful organisation of its kind in the UK.

He was later appointed as general secretary of the LCA and sits on the Liverpool Commonwealth Games 2022 Board, providing specific expertise on Commonwealth Diaspora Engagement. Additionally, in his role as a long-standing member of Liverpool City Council’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Select Committee, Dallas is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).

bronze medallist, who finished in third place in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was born in London to two athletes, Dorrett McKoy and Donald Danvers, who had both moved to the United Kingdom from Jamaica as children.

In 1999, she represented Great Britain at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics with a time of 56.66 seconds in the heats. The following year, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, at the age of 23, Danvers made the final of her first Olympic games, finishing in 8th place.

In 2002, she attended her first Commonwealth Games, in Manchester. She finished 7th in the final. That same year, she also finished 7th in the 2002 European Athletics Championships.

Danvers missed the 2004 Olympics to give birth to her child. She returned in 2006 to take a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games, as well as a seventh place in the final of the European Championships. At the end of this year, she reached a career high of 6th in the IAAF rankings.

While competing for the University of Southern California (USC), Danvers won several Pac-10 conference titles and competed in several events including the high jump and the 100 m hurdles. She won the NCAA title in 2000, her second year as captain of the Women of Troy.

Danvers holds the USC school record in the 400 hurdles and on the 4x400 metres relay while also showing up in the top 10 in the 100 metres hurdles and high jump. After the Sydney Olympics, she returned to Los Angeles to finish her degree in Music Business. In February 2007, Danvers was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame. In June 2012, Danvers retired due to injury.

1970 Neil Kenlock Black Panther school bags. Courtesy Tate, forming part of Eric and Louise Franck London Collection

© Courtesy of the Neil Kenlock Archive.

Jamelia Niela Davis was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, in 1981 to a Jamaican mother and Zimbabwean father and grew up in nearby Hockley.

Davis was noted early on for her fine vocals and it wasn’t long before record producers came knocking. In 1999, she released her debut single, “So High”, followed up with “I Do”, which proved far more successful. Her debut album, Drama, came out in 2000 and there followed a string of hits including “Money,” featuring Beenie Man. It peaked at No.5, spending nine weeks in the Top 100.

In 2004, Davis achieved her highest position in the UK Chart with “Thank You “(No.2) for which she was rewarded with a MOBO for Best Single and five BRIT nominations in 2004 and 2005. “See it in a Boy’s Eyes” (2004) became Davis’ third consecutive top five hit, winning a MOBO for Best Video and a Q Award for Best Single. The album, Thank You, sold 600,000 copies and was certified double platinum.

All in all, Davis released three Top 40 studio albums in eight years and achieved eight UK Top 10 singles. She also reached No. 1 in Italy and Spain with the 2004 Olympic Games soundtrack, “Universal Prayer,” with Italian singer Tiziano Ferro, and contributed to the charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

In Spring 2004, Davis signed with the prestigious ICM agency and soon became the face and legs of Pretty Polly. Other endorsements include Listerine Softmint Sensation, Jaguar Cars and BMW.

As a mother-of-three, she became brand ambassador for the maternity wear line Seraphine and has appeared on the front cover of Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle and Harpers&Queen.

Davis became a judge on the BBC 3’s Move Like Michael Jackson (2009). She also appeared in documentaries on the same channel, Jamelia: Whose Hair Is It Anyway (2008) and Jamelia: Shame About Single Mums (2011), as well as Channel 4’s The House That Made Me (2010).

She migrated to London, England in 1967 to train as a nurse and ultimately became a midwife and midwifery teacher.

Her long journey began as a midwife clinician in 1974 and ended as the General Secretary to the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

Throughout her career, she has advanced midwifery by designing and implementing practices for quality improvements.

Davis successfully fought to improve the national pay structure for midwives and transformed the RCM into a modern and professional organisation supported by an effective trade union. She also instituted the Annual Midwifery Awards, in recognition of the crucial role midwives have in caring for mothers and babies.

Davis has served on international panels and acted as director and vice-chair on various World Health Organisation groups.

In addition, she has supported and became a patron to the Jamaica Hospital League of Friends and Confederation of Black and Ethnic Minority Nurses (CBEN).

Davis was a former director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Midwifery, a regional representative for Europe in the International Confederation of Midwives, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a member of the Well-being Council at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist.

In 2001, Davis was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for her service to the National Health Service and Midwifery. In 2002, she was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Greenwich and the University of the West Indies.

quest for education. He is an everyday unsung hero and the son of his proud parents, Noel and Patricia Davis.

Davis plays his keyboard and other instruments when on college recess, ministering to a middle-aged and elderly congregation, which he has consistently done since he was 15 years old. Playing his instruments in Church services and at funerals at the highest level, demonstrating his compassion and love for people.

The strength of his character and his passion for music was challenged as he experienced ridicule from the other Black male pupils for attending After School Clubs to learn to play other instruments. The challenges he faced did not curb his passion, and he later proceeded to learn and perfect his keyboard and guitar-playing skills.

Currently, Davis is studying Business Management at Birmingham University and continues to be an effective learner and leader with an ambition contribute to the future of the younger generation.

Davis displays unselfish love towards all generations and is a gifted young man who has impacted the lives of so many people through a spirit of love and respect.

Davis played an important role in the Churches 2018 Windrush Service, Windrush 70 Commemorative Service and Celebration to a congregation of 250 people. He is truly a role model and a leader for his generation.

Jamelia Davis

Singer, TV Personality

Shades of black skin - Courtesy: Tahlia Gray

Desmond Dekker Singer/Song Writer

Desmond Adolphus Dacres, (19412006) born in Kingston, Jamaica was amongst the leaders of the ska, rocksteady and reggae movement. Following his mother’s death, Dekker moved around the country before finally settling in Kingston, where he worked in a welding shop alongside Bob Marley.

In his late-teens, Dekker started auditioning before Jamaican record label founders and met success around age 20 after auditioning before Derrick Morgan, who was at that time Beverley’s record label’s biggest star. Although he was signed to the label in 1961, Dekker began recording in 1963. He changed his name and released his first hit “Honour Your Mother and Father”.

With his backing group the, Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earliest international reggae hits with Israelites (1968) topping the UK Single chart and reaching Top Ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1969, making Dekker the first Jamaican to have a hit record in the US with a form and style that was purely Jamaican.

first Jamaican to play professional football in England. Between 1948 and 1960, he played league football for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Mansfield Town. As a schoolboy, Delapenha took part in 16 events over a one-and-a-half-day period in England. He then served with the British Armed Forces in the Middle East following World War Two.

During his service, an English football scout saw him playing football for the British Army. This gained him a trial with Arsenal, but he did not sign for the club, and in April 1948 he joined Portsmouth. There, he became the first Jamaican to play professional football in England.

In April 1950, after a successful few years with Portsmouth, he transferred to Middlesbrough where his career took off. He played on the wing or inside-forward, and became Boro’s leading scorer in the 1951–52, 1953–54 and 1955–56 seasons. In total he scored 93 league and FA Cup goals in 270 appearances. He moved to Mansfield Town in June 1958, contributing 27 goals in 115 appearances over two years, before retiring from League football in 1960.

she was 8 year old when, in 1962, she and her siblings along with their grandmother moved to the UK to join their parents.

She attended primary and secondary school in London, leaving to become an insurance underwriter and statistician. Feeling that she had a more creative streak, she decided to travel to the US to visit her paternal grandparents. She met and married fellow Jamaican Dudley whilst in New York and they had three children before his untimely passing in 1987.

Delaphena trained to teach Statistics in Adult and Further Education and later returned to Education teaching in the Primary sector. She gained a 2:1 B Ed. Degree in Science and Computer Education from Middlesex University and taught in a number of schools across North London, gradually rising through the ranks to headteacher and eventually moving to Haringey Education Services as a school improvement manager teaching and learning across the borough.

Dekker’s music and lyrics were unique in that they attracted the Black working class, the Mods, Skinheads and 2-Tones tribes in the UK as well as the young working classes of Jamaica.

This appeal resulted in Dekker winning the Golden Trophy award, presented annually to Jamaica’s top singer, five times.

Dekker took up permanent residency in the UK and settled in Thornton Heath, London.

Dekker was divorced. He was survived by his son and daughter.

Delapenha played non-league football for Hereford United and Burton Albion. He won the Southern League Cup in 1964 with Burton. Having returned home to Jamaica in 1964, Delapenha played cricket for a short time and represented Boys’ Town at football, taking them from Division 3 up to Division 1.

He also coached his alma mater, Wolmer’s School, in athletics and football in the mid-1960s. Soon after, he became director of sports at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. At the JBC, he had various roles including co-coordinating coverage of cricket, the Commonwealth Games, and helped bring international football to Jamaica.

She faced many challenges as a Caribbean teacher and worked hard to be accepted as a teacher in her own right. She excelled with perseverance paving the way as a teacher from the Windrush Generation for the teachers of today, ensuring that it is now not unusual to see a Black teacher in British Schools.

In 2006, Delaphena was nominated for the UK Teaching Awards by the staff and parents of a school where she was a headteacher.

Oswald Denniston - Windrush

Oswald “Columbus” Denniston was born in 1913, in Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica, one of three children. He trained as a signwriter and decorator in Jamaica and established his own business after he came to England in 1948 on the Empire Windrush.

On arrival, he was lodged in a former air raid shelter at Clapham South underground station. On his first day, he distinguished himself by moving a vote of thanks to the officials who had helped to settle the newcomers.

He was offered a job as a signwriter in Balham,where he also worked as a painter and decorator. During those first weeks, Oswald met Margaret, his future wife, at a church tea party, and the couple settled first in Balham and later in Battersea.

He was the first African-Caribbean trader in Brixton market, joining the Jewish and East European traders already there.

He ran another stall in Brixton, plus three in other London markets. His stall on Pope’s Road became a key site to meet and discuss issues of the day.

Politicians, artists and movers and shakers, including Sir Herman Ouseley, Darcus Howe and Linton Kwesi Johnson became clients.

Oswald was the first black cyclist to join the Herne Hill Cycling Club in the 1950s. He was a founding member of the Association of Jamaicans, the Lambeth Community Relations Council and supported many Lambeth Caribbean community groups.

During the skiffle and rock ‘n’ roll boom in the 1950s, Oswald opened a jukebox coffee bar, the Sugar Cane, Coldharbour Lane. In the 1960s, he began selling fabrics, dresses, and remnants at a shop in Granville Arcade. A naturally gifted speaker who was invited to speak at many community events, Oswald was a pillar of the Brixton community.

Oswald died February 3, 2000, aged 86.

City, Hertfordshire to a Jamaican father Melvin and a Scottish mother Beverly. Keen for their daughter to learn about her Jamaican heritage, they took Alesha to the Notting Hill Carnival in London, an experience that has stayed with her.

Dixon found fame in 2001 as a member of the all-female R&B/garage trio Mis-Teeq, which had a number of hits. Dixon then embarked as a solo artist and signed with Polydor Records.

In 2007, Dixon was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, where she demonstrated a high standard of dance styles and techniques, enabling her to win with the highest average point score. On the back of her success, Dixon accepted the invitation to become a judge on the show, which she held until the end of the ninth season. Years later, in January 2012, Dixon resigned to become a judge on the hugely popular Britain’s Got Talent.

Dixon has undertaken many charitable activities, including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania for Comic Relief with other celebrities, raising over £3.5m towards combating malaria in Tanzania in 2009. She was an ambassador for Help a London Child in 2009, patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, vice-president of the League Against Cruel Sports, and worked with several LGBT charities in support of same-sex marriage.

Voices - Real Experiences

His love for singing came from listening to Black American artists whose songs were broadcast on the radio.

His talent came to public attention when he sang for a local crowd at a young age. Later Dixon was invited to sing two songs at Coney Island, which led to performances at other venues. In the early 1950s, he won first place on the Vere John opportunity hour in Kingston, performing as Louis Armstrong backed by the Val Bennett orchestra, from which he acquired the nickname - Jamaica’s Little Satchmo.

Dixon toured Jamaica performing with top bands, such as Val Bennett, Frankie Bonito, and Don Drummond, Louise Bennett among others. He gained international recognition welcoming Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton at the Myrtle Bank Hotel in the 1950s, where he sang “That’s my Desire, “ which led to an invitation to perform with Louis at Racecourse in Allman Town.

In 1956, Dixon left Jamaica for England on the Empire Windrush, full of optimism and a personal recommendation to the BBC for employment in the music industry. His original plan was to save money to send back to the family in Jamaica, but this proved hard due to the discrimination he encountered in the UK. Eventually, like many Black immigrants, Dixon found work on the railways, building sites and factories alongside small performances in small venues many of which were run by African Caribbean people.

A frontman with The Herbert Spiffington Allstars, Dixon also performed with a diverse range of musicians, including the Skatalites and Rico Rodriguez and the Rudies, and most notably, he supported Bob Marley and the Wailers on the famous European tour of 1977.

Passenger/Pillar of Brixton Community

...With confidence, you have won even before you have started ...

Marcus Garvey

SAMUEL BEAVER KING MBE arrived on HMT Windrush on 22nd June 1948 at Tilbury Docks. He collected the names and details of many of the Windrush passengers and maintained contact with many of them over the decades that followed. He organised annual celebrations on the 22nd June to commemorate the historic voyage. Today, 22nd June is known nationally as WINDRUSH DAY. See page 148 for Sam King’s profile.

Samuel Beaver King MBE at home. Courtesy Windrush Foundation

Jak Beula Dodd - Cultural Entrepreneur Artist Publisher

Johnny Alexander Bubeula Dodd (Jak Beula) is an artist, an author, a campaigner and entrepreneur. He is the creator of the Nubian Jak board game and the founder of the Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT), a commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme which highlights the historical contributions of Black people in Britain and beyond. Born in London on July 4, 1963, to Gladys Dodd and Daniel Smickle from Jamaica, he was raised by his grandmother, Roslyn Dodd.

Jak was a musician and sound engineer, a model and eventually trained in social work. It was there, working amongst young people who had been deprived of learning about Black history, that Nubian Jak was born.

His ever-inventive mind led him to create a best-selling board game that examined the African diaspora’s global contributions to the UK.

In 1998, Beula published the first edition of Nubian Jak’s Book of World Facts: The Ultimate Reference Guide to Global Black Achievement, republished with Harper Collins in the USA in 2001.

Beula set up the Nubian Jak Community Trust in 2006 and has installed more than 65 blue plaques nationwide and two national monuments. Their first international plaques celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. and Marcus Mosiah Garvey in the USA.

Jak Beula also designed Britain’s first African and Caribbean War memorial, dedicated to service members who fought in both World Wars, which was accompanied by an anthology of veteran’s stories. In 2021, in the International year of the Nurse and Midwife, Beula installed a new statue to Windrush and Commonwealth NHS Nurses outside the Whittington Hospital in London and published the anthology, Nursing A Nation: African and Caribbean Contributions to Britain’s Health Service.

on the Empire Windrush to England. Upon his arrival at Tilbury Docks, Essex, he had nowhere to go, so he took the opportunity to stay at Clapham South Deep Shelter.

Within a week, Douce was offered a job at a foundry in Derby. But house hunting proved frustrating because West Indians found it difficult to get accommodation at that time. Douce eventually found a room and worked until he was able to buy his own home. He got married to Iris, a young Derby woman, whose mother signed the consent forms because her daughter was under 21 years old.

When their first two children were born, the Douces started their own business, opening a grocery shop. Having a shop with accommodation upstairs allowed them to care for the children and run the business. Their first shop was opened in 1957 and the couple have never looked back. Douce was fortunate to have had good ‘in-laws’ who helped them in the business which is still a going concern.

The couple successfully operated a night club in the 1970s. They have five sons who are all doing well making important contributions to business, science and the legal profession.

parents had settled in 1955. His experiences of the riots of the ‘80s and ‘90s fuelled his commitment to empowering African and Caribbean communities.

Having lived through hard policing and Stop and Search, which fuelled the riots of the ‘80s, Douglas collaborated with community-based organisations to develop, implement and manage community initiatives and programmes to help offenders restart their lives. Following the 1981 Brixton riots, the then government commissioned Lord Scarman to report on the disturbances. Douglas joined The Scarman Trust as Northern and West Midlands director which was followed by a position of interim CEO. During a tenure of ten years, he influenced policymakers and supported deprived communities.

In 2008, Douglas was asked to chair a small education and cultural charity - Kajans Women Enterprise (KWE) in Aston, Birmingham. He led the organisation’s transformation into a multi-functional social and cultural enterprise for marginalised communities of North/Northwest and East Birmingham.

Douglas has been a longstanding ambassador for Jamaica and advocate for the UK diaspora movement. He is widely credited for working with the University of the West Indies to develop the collaborative Knowledge Network project, providing a channel for UK Jamaicans to assist in tackling social issues in Jamaica, such as health, housing and education.

As an advisory board member for Jamaican Diaspora UK, he visited Jamaican communities throughout England, listening to their concerns to determine how to present them to the High Commission of Jamaica and or government ministers in Jamaica, thereby ensuring that the voice of diaspora members was heard at the highest level.

Thomas Douce

Desmond Douglas MBE Table Tennis

Desmond Douglas is a British table tennis Champion who was born on 20 July 1955 in Jamaica. He migrated to England and settled with his family in Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands.

Douglas’s attacking, left-handed style of playing, propelled him to the top of British table tennis. He was famous for his use of close to the table blocks on the backhand side, mixing pace with powerful topspin from his forehand side. In the sixties and seventies, table tennis was a source of light competition, and many young African and Caribbean people excelled at the game, but never considered it as a profession. With the arrival of Douglas’s style of play on the international scene, many were motivated to join the sport

Douglas was 11 times English Table Tennis champion. He peaked at No. 7 in the World championships and was the European No. 3. He represented Great Britain at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in both the singles and the doubles, where he was partnered by Sky Andrew. Douglas played professionally in The German Bundesliga for eight years, between 1977-1985.

Douglas is still actively involved in table tennis, coaching throughout the country, including training some of the top young British prospects at the Youth Development Squad. He also coaches at Sutton Coldfield College and Woodfield Table Tennis Club, Wolverhampton.

a sound system in Britain.

She was born in 1969 in May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica, on 8th February 1934. She migrated to England in 1956 and lived in Nottingham, later moving to Brixton, South London, for a short while and eventually settled in North West London.

Douglas worked in several jobs, including an automotive factory in Willesden, North West London, where she opened a restaurant in the front room of her flat, which she operated in between her shifts.

A music lover, Douglas commissioned Sal who was a student of Eddie Yebuah the famous sound system amplifier builder from Ghana to build her Paddington Terror Sound System (PTSS) in 1969.

Her two sons were the Djs for PTSS and also played with Duke Vin Peoples Sound, and others (Sir Coxsone, Musical Prince - Ladbroke Grove and Willesden, Duke Reid - Battersea). She promoted outings, excursions and boat cruises on the Thames with Paddington Terror providing the music. Douglas, known for her love of fashion, was always elegantly dressed in custom pieces. Her sons Tony and Keith are now established reggae singers and songwriters.

Douglas enjoyed life, but hated war and strife and would defend herself stoutly and speak her mind loudly if disrespected. A caring loving mother, grandmother, a good listener, adviser and loyal friend who was also “mom” to many.

Douglas was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and fought valiantly until she passed away on 1 June 2006 in St John’s Hospice, London. She was sent off in style, befitting her status as a ‘Super Star’ in the community with over 1000 persons attending and PTSS celebrating her life in music.

Sunrise was founded in 1966 by friends Herman Drummond, Errol’s father, and William Lamont.

The entrepreneurial pair decided to start a bakery from a rented room for 15 years before purchasing the current site in Smethwick to meet the increasing demand from the West Indian community. Both men’s sons worked in the bakery until 2009 when the Lamont family left the business.

Sunrise Bakery in Smethwick, Birmingham, today is the leading manufacturer of West Indian breads and buns supplying the major supermarkets nationwide. This intergenerational long-standing family business is still run by the Drummond family.

Douglas was voted as one of the 100 Great Black Britons.

Sunrise Bakery.

Desmond Lloyd Drummond Rugby

Des Drummond was born on17th June 1958 in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica.

After moving to the UK, he eventually gained legendary status in rugby league football throughout the 1980s: winning 24 Great Britain caps from 1980 to 1988.

Drummond began his incredible rugby career in the late seventies when he was signed by Leigh; his older brother Alva Drummond already played for the reserve team. Drummond was an exceptional player at the Lancashire club, and quickly became its rising star, particularly after a series of televised appearances in Leigh’s 4-12 defeat to Castleford in the 1976 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final.

Drummond was pivotal in several of their games, including Leigh’s 8–3 victory over Widnes in the 1981 Lancashire County Cup Final, and the defeat of Whitehaven to become National Champions, their first league title since 1907. With 26 tries, he was the top-try scorer in the Championship during the 1981-82 season. Having been recognized by the BBC as scoring the BBC’s Try of the Season in 1985 and 1987, Drummond ended his glorious career on 26 April 1992, having played 182 game and scored 69 tries.

PROUD MOMENTS

Olympic star Tessa Sanderson

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent has worked as a midwife and a nurse and is currently the chief midwifery officer in England, leading and influencing national maternity standards and guidance.

She has held senior positions in clinical practice, education, leadership and management including as the director of midwifery and nursing positions for Women’s and Children’s services at Imperial College Healthcare Trust & Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Dunkley-Bent influences healthcare nationally and internationally through research, education, and publications. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. She is a member of the British Journal of Midwifery editorial board and until recently was an active member of the Maternity and Newborn Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Jacqueline was appointed chief midwifery officer in Spring 2019 at NHS England and NHS Improvement and is National Maternity Safety Champion for the Department of Health. She is also visiting professor of midwifery at Kings College London and London South Bank University.

She has joined the Tommy’s Charity National Advisory Board as midwifery advisor, and the Women of the Year management committee. Her voluntary work currently includes midwifery advisor for the Wellbeing Foundation Africa and until recently, she was a trustee.

In 2014 she received the HSJ, BME Pioneers award and in 2015 she was selected from over 100 nominations for inclusion on Nursing Times’ Leaders 2015 list that celebrates nurses and midwives who are pioneers, entrepreneurs and inspirational role models in their profession.

Sydney Alexander Dunn was born in 1921 in the parish of St Mary, the second child of eight children to Uriah and Dorothy Dunn. Due to prolonged illness, he left school without qualifications, but through hard work and determination, he ultimately gained his doctorate in philosophy from Parkerburg Bible College of West Virginia.

In 1954, Dunn left Jamaica for the UK, settling in Birmingham. Unable to find a suitable church, he resorted to holding services in friends’ homes. Eventually, they moved to a school hall in Chain Walk, then to Berners Street in Lozelles, Birmingham. Dunn eventually separated from the Lozelles group, and set up a new church at Holly Road, Handsworth, where they rented the hall at the Newhall Hill Unitarian Church on Gibson Road, which the church eventually purchased.

Under his leadership, Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ grew rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, several other churches of Caribbean origin joined his organisation.

Dunn established a Bethel Apostolic Church (BAC) on South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica, which is still thriving. He also established churches in Brooklyn and Fort Lauderdale in the US, Edmonton in Canada, and St Kitts-Nevis and Kenya. By the 1980s, there were over 40 churches within the BAC ministry. In 2001, he completed the construction of a purpose-built convention centre at Kelvin Way in West Bromwich.

Born in London to Jamaican parents, award-winning actor Clint Dyer has an impressive line-up of films and theatre productions under his belt. He is deputy artistic director at The National Theatre.

Over the course of his career Clint has worked across theatre, film and TV as an actor, writer and director. He was a longstanding board member and an associate artist at Theatre Royal Stratford East, where he both acted and directed. At the Royal Court Theatre, Clint frequently worked at the Royal Court Theatre and the National Theatre as an actor, writer and director on full-scale productions. Some notable productions include: Death of England and Death of England - Delroy-Complicité, The Big Life, Sus and Kingston 14.

PROUD MOMENTS

Dunn was married to Chloe, who passed away in 2009. Dunn died in 2017, survived by a daughter, Sherralyn Dunn-Rosse, grandchildren, and other relatives.

Dr Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE Health

Jacqueline Dunkley Bent -The most senior nurse in the land and England’s first Chief Midwifery Officer. She was included in the Powerlist 2022.

Len Dyke & Dudley Dryden

Business

The duo of Dyke & Dryden, household names in the Afro Hair industry, are Len Dyke & Dudley Dryden who were later joined by Tony Wade.

The company - Dyke & Dryden (D&D) founded circa 1968, recognised that people of the African Diaspora were invisible consumers in Britain. D&D quickly recognised that Jamaican music was a source of comfort to British Caribbean communities and began to import reggae and other forms of Jamaican music.

Jamaican parents.

He is a former international player appearing in the 1998 World Cup, scoring England’s first goal in the finals. At 32 years old, he accepted the call-up from Jamaica and between 1997 and 1998 he represented the Jamaica International Team on eight occasions scoring Jamaica’s first-ever World Cup finals goal, in a 3–1 defeat by Croatia at the Stade Felix-Bollaert, 1998 World Cup in France.

He began his football career as a junior player with Stoke City, breaking into the professional game with Port Vale in 1982. He spent nine years at the Burslem-based club. He was voted the club’s Professional Football Association (PFA) Fans’ Favourites.

By the ‘70s, there was an increasing demand for cosmetics and hair products, particularly amongst the growing Black population, born and educated in the UK. Recognising these developments, D&D acted fast and developed a business model that met the customer’s needs

The company grew rapidly, selling everything from records, cosmetics, travel and shipping, and advocacy with citizenship issues, passport applications and renewals. Soon D & D needed a new manufacturing base and they eventually purchased the Ridley Road Market, Dalston premises. Another five stores at various London locations and a unit in Birmingham were subsequently opened as D&D’s clientele grew.

D&D initiated an annual Beauty competition and a yearly Afro Hair and Beauty Show at the Hornsey Town Hall, North London, which became the centrepiece of the D&D communication strategy. By 1986, D&D’s turnover had reached £5 million, which at the time was quite an achievement for a Black business in the UK.

Dyke became founder of the West Indian Standing Conference, a member of the Association of Jamaicans, the UK Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and the setting up of Britain’s first Credit Union, in Hornsey, North London. Dudley Dryden died in February, 2002. Lincoln Dyke, died July 5 2006. Tony Wade now lives in the Caribbean.

In 1991 he moved to Wimbledon where he spent nine years playing nearly 300 league games for each club – (Port Vale and Wimbledon), scoring 77 and 59 goals respectively. Earle played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals.

In 2000 he retired and established himself in football journalism, regularly appearing in print, radio and television. After spending time as a television broadcast analyst for the Portland Timbers of the USA Major League Soccer, he now features on the Premier League on NBCSN.

In 1999, he was awarded an MBE. In 2009, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame as ‘Football Foundation Community Champion.

Len Dyke, Dudley Dryden and Tony Wade

Visiting America

From the late Andrea Levy’s epic Small Island. She scribed a true representation of the generic pattern of soldiers who had served in World War II and after the war yearned to return to Britain and forge new lives for themselves.

Photo: Scene from the stage production of Small Island with actors Gershwyn Ustach Jnr and David Fielde r. Courtesy National Theatre.

Fanny Eaton

Pre-Raphaelite Model

(23 June 1835 - 4 March 1924)

Fanny Eaton was born Fanny Antwistle in St Andrew, Jamaica.

Born the daughter of Matilda Foster, a former slave, Eaton’s appearance in paintings and Pre-Raphaelite art in Victorian society challenged societal expectations of Black women.

During the 1840s, Matilda and Fanny made their way to England. In 1857 Fanny married James Eaton, a horse-cab proprietor and had ten children. She also began a modelling career for Pre-Raphaelite artists.

Fanny Eaton’s public debut was in Simeon Solomon’s The Mother of Moses, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1860. She was also featured in works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, Joanna Mary Boyce and Rebecca Solomon.

Her distinctive features were used by artists to portray a variety of ethnicities and characters. The earliest studies done of her are pencil sketches by Simeon Solomon in 1859. These sketches were used as preparation for his Mother of Moses, now in the rich collection of the Delaware Art Museum. It is believed that she is also the model for The Slave by William Blake Richmond (1886) found in the Tate.

By 1881 Fanny Eaton had been widowed and was working as a seamstress. In the final years of her life, she worked as a domestic cook on the Isle of Wight for a wine merchant and his wife, John and Fanny Hall. By 1911, Fanny was residing with family in Hammersmith, London with her daughter Julia, son-in-law Thomas Powell and grandchildren Baden and Connie Powell. Fanny Eaton died in Acton on 4 March 1924 at the age of 89.

Evangelical Alliance, representing over one million evangelical churches and organisations throughout the UK, 1997 - 2008.

In 2001 he was appointed an honorary canon of St Paul’s Cathedral. In 2003, he was presented with a medal of appreciation by the Prime Minister of Jamaica for his promotion of spiritual and cultural transformation within Jamaica and the UK.

Reverend Dr Joel Edwards holds three honorary doctorates from Jamaica, China and Scotland, and is the author of four published books. He diligently serves as a member, commissioner and advisor to various public bodies, including the Home Office, Metropolitan Police, and The Jamaican High Commission.

Reverend Dr Joel Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1951, at eight years old, he joined his mother in the UK, where he completed his education, obtaining 5 GCSEs, 3 A-levels and a BA in Theology. He went on to lead his own ministry for ten years and served on the National Executive Council of the New Testament Church of God. For fourteen years he also served as a probation officer in London.

In 2018, he received many commendations for his sermon at the commemorative Windrush 70th anniversary Service at Westminster Abbey.

Reverend Dr Joel Edwards also made significant contributions to the development of gospel music in Britain. He coordinated leading gospel group, Kainos, jointly releasing a gospel album, which made several television appearances. He was also appointed commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and he continues to advocate for racial equality, youth empowerment, and faith-based community work.

Reverend Dr Joel Edwards was named in the Queen’s Honours list in 2019 and honoured with a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services in tackling poverty and injustice.

channelled her grief and founded So You Wanna Be In TV? in 2009.

So You Wanna Be In TV, a London based social enterprise, has impacted over 3000 young people who have received free employability skills, of which 94% stated an increase in confidence. They had gained skills in TV, and Tech, with 68% of those entering the industry. Over 59% of candidates are from an African Diaspora background representing 17 of the most deprived London boroughs.

Rioch Edwards-Brown has diversified in a range of sectors, including technology, creative films and AI (Artificial Intelligence). Her sponsors include; ITV, Sony Pictures Television, ITN, MIPCOM, BT Sports, Promax UK and Creative Skillset.

Rioch Edwards-Brown’s late mother, Mrs Edwards, formerly from St Thomas, Jamaica, inspired her to set up a TV and Tech hub, with cultural exchange and business opportunities between Jamaica and the UK.

Rioch Edwards-Brown is working to further develop key partnerships with leading UK social mobility enterprises using her platform to bring diversity, self-worth, pride and dignity to many who would have otherwise been lost to crime and violence.

London Cabbie Former RAF

Emanuel Alexis Eldon (1926 - 2017).

A veteran of the historic voyage of the MV Empire Windrush to Tilbury Docks and a former RAF volunteer, Alex Elden also became one of the first Black people to pass what is considered one of the most challenging tests in the world to become a London cabbie. Alex, baptised Emanuel Alexis Elden, travelled to Britain by steamship, arriving in Glasgow in 1944 as a volunteer for the Royal Air Force.

He trained at RAF Hunmanby Moor, Filey, Yorkshire, and Yatesbury Airfield in Wiltshire before becoming a runway controller at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire.

When the war ended, Alex joined a specialist team looking for deserters, and supervised the return of servicemen to the Caribbean.

He made his own way back to Jamaica but, unable to find suitable work, decided to return to England on the MV Empire Windrush. Having trained in scientific glass blowing and glass technology, he worked for J Arthur Rank in Crystal Palace, south London, until 1952, making TV tubes and laboratory equipment.

Then, in 1956, he became the second Black person to have got through the legendary taxi driver test known as ‘The Knowledge’ to work as a London cabbie. Alex worked hard for his community, and in 1970 he began teaching driving skills to young underprivileged adults on behalf of the Melting Pot Foundation. A decade later, he set up the Green Badge Taxi School to help a new generation pick up the skills to get through ‘The Knowledge’. Hundreds successfully qualified.

A keen cricketer, he played for Carshalton, the West Indian Student Union and the Caribbean Cricket Club. He was an active member of the West Indian Association of Service Personnel (formerly West Indian Ex-Services Association) and served as its vice-chair in 1995. A life well-lived.

born in Trench Town, Kingston.

A songwriter and a singer, he began his singing career in 1959 as part of the duo Alton and Eddy with Eddy Parkins after competing on Vere Johns Opportunity Hour.

Alton and Eddy recorded for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, achieving a hit in 1960 with “Muriel”. Other releases include “Lullabye Angel,” “I Know It All,” “I’m Never Gonna Cry” and “Let Me Dream”.

During the mid-60s, Ellis found a slower beat which became known as rocksteady and 1967 was the first time the name “rocksteady” was used in a song.

Ellis, Ken Boothe and the Soul Vendors toured the UK in 1967. Returning to Jamaica, he released his debut album, Alton Ellis Sings Rock & Soul.

Ellis produced his own records in the late sixties and early seventies, including My Time Is The Right Time (1968) and The Message. He and Lloyd Daley had hits with “Deliver Us” (1970) and “Back to Africa” (1971).

Ellis was permanently based in the UK (1972) where he recorded for the early ‘80’s emerging producers, such as, Henry “Junjo” Lawes, Sugar Minott, and King Jammy. He opened the All-Tone record shop in South London, and a record label of the same name.

Until his health began to deteriorate, Ellis played on the reggae scene.

In 2004, Ellis was awarded the Order of Distinction for services to music. In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae and World Music Awards Hall of Fame.

The First Lady of Jamaican Music, was a reggae musician and the younger sister of fellow artist Alton Ellis. She was born in Trench Town, Jamaica, and started taking part in talent shows at a relatively early age. At 18 years old she appeared on the talent show, Vere Johns Opportunity Hour with a version of Frankie Lymon’s “I’m Not Saying No at All”. In 1964 and 1969, she was awarded a silver cup as Jamaica’s Best Female Vocalist.

Hortense and Alton toured Canada in 1970, but by 1971 she was back in Jamaica, where she married Mikey “Junior” Saunders, with whom she had five children. Recording under the name Mahalia Saunders for producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, she recorded several sides, including “Piece of My Heart”

When she released the song – “Down Town Ting”, producer Bunny “Striker” Lee started to call her Queen Tiney.

Around this time, Hortense recut many of the one Coxsone/Studio one sides she had done with bands such as Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare and Soul Syndicate. She released “lovers rock” cover versions of several popular soul classics including “Down the Aisle”.

Emanuel Alexis Elden

Emeka Emembolu is the senior vice president, BP North Sea Region.

Emembolu was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother, who emigrated to Scotland from Jamaica in 1969 to train as a registered general nurse and a midwife. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in Biochemical Engineering in 1998, and soon afterwards, joined BP where his first role was working offshore as a production engineer on the BP North Sea ETAP project.

He has worked in a range of technical and leadership roles in BP regions across the globe including the UK, Angola, Alaska and North Africa. Recently, he held the role of vice president for resevoir development in the Canada and the Gulf of Mexico.

of successful local government and private development projects.

Born in Jamaica, English came to the UK in 1958 at the age of six. He went on to qualify as the UK’s first Caribbean-born architect at the Architectural Association in London.

In 1984, he set up Audley English Associates (AEA), the first Black-led architectural practice in the UK. A multi-award-winning practice that by principle has always adopted an innovative sustainable approach to design, AEA was behind a £1.3 million social housing project in Newham, east London, and Centrepoint’s Vauxhall rough sleepers’ hostel.

Audley English is a founding member of the Society of Black Architects. The organisation was instrumental in the report, Building E-Quality, which was facilitated by the late Bernie Grant MP and launched in the House of Commons.

Build-eco Offsite Architecture is English’s new venture, aimed at on-site construction using an innovative form of flat-packs. In 2017, English was the winner of The Sunday Times Design Awards following his eco village concept, The FlexiHouse Multi Generation Garden Village.

RAF ground crew personnel in WWII. He settled in Leeds after the war becoming an integral member of the Leeds Caribbean community and one of its first community activists.

In his early career, he trained and worked as a draughtsman in an engineering firm. He briefly went back to Jamaica to teach and work in the engineering sector. On his return to the UK, he taught design engineering at Kingston University, Leeds, for several years until his retirement.

He was one of the founding members and chairpersons of the Caribbean Cricket Club in Leeds (1948) and the Aggrey Housing Limited formed in 1955, which was one of the country’s first housing providers for the Leed’s Black and minority ethnic communities.

He was also instrumental in starting community initiatives, such as: The International Council (1955), Coloured Commonwealth Citizen Committee (1956), Leeds Committee of Commonwealth Immigrants (1965), Leeds Community Relations Council (1969) and Jamaica Society Leeds (1977).

Back in Scotland, he lives with his wife and their four children.

As a champion of modernisation in the construction industry, English believes that efficiency can be achieved by using advanced manufacturing techniques and integrated digital technology, together with recyclable materials that reduce the carbon footprint.

Voices - Real Experiences

English was one of the first presenters of Calypso, the BBC North radio show for the Caribbean community.

In 1979, he was one of the first Jamaicans in Leeds to be awarded an MBE in recognition of his contribution to the community.

Emeka Emembolu Oil Industry

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots . . .

Marcus Garvey

Junior Lyndel English Music

Junior English aka Lyndel English singer, songwriter, musician and producer was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up near Maxfield Avenue and Johns Street in Craig Town. In 1985, he contributed to the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal Single “Let’s Make Africa Green Again”.

English attended Jones Town Primary and Trench Town Comprehensive School, where Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar was his schoolmate. English and Errol Dunkley recorded a Dunkley song “Fay Is Gone” as Errol & Junior for Prince Buster in 1962 at Federal Records when English was 12 years old. Dunkley wrote the song.

His first recording was “Nobody Knows,” written by Tony Sexton and recorded with backing band The Rudies at Vic Keary’s Chalk Farm studio for Pama Records, Harlesden in 1967. English later joined The Champions band, which toured England and where he learned to play the bass guitar. He toured Europe and Tunisia with the Al Simmonds band and played mostly Soul songs and ballads. On the road they experienced a lot of racism.

Ellis Breary, a cousin, produced English’s debut album The Great Junior English in 1975, with English on bass and Ellis on rhythm and guitar alongside other musicians. The album was released on the HORSE label owned by Trojan Records in 1976.

Eddie Grant of The Equals sought out English, who introduced him to his first Blues dance and visited Eddie’s Harrow home where English taught Eddie reggae, resulting in Grant’s Reggae-flavoured hits “Electric Avenue”, “Frontline” and others.

Junior English is still recording and producing. He released the albums We Teach Them in 2015 and Junior English Sings Soul in 2016. He is presently working on a new reggae album.

professional boxer who held WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1985 and 1998.

Eubank was born in 1966, in London, but spent his first six years in Jamaica. When he returned to England, he lived in both east and south London with his parents. He relocated to the US at 16 years old to be with his mother in the South Bronx. He began training at the Jerome Boxing Sport club and soon began to compete professionally. He won the 1984 Spanish Golden Gloves Tournament and aged 18, got to the semi-final stage of the main Golden Gloves tourney at Madison Square Garden. He fought against Tim Brown, shortly after his 19th birthday, and in 1989 defeated Jamaican Anthony Logan in an undercard match to a Nigel Benn-headlined show.

footballer who is now a first team coach at Charlton Athletic. He has also capped three times for the national team in Jamaica.

Jason Joseph Euell was born in Lambeth, London, where he rose through the ranks at the Wimbledon youth academy.

Between 1995 and 2007 he spent six years at Wimbledon, then Charlton Athletic for five years, before embarking on a season with Middlesbrough.

He made his debut at 18 years old in October 1995, scoring against Southampton. He made a further eight Premier League appearances, in the 1995-96 season. The following season, he scored twice. He has made a total of 181 appearances, scoring 47 goals in six years.

Christopher Eubank won the WBO middleweight title against Nigel Benn and defended the title successfully against Dan Sherry, Gary Stretch and Michael Watson. Eubank’s career as a middleweight finshed with a 28–0 record.

In 1991, he won a gruelling rematch with Watson where he rose from being knocked down at the end of the twelth and final round. In March 1995, Christopher Eubank lost his title to Irishman Steve Collins by unanimous decision.

Eubank won an eliminator for his old title against Jose Ignacio Barruetabena, as well as a win over Bruno Ruben Godoy. A rematch with Collins resulted in Eubank losing again. He announced his retirement from the ring in October 1995 and became a celebrity.

He was signed by Charlton Athletic in July 2001 for a club record fee of £4.75 million in the Premier League.

Euell is an ambassador for the National Deaf Awareness in the Sport Alliance project. In 2010 he became an ambassador for Kick it Out, to raise awareness of racism in the game. In April 2021, he was promoted to the first team coach at Charlton Athletic.

Derrick Errol Evans OBE

Derrick Errol Evans better known as Mr Motivator was born in Jamaica in 1952, but has lived most of his life in the UK.

Evans began as a fitness instructor in North West London where he gained a good track-record training celebrities.

He came to national attention in 1993, when he was invited to appear on the hugely popular Good Morning Television Show. The nation was instantly captivated not only by his encouraging easy routines, but also by his now trademark bright coloured unitards, matching hat, complete with colourful socks and bum bags.

He released a number of exercise videos. The series of videos BLT (Bums, Legs, Tums) became the biggest-selling titles in the UK and over 2m videos were sold.

Evans continued to motivate the nation into exercising for ten years until he resigned to focus more on public speaking and organisational consulting.

He returned to television briefly in 2009 for a fitness campaign, The Get Motivated Club, and also worked on the Change 4 Life campaign with the NHS.

Providing mass workouts for many varying charities and schools coupled with his unique way of exercising and his ability to motivate even the most disinclined of all ages, his skills remain in demand.

family of eight brothers and two sisters. He left school at thirteen and migrated to England to work for British Rail in Nottingham when he was 18. In 1958 he joined the Royal Corps of Signals (RCS), where he took up boxing, becoming a middleweight boxing champion in four years.

Alfred Fagon was born on 25 June 1937 in Clarendon, Jamaica, into a family of eight brothers and two sisters. He left school at thirteen and migrated to England to work for British Rail in Nottingham when he was 18. In 1958 he joined the Royal Corps of Signals (RCS), where he took up boxing, becoming a middleweight boxing champion in four years.

Fagon and the RCS parted company in 1962, and he took up singing calypso before settling in Bristol during the1960s and ‘70s. Although a qualified welder, Alfred became a youth worker in the Kingswood area, using his experience and insight which were evident in his early writings.

Alfred Fagon began acting at the Bristol Arts Centre in The Little Mrs Foster Show as Orara, the Nigerian Army Officer, and he also appeared in television plays as an extra, before he wrote and performed in John Bull, (1969). In 1970 he got his first lead in the play Black Pieces at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.

Fagon quickly established himself as a talented and insightful writer, producing plays for television, stage and radio. Alfred Fagon died of a heart attack while jogging on the streets of Lambeth on 29 August 1986, aged just 49. The police picked him up and unfortunately were unable to locate any family or friends, despite there being ample information in his room. He was buried in a pauper’s grave and his ashes spread over a hedge marked T91. It was two weeks before family and friends discovered his fate.

ministerial support, guidance and leadership to the communities of Smethwick of Birmingham in the West Midlands. Born in June 1940 in Shelly Piece, St Ann, Jamaica, Fairin arrived in Smethwick in 1962, where he settled and eventually married. The couple has 5 daughters.

Bishop Stanford Fairin is an ordained bishop in the International Firstborn Church of the Living God (IFCLG). In 1990, he championed and fundraised for the successful development and opening of the Cape Community Day Care Centre (CCDCC). The adjoining piece of land was purchased, enabling the CCDCC to be substantially extended into a landmark and safe haven for local people of all faiths. The enhanced building now offers a conference convention centre, a youth club alongside learning and support activities and a day shelter for the local population.

Bishop Fairin also created a foreign field fund that contributes financial aid to named charities abroad for areas subjected to natural disasters. He serves in education provision for local communities in a number of topics such as strategies on how to cope with domestic abuse, mental health and avoiding criminality.

In 2019 he was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to the community.

In 2017 Derek Evans published his autobiography The Warm Up. He continues to inspire and motivate.

A Friends of Alfred Fagon committee was set up in Bristol and on the first anniversary of his death, a bronze statue was unveiled in St Paul’s in his memory - the only statue in Bristol of an African Caribbean man. Donations collected established the Alfred Fagon Award in 1996.

Fitness Instructor and Motivational Speaker

Notting Hill Carnival

Tour de force politician

Diane Abbott

A Legacy standing the test of time.

Tony Fairweather Culture Entrepreneur

Tony Fairweather was born in Clapham, South London, in October 1958 to Jamaican parents. His father served with the British armed forces during WWII.

Tony Fairweather worked as a residential social worker caring for mainly African-Caribbean children. He later worked for the Black co-owned Byrons Mens Wear in the West End.

Tony Fairweather launched NARADA, the first Black-owned culturally conscious store retailing African-centric products including books, board games, toys, prints, posters and cards, sourced from the US, African Continent and the Caribbean.

He created the Voice Book Club that became the biggest Black book club in the UK. His love for books led him to form The Write Thing producing Black books, shows and events across the UK and US that linked educational and culturally specific events and audiences to established and emerging storytellers.

He is also the creator, producer and director of In Celebration Of My Sisters - an international Women’s Month event in the UK. Other events include In celebration Of Our Culture - celebrating Black History month and The Jerk Cookout, an outdoor Caribbean food festival in London and Birmingham.

He has co-produced a number of events and activities, including The Angie Le Mar One Woman Show, in the West End and live music shows featuring the Kings and Queens of Lovers Rock and The Queens Of Lovers Rock.

and family, to migrate to the UK to sign up for the British Army. At the end of WWII, he was unemployed and homeless, finding refuge in the Clapham Common air-raid shelter.

Fairweather worked for the Royal Mint for 25 years until it relocated to Wales. Like many others in the community, he used “Paadnas” as an informal way to save money, which assisted many Caribbean families in homeownership.

In 1955, now reunited the Fairweather family moved to 106 Cavendish Road, Clapham South. The house soon became a focal point for new and settled arrivals, enjoying a range of social activities, including house parties and dominos. These activities led to the forming of the Balham and Tooting Sports and Social Club (BTSSC).

The founders were Ivor Fairweather, Burton, Skinner, and four other men. The process of securing a property for cultural activities was complex.

Despite the challenges, BTSSC was a great success, helping both young and old from the Caribbean community with an array of services, such as housing, health and social care, funeral, education, volunteering, and an assortment of cultural activities. It became a safe place where Black people actively engaged with one another and the society around them.

The Balham and Tooting Sports and Social Club pioneering work has been visited by Jamaican Prime Ministers and High Commissioners, British MPs, London Mayors, actors, international athletes and artists, including Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Gregory Issacs.

Tony Fairweather is the chair of Balham and Tooting Community and Sports Club Building committee.

As one of the founders of the BTSSC and chairman of its Domino’s Club, Ivor Fairweather has played a significant role supporting the Black community in the oldest Caribbean club in the UK owned by its members.

Politician Diane Abbott

British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal 1985

Music was at the centre of the Jamaican community. It brought messages of hope, healing, news and views.

Tony Douglas, Trevor Walters, Dennis Brown and Winston Reedy - British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal (BRAFA) at Hive Studios Stoke Newington London February 1985. Photo: ©David Corio

Professor Kevin Fenton MD PhD

FFPH - Public Health Director

Professor Kevin Fenton is the national director for health and wellbeing for Public Health England. In this role, he oversees PHE’s national prevention programmes, including screening for cancer and other conditions, Health Checks, national health marketing campaigns, public mental health, and a range of wellbeing programmes for infants, youth, adults and older adults.

The Health and Wellbeing Directorate also leads PHE’s Health Equity portfolio of programmes and activities focused on addressing the social determinants of health, including the promotion of settings-based approaches to health improvement.

Professor Fenton was previously the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a position he held for seven years from November 2005. He also served as chief of CDC’s National Syphilis Elimination Effort and has worked in research, epidemiology, and the prevention of HIV and other STDs since 1995. Previously he was the director of the HIV and STI Department at the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency.

He attended medical school in Jamaica, obtained his master’s in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University College London. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and policy reports. He is a speaker in great demand and speaks both Spanish and French.

born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Rupert and Isclena. His grandfather escaped political unrest in Cuba and settled in Jamaica.

John Figueroa was awarded a British Council scholarship (1946), and travelled to England to study for a teaching diploma and a master’s degree in education at London University. In 1953, Figueroa became senior lecturer in education at University College of the West Indies (UCWI) and four years later professor of education - the first Caribbean person to hold a chair at the college, establishing an international reputation as a scholar.

In 1971, John Figueroa published - Society, Schools and Progress in The West Indies, unfortunately, his contrary views on education led to his resignation in 1973.

In the 1980s he moved to the UK and was employed by the Open University; he was also a fellow at Warwick University’s Centre for Caribbean Studies and an adviser in multicultural education.

As a poet and an anthologist, John Figueroa played an important role in the development of Anglophone Caribbean literature.

Along with his many achievements, Figueroa also had a career as a broadcaster, working for organisations including the BBC Overseas service ‘Caribbean Voices’ and Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation.

Voices - Real Experiences

estate proprietor who died when Flanagan was 12 years old. His mother was a milliner and dressmaker.

Neil Flanigan travelled to the UK in1943 to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) after seeing an advert in the Jamaica Gleaner for more people to join.

Six months after the war, Flanigan graduated from the Commercial Business Course at Wednesbury College, Staffordshire. In 1947 he returned to Jamaica to an engineering job with British South American Airways at Kingston Palisadoes Airport.

Whilst in Jamaica, he had married Mavis in 1951, and they were reunited in 1956. The family of three children eventually settled in Camberley, England, where Flanigan bought a house in 1966.

He worked as an engineer throughout his career with a range of companies, including British Eagle International Airlines out of London Heathrow Airport and Taxi Vickers Viking Aircrafts.

Neil Flanigan later studied and acquired an Aircraft Flight Engineer Certificate and then joined Dan-Air –“a most demanding post”. He soon joined British European Airways, London Heathrow. He then attended Southall College of Technology, Southall, where he studied Aircraft Airframe and Engines Engineering. Other jobs include British Helicopters at Gatwick airport and Heathrow Engineering. In the early ‘80s, when British Airways was downsizing, he opted for retirement.

Neil Flanigan became the first director of West Indian Ex-Servicemen/Women Association (WIEM/WA) in London and founded its HQ in Manor Street, Clapham.

He initiated the committee and achieved the acceptance of the WIEM/WA Standard, blessed at Westminster Cathedral, London, together with a military march from the Cathedral to Churchill Statue in Parliament Square.

.

. . When I came here I didn’t have a status as a Jamaican. I was British, and going to the mother country was like going from one parish to another. You had no conception of it being different. . .

Walter Lother

Fletcher Law/Activism

Cherry Cassandra Fletcher was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, on 25 January 1945.

In 1962, at the age of 17, Cherry came to Wolverhampton with a dream of becoming a school teacher. Her first contribution was assisting fellow African Caribbean people in the community of all ages to write letters back home and read the letters they had received.

Fletcher’s first paid job was at a Lipton store, working on the till. During the summer holidays, Cherry and a few other mothers organised a four-week Summer School for Black children in activities such as Black History, cooking and educational trips to understand the history of the UK. The school remained successful for a number of years and was well attended.

Her potential was recognised when she became secretary/ PA for the chief of the West Midlands Probation Service where she commenced training as a probation officer.

This led to the founding of The Association of Black Probation Officers and becoming the first Black person and Black woman to be promoted to a senior probation officer at Reading Prison. Fletcher was later transferred to the Slough office and took on additional duties, including trainer/consultant tackling racism within the Probation Service.

Cherry Fletcher served on several committees in Reading and Birmingham, one of which was as chairperson of the West Midlands Caribbean Association/Cultural Centre. Locally as a volunteer, Cherry organised an initiative to tackle diabetes in the African Caribbean community.

Until 2014, even in retirement, Cherry fostered children aged 1 to 17 and organised a Jamaican folk singing group, touring schools and events in Reading.

In 2015 Cherry Cassandra Fletcher passed away aged 70 years.

husband, Lindell Johnny Flowers (24 June 1938), are leaders of the Jamaican community in northern England. Both arrived in Huddersfield in the 1960s from Jamaica.

The Flowers originate from Westmoreland in Jamaica. Alda, a trained teacher in Jamaica, trained as a nurse and eventually worked for the Royal Infirmary for 30 years in Huddersfield and retired as a nursing sister in 1991. Johnny, a mechanic, worked for the Huddersfield Metro Council. They were married in 1962.

Alda did voluntary work within the African Caribbean community, and helped to form the Caribbean Association that raised funds in the aftermath of natural disasters affecting Jamaica, including Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

In association with the Jamaican High Commission (JHC), Alda was a pioneer in convincing Jamaican associations in northern cities; Huddersfield, Leeds, Preston, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool to form a Jamaican Northern Council (JNC), which she chaired for a number of years in the 1990s.

In the 1990s, Alda also served the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) as an agent in northern England, in support of people wanting to send money to relatives and friends in Jamaica. For her service, Alda has received awards from JNBS, the Daily Gleaner and a Jamaican Governor General for community work.

In 1974, Johnny began the journey of a successful businessman. He bought some land from a coal firm, and set up his own garage, which grew sufficiently for Johnny to resign from the Huddersfield Metro Council to run his business full-time. The Ashbrow Garage eventually expanded into workshop, engineering, car sales and valeting.

A keen supporter of the West Indies Cricket team, Johnny often brought groups of youngsters from Jamaica to England to acquire valuable cultural exchange experience during the summer holidays. In 2011, Alda Flowers received the Jamaica Diaspora Award for Excellence.

In 2015 Johnny Flowers was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from the Huddersfield Black Community Awards.

Elaine Foster-Allen, aged 54, former head of Handsworth Wood Girls’ School, was appointed chief inspector of Jamaica’s National Education Inspectorate. A former Birmingham headteacher, she was the city’s first Black woman headteacher.

Brought up in Smethwick, West Midland, Elaine Foster-Allen was a Shireland Girls’ School pupil before studying for a master’s degree at Birmingham University. She devoted a lot of her time to improving the prospects of underachieving Black boys in Birmingham.

Elaine Foster-Allen returned to her Jamaican homeland in 1994 to become Head of Shortwood Teachers’ College, but retained close links with friends and family in the UK.

A spokesman for the Jamaican National Inspectorate said: “Mrs Foster-Allen comes to us with invaluable experience as a former inspector attached to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate in the UK.”

Cherry

Elaine Foster-Allen Headteacher

Armet Francis is a photographer and publisher who was born in rural St Elizabeth, Jamaica.

In 1955 aged 10, he left his grandparents in Jamaica to join his parents in London.

Armet Francis was the first Black photographer to have a solo exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery when The Black Triangle series was exhibited there in 1983. The following year he published a book, also entitled The Black Triangle. Children of the Black Triangle was published four years later.

In 1988, Francis co-founded the non-profit Autograph Association of Black Photographers (later known as Autograph ABP).

He started out as an assistant in a London West End photographic studio, which laid the foundation for him becoming a successful fashion and advertising photographer and a chronicler of African diaspora subjects.

For more than 40 years, he has documented the lives of Africa’s diaspora. He has worked for The Times Magazine, The Sunday Times Supplement, the BBC and Channel 4 amongst others. He has exhibited worldwide and his work features in collections including those of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Museum of London.

He was also one of the official photographers for Africa ‘05, held throughout 2005 in the UK. He was one of three pioneering Jamaican-born photographers (alongside Charlie Phillips and Neil Kenlock) whose work was showcased in the 2005–06 exhibition Roots to Reckoning.

Photographs by Armet Francis featured prominently in Staying Power, a collaborative project mounted in 2015 by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Black Cultural Archives.

In 2000, Carol Francis was elected the first Black female city councillor - of the Eastgate Ward. A year later, she was elected as sheriff and deputy mayor of Gloucester City, and in September 2016, she was elected mayor of Barton.

Carol Francis has participated and served her community in a variety of roles, including as member of the County council’s Multicultural Advisory group and director of Barton, Tredworth & Eastgate Trust. She has been the chairperson for the city council’s Race Equality Forum, the personnel sub-committee of the reformed Gloucester Race Equality Council (Glosrec) (1994); the Gloucestershire County council’s Black Workers Network and the Jamaican Club (1993) and appointed a local magistrate (1989).

In March 2008, Carol Francis was part of the taskforce set up by Harriet Harman, the then deputy prime minister, to encourage more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women into public Service. In 2012 she helped set up the BME Police and Community Trust (PACT) at the request of the community. The initiative was refined to 3 strands of work: 1. Service Delivery/Police Professionalism; 2. Youth Engagement and; 3. Community Engagement/Issues.

Carol Francis’s devotion to community affairs has been widely recognised, and she has received several awards by various community organisations and regional institutions, including the “Black Achievers Award’’ for services to the community, a lifetime achievement award by Community Counts (2006); an award from the Association of Jamaican Nationals (2008). She received an honorary fellowship for services to the community from Gloucestershire (2013) and was named one of the 100 most influential women in the West (2018). Carol Francis is also a wife, mother of two and grandmother to three. She continues to sit as a magistrate and presents shows on GFM.

where she attended St George’s Primary School for Girls, Kingston Technical High School and the Westwood High School for Girls.

In 1964 Francis trained as a registered general nurse at the University College Hospital of the West Indies, and later achieved a degree in social psychology at the University College West Indies. In October 1968 she married Howard Francis and returned with him to Surrey, England, where she continued her nursing career. In 1976 she returned to full time study at the University of London and achieved the Sister Tutor’s Diploma.

Two years later Francis was appointed to a sister tutor’s post at the Croydon School of Nursing in Surrey, and on completion of a BEd (Hons) in Nursing Education (1983) was appointed its first senior tutor in Curriculum Development and Research. She went on to successfully develop Project 2000 programmes for nursing colleges in Surrey, London and East Anglia.

Francis was appointed director of professional nurse education at the West Sussex College of Nursing and Midwifery in Chichester. In 1996 she worked as a freelance trainer in cultural diversity and racial equality before retiring and moving to Gloucester with her husband.

Carole Francis volunteered as manager and educational development officer for the Gloucestershire Afro-Caribbean Association (ACA). In 1999, she successfully applied for a grant from the Department for Education and Science (DfES) for a pilot in support of children of Caribbean heritage who were underperforming with high school exclusion rates.

The project was later fully funded for three years by DfES. The BBC Children in Need awarded the ACA Kids Club after school and holiday programmes £56,000.

The photographic record of the first Windrush images is an essential part of British and Caribbean visual history, a valuable part of our cultural memory. It shows the radical flair and poise of many of the early migrants. In 1959, the West Indies High Commissioner advised those who wished to travel to the UK to carry and wear particular items of clothing to protect from the cold. In the ‘Going To Britain?’ BBC Caribbean Service pamphlet points out the practical importance of wrapping up warm for a cooler climate.

Dress For The Cold! We have to say over and over that England is a cold country. This is my third visit here, so when I was leaving home on New Years Eve of 1958, I dressed myself in warm woollen socks and underwear, a serge suit, a sturdy pair of shoes, and I carried my woollen sweater, scarf, and heavy overcoat. I decided not to take any risks with my health.

Women in white hat. Haywood-Magee Picture-Post Getty-Images Stringer

John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship ‘Empire Windrush’, smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats (Image: Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Images)

Fashion for the Windrush generation represented a means of respectability and self-importance. Notably, the first generation was filmed and photographed decamping the Empire Windrush at Tilbury docks after 30 days of travel. The travellers are pictured wearing the latest stylish garments. Many dressed head to toe in their ‘Sunday Best’; the men wore trilby hats, shirt and tie, pinstripe jackets, trousers, wool coats and brogue leather shoes. The women wore fascinator hats, tea dresses or mid-length skirts, white gloves, finished off with court shoes. On arrival, they carried their leather grips (suitcases) and themselves with pride.

In 1962, photographer Howard Grey photographed new arrivals at Waterloo station to capture ‘rowdy’ West Indians causing disruption. Instead, he explained, his expectation was wrong ‘it was all very English and quiet’ as families greeted each other on the platforms. Despite aspirations, many faced discrimination in Britain. Notwithstanding, the community would support each other in many different ways.

skills to sew a whole outfit. A generation of seamstresses have a long legacy in British Caribbean communities.

Dressmakers and tailors would use mail order patterns and catalogues, a popular and convenient way to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, a wonderland of the latest silhouettes, colours and textures. They included sewing patterns and templates to be traced onto fabric before being cut out and assembled, fully lined and fitted with quality materials. All this was done at home as well as house calls. Many did this alongside bringing up children and a full-time job.

The hair would complete the look; the various styles included tonged afro hair, stretched with a heated metal comb, left natural or slicked down with a pomade sheen. The hair remained slick or straightened until exposed to rain; many women carried headscarves to style and protect the hair.

Dressmakers and tailors were a significant part of the African Caribbean community. Fashion was one of the primary ways people expressed their personality for special occasions, church and the many family celebrations. Most families knew of a garment maker with sufficient

As a result of this legacy, some of the descendants of dressmakers have gone on to become successful fashion designers, stylists, makeup artists, hairstylists, tailors and design academics. The Windrush Empire and Waterloo Station images capture the birth of the Windrush legacy. They also serve as a reminder of the hopes and personal sacrifices made, journeying to Britain for a better life.

Late-1940s-Jamaican-wedding image-copyright-Beverly-Provost-OBE

Vintage Sewing patterns

Pomade image and hair care ad

Excerpt from Editions Lifestyle by Serena Lee

Dorothy Elaine Francis was born in St Catherine, Jamaica, on 31 March 1961.

Ms Francis has supported the establishment of 200 businesses within the African Caribbean, African, and Asian communities. A qualified business adviser within the co-operative movement for 35 years, she is currently the CEO of CASE (Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency) based in Leicester.

In 1994, Dorothy qualified as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) with a special interest in the promotion of equality and diversity.

She is an alumni of the University of Leicester, having gained a Certificate in Education within the adult learning sector in 2006. As a leader, trainer and mentor, she has worked with African Caribbean adults and young people for almost 20 years. Some of her mentees are now mentors who have won awards, one was recognized as Mentor of the Year in 2018.

Twice recognised as Business woman of the Year (Jubilee Women’s Awards and Leicester Asian Business Association), She is known for delivering business solutions to hard-to-reach groups, including women returners, newly arrived communities, and African Caribbean, African and Asian communities.

She was the founder chair of Cooperative Diversity Action UK – an initiative of Co-operatives UK- which delivered strategies, resources and guidance for business cases for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, wishing to get involved in co-operative and community enterprise.

In 2017 Dorothy Francis was awarded an MBE for Services to Enterprise and the Communities.

In October 2018 she was listed as one of the most inspiring and influential women in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business, the annual Natwest WISE100.

business consultant who was awarded the prestigious Governor-General’s award for excellence at the Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Montego Bay in June 2015.

Howard qualified as a building draughtsman and then worked as a draftsman at the Department of Housing in Kingston, Jamaica. He is married and has two children and three grandchildren.

He migrated to the UK to join his family in 1964 but unable to find suitable employment, he worked with the Post Office. In 1976, he returned to full-time education to gain his ACCA accountancy qualification.

He built a career in the civil service as an executive officer and later, higher executive officer in company investigation with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Croydon, Surrey.

During the late eighties, Francis was instrumental in setting up enterprise agencies and establishing training contracts with the Training and Enterprise Councils. A significant part of his work was the establishment of start-up business training, raising funds to set up grants and loans systems, advice and funding, inclusive of Black and Minority Ethnic communities, and assistance in setting up Black Business Development Associations.

Between 1988 to 1997, he lectured in Business Studies with Hammersmith & Fulham Colleges. In 1995, the British government offered the County of Gloucestershire £2.4 million in grants over a five-year period, which in turn attracted another £20 million. Howard Francis set up a not-for-profit organisation to manage the project.

He has raised over £450,000 to purchase and convert a derelict building into a business centre for the Gloucestershire Ethnic Minority Business Association (GEMBA) and remains committed to the community through offering accounting services and unpaid business advice via the Afro-Caribbean Association and GEMBA, which he manages.

respectively.

They lived through difficult years (such as the Notting Hill riots in 1958) before reuniting with their six-year-old daughter in 1960. Like so many other newly-arrived families who needed more space and a better environment to raise children, they worked long hours. They worked in factories and undertook menial jobs despite meagre wages of between £4-£5 per week to make their dreams come true.

As many White homeowners would not sell to “Blacks” discrimination in home ownership was challenging. In 1961, using a Jamaican system of saving called “Paadnas”, Ira and Auvil Francis managed to scrape together enough money for a deposit and purchased a three-story house in Maida Vale, West London costing £5,000. Carribean families who had similar experiences were keen to rent a room from them. Over the next twenty-five years, some 15 to 20 families shared their home.

Friendships developed among the occupants, playing dominos, partying or just catching up after work or weekends, talking about their experiences “back home” whether it be Jamaica, Dominica, St Kitts, St Lucia or other islands. They took on “give away father” or “maid of honour” roles at tenants’ weddings and became godparents to babies born in the house.

Tenants purchased their own home but always kept in touch. Some have since passed, including Mr Francis, but those who are still alive remain firm family friends.

Ira and Auvil Francis were social entrepreneurs, representative of the lives of so many in those days, providing security and support to others from the Caribbean, who were coldly received and frowned upon by the local people. They created a community for others, like them, who were thousands of miles from their beloved homeland to maintain their pride and dignity.

Dorothy Elaine Francis MBE Business

Francis and Mother Elfreda Francis (now deceased) from Clarendon, Jamaica, who were pioneers at the centre of the advancement of the Black church movement in the UK.

Bishop John Francis is the international director of the Ruach Network of Churches, which has 50 churches in the Network. An ordained bishop, he is the founder and senior pastor of Ruach City Church, one of the largest and fastest growing non-denominational Pentecostal Christian churches in the UK

Under his leadership Ruach City Church has received numerous awards;`1998 Faith Academy of Christian Education for minister of excellence award; 2003 Windrush award for outstanding community service; 2003 National Social Justice Champion award for outstanding commitment and contribution to social action; 2005 Lambeth Civic award in recognition of developing links and improving relations with the community, Brixton police and politicians. Finally, 2006 Oasis award Church of the year.

Bishop John Francis has also made a significant contribution to British Gospel music. One of the presenters of People Get Ready, a popular gospel music show on mainstream UK TV in the 80’s and 90’s, produced by Roy Francis.

He co-founded the London Community Gospel Choir and founded The Inspirational Choir who appeared on a Channel 4 television gospel show called Black on Black. They came second which led to singing backing vocals for Madness on their single “Wings of A Dove”, which reached number two in the UK singles chart. In 1985 the choir was signed by Portrait Records. The choir released two singles, “Abide With Me” which reached number 36 in the UK singles chart and “I’ve Got A Feeling”. The choir’s live appearances included performances at the London Palladium, the Bristol Concert Hall and the Glastonbury Festival.

2014) was the creator of the show Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame, and first editor of The Voice Newspaper.

Peter Fraser was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and attended Jamaica College before migrating to the UK at aged 15 with his father Byron Fraser, who was employed at the Jamaican High Commission, in London.

He graduated from Bradford University and later, Tennessee State University, Nashville, US.

Peter Fraser was editor of the Caribbean Times newspaper, and later with the Voice newspaper, as founding editor (1982).

Peter Fraser’s most ambitious project Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame (Black Heroes) premiered at the Shaw Theatre in London to rave reviews (1987). It was the first British all-Black musical written and directed by Fraser in collaboration with Khareem Jamal, JD Douglas and Clive Johnson.

Black Heroes went on to sweep the UK, the US and the Caribbean, receiving numerous major awards and honours, including the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award, Keys to the County of Dade in Miami, and a Mayoral Proclamation declaring February 5th as ‘Black Heroes Day’ in Washington DC., while breaking box office records at theatres like The Music Hall (Detroit), the New Regal Theatre (Chicago), The Convention Centre in Cleveland, Ohio and the Compton Theatre at Howard University (Washington DC).

In 2012, Fraser created the “Black Heroes Foundation” (BHF) - an online non-profit organization on Facebook, promoting the 2014 revival of Black Heroes, and promoting cultural awareness and recognition of Black achievement. Unfortunately, the show did not perform in 2014.

After a period of prolonged illness Peter Fraser passed away peacefully on Sunday 31 August 2014.

Councillor

Brenda Fraser JP Politics

Brenda Fraser moved to the UK from Jamaica as a child in 1965. In 2016, Ms Fraser became the first Jamaican female mayor for the borough of Merton, and in the absence of a deputy lieutenant, also represented the Crown. In 1995, the grandmother of one gained a double qualification in further and higher education, enabling her to lecture in colleges and universities concurrently for fourteen years.

Brenda then became a special constable contributing to her community work. In 2002 on completing ten years as a serving officer Brenda Fraser was awarded a long service medal. A strong believer in upward mobility, while working as a lecturer, she studied and gained her MBA from the Open University.

In 2003 Brenda Fraser qualified as a magistrate, sitting on the adult and family bench.

In 2008 Fraser became a local councillor, citing “I wanted to be a voice for those needing someone to represent them. I am in my third term of office and have received the highest votes in all three elections”.

Ms Fraser serves on various scrutiny panels thus having a wide knowledge of the workings of Local Government. In addition, she is a governor for South Thames Colleges group.

Brenda Fraser is an ambassador to Age UK Merton which was one of the charities she supported during her term as the Mayor of Merton.

Brenda Fraser has worked extensively serving the community at large and is a role model to people from all backgrounds.

joined the Metropolitan Police in 1975 as a cadet and worked in a number of uniformed and CID roles.

In 2004, Michael Fuller was appointed chief constable of Kent and became Britain’s first ever Black chief constable and first ethnic minority chief constable. In the same year he received the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished police service.

He helped set up the groundbreaking Racial and Violent Crime Task Force and drew up the LMP action plan in response to criticism of the LMP arising from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. In 2000, he set up and commanded the Operation Trident command unit, which successfully reduced gun crime in London. He also oversaw murder investigations whilst in command of the West Area Serious Crime Group.

Michael Fuller held a range of senior roles within the service, including heading the LMP Drugs Directorate and the intelligence unit in the newly formed Specialist Crime directorate based at New Scotland Yard. In recognition of both his achievements and contribution to policing in London he was awarded GG2 ‘Man of the Year’ in 2001. He was also the founding chair of the Black Police Association.

As chief constable of Kent Police, Fuller oversaw many high-profile operations, including the Tonbridge Securitas robbery and the emergency service response to the channel tunnel fire. As a result of his leadership the force was recognised by H.M. Police Inspectorate as one of the five most improved police forces.

Fuller also qualified as a barrister (non-practising) and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in July 2007. He also holds a range of qualifications: BA (Hons) in Social Psychology (Sussex University), postgraduate diplomas in Law (BPP), Criminology (Cambridge); Business (Henley Management College), and a master’s in Legal Practice from BPP University.

In 2019 Michael Fuller was recognised for his commitment to mentoring Black officers and community support work, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Arden University. His book, Kill the Black One First, was published in 2019.

his father in London. Seven years later he had settled permanently in Derby.

Willitz started his career at Bennetts & Sales Ltd, Dunn Street, Derby, which specialised in brickwork machinery and his next two jobs were also in manufacturing.

In the 1970s, he founded Parliament Precision Engineering (PPE) with five partners. The business model was predicated on a saving plan, the partners investing until it reached £2,000. This was sufficient for PPE to purchase a machine Lathe to produce machine goods for British Rail through a sub-contracting arrangement. However, the “subcontracting” rules were changed, resulting in companies (including PPE) going into liquidation.

As an entrepreneur, Willitz formed WDG Engineering, as a sole trader. Later GGS Engineering Company was created with two partners and it traded for over 30 years until the business was sold in 2016.

Willitz was a champion for community development which led him to volunteer in Derby West Indian Community Association (DWICA) as its secretary in 1980.

He led the reformation of Derby Caribbean Cricket Club, enabling it access to the Derby & Nottingham Cricket League. and was made secretary. He was chair of the Derby Black Business Agency, and Derby West Indian Credit Union and was a team member of Black Boys Can.

He was a board member of the Equal Opportunities Boards for both Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council and the Council for Racial Equality.

Willitz Gabbidon died on the 8th April 2018. As a staunch Garveyite, he believed that the young generation should be creative and develop an enterprise culture as the foundation for change, working together to assist in community development for the benefit of the African Caribbean Community.

RAF WWII

Alford Gardner was born in 1926 in Jamaica. Before volunteering in 1947 for service in the Royal Air Force (RAF) he had thoughts of migrating to the US. After some weeks of military training in Jamaica, he and other volunteers travelled to England via North America.

Alford Garner served as an engineer and motor mechanic during the war with Germany. While on leave in London, Gardner remembers renting accommodation and sleeping through a German bombing raid while buildings a few houses away were completely destroyed. After the war Gardner was demobbed and sailed back to Jamaica but was unsettled and felt that his future was in England.

Alford Garner returned to England on the Empire Windrush, landing at Tilbury Docks in June 1948.

Before returning to Jamaica he had taken an engineering course at a college in Leeds. So, he made his way to Leeds.

It was not easy to find accommodation or a room to rent. Eventually, Gardner and four other West Indians rented a house. However, he was unable to obtain work as an engineer as he had hoped and felt that it was due to racial discrimination; factory work was the only opportunity available. He found himself using his skills there.

Alford Gardner married a local young Yorkshire woman and they had eight children. He also found fame in later life with the announcement of a National Windrush Day in 2018 and has been in demand as one of the few remaining survivors of the epic first Windrush Voyage. He has been featured in plays and exhibitions.

and historian, was born in St Thomas in 1943, Jamaica. His father, a cabinet maker from Hopewell, Hanover and mother, a school teacher born in Somerset, St Andrew, migrated to Britain in 1952 and 1953 respectively. He joined them in West London in 1954, shortly before the birth of the first of his four London-born siblings.

Garrison trained as a photographer at King’s College London. He later joined Guys Hospital as a specialist medical photographer, whilst freelancing for the West Indian Gazette.

In 1971, he attended Ruskin College, where he gained a Diploma in Development Studies. Years later he earned a BA in African and Caribbean History from the University of Sussex and an MA in Local History from the University of Leicester.

At the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture in Nigeria, Garrison presented a version of his dissertation on the Rastafarian movement, which led to the publication of Black Youth Rastafarianism and the Identity Crisis in Britain. He argued that Britain’s educational system was failing Black children as it denied the reality or existence of Black history or culture.

Garrison set up ACER (Afro-Caribbean Education Resource) and co-founded the Black Cultural Archives. He campaigned for two years with the Inner London Education Authority and others for the funding and resources.

In 1977, Len Garrison launched ACER-producing Black history educational packs, first introduced at Dick Sheppard School in Lambeth. ACER’s most successful project was the Young Penmanship awards for creative writing about the reality and experience of young Black people in Britain.

Garrison co-founded the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in 1981 and became a trustee. The BCA won funding of £5million in 2010 to create the UK’s first national Black heritage centre in Brixton’s Windrush Square.

Len Garrison passed away on 18th February 2003. A bust of Len Garrison was unveiled at the official launch in Windrush Square on 24 July 2014.

Jamaica. Shortly after her birth the family migrated to Panama but returned so that the children could attend school in Jamaica (circa 1904). Ashwood was enrolled at the prestigious private girls’ Westwood High School in Stewart Town, Trelawny.

Amy Ashwood and Marcus Garvey were married in New York City, Christmas Day, 25 December 1919 and the chief bridesmaid was her best friend Amy Jacques. The short marriage ended in divorce and Marcus married Amy Jacques.

Amy Ashwood held several powerful positions in the UNIA and ACL in the Negro World paper, the Black Star Line Steamship corporation and the lady’s division of the UNIA and ACL. After the bitter divorce, she travelled widely to Europe and Africa before making London her Pan Africanist base (1924 to 1968),

In 1936, Ashwood established the Florence Mills Social Club and Restaurant with Sam Manning, the renowned calypsonian at 50 Carnaby Street in London’s West End. It was the chief meeting place for Pan Africanist like George Padmore and others. In October 1945, she was one of the main organisers of the famous Fifth Pan African Congress in Manchester, England along with George Padmore, T Ras Makonnen and Kwame Nkrumah. As well as being part of a commission to look into the race issues appointed by the government, she partly financed The West Indian Gazette and was one of its directors.

Amy Ashwood died in Jamaica on 3 May 1969. A plaque in her honour was erected at 1 Bassett Road, Ladbroke Grove, London. The Amy Garvey House, opened by Doctor Lord Pitt of Hampstead, on 26th July 1990 at 30-32 All Saints Road Ladbroke Grove, London, is a home for senior citizens from the Caribbean.

Alford Gardner

Karl Alexander George is a highprofile award-winning businessman, motivational speaker and writer, and visiting professor at Birmingham City University. He is the managing director of the governance forum, creator of The Governance Framework and Effective Board Member Programmes.

Karl George started the first international chapter of 100 Black Men, a mentoring programme with over 10,000 members in the US. He has acted as a Reach role model and developed an interactive game – ‘The Board Game’ used to encourage and facilitate training and development in governance.

Karl George has held a number of board positions and regularly features in power lists, was one of the first winners of the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Award. He is among the founders of The Young Directors Forum at the Institute of Directors. He is also a founder member of the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners (ACGP). George developed a unique governance framework and kite mark that was endorsed by Sir Adrian Cadbury which has been delivered to over 100 organisations nationally.

The Effective Board Member Programmes have been specifically developed for a wide-ranging professional base and have been delivered across the world through partners such as the Professional Footballers Association, Edinburgh Napier University, The Professional Cricketers Association, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and RSM UK. At present they have been delivered in 11 countries and have over 650 graduates.

George is an exceptional example of the Legacy of the Windrush Generation’s exploratory spirit, business acumen and extraordinary quest to improve the social conditions of others.

In 2004 Dr Karl George was awarded an MBE for services to the community.

for service in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1944 after seeing an advertisement in the Gleaner inviting men to volunteer for service in World War 2. “It was my boyhood dream to travel and this was my opportunity”, he recalled.

Al Gibson trained in the RAF as an aircraft finisher and repairer. Then, after the war ended, he signed on for two years, having been offered professional training, £250 and a free passage home.

After a spell in Jamaica, Gibson returned to England on the Empire Windrush and was soon stationed at a camp in Northamptonshire, repairing vehicles and planes. Life there was good, “it wasn’t affected by the unrest that was happening in other RAF camps’, he remembers. He then moved to Lancashire after he was demobbed.

Al Gibson did a course in welding sciences at the Blackpool College of Art and Technology and became a skilled welder. During the oil boom he was in the right place at the right time, obtaining employment at oil refineries, chemical plants and power stations.

His work took him to South Wales, where he stayed for more than 10 years. He finally resettled in Blackburn.

on 23 July 1961 to Jamaican parents who came to the UK in response to the call to help rebuild the nation after WWII. He is a chartered educational and child psychologist with 35 years of experience in education, including over 20 years as an educational psychologist.

Dr Colin Gordon has worked in Jamaica, North America, Ghana, Qatar, Middle East, and various locations across the UK as a teacher, university lecturer, a professional trainer, manager and a professional life-skills coach for managers and leaders.

Dr Colin Gordon served on the governing programme operation committee for the training of educational psychologists on the professional doctorate in education and child psychology at the University of East London.

He became chief (principal) educational psychologist for Southend Borough Council in 2008, where he introduced pioneering strategies which reduced bullying, safe physical interventions for children with extreme and challenging behaviour, and developed an effective framework for assessing children with autism.

Voices - Real Experiences

. .There was plenty of work in Nottingham in the 1960s in the building trade. I worked on the Victoria Centre and Queens for Taylor Woodrow. I was one of the first Joiners that they would send out to put up the cabins for the workers to eat in. I went as far as Liverpool. Sometimes I am alone as a black person on site. Yes, I experienced racism. They could not pay you less than the Union rate, but there were benefits and bonuses, but we as black workers got less bonus than the white workers . . .

.

Ezekial McGhan

Dr Karl George MBE Leadership

MERVYN WEIR Author Filmmaker Activist

Mervyn Weir is an award-winning writer, graphic artist and filmmaker with a passion for poetry, performance and visual arts. As the writer and director of gospel musicals, theatre dramas, and exhibitions, he has touched the hearts of many through his work.

With a proud Caribbean heritage, Mervyn uses his talents to celebrate the accomplishments of Black and brown people.

‘I Can’t Breathe’ is an award-winning film and book based on his passionate response in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder which has made him a powerful voice in the fight for equality and an end to racial violence.

Many outstanding artists have featured in Mervyn’s productions, including the actor Rudolph Walker. His innovative design and exhibition work features many aspects of black history and culture. Highlights of his career include receiving the reward for his prize-winning writing from James Baldwin and performing a specially commissioned poem to Maya Angelou.

Iris Greta Gordon BH(M) Health/Activism

Iris Greta Gordon (1916 – 23 January 2018) was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, and migrated to the UK in 1962.

In the 1990s, Gordon was awarded the Jamaica Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service and in 2000 for her wide-ranging charitable work.

Iris Gordon worked in the National Health Service at several hospitals, including St James Hospital in Balham, Mayday Hospital in Croydon, and St George’s Hospital in Wandsworth.

She retired in 1978, but remained dedicated and continued to provide loyal service to Jamaica for over 39 years.

Iris Gordon founded the Friends of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica Limited (FHFJ) in 1980.

A group of Jamaicans were concerned about the plight of fellow Jamaicans who were unable to access cost-effective health care. The FHFJ works in close collaboration with the Heart Foundation of Jamaica to promote heart health. The charity provided grants and medical equipment for the purposes of health screening, research and training in cardiology and rehabilitation.

Equipment and supplies sent to Jamaica have positively impacted the lives of many Jamaicans, including many heart patients, and have helped to reduce the high incidence of heart attacks and non-communicable disease.

The FHFJ has also supported many other charities and initiatives such as the Chain of Hope, Community Based Rehabilitation Jamaica, the Haiti Appeal, and African Famine Appeal to name a few. Through Iris Greta Gordon’s dedicated leadership, the Friends of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica Limited has remained committed to providing medical equipment and supplies, as well and vehicles to assist the work of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica.

Kingston, Jamaica, in March 1951 and joined her parents in the UK in the 1960s, settling in north London.

Patricia has worked 41 years with Islington Council, including being on loan to Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust since 2001.

She began her working career with Islington Council where her skills of dealing with adults and children were recognised. She qualified as a social worker and became an adult mental health professional (AMHP).

She tutors and mentors students, all of whom have gone on to become fully qualified social workers or AMHPs. Beyond her duties she would often carry out menial tasks in the homes of people needing some comfort to make them feel special and cared for.

Goulbourne continues to volunteer and provide support where needed with organisations like the Mental Health Support Group since 1990, and the Service Users Group, on a monthly basis since 2018. She has also been a volunteer with the local Millfield Theatre since 1994.

Patricia Goulbourne sponsors the wellbeing and education of a child in Jamaica.

Jamaica, has been a volunteer of Elim House Day Centre (EHDC) since its inception (1984) as its chair and centre manager since the 1990s and 2011 respectively.

Aubyn Graham has a powerful history of community engagement as a youth and community worker and boroughwide community development officer (BCDO). He began volunteering in 1965 with the West Indian League Youth Centre in Southwark and was general secretary of Carib Youth and Community Association (1975). Graham organised a range of events and activities and persuaded celebrities to attend.

As the BCD for Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea, Fulham and Hammersmith, Graham provided community support for hundreds of BME community groups in association with the local authorities, government and other statutory agencies such as the Refugee Council. Graham continues to provide valuable advice and assistance to community organisations and individuals.

Aubyn Graham served as councillor for Southwark from 1984-2011. He was also a magistrate from 1993, conferred as mayor of the London Borough of Southwark 1995/1996 and chaired the National Association of MBE Councillors. He served on numerous other public bodies.

Graham is a recipient of a Royal Human Society Certificate for saving a young child from drowning and resuscitating him at Camberwell Bath (1963).

Una Marston

Keith Graham “Levi Roots” Chef, Business

Keith Valentine Graham - known as Levi Roots was born on 24 June 1958 in Clarendon, Jamaica . He was raised by his grandmother after his parents migrated to England. He joined them when he was 11 years old, and converted to the Rastafarian faith aged 18. Roots lives in Brixton, south London.

Roots’ Reggae Reggae, a jerk barbecue sauce, had sold over 4,000 bottles (including sales, from Notting Hill Carnival in 2006) when he was spotted by a BBC producer at a food trade show. Roots was invited to appear on the investment orientated television show Dragons’ Den. In 2007, he gained widespread fame on the show, with his song ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’ as part of his pitch. He earned £50,000 from businessmen Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh for a 40% stake in his business.

Shortly afterwards, Sainsbury’s supermarket announced they would be stocking the sauce in 600 stores. Roots released an extended version of ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’, and all monies raised were donated to Comic Relief. His first Reggae Reggae Cookbook was published in 2008.

As a celebrity, Roots has appeared on radio, and television; BBC’s Ready Steady Cook, Caribbean Food Made Easy, on BBC2, Celebrity Mastermind in 2010, Big Brother, and BBC’s Death in Paradise in 2018.

Roots first London restaurant, the Papine Jerk Centre, was on the Winstanley Estate in Battersea, London, from 2010-2012, and it also provided lunchtime meals to a local school. From December 2015 - June 2019, Roots operated his first franchise restaurant, Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse, in Westfield Stratford City, east London.

His Reggae Reggae brand now has over 50 products including books, sauces, seasoning, and snacks.

parents, Wilburn and Gladys, in the UK in August 1976.

In 1986, Bishop Llewellyn Graham became the first director of the Wolverhampton African Caribbean Development Agency, working with churches, community organisations and businesses to help them access finance and expertise.

The first chief executive of Nehemiah Housing Association since its registration in 1989, Bishop Llewellyn Graham has successfully led the charity through a merger with United Churches Housing Association to form Nehemiah UCHA, the largest Black-Majority, church-established, social action organisation of its kind in the UK, providing housing and care for over 4,000 people in the West Midlands.

He is a founder member and vice chairman of RAFFA International Development Agency, providing charitable intervention for the relief of poverty in Africa, the Caribbean and other developing countries.

An ordained bishop of The Church of God of Prophecy, Bishop Llewellyn Graham has represented the church at meetings of Churches Together in England with the Archbishop of Canterbury and attended bi-annual meetings of the Church of England and Pentecostal church leaders in the UK. Bishop Llewellyn Graham has represented the former presiding Bishop of the Church of God of Prophecy, Bishop Powell at the joint Ascension Trust UK and Operation Save Jamaica conference in Kingston (2013), resulting in the launch of “Street Pastors Jamaica” in January 2014.

He has served as a non-executive director on many large Housing Associations and Voluntary Sector Boards. He was also a member of the Department of Communities and Local Government Housing and Older People Development Group responsible for advising the Government on its housing and support strategy for older people in the UK.

Bishop Llewellyn Graham is a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners.

She migrated to the UK and settled in Slough. Like many Jamaicans who came after World War Two, Shirley struggled to find accommodation because of discrimination. She applied to become a nurse, because that was one field she believed would not be closed to her because of the colour of her skin.

Balancing studying and family life whilst raising three daughters with husband Cyril was not easy. However, she persevered and later undertook part of her midwifery training with the Canadian Red Cross in Taplow.

Shirley found her niche working as a community midwife, which she did for 29 years. Unfortunately, an injured shoulder, forced her to switch to neonatal bereavement counselling for mums who had lost their babies.

Shirley became involved in the national organisation for sickle cell anaemia research and, in 1980, was the driving force in setting up a branch for sickle cell anaemia in Reading. Shirley eventually went on to become the first Black counsellor in Reading.

Together with Connie Mark and Val Laurence, Shirley started the Friends of Mary Seacole to highlight the work of the nineteenth-century Jamaican nurse who worked during the Crimean War. The Friends of Mary Seacole grew to such an extent that, on its 25th Anniversary, the organisation became Mary Seacole Memorial Association.

On becoming one of the Barbados and Friends Association trustees, Shirley invited the group to form a carnival committee and put out a Mary Seacole float for the carnival. She also promoted and raised awareness for Mary Seacole during Reading’s Black History Month.

Shirley Graham-Paul also served as a member of the Board of Visitors at Huntercombe Young Offenders Institution in Nettlebed.

Celia Grandison-Markey Health

Celia Grandison has been an inspirational nurse and teacher for more than 40 years. She was born on 31st May 1942 in rural Hanover, Jamaica into a farming family.

With over 30 years proven operational and strategic experience at senior management and executive levels in the National Health Service (NHS), Grandison strongly believes in the empowerment of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) individuals to achieve their potential and is committed to ensuring this is achieved in practice.

Celia Grandison-Markey took early retirement from her role as an NHS academic registrar in 1995 to pursue her aspirations in assisting BME health and well-being professionals to help self-empower them as a mentor.

Grandison’s commitment to community service can be found in organisations representing Jamaica and health professionals. These include regional co-ordinator for Jamaican Diaspora UK, and member of its Advisory Board. Grandson is also a trustee and past president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK), and she is co-founder and chair of the Confederation of BME Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors. (CBEN) and co-founder of Black Women In Business, Birmingham.

Grandison was a member of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal Committee and the founder of the Family Group for Learning Disability Care.

She continues to support a wide range of health and education causes in Jamaica.

Celia Grandison-Markey’s skilful leadership, spiritual strength and humanitarian principles enable her to guide and empower others. Her capacity to care for and enjoy people is the hallmark of her life, and these qualities characterise those organisations that experience her support.

BCFM Radio, voiceover artist, event host, public speaker, community champion, mentor, health campaigner, Victoria Mutual UK ambassador and mother. A trained early years/special needs educator, Primrose was born, raised and educated, in Jamaica. She migrated to the UK 24 years ago and lives in Bristol. She is passionate about all things Kiwanis (especially her Key Clubbers), anything related to Jamaica’s athletics prowess and presence and can be found at Champs every year. Primrose has a love for and appreciation of Julie mangoes!

Affectionately called ‘Miss Prim’ and ‘Miss Jamaica’, Primrose flies the Jamaican flag in everything she does. She is involved in community work that educates, uplift and promotes unity. In 2003, Primrose had a life-changing accident which forced her to leave the classroom. She found and fell in love with radio in 2008 which led her to get involved in many more causes. She received a kidney transplant in 2018.

Primrose is particularly keen on issues affecting children, young people and the elderly, and will lend herself to any cause that promotes their betterment.

Primrose is also an influencer and campaigner for NHS Blood & Transplant and other NHS causes.

In 2017 Primrose launched the BRISTOL AFRICAN CARIBBEAN EXPO, which aims to highlight Blackowned businesses and to provide a networking platform for the organisations which support them. Primrose is also the current chair of Malcolm X Community Centre, the only Black-led community space in Bristol.

School music programme in Kingston. Born 5 July 1939 in Kingston, he began performing at 12 years old, releasing his first single, “On the Beach” with Clement Dodds in 1959.

He was the pianist on the Folkes Brothers original and world-renowned recording, “Oh Carolina”, produced by Prince Buster and featured on several other pre-ska recordings. It is said that Gray assisted the young and shy Millie Small at Clement Dodd’s rehearsal studio at Love Lane downtown Kingston. Gray wrote “Sugar Plum”, which was Millie’s first recording.

His catalogue spans R&B, ska, rocksteady and reggae. He was one of the first artists to be produced by world-renowned producer and record label owner Chris Blackwell in 1960, and his single, “Patricia”, was the first record released by Island Records. Gray worked with music producers like Clement Dodd, Arthur “Duke” Reid and Sly and Robbie.

Gray released hit singles like; “Please Don’t Let Me Go”, “Runnin Round”, “Mash It”, and the classic Sly and Robbie present Owen Gray on Top album, which brought great success and solidified his legacy in Jamaica’s musical history.

He migrated to the UK in 1962, toured Europe (1964) and by 1966 established himself as a soul and ska singer. In 1970 Apollo12 found favour with skinheads, and, in 1972, he returned to Island Records, recording a reggae version of the Stones “Tumblin Dice” and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”; neither was successful. However, Gray’s “Hail the Man”, a tribute to Haile Selassie, was a success in Jamaica. In the 1980s, Grey relocated to Miami, US and continues to be active in the Jamaican music industry.

Norma Gregory, a historian, broadcaster and director of Nottingham News Centre, was born in Nottingham in 1969 to Jamaican parents who migrated to the UK from the parish of St Catherine in 1962 (father) and 1965 (mother) respectively to support the post-war rebuilding effort.

Norma Gregory successfully completed a BA (Hons) in English, an MA and postgraduate certificates in teaching from St Mary’s University, London, UCL Institute of Education University of London and University of Nottingham respectively. She has researched and produced educational materials to help develop, expand and enrich African Caribbean experiences in the UK to address misrepresentations of history.

She has spent more than 25 years in the field of African Caribbean heritage preservation and has worked on a number of acclaimed heritage projects, including the Black Coal Miners research, 2014-2018, George Africanus research, Blue heritage plaque and train naming, 2012-2018.

Gregory’s publications include, Jamaicans in Nottingham, 2015, poetry - Crocked Carousal, 2017 and African narratives literary preservation, 2007-2012.

Gregory has contributed to mainstream media productions regarding African-Caribbean heritage.

Additionally, her work has been well documented in broadcast media and press, which was recognised formally by the University of Nottingham in 2017.

As an established historian, Gregory founded the Nottingham News Centre in 2013, a social enterprise that works in active partnership with sponsors and other organisations to support events and activities that promote the advancement of heritage, education, inclusion and equality for all. She is currently working with English Heritage on Black Heritage in the UK.

to the UK in the 1960s to join her parents. Educated at the Lavender Hill Secondary Girls School, South London, she subsequently trained as a state registered nurse (SRN), and then qualified as a midwife.

After many years as a midwife, Sherill got promoted to midwifery sister. Then qualified and became a health visitor. She developed an interest in Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, a disease that affects African Caribbean, South Asians and Mediterranean communities.

This led her to pursue a career as a specialist nurse for sickle cell and thalassaemia.

Sherill galvanised the community by setting up support groups for patients with sickle cell and their families.

Sherill Gregory was a former chair of Merton Oasis (Mental Health) Aces, and worked extensively with local churches and small groups in planning services and community events and activities, organising cultural activities to bring the Diaspora together.

Sherill has also been a member of NAJ(UK) (Nursing Association of Jamaica UK) for over 25 years, and is the executive secretary who works closely with the executive team to deliver the objective of the organisation.

The Griffiths family migrated to the UK in 1961 to Coventry where he was raised. Educated at Bablake School, graduating in 1979 with an LLB (Hons) from the London School of Economics.

Courtenay Griffiths QC began as a legal assistant to the Greater London Council’s Police Support Committee. He spent 12 months as a Revson Fellow at City College, New York. On his return to the UK, he practised mainly in Leeds and Bradford courts, West Yorkshire, and was made Queen’s Counsel in 1998.

Griffiths has been involved in some very high-profile and notable cases. He has a wide-ranging practice in domestic and International Criminal Law and is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding jury advocates of his generation.

He practices from Bedford Row Chambers, recently voted ‘Crime Set of the Year’. Griffiths also sits part-time in the Crown Court as a recorder, chairs the Public Affairs Committee of the Bar Council, and worked for several years as chair of its Race Relations Committee.

Courtenay Griffiths QC holds honorary doctorate of Laws degrees from both Coventry University and Leeds Metropolitan University. In 2008, he gave the annual Norman Manley Lecture at the Norman Manley Law School, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He is a trustee of the Bernie Grant Trust.

In April 2021 the UK Diversity Legal Awards awarded Courtenay Griffiths QC the BSN Lifetime Achievement Award.

Norma Gregory

Historian

Cherry Groce Foundation

The Cherry Groce Foundation is a registered charity which offers a wide range of support primarily for marginalised Black, Caribbean and African communities who continue to be discriminated against in British society. This is especially due to race, class and disability.

Founded by her son Lee Lawrence, the foundation offers a variety of services, including community transport. It also seeks to assist in social and restorative justice and provide education and guidance in overcoming adversity.

In 1967 she joined Northampton’s St John Ambulance Brigade (StJAB), following the footsteps of her late mother, who had been a member of the StJAB in Kingston, Jamaica. In the mid- 1970s, Gulley supported the African Caribbean Elderly Society in an advocacy role.

In the early 1980’s, Gulley worked voluntarily as an immigration advocate supporting members of the African Caribbean community, including those seeking British citizenship.

In the 1990s, at the Northampton African Caribbean Health & Resource Centre (NACH&RC), she supported mainly Black males with mental health challenges. Following her father’s death, Gulley sold the contents of his home and donated the proceeds to several charitable causes, including disabled people in Jamaica and started a bank account for the NACH&RC, music and computer workshops.

and is well-known as an outstanding rugby player. He is one of two sons of a Jamaican, Henry and English mother, Sue. The couple met after Henry ran Sue over with his bicycle.

Jeremy Guscott attended the Ralph Allen Comprehensive School. He played rugby for his home city (Bath) throughout his career, amateur and professional. He worked as a bricklayer, a bus driver and in public-relations for British Gas, before the game turned professional.

He rose through the ranks at Bath to gain a regular place in the club’s first 15, and marked his international debut against Romania in 1989 with a hat-trick of tries. He was respected by fellow rugby players and fans worldwide for his speed, determination and all-round skill. Between 1984 and 2000 he scored 710 points in 266 games for Bath.

Dorothy ‘Cherry’ Groce was paralysed from the waist down after being shot during a police raid on her home in 1985. The shooting led to rioting in Brixton. She spent 26 years in a wheelchair. Despite suffering life-changing injuries, her daily struggle for a good life for her family and others was an inspiring example of resilience and strength. Her spirit and courage touched the heart of Brixton and the wider community.

Gulley, along with her husband and others, set up the Kemet Music School in 2017. Its purpose is to assist children and young people between 10 and 18 to play a musical instrument. She also set up Heritage Lives Northampton with Canon Wiseman and other community members to support the Windrush at 60, Jamaica at 50 and Windrush 70 events.

She also was instrumental in bringing “The We Were There Exhibition” to Northampton Town Hall to highlight the valuable contribution of Black men and women who served in WWII.

Gulley is a member of MSMA and Association of Jamaica UK London Branch and is the only Black member on the trustees at St Christopher’s Church of England (CoE) War Memorial Home. She retired as a trustee in January 2019.

He was known for his smooth-running style, and was considered one of the finest ball-players of any rugby age. Former England Coach Clive Woodward, called Guscott the “Prince of Centres”, and rugby-writer Stephen Jones hails Guscott as part of his ‘dream centre combination’, along with former New Zealand All-Black Frank Bunce.

One of England’s most capped players; 65 appearances and 140 points. In all, he represented England in three World Cups; 1991, 1995, and 1999, helping England to a Final appearance in 1991.

He was a member of the England team which won successive Grand Slams, and his importance to both Bath and England was illustrated in his immediate selection to both teams after returning from a 17-month career threatening injury.

Guscott was inducted into to the World Rugby Hall of Fame during the opening ceremonies for the Hall’s first physical location in Rugby, Warwickshire. He is a regular pundit on the BBC, ITV and Radio Five Live.

Ra ising The Standard WINDRUSH FLAG

Creator of this Windrush Flag, Nigel Sylvester Guy is the 14th and youngest child of Moses & Nerissa Guy who were both from the village of Belfield in the Parish of St Mary, Jamaica. Nigel Guy lives in Bradford and studied architecture at the Universities of Huddersfield, Amman Jordan and Havanna Cuba. He worked in the construction industry for over 30 years and was managing director for Firebird Homes Ltd. He is a trustee of many charitable organisations.

Nigel has recently focused his attention on the Windrush Generation by lobbying and challenging the British Government’s Hostile Environment policies. He is a director of Windrush Generations UK and the Windrush National Organisation (WNO). He hosts ‘The Reggae Roots & Culture Show’ and ‘Our Guy In Bradford’ and presents on radio BCB106.6fm.

The artwork for the “Windrush Generations -Standing On Their Shoulders” flag and commemorative pin badge was designed by Nigel in 2018. The emblem’s design is based on one of the iconic images signifying the SS Empire Windrush as it was docking into London’s port on June 22nd 1948. The six primary colours of the design are typical of the national flags of the Caribbean and the UK. The rouleaux rounded triangular form of the design is used throughout and has more significant meaning conveying the historical and nautical journey of the African diaspora through three continents - from Africa to the Caribbean/Americas to the UK/Europe, bringing with them lasting rich contributions and their heritage, despite the history of the infamous Transatlantic Trade Triangle.

Carlton “Jackie” Guy MBE

Carlton “Jackie” Guy, a Jamaican dancer and choreographer grew up in Kingston and took up dance as a young boy. While at Windward Road School, he choreographed a dance based on a song by folklorist Louise Bennett-Coverley with whom he had collaborated in the 1967 Pantomime Anacy and Music Boy (1971).

In 1968, Guy joined the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), became a principal dancer, and taught dance at the Social Development Commission, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, and the School of Dance. In addition, he was the director of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Dance Society for almost 18 years.

Carlton “Jackie” Guy was a member of the successful 1985 NDTC tour of England. He relocated to London, and from 1986 onwards, he worked with artists and dancers there. He choreographed Yvonne Brewster’s production of Derek Walcott’s O Babylon! and was appointed artistic director of Kokuma Dance Company (Birmingham), moving the group forward through his JaGuy technique – a fusion of traditional Caribbean dance and folklore with elements of contemporarydance.

Guy won the Black Dance Awards for Best Production and Best Choreography and the Prudential Award for Excellence, Innovation and Accessibility. He choreographed the successful London stage version of Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come, which toured internationally.

His Innings 84 Not Out - a tribute to his mother, was performed at the Royal Opera House (2006). As a tribute to Bennett-Coverley, he choreographed Only Fi Yuh (2007) for the Movements Dance Company of Jamaica to mark the company’s Silver Jubilee.

Carlton “Jackie” Guy received a Lifetime Award from the Association of Dance of the African Diaspora (ADAD) in 2011. In 2012 he was awarded the MBE for his outstanding contribution to dance education in the United Kingdom.

On National Heroes Day in 2015, Guy was awarded the Jamaican government’s Order of Distinction, Commander Class (CD).

Kingston, Jamaica, on 7th Street. As a young man, he worked as an insurance broker but struggled financially. So he decided to see whether it was any better abroad. In 1952, Hackett travelled from Jamaica to the UK by ship.

At the age of 24, he landed in Liverpool. He first stayed in Toxteth, Liverpool, then he left for Wolverhampton before moving to London. In London, Hackett secured a job with an engineering firm to build England’s first atomic power station, Hinkley Point, in 1957. He then settled in Bristol.

In 1959, he married his childhood sweetheart, Ena, who arrived in Bristol in 1958, and they had a daughter. Hackett also has an older daughter from a previous relationship in Jamaica.

Hackett played a prominent role in the Bristol Bus Boycott. In 1963, a Bristol bus company refused to employ Black and Asian bus drivers. Hackett and others marshalled the 3,000-strong Caribbean community into a boycott. The boycott resulted in the bus company conceding.

Hackett co-founded the Commonwealth Co-ordinated Committee (CCC) in 1962. The CCC was established to improve the quality of life for people in St Pauls.

From 1968 to 1979, the CCC set up and ran the St Paul’s African Caribbean Carnival. The CCC changed its name to Bristol West Indian Parents and Friends Association, of which Roy is the chairperson.

In 2020 he was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his outstanding services and contribution to Bristol.

Jamaican-born British sociologist, cultural theorist and activist. Hall was one of the founding figures of British Cultural Studies and Birmingham School of Cultural Studies.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he attended Jamaica College. In the 1950s, Hall was a founder of the influential New Left Review.

In 1951 he won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, Merton College, where he studied English. Hall obtained an MA and embarked on a PhD. He abandoned his study to focus on his politics.

From 1958 to 1960, Hall worked as a teacher in a London secondary school and adult education.

He joined the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) at Birmingham University later that year.

Hall took over, as acting director of CCCS in 1968, as director in 1972, and remained there until 1979. Hall is credited for playing a role in expanding the scope of cultural studies to deal with race and gender.

Hall left CCCS in 1979 to become a professor of sociology at the Open University. He was president of the British Sociological Association (1995–97).

He retired from the Open University in 1997 and was Professor Emeritus.

He wrote a number of influential articles in the years that followed, including Situating Marx: Evaluations and Departures (1972) and Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse (1973). He also contributed to the book Policing the Crisis (1978) and coedited the influential Resistance Through Rituals (1977). The Observer called him “one of the country’s leading cultural theorists”.

Mickela Hall-Ramsay was born in February 1987 in Hackney, London, to Jamaican parents. She developed a love for sports at an early age.

At university, Ramsay focused on the impact sports had on positive youth development. She has obtained a degree in Sports Science (first class) and Masters in Sports Management (2009). However, alongside her ambition and dedication to hard work, other motivating factors, including the sudden death of her sister and the rise in youth gun and knife crime, led to the formation of HR Sports Academy (HRSA) in 2008.

Health Resources and Services Administration delivers sports sessions, sports education and community development programmes targeted at schools and disadvantaged communities. She and her brother Christian Hall-Ramsay are its proud directors.

To date, her programme has touched the lives of over 30,000 participants and provided employment opportunities for hundreds of young people.

Ramsay won the Social Enterprise of the Year at the Precious Awards (2018). She is the recipient of the Young Volunteer of the Year at the Haringey, Celebrating Sports Awards (2007) and Voluntary Service Provider of the Year at the 2017 BBI UK Enterprise Minds Awards. She was also highly commended for the Community Impact Award for improving the lives of children and young people at the 2017 Haringey Community Expo.

Ramsay’s plan created an outlet particularly for marginalised young people of African Caribbean descent.

came to England in the 1960s and settled in London with a view to going into photography. Instead Hamilton embarked on a career as a sports journalist with the Caribbean Times and the Jamaica Gleaner during the 1970s.

Between 1982 and 1986, he co-launched and edited Sports Scene through which he encouraged the development of Black sporting excellence. This led him to launch the Commonwealth Sports Awards (CSA) in 1980. From its humble beginnings at Islington Town Hall in London, the Awards have grown from strength to strength, encompassing sporting heroes across some 71 nations and endorsed by the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Games Federation.

Wood since June 2004 and was appointed cabinet member for Health and Social Care in May 2015. Her parents migrated from St Thomas and Spanish Town, 1961 (father) and 1962 (mother), respectively, to Birmingham, UK. She was raised and educated in Hockley and Handsworth. Hamilton held a number of nursing roles before working at the Royal College of Nursing as a professional development advisor.

Hamilton is the chair of numerous Boards: City’s Health and Wellbeing Board; Mental Health Systems Strategy Board; member of 300 Voices Board; Police and Crime Commissioners Victim Commission Board; Handsworth Association of School Board Member Trustee; and a school governor. Hamilton is also the vice-chair of the Community Wellbeing Board at the LGA (Local Government Association) in London.

As cabinet member for Health and Social Care, Hamilton works with citizens, and health partners, to create a more joined-up health and social care service to improve outcomes, with a focus on prevention, independence and enablement.

In 1982, Hamilton published the History of Black Pearls of Soccer, celebrating Black footballing talent in the UK. He organised the first football tournament between Black British players and the Jamaican national team in 1987, which laid the foundations of professional football in the Caribbean and culminated in Jamaica qualifying for the France ’98 World Cup finals, a feat repeated by Trinidad & Tobago at Germany 2006.

In 1999, alongside Rodney Hines, Hamilton co-authored the A-Z of Black Football. He has also mentored and supported Black British sports journalists and developed extensive links with Black sporting stars for more than 30 years, as is reflected in the continued success of the CSA. Al Hamilton was made an MBE in 2003 for services to journalism and sports.

Hamilton is passionate about putting in place changes that will enable and empower citizens to be more proactive in taking responsibility for managing and meeting their own care needs with the support of their families and local communities.

Mickela Hall-Ramsay Social Entrepreneur

Patties - A Jamaican staple snack, definitely a favourite! Courtesy K.Loren

Andy Hamilton MBE Musician

Andy’ Hamilton (26th March 1918-3rd June 2012) was a Jamaican-born jazz saxophonist and composer.

He was first exposed to music in church as a child in Saint Mary, Jamaica. Hamilton learned to play jazz on a bamboo instrument, whilst his friends played oil drums, forming his first band, ‘Silvershine’, in 1928.

As a young man, he travelled to the US to work short jazz residencies in New York. In Jamaica, he worked for Hollywood actor Errol Flynn on his yacht and in his hotel, a hideaway for celebrities, in Port Antonio as a musical arranger in the late 1940s.

In 1949, he migrated to Birmingham. Shocked at the wretched conditions, a community-minded Hamilton, together with friends, organised social events for migrants to soften the blow of circumstances, the blatant racism and nostalgia for ‘home’.

He organised and performed at functions across the Midlands. He promoted numerous Caribbean bands. For years, he had a residency at the Bearwood Corks in the West Midlands.

Hamilton released his first album in 1991, aged 73. Silvershine became the biggest selling UK Jazz Album of the Year. In 1994, Jamaica By Night album was released, which led to national and international concerts. Hamilton was a regular feature at jazz haunts, including the Symphony Hall, Jazz Café, Ronnie Scott’s, and The Drum.

Hamilton was recognised with an MBE in January 2008 for services to music. In 2008 he gained a Birmingham University Millennium Fellowship, and a few weeks before his 90th birthday, he was made honorary fellow of the Birmingham Conservatoire.

He is survived by his wife Mary and their eight children and his five children in Jamaica.

and Chinese descent. Her father was from Guangdong and her mother from Jamaica. Born in Tweedside, Clarendon, Jamaica she travelled to the UK in 1959 on a scholarship to work with an architectural firm but soon became involved in Black theatre productions.

Hammond later won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and later, she, worked with Yvonne Brewster, Carmen Munroe, and Inigo Espejel to found Talawa Theatre Company (1985), which became one of the UK’s most prominent Black theatre companies.

Hammond has had a long and distinguished stage career. Her first leading role was as Lady Macbeth at the Roundhouse (1970). Hammond went on to star in many plays by up-and-coming Black writers: Sweet Talk by Michael Abbensetts, 11 Josephine House by Alfred Fagon and several plays written by Mustapha Matura including As Time Goes By, Play Mas and Playboy of the West Indies.

Hammond is best known for her work on British television, including playing Blossom Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, Susu in Desmond’s (199094) and its spin-off Porkpie (1995–96) and Us Girls (1992–93). In 1999, she played Nan in the children’s TV series Pig-Heart Boy (novel by Malorie Blackman) and later Babyfather (2001) and White Teeth (2002).

Her film credits include Fords on Water (1983), Manderlay (2005) and Kinky Boots (2006). She appeared in the 2008 movie 10,000 BC, directed by Roland Emmerich.

In 1999, she played Nan in the children’s TV series Pig-Heart Boy (novel by Malorie Blackman) and appeared in Babyfather (2001) and White Teeth (2002).

Yorkshire. Hanley’s Jamaican parents migrated to Britain in the ‘60s.

Hanley made his professional debut for Bradford Northern in 1978 and became a regular fixture at the club. He scored 55 tries in only 37 matches. He won the Man of Steel (1978) award for the biggest impact in the season and First Division Player of the Year.

Hanley signed for Wigan in 1985 and finished his first and second seasons with 35 and 63 trys, respectively, an all-time record. In 1987, Hanley was awarded his second Man of Steel award and led Wigan to their first league title in 27 years.

Hanley was inducted into the Wigan Hall of Fame in 2007. During his leadership at Wigan, Hanley made 202 appearances and scored 189 tries, winning a World Club Championship, 4 Challenge Cup winners medals, 3 Championships, 1 Premiership, 4 John Player Trophy Winners medals and 4 Lancashire Cup Winners medals.

Hanley captained the winning 1988 Great Britain Lions tour against Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. Hanley was capped 34 times by Great Britain.

Devon Hanson B.Ed Education

Devon Hanson arrived in England from Jamaica aged 10 and was brought up on a council estate in Peckham, South London. Having left school aged 16 by his mid-twenties he decided to become a teacher.

After gaining a degree from Roehampton University he found himself back in the neighbourhood where he grew up, teaching children just like himself. He went on to build a career as a pastoral leader and trouble-shooter, challenging secondary schools in Lambeth and Southwark.

When Hanson became Deputy Headmaster of Stockwell Park High School he was well aware of its challenges. it had handed out hundreds of fixed term exclusions in just one year and had an environment in which bullying and disorder were normal. In 2007, Hanson took up his first headship as Principal of Walworth Academy in Southwark, formerly the failed Walworth School. However, when Hanson left both schools they were meeting Ofsted’s improvement requirements.

At Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton, London, Hanson was under no illusion about the magnitude of the task ahead. Students were underperforming, the school was rated “requires improvement.” Behaviour was poor and staff turnover was high, and in the summer he joined, 32 teachers had left. Furthermore, Hanson was its third Head in five years. Two years later when Ofsted returned, the school was rated “good” in all categories.

At each school where he taught, Hanson had applied a different strategy according to the need. At Evelyn Grace he introduced a police liaison officer to get students to see a more human side to law enforcement, stating “It was important to me that, rather than their growing up with this hostility, they get to know the police and realise that law and order is necessary in society.” The officer, based at the school throughout the week, wears his uniform, without any of the attachments, such as handcuffs and participating in PSHE lessons.

Hanson works on the principle that schools should ensure that every child’s educational journey is positive and enriching, underpinned by high quality teaching and a curriculum that supports individual needs and acceleration. Quality enrichment activities - including educational visits to museums, exhibitions and residential events are backed up by a robust assessment process.

London Borough of Hackney as an activist, Labour councillor, mayor, magistrate and deacon.

Born in Jamaica, Hanson migrated to the UK in 1962 after working on a sugar plantation, where he was an active member of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU). His first job in London was in a plastic moulding factory in Peckham. He married Phyllis in 1965, later moved to Stoke Newington, employed as a mechanical assistant at Transport of London. The couple had four children.

Hanson represented Kings Park Ward from 198286, then Homerton Ward from 1986 to 2003. As a Councillor, he held several senior positions, including, vice-chair of Housing Services from 1982-84, deputy mayor from 1983-84, mayor from 1984-85. Hanson was also responsible as chair/vice for; Social Services (1986-87), Planning and Economic Development (1987-88), Environmental Services Planning and Economic Development Services (1988-90), and Planning Sub-Committee.

Hanson was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1991 and served as a school governor for Kingsmead, Daubeney, and Homerton House Schools until 1994. He helped organise and chair a youth against crime conference in Hackney, and in 2003 received a Metropolitan Volunteer Award from the commissioner of police.

Hanson also served as a member of the Hackney Community Policy Consultative Group, Community Advocate, Independent Advisory Group member, and Deacon of Homerton Baptist Church.

to Uriah and Ann Harding, the fifth of seven siblings. He attended Mount Peto School and Mount Ward School but left school at 16 years old and began working locally on the roads of Saddlers Hill. Harding was known for his cricketing prowess and was an accomplished guitarist.

He migrated to Leicester, England, seeking better opportunities. Harding worked in various jobs in general maintenance. He went on to work at Richards Engineering, making engineering parts, then later at Belgrave Dry-Cleaner. He eventually worked as a bus conductor and later as a bus driver until his retirement.

Harding established the Leicester Caribbean Credit Union in 1974; he is still a committee member after 40 years of service. Harding was also a founder member and vice-chair of Leicester United Caribbean Service, which provided support and addressed many issues faced by Caribbean migrants and their descendants.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Harding joined Leicester City Council Housing Sub-Committee to help the disadvantaged attain housing and welfare.

In the 1990s, he was social secretary and later vice chair of Leicester Jamaica Community Service Group (LJCSG), which contributed to the development of the African Caribbean residents around Saturday Schools and Know Your Neighbour.

Harding served on the Highfield Community Management Council (HCMC) as chairperson for three years sponsored by the police to combat crime.

Harding, who received the Public Award of Achievement for his activism passed away in November 2020.

Ainsley Harriott MBE

Celebrity Chef

Ainsley Harriott (28 February 1957) is a TV celebrity chef born in London to Chester Harriott and Peppy Strudwick.

His father, Chester Leroy Harriot, was a jazz pianist from Jamaica who came to England in 1952 on a scholarship to the Royal School of Music, He played as part of the Variety act, Harriott and Evans for eight years during the fifties. His mother was a nurse from Jamaica, whose father, Clifford T. Strudwick, had cooked at the White House for President Franklin Roosevelt. The family, including brother and sister, grew up in Balham, south London.

Encouraged by his mother, Harriott trained in culinary skills at Westminster College. At 16, he became a trainee at a London restaurant, where he became a commis chef. He was later appointed a chef tournant at the Strand Palace Hotel, London.

He briefly left catering to join “The Calypso Twins”, a singing comedy duo (with Paul Boross). Returning to catering, he became head chef at the Long Room at the Lords Cricket Ground.

In 2000, Harriott made his debut on US TV with The Ainsley Harriott Show, which ran for more than 100 episodes. He went on to host Ready, Set... Cook!, Ainsley’s Barbecue Bible, Ainsley’s Meals in Minutes, Ainsley’s Big Cook Out and Ainsley’s Gourmet Express.

In 2015, he was a contestant on the primetime show Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC. In January 2019, Harriott hosted the beautifully shot Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen on ITV, in which he explored the culinary cuisines across the Caribbean Islands.

In June 2020, after 30 years as a chef, he received his MBE for services to broadcasting and to the culinary arts from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Veryl Cruise wed George Harriott and they had three sons together. The family came to England in 1960 and settled in Leeds.

Harriott was an active campaigner within the Chapeltown community and one of the founding members of the Leeds Afro West Indian Brotherhood 1971, which set up the first Black history classes in Chapeltown and was one of the founders of Chapeltown News in 1972.

The Yorkshire Evening Post described Harriott as one of the leading Caribbean advocates.

In 1975 she was appointed the managing director of the Chapeltown Citizens’ Advice Bureau, making her the first Black person to head a CAB.

She was the coordinator of Harambee House and vicechair of the National Racial Equality Council.

Harriot worked with the national body of the CAB across England. She also worked as regional officer for the National Association for Race Equality, an assessor to the Courts on the Race Relations Act and governor for the Colleges of Building and Technology.

Harriot passed at the age of 83 in 2018. She is remembered as one of the foremost advocates for racial equality in Leeds, keen on building bridges across Leeds with residents from the many Caribbean islands.

few women passengers who travelled to England on the Empire Windrush in June 1948 she is listed as Harris. Lucilda. 31. Dressmaker.

Harris’s husband, a tailor, saved enough money for her passage to England. In an interview recorded by the BBC in 1998 she recalls:

“Jamaica in 1948 was all right to me, it was quite calm. I was living in Port Antonio, which is 60 miles from Kingston, so we were all living happily with everyone. If my husband had not sent for me, I would not have come at that point, maybe later? It was a big troopship, Empire Windrush, and you had lots of soldiers, and lots of people coming to England.”

Harris landed at Tilbury Docks, Essex, 22 June 1948 she was met by her husband and his brother. She was excited but surprised at the state of how Britain looked.

“I tell you that when I came here, there were hardly any buildings standing. Far as you can see, the German bombs had caused much destruction in London.”

Harris was also shocked she had to live in one room in Brixton. Many Caribbean migrants settled in the area.

Harris put down roots in Brixton and raised a family of five siblings, including three boys.

Over the years, Harris contributed to the community in Brixton and played a part in making it a pleasant place to live and work. She also helped other migrants when they arrived in the 1950’s.

Samuel Beaver King MBE over the years

Naomie Melanie Harris OBE Actress

Naomie Harris was born on 6 September 1976 in Islington, London. Harris’s mother, Lisselle Kayla, migrated to London from Jamaica as a child with her parents. Harris’s father was a fashion designer from Trinidad. The couple separated before Harris was born.

As a child actress, she appeared in the television series Simon and the Witch in 1987. Harris attended St Marylebone School and Woodhouse College, later graduating from Pembroke College, Cambridge (1998) with a degree in social and political sciences.

Harris went on to train as an actress at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Harris portrayed the voodoo witch Tia Dalma in Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End; Selena in Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic film, 28 Days Later; and Winnie Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

She garnered attention for her performance as Eve Moneypenny in the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre; Hortense Roberts in Andrea Levy’s Small Island television film (2009) In 2016 she starred in the critically acclaimed film Moonlight, which earned Harris several accolades, including Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

Harris also did a comic turn in Michael Winterbottom’s indie ensemble piece, A Cock and Bull Story and appeared in the television adaptation of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.

Harris played Elizabeth Lavenza in the stage production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the National Theatre (22 February to 2 May 2011).

Harris was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.

professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2013. Harrison was born in West London to Jamaican parents, brought up by his father, Vincent Harrison, who came to England as a 22-year-old.

Boxing out of Repton Amateur Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, London, Harrison became British super-heavyweight champion in 1997 and won Gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Despite the busy training schedules and travelling for boxing competitions, Audley Harrison joined Brunel University, England. In 1999, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Science and Leisure Management.

He represented Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, winning a gold medal as a superheavyweight, becoming the first-ever British boxer to win Olympic gold in that division. After his Olympic medal win, Harrison was honoured as a Member of the British Empire (MBE).

Harrison turned professional the following year, then signed a contract with BBC Sport and went on to have seventeen fights on the network. He relocated to the US, where he was unbeaten in 11 fights with 8 knockouts.

Harrison’s return to the UK in 2003 was followed by a spate of bad luck, injuries and defeats. He was in a car accident in 2007. However, Harrison became the European heavyweight champion in 2010. He then was defeated by WBA champion David Haye in a world-title fight. A further defeat in 2013 by the unbeaten American prospect Deontay Wilder cemented Harrison’s retirement from boxing.

His career as a boxer paved the way for the likes of Anthony Joshua and others. Harrison lives in Los Angeles with partner Raychel and their two children.

Bay, Jamaica, of Sephardic Jewish and mixed heritage.

His father was Ansell Hart, a solicitor and author. Hart was educated in Jamaica and England, where he attended boarding school at Denstone College in Staffordshire.

Hart became a founding member of the People’s National Party (PNP) in 1938 and was an active member of the party’s Executive Committee between 1941 and 1952, during which he drafted a model trade union constitution, assisting Alexander Bustamante. At the beginning of developments (1940), Hart was arrested for organising a demonstration demanding Bustamante’s release from prison. He qualified as a solicitor (1941) and was imprisoned without trial by the British colonial government for his political activities (1942).

Hart lived in Guyana for two years, later relocating to London in 1965, working as a solicitor and co-founding the campaigning organisation Caribbean Labour Solidarity. He served as attorney-general in Grenada under the People’s Revolutionary Government in 1983 and spent the latter years of his life in Bristol, UK.

Hart essential reading includes: Towards Decolonisation: Political, Labour and Economic Developments in Jamaica 1939–1945 (1999), Slaves who Abolished Slavery: Blacks in Rebellion (2002), and The Grenada Revolution: Setting the Record Straight (2005). He lectured on these subjects at universities in the Caribbean, US, Canada and Europe.

Hart received the Gold Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica for his excellent contributions and achievements in historical research (2005).

UWI ran a three-day conference on Hart’s work: Politics, Activism and History (2006). In addition, he gained honorary degrees from Universities; West of England, West Indies and Hull.

Albert & Inez Haughton Activism

Albert Alexander Haughton (19101978) was born in St James, Jamaica, and Agatha Haughton née Henry (Russell) (1914-1990) was born in Manchester, Jamaica. The couple married in Jamaica and migrated to England in the fifties.

Houghton travelled first, arriving in England in 1952, and settled in Birmingham as a builder. His wife joined him a year later. Like many of those around them, they initially faced tough times.

Their home was often a place of refuge for persons of every colour, creed and nationality. They became de facto parents for many during times of systematic abandonment.

As a couple, they set out to learn and teach other migrants how to cope with the challenges and obstacles of living in Britain. They fed and housed homeless families until they got on their feet, and served as mentors, counsellors and financial advisors to their immediate surroundings.

They taught self-sufficiency and financial independence, believing strongly in the value of education, and encouraged young and old to obtain vocational skills and academic/professional qualifications. They were also very active within their Methodist church community.

The Houghton’s were nominated and awarded by the Birmingham Mercury with the Jubilee Year Award for “being the kind of person who can never turn a deaf ear or a blind eye when help is needed.”

Their help ranged from fostering young children to helping the very old as well as other public services through being leading members of the Jamaica Community Service Group.

record of achievement in public and voluntary sector organisations in the UK.

Haye was born in Manchester, Jamaica. She grew up in the neighbouring parish of St. Elizabeth. In 1959 Haye migrated to Britain and enrolled at Pitman’s College.

In the 1960s, Haye worked as a youth officer in Brent Education Service. In 1972, she attended Swansea University and achieved a postgraduate diploma in Youth Leadership and Organisation.

She was a corporate governor at West Hertfordshire College of Further and Higher Education and worked at Brunel University, London, as a tutor and fieldwork supervisor on the postgraduate diploma in youth and community. In 1973, Haye was promoted to senior lecturer, and later head of department.

In 1990, she graduated with a masters in public and social administration from Brunel. Haye played a substantial role in setting up the university’s first apprenticeship partnership training programme for youth leaders. She was made an honorary fellow at Brunel (2006).

In 1993, she founded and ran the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. In 2001, she was made an honorary fellow of the University of Hertfordshire, and a governor in 2006.

In 2001, she became the first Black deputy lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

Haye’s outstanding commitment and contributions have been recognised in the Lord Pitt Life Achievement Award and the Order of the British Empire, for services to Education Criminal Justice and Charity (2015).

who fought back against racism and injustice in Birmingham. He was born and raised in St Catherine, Jamaica. He migrated to the UK in 1960, aged 16, to join his father.

Upon experiencing injustice, Hayles became an active member of his community in Birmingham, working with charities to help the underprivileged and organising numerous campaigns against injustices and various deaths of people in police custody.

In 1998, Hayles contributed to the public inquiry into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and provided written and oral evidence.

Hayles’ Lifetime achievements are too many to mention. However, listed below are a few organisations that he has chaired: Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit, 1986-2012; Sandwell African Caribbean Forum Housing Project, 1998-2003; Sandwell Racial Harassment Unit, 2001-2003; Sandwell African Caribbean Consultative Body, 1998-2003; 1990 Trust, 2001-2006. Home Office Victim Advisory Panel, 2002-2005;

He has been the recipient of many awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from Inspiring a Generation, 2013; the National Active Community Award for “Building a Fair and Just Community”, 2000; the Elder Diversity Award from the New Nation newspaper 2000; Sandwell Young Afro-Caribbean Achievers Award, 2001; Trust Lifetime Achievement award for his work defending human rights and race equality, 2008; West Midlands Police Authority Community Service Award in the aftermath of the deaths of three young Asian men in Birmingham, 2011; Lifetime Achievement Legacy award from Black Sox, the Society of Black Lawyers, and Operation Black Vote 2016.

His autobiography Taking it to the Max was published in 2016, launched at the Houses of Parliament by Simon Woolley, founder of Operation Black Vote.

Naomie Melanie Harris OBE Actress

Naomie Harris was born on 6 September 1976 in Islington, London. Harris’s mother, Lisselle Kayla, migrated to London from Jamaica as a child with her parents. Harris’s father was a fashion designer from Trinidad. The couple separated before Harris was born.

As a child actress, she appeared in the television series Simon and the Witch in 1987. Harris attended St Marylebone School and Woodhouse College, later graduating from Pembroke College, Cambridge (1998) with a degree in social and political sciences.

Harris went on to train as an actress at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Harris portrayed the voodoo witch Tia Dalma in Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End; Selena in Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic film, 28 Days Later; and Winnie Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

She garnered attention for her performance as Eve Moneypenny in the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre; Hortense Roberts in Andrea Levy’s Small Island television film (2009) In 2016 she starred in the critically acclaimed film Moonlight, which earned Harris several accolades, including Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

Harris also did a comic turn in Michael Winterbottom’s indie ensemble piece, A Cock and Bull Story and appeared in the television adaptation of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.

Harris played Elizabeth Lavenza in the stage production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the National Theatre (22 February to 2 May 2011).

Harris was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.

professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2013. Harrison was born in West London to Jamaican parents, brought up by his father, Vincent Harrison, who came to England as a 22-year-old.

Boxing out of Repton Amateur Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, London, Harrison became British super-heavyweight champion in 1997 and won Gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Despite the busy training schedules and travelling for boxing competitions, Audley Harrison joined Brunel University, England. In 1999, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Science and Leisure Management.

He represented Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, winning a gold medal as a superheavyweight, becoming the first-ever British boxer to win Olympic gold in that division. After his Olympic medal win, Harrison was honoured as a Member of the British Empire (MBE).

Harrison turned professional the following year, then signed a contract with BBC Sport and went on to have seventeen fights on the network. He relocated to the US, where he was unbeaten in 11 fights with 8 knockouts.

Harrison’s return to the UK in 2003 was followed by a spate of bad luck, injuries and defeats. He was in a car accident in 2007. However, Harrison became the European heavyweight champion in 2010. He then was defeated by WBA champion David Haye in a world-title fight. A further defeat in 2013 by the unbeaten American prospect Deontay Wilder cemented Harrison’s retirement from boxing.

His career as a boxer paved the way for the likes of Anthony Joshua and others. Harrison lives in Los Angeles with partner Raychel and their two children.

Bay, Jamaica, of Sephardic Jewish and mixed heritage.

His father was Ansell Hart, a solicitor and author. Hart was educated in Jamaica and England, where he attended boarding school at Denstone College in Staffordshire.

Hart became a founding member of the People’s National Party (PNP) in 1938 and was an active member of the party’s Executive Committee between 1941 and 1952, during which he drafted a model trade union constitution, assisting Alexander Bustamante. At the beginning of developments (1940), Hart was arrested for organising a demonstration demanding Bustamante’s release from prison. He qualified as a solicitor (1941) and was imprisoned without trial by the British colonial government for his political activities (1942).

Hart lived in Guyana for two years, later relocating to London in 1965, working as a solicitor and co-founding the campaigning organisation Caribbean Labour Solidarity. He served as attorney-general in Grenada under the People’s Revolutionary Government in 1983 and spent the latter years of his life in Bristol, UK.

Hart essential reading includes: Towards Decolonisation: Political, Labour and Economic Developments in Jamaica 1939–1945 (1999), Slaves who Abolished Slavery: Blacks in Rebellion (2002), and The Grenada Revolution: Setting the Record Straight (2005). He lectured on these subjects at universities in the Caribbean, US, Canada and Europe.

Hart received the Gold Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica for his excellent contributions and achievements in historical research (2005).

UWI ran a three-day conference on Hart’s work: Politics, Activism and History (2006). In addition, he gained honorary degrees from Universities; West of England, West Indies and Hull.

Albert & Inez Haughton Activism

Albert Alexander Haughton (19101978) was born in St James, Jamaica, and Agatha Haughton née Henry (Russell) (1914-1990) was born in Manchester, Jamaica. The couple married in Jamaica and migrated to England in the fifties.

Houghton travelled first, arriving in England in 1952, and settled in Birmingham as a builder. His wife joined him a year later. Like many of those around them, they initially faced tough times.

Their home was often a place of refuge for persons of every colour, creed and nationality. They became de facto parents for many during times of systematic abandonment.

As a couple, they set out to learn and teach other migrants how to cope with the challenges and obstacles of living in Britain. They fed and housed homeless families until they got on their feet, and served as mentors, counsellors and financial advisors to their immediate surroundings.

They taught self-sufficiency and financial independence, believing strongly in the value of education, and encouraged young and old to obtain vocational skills and academic/professional qualifications. They were also very active within their Methodist church community.

The Houghton’s were nominated and awarded by the Birmingham Mercury with the Jubilee Year Award for “being the kind of person who can never turn a deaf ear or a blind eye when help is needed.”

Their help ranged from fostering young children to helping the very old as well as other public services through being leading members of the Jamaica Community Service Group.

record of achievement in public and voluntary sector organisations in the UK.

Haye was born in Manchester, Jamaica. She grew up in the neighbouring parish of St. Elizabeth. In 1959 Haye migrated to Britain and enrolled at Pitman’s College.

In the 1960s, Haye worked as a youth officer in Brent Education Service. In 1972, she attended Swansea University and achieved a postgraduate diploma in Youth Leadership and Organisation.

She was a corporate governor at West Hertfordshire College of Further and Higher Education and worked at Brunel University, London, as a tutor and fieldwork supervisor on the postgraduate diploma in youth and community. In 1973, Haye was promoted to senior lecturer, and later head of department.

In 1990, she graduated with a masters in public and social administration from Brunel. Haye played a substantial role in setting up the university’s first apprenticeship partnership training programme for youth leaders. She was made an honorary fellow at Brunel (2006).

In 1993, she founded and ran the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. In 2001, she was made an honorary fellow of the University of Hertfordshire, and a governor in 2006.

In 2001, she became the first Black deputy lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

Haye’s outstanding commitment and contributions have been recognised in the Lord Pitt Life Achievement Award and the Order of the British Empire, for services to Education Criminal Justice and Charity (2015).

who fought back against racism and injustice in Birmingham. He was born and raised in St Catherine, Jamaica. He migrated to the UK in 1960, aged 16, to join his father.

Upon experiencing injustice, Hayles became an active member of his community in Birmingham, working with charities to help the underprivileged and organising numerous campaigns against injustices and various deaths of people in police custody.

In 1998, Hayles contributed to the public inquiry into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and provided written and oral evidence.

Hayles’ Lifetime achievements are too many to mention. However, listed below are a few organisations that he has chaired: Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit, 1986-2012; Sandwell African Caribbean Forum Housing Project, 1998-2003; Sandwell Racial Harassment Unit, 2001-2003; Sandwell African Caribbean Consultative Body, 1998-2003; 1990 Trust, 2001-2006. Home Office Victim Advisory Panel, 2002-2005;

He has been the recipient of many awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from Inspiring a Generation, 2013; the National Active Community Award for “Building a Fair and Just Community”, 2000; the Elder Diversity Award from the New Nation newspaper 2000; Sandwell Young Afro-Caribbean Achievers Award, 2001; Trust Lifetime Achievement award for his work defending human rights and race equality, 2008; West Midlands Police Authority Community Service Award in the aftermath of the deaths of three young Asian men in Birmingham, 2011; Lifetime Achievement Legacy award from Black Sox, the Society of Black Lawyers, and Operation Black Vote 2016.

His autobiography Taking it to the Max was published in 2016, launched at the Houses of Parliament by Simon Woolley, founder of Operation Black Vote.

Audrey Hayles-Parkes (24 December 1965) is a community activist and creative producer.

Hayles-Parkes founded Inspiring a New Generation (ING) in 2006, a platform for young performing artists to showcase their talent and produce culturally focussed events and activities.

In addition, she produced community theatre productions to highlight the struggles and greatness of the African Diaspora.

In 2011, she hosted a tribute showcase in honour of the life and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. She delivered nine years of Martin Luther King tributes at hosted venues in Birmingham, Birmingham Town Hall, Library of Birmingham and Repertory Theatre.

Hayles-Parkes produced and staged Rosa Parks - The Hidden Journey to commemorate the 60th anniversary in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Rosetta Tharpe - Story of the Song; and 2018, King the Aftermath (50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr).

In 2016 Hayles-Parkes and a group of like-minded activists formed Blackstory Partnership to host Birmingham’s Black History Month Launch events.

In celebration of Windrush Day (22 June 2018), she produced a Windrush School Concert in partnership with Birmingham Townhall.

Poem

The revered Jamaican poet Claude Mckay wrote this much loved poem for Inspector W. E. Clarke on the eve of his departure to Britain almost 50 years before the first Windrush pioneers set sail for Britain in 1948.

Farewell, dear Sir, a sad farewell! An’ as across the deep you sail, Bon voyage we wish you: We love you deepest we can, As officer an’ gentleman, With love slncere an’ true.

Though often you have been our judge, We never owed you one lee grudge, For you were always fair:

So, as the sad farewell we say, May Neptune guide you, Sir, we pray, With ever watchful care.

But as you travel to our home, Sad are the strange thoughts which will come, Bringin’ an aching pain; That as this is a fitful life, With disappointments ever rife, We may not meet again.

Yet while our hearts are filled with grief, The god of hope brings sweet relief An’ bids us not despair: Of all our thoughts we cannot tell, But wish you, Sir, a fond farewell, A farewell of good cheer.

21st May, 1911

Victor Headley was born in 1959 in Jamaica and migrated to London, England in 1971. He is the author of the bestselling novel Yardie (1992), which gained cult status upon publication and “heralded a new wave of Black British pulp fiction”.

After leaving school, he had various jobs, from market stallholder to songwriter/band member, journalist to hospital courier. His attempts to write a screenplay became his first novel, Yardie, which depicts a Jamaican courier carrying cocaine from Jamaica to London.

He has sold more than half a million copies and it has been translated into five languages worldwide.

Headley lives in Pointe Noire, Congo, West Africa, because he had an uncle, a staunch Garveyite, who spoke powerfully about Africa and why we should live there.

Other novels by Headley include; Excess (1993) and Yush! (1994) - parts 2 and 3 of the Yardie trilogy, Fetish (1995), Here Comes the Bride (1997), The Best Man (1999), Off Duty (2001) and Seven Seals (2003).

Headley’s latest offering is Domino. Published in July 2018, it tells the story of Dom, “a promising boxing champion, who grew up as a mixed-race adopted child in an all-white world in the North of England”.

In 2010 Warp Films secured an option on the Yardie novel, eventually producing the film adaptation directed by British actor Idris Elba. The film was released in the UK on 31st August 2018.

Audrey Hayles-Parkes Activism

Victor Headley Author

Law

Cyril George Xavier Henriques (5 July 1908 - 18 June 1982) migrated to England with his family in 1919 at the end of the First World War.

Once settled in Hampstead, Henriques and his elder brother were weekly boarders at Francis Xavier College, London. He excelled in sports and was captain of both the football and cricket teams.

Henriques soon developed an interest and showed great skill in public speaking, becoming president of both the literary and debating societies and a member of the dramatic society.

He gained an open scholarship in elocution in 1934 at the London School of Dramatic Art where he played lead roles including the title role in Shakespeare’s Othello in 1935.

He obtained a Bachelor of Law degree at the University of London and then finally became a member of the Society of the Inner Temple, after which he was called to the Bar in 1936. He returned to his homeland and started a career that was to lead him all over the Caribbean and to the top of his field.

Henriques was knighted in 1963, in recognition of all the work he had done in the Colonies, including as crown counsel and resident magistrate in Jamaica 1939-1950.

Between 1950-1974, he was an attorney general in British Honduras (now Belize) a puisne judge in Jamaica 1955; chief justice of the Supreme Court of Windward and Leeward Islands 1958; judge of Appeal Court of Jamaica 1963-68; president of the Court of Appeal, Jamaica 1968-74.

He was recognised as an eloquent and impartial judge who was much revered by colleagues, and many mourned his passing, including his wife Marjory (née Burrowes) and two daughters, Claudette Gentle and Frances Pattinson.

social anthropologist. He was born in Half Way Tree, Kingston, Jamaica, one of six children to Cyril Charles Henriques, an import and export merchant, and his wife, Edith Emily. Henriques came to England as a baby with his entire family in 1919.

Amongst his six siblings were Pauline Crabbe (1914 – 98), an actor, broadcaster and magistrate; and Sir Cyril Henriques (1908–82) ( judge).

During the Second World War, Henriques served as a fireman in London before winning a scholarship to attend Brasenose College, Oxford. He was elected president of the Oxford Union for the Trinity Term in 1946. He completed a PhD, and he married Rosamund (née Seymour), an artist who illustrated his published books. They had three sons and a daughter, Tarquin, Adrian, Julian and Judith Levin. His first position was at Leeds University before being invited to Sussex University in 1964.

Henriques wrote a number of groundbreaking studies on Jamaican and Caribbean sociology. He published Family and Colour in Jamaica (1953), Love in Action (1959), and a three-volume survey, Prostitution and Society (1968) and Children of Caliban (1974).

Henriques also contributed to the founding of the Centre for Multi-Racial Studies in 1968, which was located jointly at the University of Sussex and the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.

Jamaican-born actress, the first Black female actress on British television. Henriques was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Cyril Charles Henriques, a wealthy merchant, and Edith Emily Delfosse. One of six children, she moved with her family to England from Jamaica in 1919. Her elder brother, Cyril George Henriques (1908–1982) was knighted in 1963.

In 1932, she enrolled in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts to study drama. She experienced challenges due to roles that were available to her.

Henriques was a regular presenter on Caribbean Voices for the BBC’s West from the show’s inception in 1943. She was the first Black female actress on British TV in 1946. Cast as Hattie Harris in a 1946 BBC television version of All God’s Chillun Got Wings.

Henriques continued to perform on stage and screen in a variety of roles during the 1950s.

During the later part of her career, Henriques worked extensively in counselling unmarried mothers and championed counselling for pregnant teenagers. In the early 1960s, she was welfare secretary of the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child. In 1966, she helped form the Haverstock Housing Trust, and in 1967 was appointed to the Housing Corporation.

In 1948, Henriques married the actor Neville Cobbiah Crabbe (1923-83), with whom she had one son, Biff Crabbe (born 1953). In 1969 she married Joe Benjamin (1921-1995), taking on three step-sons.

Henriques was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1969. Henriques died in Brighton in 1998.

Sir Cyril George Xavier Henriques

Duane Winston Henry Acting

Duane Henry was born on the 18th March 1985 to Jamaican parents in Birmingham. At the young age of 17, he left his hometown of Birmingham to become a working actor in London.

Henry first appeared on The Afternoon Play, a television series. From 2005-2013, he was cast in the British medical soap opera Doctors and made several guest appearances on television dramas, including Doctor Who, The Bill, and The Cut. In 2010, he was nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Screen National Award for Best Emerging Talent in 2010. In 2011, Henry played a security guard in Madonna’s historical romance drama W.E.

Following his dream, Henry moved from London to Los Angeles in November 2013. His first audition was so impressive, casting asked him to come back and read in front of Jennifer Lopez and Barry Levinson.

Soon after, Henry booked a regular role in the USA pilot Paradise Pictures (about Hollywood in the 1940s) and a recurring role in the pilot of Cruel Intentions.

Henry first entered the NCIS cast as MI6 agent Clayton Reeves in May 2016 for the 23rd episode of the show’s 13th season. Henry’s character featured as a regular on the show in the 14th and 15th seasons.

actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. He is the co-founder of the charity Comic Relief which to date has raised over £1 billion.

He grew up one of seven siblings in Dudley, West Midlands, to Winston and Winifred Henry. He attended St John Primary School and Blue Coat School, in Dudley, followed by W.R. Tuson College, Preston, Lancashire.

Henry’s long career started when he impersonated Stevie Wonder at age 16 and won the New Faces TV show in 1975.

Henry established a long and successful career as a stand-up comedian, comedy performer, actor and character comedian.

The Lenny Henry Show first appeared on the BBC in 1984 - the show ran periodically for 19 years.

He met fellow comedian Dawn French on the comedy circuit - they have a daughter named Billie.

In November 2011, Henry made his debut at the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he produced and performed at Birmingham Repertory and venues in London.

As a mature student, he graduated with a BA Hons in English Literature (Open University) in 2007 and gained a MA (2010) in screenwriting for television and film (Royal Holloway, University of London). His PhD thesis was titled - Does the Coach Have to be Black?

Henry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999. He was knighted for services to drama and charity.

justice in Bristol, and a beacon of the Windrush Generation. He was born and educated in Kingston. After leaving school, he worked as a mason.

In 1955 he migrated to England and was initially employed at the Fry’s Chocolate Factory in Bristol.

In 1962, he established Homelands’ Travel Service, which arranged chartered flights to Jamaica and other destinations until 1989. He was a committed advocate for racial equality and integration in St Pauls, Bristol.

In 1963, Henry, along with others, popularly known as the ‘Seven Saints of St Paul’s, established the Commonwealth Co-ordinated Committee (CCC) to highlight and tackle racial inequality in Bristol.

Along with Dr Paul Stephenson and the West Indian Development Council, he helped organise and initiate the Bristol Bus Boycott, which arose from the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ a Black bus crew.

The boycott drew national attention to racial discrimination in Bristol and Britain. It lasted for four months until the company lifted its ban on employing Black people.

Henry was also a member of the Bristol Council for Racial Equality and the Bristol Police Liaison Committee, which was set up after the St Paul’s Riot in 1980 to improve relations between the police and the community.

In 2019, Henry starred in the Marvel film Captain America as a Talos-Kree soldier.

In 2016, he became chancellor of Birmingham City University, a fellow of the Royal Television Society, received BAFTA Television: Special Award and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University.

In 1979, he was awarded the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service by Jamaica.

Henry’s legacy is enshrined in the St Paul’s Festival Committee, which initiated the annual St Paul’s Carnival.

Dr William Henry Academia/Activism

William Henry was born in Lewisham and is of Jamaican descent; his mother was a machinist and his father worked for British Rail. He and his brother were both tested as academically suitable to attend the local grammar school but forced to go to Samuel Pepys Comprehensive - now Crossways Academy.

Henry was expelled from both school and college, but at the age of 15, Henry was introduced to African history and discovering this history helped give him a sense of identity.

At the age of 18, Henry trained as an industrial pipefitter and worked as a plumbing and heating engineer. His passion for learning nevertheless continued.

Henry enrolled on a course at Goldsmith’s College, University of London, which led to a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology. His PhD studies followed, and in 2003, he qualified as a social anthropologist, briefly becoming a visiting research fellow and lecturer at Goldsmith’s Department of Sociology.

Henry set up ‘Nu-Beyond’ in 1998, an educational programme that focuses on education, race, ethnicity, diversity and political empowerment. He is currently a professor of criminology and sociology.

Henry has also gained a reputation as an international speaker, lecturing at many institutions, including the 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.

best known as Gil Heron. He was the first Black footballer to play for Glasgow Celtic in Scotland.

Heron was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to Walter Gilbert Heron and Lucille Gentles. As a youngster, the family moved to Canada. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

In 1946 he signed to play as a centre forward for various teams in the North American League. He was the top goal scorer in the league.

After playing for Chicago Sparta in 1949, he played for Windsor Corinthians in 1950 and was twice selected to join all-star teams against the touring England national team.

Heron’s fortune changed when spotted by a Glasgow Celtic football scout. Heron signed for the Scottish club in 1951, becoming its first Black footballer and one of the first to play professionally in Scotland.

Heron scored on his debut on 18th August 1951 in a League Cup tie against Morton that Celtic won 2–0.

Heron played in the Scottish football league for a year, he then returned to America.

In 1957, Heron played for Windsor Corinthians and was again selected to play for the Ontario Essex All-Stars.

Heron met Bobbie Scott, an opera singer, while in Chicago, and they had a son in 1949 named Gil Scott-Heron - he became a legendary revolutionary poet and musician. Heron later married Margret and had three more children.

In 1957, Heron played for Windsor Corinthians and was again selected to play for the Ontario Essex All-Stars.

Heron died in Detroit of a heart attack on the 27th November 2008.

to the UK in 1951, where he became a founding member of the Jamaican Merseyside Association Liverpool.

Higgins was a coremaker by trade, which he learnt in Jamaica, but many steelworks in the UK would not employ an African-Caribbean worker. So when he eventually got a job at Stone Manganese Marine, he became a trade unionist, then a shop steward, who would soon embark upon a public service crusade in Toxteth.

Higgins succeeded in opening the first Merseyside Caribbean Centre. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing the Steve Biko Housing Association.

As the chair of the Jamaica Merseyside Association, he brought attention to the issues and concerns of Jamaicans living in Liverpool. He was also on the governing board of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, where he worked with Sir Paul McCartney to recruit more Black students.

Following the 1981 riots, he established a lay visitor scheme for prisoners, continuing this work for years afterwards.

Higgins was also chair of the Jamaica Merseyside Association to raise awareness of different causes of Jamaican citizens in the northwest of England.

UCAN Caribbean Elders Group Wedding Circa 1950s

Dawn Hill CBE

Health, Cultural Heritage

Dawn Hill, Jamaican born, has been instrumental in raising the awareness of the tremendous contributions and achievements that the African and Caribbean nationals and their descendants have made to the development of British Society. She was the trustee and chair of the Black Cultural Archive (BCA) from 1988 to 2021.

On 24 July 2014, under Hill’s leadership, BCA was launched as the first national Black Heritage Centre in Windrush Square in Brixton, the only national repository of Black culture and heritage in Britain. She has championed an inclusive approach in raising the awareness of Black history that is accessible to all.

Hill is an experienced management consultant and a former trained nurse (SRN) with a background in social administration and personnel management, having held senior positions in the NHS, Social Services, and education and health organisations.

Hill is a trustee and President of the Mary Seacole Trust. She was also keenly involved in bringing about the statue of Mary Seacole to the gardens of St Thomas’ Hospital, which was unveiled on 30 June 2016.

She founded the flagship Rainbow nursery in Hackney in 1973 and for ten years chaired Blackliners, the London-based HIV/Aids service for African, Caribbean and Asian people of which she was one of its founders in 1989.

Hill was conferred the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2018 in recognition of her pivotal contribution to recording and celebrating Black history and heritage. She also received the Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister, The Rt. Honourable Theresa May MP, in 2017 for championing diversity and inclusion.

Hill has two children Carolyne and Andrew, and two grandsons Lewis and Jonas.

parents. In 2013, she was the first female chairperson of the Metropolitan Black Police Association (MetBPA). Hills was a serving detective sergeant with 28 years of service.

Hills joined the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in 1991, starting her service at Brixton Policestarting her service at Brixton Police Station before venturing into the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). She worked with burglary and robbery squads and the Community Safety Unit and Human Trafficking Unit before returning to Brixton as a detective sergeant.

She was the president of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) from 2015-2017. As the strategic lead for the MetBPA, her ambition was for the association to remain relevant and deliver the best possible service to its members and community. In addition, she wanted it to influence and challenge the governing bodies to reflect a more representative police service for the diverse communities of London. She asserts the Met BPA is still a crucial agent for change within the capital and a driver for excellence in police service delivery to its diverse communities.

Hills has a passion for young people and is a trustee of the BPA Charitable Trust, under which the “Voice of Youth and Genuine Empowerment” (VOYAGE) sits.

For recreation, Hills is a keen netballer and plays for the Met Police teamFor recreation.

born on 13 January 1934 in Kingston, Jamaica. His mother migrated to Britain when he was months old, so he lived with his grandparents in Richmond Gap, St Thomas.

He travelled to join his mother and stepfather in Britain aged 21 in 1955. By the time he arrived Hinds found himself in Brixton, which he described as ‘the slum capital of all slums’.

He eventually became one of six Caribbean bus conductors, a job he held for nearly ten years.

He encountered vicious racism from some passengers, but between shifts, he wrote for the newspapers, Magnet and the West Indian Gazette.

The West Indian Gazette was based in Brixton, founded by Claudia Jones, the Trinidadian political activist and founder of the Notting Hill Carnival.

In 1966, Hinds wrote Journey To An Illusion in response to the riots of 1958, which told of the plight of Commonwealth immigrants to the ‘mother country’ in the postwar decades; he also wrote Black Peoples of the Americas (1992); and Mother Country: In the Wake of a Dream (2014).

He also taught at Tulse Hill School and lectured at South Bank University. Hinds was an active member of the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM), which included some of the greatest diasporan minds in the UK, such as Edward Kamau Brathwaite, CLR James, and Stuart Hall. National Life Stories conducted an oral history interview with Hinds in 2012 for its ‘Oral History of Oral History’ collection held by the British Library.

WEDDINGS

Weddings were frequent and very stylish affairs. It was an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate. The wedding receptions were held in people’s homes - usually someone who owned a house. Single men would sometimes “send home” for a wife - often someone whom they had never met. In spite of this divorces were rare.

Photo courtesy Howard Grey

Courtesy: National Caribbean Heritage Museum

Photo courtesy George Rodger

Young Men on a Seesaw in Handsworth Park 1984. Courtesy Vanley Burke

Vinette Fay Marcia Hoffman-Jackson was born 4 March 1972 in St Thomas, Jamaica, to parents Teslyn Bailey and Richard Hoffman, both teachers. She attended Dunkenfield Primary, Good Hope Primary and St Jago High School, where she excelled and was part of the all-island winning debating team.

Hoffman studied at Mico Teachers College and was crowned Ms Mico in 1994. She completed her studies at the Open University, UK. Hoffman-Jackson has lived in the UK for over 12 years.

Hoffman suffered domestic abuse, homelessness and financial hardships before finding her niche as a public speaker and author in 2017. All her struggles and resilience are documented in Behind my Smile.

Hoffman is the only Black female to have ever won the prestigious Toastmasters Public Speaking Competition for England, Scotland and Irelandin 2017. She also won the London Professional Speaker, “speaker factor” competition in 2016. She has spoken on the world-famous TEDx stage and numerous international stages, more recently in Paris at the Global Summit by Halcyon, where she was the opening keynote speaker. Hoffman published Did the Right Sperm Win in 2016.

Jamaica. Holder travelled to the UK as a child to join her parents in Nottingham, England.

She was the first Black student to graduate from Nottingham Trent University with a BA in Fashion and Textiles in 1975. She worked as a designer for Birmingham-based design company House of Lerose and was head of fashion in 1970 and 1980 for Davis and Fields, one of Britain’s largest dress manufacturing companies. She went on to work in retail in the Middle East, London and New York.

Holder was the executive for the first Black Film and Television Awards held at the Grosvenor House, London.

She has delivered six Heritage Lottery-funded productions (2004 – 2015) and also collaborated with the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum, Rich Mix, British Film Institute, Theatre Royal Nottingham and London Metropolitan Archives.

Holder wrote, produced and directed the Living Under One Roof stage play (2003 -2007). She also wrote and produced The Ones We Left Behind (2006) and Moving Out (2007). She produced and directed the Building Bridges (2008) documentary. She curated the Living Under One Roof (2009) exhibition - Bamako Encounters, African Photography Biennial. Holder also produced and directed the Hanging Out documentary (2012) and curated the Jamaican History project (2012- 2015).

London Metropolitan Archives acquired Holder’s business archives, and the Mary Evans Picture Agency acquired her British Caribbean photographic collection. She is a member of the Board of Governors for Nottingham Trent University, New Arts Exchange in Nottingham, and she is the managing director of Spectrum and Tuareg Productions.

In 2018, Holder wrote her biography, Style in my DNA. Holder is married and has three grown-up sons.

Jamaican father Derrick Holmes and English mother Pam Norman. She was brought up by her mother and her mother’s partner Michael Norris.

Holmes attended Hugh Christie Comprehensive School in Tonbridge and joined Tonbridge Athletics Club; and won the English Schools 1500 metres in 1983.

At 18 years old, Holmes joined the British Army, eventually becoming a sergeant class 1 PTI.

Holmes returned to the professional athletics circuit in the 1990s and won the 1500m at the Commonwealth Games, silver at the European Championships and silver and bronze at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships and in the 800m at the World Championships and first World Athletics Final.

At the Athens Olympics (2004), Holmes achieved her ultimate goal, becoming a double Olympic Champion at 800m and 1500m, and was welcomed home by 40,000 people on the streets of Hildenborough and Tonbridge (1 September).

Holmes won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2004.

Holmes was conferred as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2005. In 2008, she founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to support young athletes. In May 2009, she was named President of Commonwealth Games England.

In 2010, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2018, Holmes was appointed President of Commonwealth Games England.

Vinette Hoffman-Jackson

Public Speaker

Courtesy: Windrush Foundation

Cecil Holness

World War II Serviceman

Cecil Holness (27th December 1922 - 2002) born in Jamaica, volunteered to fight for Britain in the Second World War at the age of 22. He was among the first group of Jamaicans to sign up for service.

He arrived in Liverpool in June 1944 and immediately went for training at RAF Filey in Yorkshire.

Holness trained as an aircraft fitter and office administrator. After the war, he returned to Jamaica on leave and returned, a few months later, on the Empire Windrush in 1948.

Back in England, Holness volunteered for further service in the RAF and worked at the Docks in London.

In 1949, he married Clara Brown in South London. She was the only Black nurse at St Benedict’s Hospital, Tooting. At a staff dance, she arrived with her husband Cecil, and the matron refused to allow him entrance.

Following protests, the local MP raised the case in parliament, prompting the minister of health to declare: “I will not permit any form of colour discrimination in the National Health Service.” At the time, the NHS was only four months old.

Holness was demobbed in 1952 and worked for a short while in the motor mechanic business. However, he was unhappy with work in the industry. He went on to study at Avery Hill College, Greenwich, and eventually became a youth worker in Brixton until he retired in 1987.

Holness played an active part in developing the West Indian Ex-Servicemen and Women Association (WIESWA), formed to keep alive the memory of their contribution and sacrifice for Britain.

one of the best known and most successful Jamaican reggae artists. Born on July 11th, 1947, in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston, Jamaica, he became a regular participant in talent contests in Jamaican theatres, some of which were broadcast live on Radio Jamaica. He won 28 of those contests and recorded his first single “Forever I’ll Stay/I Cried a Tear’’ in 1963 and a duet with Alton Ellis.

In 1965 Holt joined Bob Andy, Garth “Tyrone” Evans, and Junior Menz in their ska and rocksteady vocal group, the Binders, which became the Paragons. Holt wrote the band’s most famous track, “The Tide Is High,” which saw global fame in the 1980s with Blondie’s cover.

During his time in the rocksteady group, he also penned several hits, including “Tonight”, “Ali Baba”, “I See Your Face”, and “Wear You to the Ball”, and it made the charts again when U-Roy recorded a DJ version over it. But, unfortunately, the group came to an end in the 1970s.

In the early 1970s, he became one of the biggest reggae stars working with Bunny Lee. His 1973 album, “Time Is The Master”, was successful, with orchestral arrangements recorded in London by Tony Ashfield. The success of the string-laden reggae led to Trojan Records issuing a series of similarly arranged albums produced by Ashfield, starting with the 1,000 Volts of Holt in 1973, a compilation of Holt’s reggae cover versions of popular hits. His last solo album was Peacemaker, released in 1993.

In 2004, he was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by the Jamaican government for his contribution to Jamaican music. A crucial figure in Jamaican culture, Holt’s sound was known for its smooth ballad-styled qualities, with Trojan Records hailing him as a “huge talent and a true gentleman”.

He continued to tour regularly, performed several times at Sunsplash in the 1990s, and performed in the United Kingdom with the “Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra”, with a live album taken from these shows released in 2001.

He passed away in 2014.

born in Springfield, St Elizabeth, in Jamaica. In 1963, he joined his father in Oxford, England, and later attended the View Theatre School of Acting in London.

The singer, songwriter and musician joined the Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell-owned Trojan Records in northwest London, releasing his debut single, “Jamaica,” an ode to his “island in the sun”, in 1971.

At the Bamboo record shop in north London, Williams did a recording session with Sir Collins, a producer from Greenwich Town, Jamaica. Williams sang “It’s Impossible” and “Sweet Cherie” and Sir Collins sang “Fight Life,” “That’s Life” and “King and Queen (Cos I Love You)”. The first three were big hits in 1972, marking the birth of British reggae sub-genre lovers rock.

In 1973 Williams released the album Lovers for Ephraim Barrett, aka Count Shelly, owner of the Third World label. He also sang the theme song for the 1976 British feature film Pressure, directed by Horace Ove.

He enjoyed a hit album, Dark End of The Street, and success with long-players Black Angel and Dreamland for the Lagos-based Tabansi Records in Nigeria. In 1983, Williams released “Mr Versatile” on the Mandingo label.

Williams toured Britain in the musicals Hair, Godspell and Joseph the Amazing Technicolour Coat and appeared in the TV soap EastEnders and sitcom Desmond’s. He also presented a reggae and gospel programme on Chiltern Radio.

Based in Brazil in recent years, Williams is among the three biggest reggae stars in Brazil alongside Jimmy Cliff and Eric Donaldson. He wrote one of the most popular reggae songs in Brazil, “Man is Man” by Dub Brown, the No.1 Brazilian reggae artist. In 1999 and 2000 he won Reggae Artist of the Year Award for his contribution to reggae music in the country.

Honeyghan was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, and travelled to Bermondsey aged nine to join his parents.

Honeygham took up boxing at the age of 11 at the Fisher Amateur Boxing Club.

Honeyghan turned professional in 1980. He won his first 13 fights, gaining the Southern Area Welterweight Title with a fourth-round KO (March 1983).

On the 5th of January 1985, he won the European Welterweight Title in Perugia, Italy, and remained unbeaten against three contenders. On the 20th of May 1986, Honeyghan earned a title shot against the unbeaten World Welterweight Champion, Donald Curry of the US.

In 1986, Honeyghan defeated Donald Curry. At the time, Curry referred to Honeyghan disparagingly as a “Raggamuffin”. Curry lost the fight. Honeyghan proudly adopted the term “Raggamuffin” in honour of his win. He was the undisputed Welterweight Champion of the world in 1986.

Honeyghan defended his title three times and became a crowd pleaser with his new all-action style of fighting. He lost his title to Jorge Vaca in 1987, but he won a rematch and knocked out Vaca to become the second British boxer in history to regain a world title.

In 1991, he resumed his career as a light-middleweight. During 1991 and 1992, he won seven consecutive fights, including the Commonwealth title. He later lost to former world champion Vinny Pazienza, prompting his retirement.

In 2017, Honeyghan had a building development in Walworth Harvard Gardens named after him in honour of his achievements.

and an astute businessman.

In a musical career that spanned 40 years, Hoo was the drummer for the renowned Jazz ensemble the Bluenotes. He also wrote, arranged and produced the record The Hobbits in 1975.

He also owned a music venue in Birmingham and founded Adajia Limited, which designed, manufactured and sold Jamaican football World Cup Shirts.

Hoo was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in April 2010, after which he endured numerous treatments and operations with great courage and strength.

Together with his wife Lesley, Hoo founded the “Its a Man Thing” campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer, particularly amongst Black men. He also raised funds to get a “Man Van” that would go into communities to test men for prostate cancer and other health checks.

Hoo organised jazz concerts with Courtney Pine and Unite the Union to raise awareness. He also wrote, played and produced a CD, It’s a Man Thing, to get the message across to men that they needed to get checked out for prostate cancer.

Johnny Hoo died at home in Birmingham. His funeral was on the 3rd of May, 2019, at St John Fisher Church, Birmingham.

UK as a Royal Air Force recruit.

He has lived in Leicester since 1955 and has spent over sixty years making outstanding contributions to the Caribbean community in Leicester.

Hudson is a founding member and active chairman of Leicester Caribbean Credit Union (LCCU), which is one of the longest-serving credit unions in the Midlands.

The LCCU celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2014 at the Jamaican High Commission in London. It was also featured on BBC Radio Leicester for leading the way in encouraging other credit unions across Leicester.

Hudson is also a founding member of the Leicester Jamaica Community Service group care home, and managed the West Indian Senior Citizens Project which developed cultural, educational and social projects for the African Caribbean community. He was also a member of the original Caribbean Carnival Committee.

He was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his tireless work for the benefit of the community.

Lloyd Honeyghan Boxing

Lorlette Hudson Business Leader

Lorlette Hudson is an entrepreneur, a visionary, public speaker, coach, facilitator and educator - her mission is to empower others through education to rise to the top. Hudson was born 17 March 1956, in St James, Jamaica. She has lived in the UK for most of her life and is the founder of the One Hand Can’t Clap programme to empower African Caribbean children and adults in the edcation system.

In 2005, Hudson won the prestigious British Female Inventors and Innovators Awards. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed award-winning Things Mamma Used to Say - a 52-card box set of Jamaican proverbs.

Hudson has won many awards due to her leadership, delivering culturally appropriate training strategies, and inclusion workshops. She is also a member of The Future 500 top talents in the UK and 100 Black plus achievers in the UK.

Over the past 18 years, Hudson has reached over eight thousand participants from diverse backgrounds and organisations.

Hudson continues to inspire and help others to reach their potential and goals through coaching and leadership development programmes. Her mission is to reach many and support them in their transformation.

years. At that time schooling for children of African descent was rare, which encouraged his parents to move to Jamaica when he was five years old. Hudson’s paternal grandmother was Margaret Garvey, the sister of the Jamaican national hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

Hudson recalled that Garvey was not as appreciated then as he is today because most political leaders on the island did not trust Garvey.

His parents would talk about Great-Uncle Marcus in connection with the ship, the Black Star Liner. When Hudson visited Garvey, he often fetched water for him.

As a young man, Hudson volunteered to join the Royal Air Force in 1943 in response to an advertisement in the Jamaica Gleaner encouraging Jamaicans to participate in the World War II effort.

After mechanics training in the RAF, his primary role was shuttling equipment to radar stations in the UK. He was demobbed two years after WWII ended and could not make a good living upon returning to Jamaica. When Empire Windrush advertised for passengers, he decided to migrate to Britain.

After disembarking at Tilbury, Hudson travelled to Cardiff, where he soon found work. He eventually married a Welsh woman and settled in the city until 1952. The couple then moved to London because of the scarcity of suitable jobs in Wales. However, in London, it was an uphill struggle finding reasonable accommodation. Eventually, he became a Black Cab driver. He was among only a few Black persons in Britain to have owned a Black Cab.

Jamaica and came to England at the age of 11 in 1966 to join her parents, Lloyd and Edna Hudson.

Hudson attended Hardwick Junior School and Hardwick Secondary Modern Girls School. After leaving school, she worked in the sports garment industry and attended evening classes at the local college of further education.

She studied Housing at Sheffield Polytechnic, then Land Administration/Estate Management at Leicester De Montfort University. She worked as a housing officer in Leicester for years, then changed her career and worked for the benefits agency as a civil servant.

She has successfully managed to balance paid employment with voluntary work,contributing to various charitable causes, including as a trustee at Derby West Indian Community Association (DWICA) - 1975 to 2004 and treasurer between 1998-2004; NEC of Community Member: representing DWICA (1999 to 2008).

Additionally, Hudson was a former member/treasurer of the following organisations: Derby Racial Equality Council; National Council of Jamaicans; Jamaican Diaspora UK; Derby City Council (DCC) 50+ Forum and Minority Diversity Forum. She has coordinated the Derby Caribbean Carnival from 1993 to the present and was a founding member of the East Midlands Caribbean Carnival Arts Network (EMCCAN).

Liverpool Docks

Right Reverend Rose Josephine

Hudson-Wilkin QHC - Royal Chaplain

Rose Hudson-Wilkin was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1961. Not only has she smashed the glass ceiling several times in her long and illustrious career - the first Black woman to become a Church of England bishop - she is also the first female chaplain to be appointed to the Queen and Speaker of the House of Commons. She held these posts for over a decade until 2019, when she was appointed the new Bishop of Dover. After attending Montego Bay High School for Girls, Hudson joined her mother, who emigrated to England. She trained as an evangelist at the Church Army College in the West Midlands, returning to the Caribbean to work for the Diocese of Jamaica, where she lived until 1985, when she returned to the UK with her husband. In 1991, Hudson-Wilkin was made a deacon in the Church of England at Lichfield Cathedral and ordained as a priest three years later.

For years, she ministered in urban parishes in the West Midlands and East London. In the nineties, she served as the parish deacon of St Matthew’s Church, Wolverhampton, and as vicar of the Holy Trinity Church, Dalston, and the All Saints Church in Hackney, which she transformed into a focus of community pride. Hudson-Wilkin was known for being involved with young people, policing and community projects. During this time, she also worked with the Committee on Black Anglican Concern, which was replaced by the Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concern.

2008-2010 were years of national recognition. Hudson was appointed a chaplain to the Queen and the Speaker of the House of Commons. In March 2013, she was installed as a prebendary of St Paul’s Cathedral to recognise her immense service to the community. Hudson-Wilkin has served on several committees, including the General Synod of the Church of England, Broadcasting Standard Commission and the Board of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). She has twice represented the Church of England at the World Council Churches meeting.

Hudson-Wilkin is currently the suffragan Bishop of Dover since 2019, the first black woman to become a Church of England bishop to run the Diocese of Canterbury on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for “services to young people and the Church” and also listed in the 2020 and 2021 Powerlist, as one of the 100 the most influential people in the UK of African/ African-Caribbean descent.

She is married to Revd Kenneth Wilkin, who serves as a prison chaplain, and they have three children.

to the Leeds City Council, representing Labour in Chapeltown and Harehills areas of Leeds, West Yorkshire in 1991.

Hutchinson was born in 1949 in St Mary, Jamaica, and came to the UK at the age of 16, in September 1965. She worked as a nursing assistant at St Luke’s Hospital in Bradford and later at St James Hospital.

Hutchinson became an active trade unionist for the National Union of Public Employees and was an effective shop steward and nursing assistant at Meanwood Park Psychiatric Hospital. As a trade unionist, she chaired the Regional Race Equality Committee and the National Race Equality Committee; as a Leeds city councillor, she chaired the Women’s Rights and Environmental Health and Housing committees. Her love for Jamaica led to a successful fund-raising health campaign to open a Diabetes clinic in Jamaica in 2004.

She has also served on the Councils Social Care and Central and Corporate Scrutiny Boards, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority and Chapeltown Citizens Advice Bureau for many years.

Hutchinson died aged 55 on 7 February 2004, following a brave fight with cancer, leaving brothers and sisters in Jamaica and Canada.

In recognition of the excellent service she gave to Leeds, the city authorities renamed Chapeltown Recreation Ground the Norma Hutchinson Park. In addition, as a tribute to one of Leeds’ most popular councillors, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the Mary Seacole memorial gardens at the Chapeltown library in 2009.

parents who shared a love and active interest in the arts, social justice and history.

Huxtable studied performing arts, dance and music, then visual arts and creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has spent essential time learning from and contributing to a range of Black and working-class communities, particularly from the north of England. She is an actor, theatre director, theatre producer and arts project manager. She is grounded in her Jamaican roots and culture and has felt she wants to value Jamaica more than her parent’s generation did.

Huxtable was the artistic director of Yorkshire Women Theatre Company based in Leeds, which commissioned new works from mainly Black and South Asian artists. She co-created Hidden Gems, a Black British Theatre Company, with Marcia Layne, a Caribbean British writer based in Sheffield, and toured several critically acclaimed works for the past five years nationwide.

Huxtable became an artistic associate at Hull Truck Theatre as part of a British Council programme of work. As part of the National Arts Council England, Change Makers Programme, she became one of 20 Change Makers across the country. Huxtable is developing an immersive theatre work with Vanitas Arts, Trumpet, based on a book by Jackie Kay, which won the Guardian Fiction Prize.

Lizette Maude Hylton Activism

Lizette Maude Hylton (11 September 1936 - 16 March 2017) was born in Brompton, Fyffes Pen, St Elizabeth, to Arthur and Olive Hylton. She attended the local school and then became an apprentice seamstress.

In the 1960s, Hylton migrated to the UK, where she worked in various nursing and care homes. In the late 1960s and 1970s, she started working as a general assistant for the Brent school meal service and Anson Primary School where she trained as an assistant cook supervisor.

In 1981, Hylton moved to the Church End Estate. She started sewing and knitting classes, an after-school club, social club and playscheme from a flat on Mayo Road, Church End. Eventually, the community activities relocated to the Adventure Playground near St Marys School. The Church End and Roundwood Youth and Community Estates Association developed from these community activities.

She was also a founding member of the Fortunegate Housing Association. From 2006 to 2013, Hylton was a member of the Church End and Roundwood Fair Share Board, a lottery project that provided £1m in funding to local community causes. She also launched the Golden Club for the over-50s in her church, Holy Ghost Power Chapel.

In 1999, Hylton and Orleen (her daughter) established “Jamaica Day” to celebrate Jamaicans’ history and contribution to the UK. Although she was not formally recognised for her contributions in Brent, as the founder of “Jamaica Day,” she has left a powerful legacy. Various Jamaican high commissioners and officers have attended and supported the festivities.

Hylton died at St Marys Hospital with her son Wayne and daughter Orleen at her side.

Educated at the University of Leeds, she is a literary activist, theatre maker and published writer who combines interdisciplinary art forms to re-imagine poetry as performance theatre. Hailed as one of Yorkshire’s most prolific poets by the BBC, her work appears in university journals and poetry anthologies. Her collection Another Crossing was published by Peepal Tree Press in 2014.

Ibrahiim has performed and produced art programs in the US, Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

In 2017 Ibrahiim was shortlisted for the Jerwood Compton Fellowship, and in 2018 she was shortlisted for the Sue Rider Yorkshire Woman of the Year for her contribution to the arts. She is the artistic director of Leeds Young Authors and executive producer of the award-winning documentary We Are Poets.

In 2017 Ibrahiim was a creative associate for the theatre production Ode To Leeds at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. She is an associate artist with the Geraldine Connor Foundation (GCF) and is also a coordinator for Inscribe readers writer’s development program for Peepal Tree Press.

Her most recent live arts commissioned work, Dead and Wake, featured part of Word in the City and Sorrel & Black cake A Windrush Story, a Heritage Lottery funded program as part of GCF. Ibrahiim is part of Collections in Verse, Poet in the City and the British Library, the commission that celebrates poets to create new work inspired by British Library exhibitions and local histories, stories and experiences.

commemorate his life was unveiled at a ceremony in Nottingham in 2019.

Irons, who died in 2007, was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, in 1921. He spent his early childhood at Phoenix Park Farm where he fondly recalled his neighbours and friends being Jamaicans of all racial and religious backgrounds. This experience was the start of him gaining a deep respect for the shared values that united people.

As a young man, Irons observed the rapid and political changes that followed the labour revolt of 1938 and he closely allied himself with the rebels and the anti-colonial fervour they expressed.

He joined the Royal Air Force in 1944 and, after the war, settled in Nottingham, where he met his wife, Nellie. The couple had six children and have 16 grandchildren. The front room of their home became the venue for the Nottingham Cosmopolitan Social and Cricket Club, possibly the first Black community group in the city.

In 1952 he joined the Ministry of Defence as a stores accountant at the Chilwell Ordnance Depot in Nottingham and used his experience of UK society, as well as his links with the Nottingham and District Trade Council and churches, to help West Indians and other migrants obtain work and housing and gain better access to health and education services. Due to his efforts, the bar on Black people working for a city transport company was lifted.

When racial tensions erupted into two days of rioting in the St Ann’s area of the city in 1958, Irons played a pivotal role in calming the situation. The Cosmopolitan Club became a safe place where West Indians could meet and express their concerns with council representatives and police.

In 1962, he became Britain’s first Black justice of the peace, serving on the bench for 29 years. He received an OBE in 1978, and in 1999, the University of Nottingham awarded him an honorary master’s degree for improving race relations in the city.

Janine Mireiile Irons was born in Harrow London of mixed French and Jamaican Parents. She studied piano from age 7-16 and also ballet and athletics. She was encouraged by her parents to pursue artistic interests.

After studying contemporary dance and completing the first year of a degree at Trinity Laban, Janine moved to a career, first in music at Boosey and Hawkes music publishers and then in the City of London in international banking.

Janine is the co-founder of the music charity, Tomorrow’s Warriors with her partner, the musician Gary Crosby. In the mid-90s, she became a freelance photographer and journalist.

Crosby’s work inspired her to create and develop a much-needed infrastructure for young jazz musicians to grow their talent under the aegis of Tomorrow’s Warriors and Jazz label Dune Records.

Tomorrow’s Warriors currently offers a programme accessible to all young musicians focusing on jazz improvisation, composition and ensemble music-making, providing masterclasses, training and performance opportunities. The charity has achieved almost 60 awards and is widely credited for changing the face of jazz in the UK, especially in London, where budding young ‘Jazzers’ are currently making waves.

Janine was nominated for a European Federation of Black Women Business Owners award (1999), awarded an MBE for services to the music industry (2006). In 2019 she was included in the Alternative Power 100 Music List, established by SheSaid.So. An Honoree on the Roll of Honour for the 2020 Music Week, Women in Music Awards, featured by Robert Elms as a “Listed Londoner” on his BBC Radio London programme (2020)

performers in the world, regularly touring the US and the UK, and only challenged by Dennis Brown and Bob Marley.

His hit “My Only Lover”, is credited as the first lovers rock record ever made.

In his lifetime, Isaacs released a phenomenal amount of records, estimated to be more than 500 Albums plus singles and he had 4 Grammy Nominations.

came from Westmoreland, Jamaica, in the 1950s. She attended Firs Hill Infants and Firth Park Comprehensive and obtained a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees. She had applied to study physiotherapy, but when she was unsuccessful, followed a family tradition of working in nursing and midwifery.

Jackson has had a great career, including a two-year stint working in Abu Dhabi as a paediatric staff nurse. She described her experience in the United Arab Emirates between 1987 and 1989 as a challenging one, made better by the support she received from expatriate communities around the world.

Jackson worked for the NHS for approximately 36 years, in paediatric nursing, health visiting, and midwifery across Britain. She was a researcher at several universities and a research and development programme lead at a primary care trust. She has also worked as a lecturer,teaching other nursing students and community public health nurses at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

His most memorable hit was “Night Nurse” which was released in 1982. “Night Nurse” has been covered my many artists, most notably by the British band Simply Red in 1997.

Born July 15, 1951 in Jamaica, Isaacs died of lung cancer on 25 October 2010 at his home in Harrow Weald, London.

Gregory Isaacs was awarded the Order of Distinction in 2016.

Jackson worked as a manager leading on leadership programmes for the Strategic Health Authority before becoming head of the clinical senate.

Janine Irons MBE Music

Carl Anthony Jackson (born 1958) is an organist and director of music at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court.

Jackson was born in London and grew up in Harrow. His father worked as an air traffic control engineer at Heathrow Airport, London. His mother, Elaine Jackson, was a magistrate and nursing education tutor, who played a prominent part in the Association of Jamaicans UK.

He attended Harrow County School for Boys, which he combined with studies as a junior exhibitioner at the Royal Academy of Music. After a gap year at the Academy, he read music at Downing College, Cambridge, where he served as organ scholar between 1978 and 1981.

After graduating in music from Cambridge, Jackson obtained a postgraduate teaching certificate at Goldsmiths’ College (University of London) before embarking upon a thirty-six-year teaching career, which he retired from in 2018.

Jackson was organist of Croydon Minster from 1986–1990, and sub organist of the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace, from 1990–1993. He was also assistant director of Music at St Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, from 1993–1996. In October 1996, he returned to the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court on his appointment as director of music, following the death of Gordon Reynolds the previous year.

Jackson has broadcast with the Chapel Royal Choir on radio and television – notably in The Queen’s Christmas Message 2010 and in two documentaries for BBC Four.

Distinctions include associate of the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal School of Church Music and honorary fellowship of the Guild of Church Musicians. Jackson was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order in the 2012 New Year Honours list.

Wales, of Jamaican ancestry.

Jackson grew up in Birchgrove and attended Springwood Primary School and Llanedeyrn High School. A gifted athlete he joined the athletics club - Birchgrove Harriers, where he developed into a sprinting and high hurdling talent.

Jackson won gold at the 1986 World Junior Championships, silver at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and silver in the 110m hurdles at the 1988 Olympic Games. In all, he was crowned World Champion twice, Commonwealth Champion twice and European Champion four times.

In the nineties, Jackson held 110 metres hurdles world record (20 August 1993), his first World Championships gold. Jackson remains the sole holder of the indoor world record at 60 metres hurdles (7.30s) set in 1994. He was unbeaten between 29 August 1993 and 9 February 1995, winning forty-four consecutive races. His winning time at the 1994 Commonwealth Games was a Commonwealth Games record.

Six years after his first world title, Jackson regained his 110m hurdles crown at the 1999 Seville World Championships. He gained a final fourth successive European Championship gold in 2002, Munich European Championships, extending an unbroken reign as European Champion stretching back to 1990.

Jackson has written three books; The Young Track and Field Athlete (1996), Colin Jackson: The Autobiography (2004) and Life’s New Hurdles (2008). In addition, he has been a regular commentator/pundit on television. He launched the Red Shoes Academy in 2012 and created - Go Dad Run to raise awareness of men’s health issues (2013). Since 2014 Jackson has been the race director of the Wings for Life World Run.

Jamaica, travelled to the UK by ship at the age of 5 to join her parents. She started teaching in 1979, one of a handful of Black teachers in Newham.

Jackson is a co-founder of a number of Black organisations, including The Newham African Caribbean Association (NACTA), a support group for young Black teachers; Eastside Young Leaders Academy for Black boys and Black Headteachers Support Group in Newham; and NACTA Saturday School at St Angela’s School in Newham.

In 2001, Jackson tutored aspiring Black school leaders for the Institute of Education. She mentored 200 newly-arrived teachers from Jamaica in 2001 and was president of NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers, Newham) 2017-18.

Jackson is the longest-serving primary school teacher with over 40 years of service in Newham.

She is the headteacher of Maryland School Newham. When she started, in 2001, the school was underachieving. But since her intervention, the school has gone from strength to strength, garnering much praise

The school has won a Royal Horticulture Society 5-star gold award for its outdoor grounds, a replica of Negril beach and Blue Mountain scenery.

The school has hosted visits from Jamaican dignitaries, including the Jamaican High Commissioner. It also hosted Festival Jamaica in 2012, with hundreds of visitors, including the BBC. The school has also sponsored schools in Jamaica by sending equipment and educational resources.

Jackson is an inspiration to thousands of children and young people who have benefited from her guidance, influence and leadership.

Carl Anthony Jackson MVO Music

One Man’s Vision

Taking activism to another level and making a difference.

The Nubian Jak Community Trust raises awareness of both the historical and cultural contributions of the Black Diaspora. Jak Beula (as he is commonly known) was born in England to Jamaican parents and started his working life as a musician, model and social worker. Today he is responsible for the erection of over 66 Blue Plaques, acknowledging the heritage and contributions of Black people to British society. The scheme is ongoing with a projected 70 plaques envisaged by the end of 2021.

In 1994 Beula invented the Nubian Jak board game to the delight of the Afro-Caribbean community. Here at last was something they could relate to, celebrating positive role models of African heritage. Having won multiple awards, it became a “must have” for the Afro-Caribbean diaspora whilst serving as an informative tool to the wider community.

Beula is also responsible for designing and erecting two major London landmarks celebrating the Windrush and Commonwealth communities:

The Windrush and Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives Statue at Whittington Hospital in North London;

The African and Caribbean War Memorial in Brixton.

His latest book Nursing A Nation was released in 2021 to coincide with the unveiling of the Windrush and Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives statue.

Read more about Jak Beula Dodd who is named in the 2020 list of 100 Great Black Britons on page 85.

The African and Caribbean War Memorial

The Windrush and Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives Statue

Desmond Gustavus Jaddoo (born 10th July 1966) is a community activist.

Jaddoo was born in Warren Road, Birmingham, to parents who migrated from Jamaica in the early 1960s. He is a church minister, married to Yvonne, and has four children and five grandchildren.

In 2013, Jaddoo embarked upon a local voter registration campaign with OPV (Operation Black Vote) that increased voter registration in the African-Caribbean community in Birmingham.

He holds regular surgeries to assist communities and individuals in housing, immigration law, bereavement, prison sentences and mental health issues. He uses his local community radio show to bring attention to community matters, and he has discussed police/community relations, stop and search, deaths in custody and the use of force.

He has led campaigns on high-profile cases such as the Kingsley Burrell and Darren Cumberbatch justice campaigns. He has been instrumental in building bridges with the Home Office regarding its “Windrush Deportation problems” which has resulted in some reprieves.

Jadoo is currently developing a Safer Streets project in Birmingham to complement the successful Weapon Surrender Bins campaign in the West Midlands. Towards this end, he also initiated the Inter-Faith Prayer Walks in support of the anti-weapon campaign.

In recognition of his activism, Jaddoo has received a number of awards: the West Midlands Police Diamond Award, and the West Midlands Police BAPA Community Champion Award (2013); the Shree Guru Ravidass Bhawan Appreciation Award (2014); the VOWS Community Award (2015); the Bob Jones Memorial Award (2016); and the Martin Luther King Anniversary Recognition Award (2017).

Though James worked as an engineering technician at Leeds University for over 20 years, he became a pioneer in many of the the institutions established to serve the Caribbean community. He was a founding member of the Leeds Caribbean Cricket Club, which is the oldest Caribbean-founded and run institution in the city.

During the sixties, James maintained links between the Leeds Jamaican Community and the Jamaica Mission in London, and was the first to ensure that the growing Caribbean community imported foodstuffs and goods from the Caribbean.

He was a “community man”, and one of the founding members of several community organisations such as Aggrey House, which was the first housing association for Caribbean people in the city; the United Caribbean Association, for which he served as its president; the Leeds West Indian Community Centre; the Chapeltown Community Centre; Technorth; and Harambe House, which served young people in need.

James was at the forefront of the struggle for racial equality. He was the chairperson of the Community Relations Council (later the Race Equality Council) and known as a skilled negotiator between the Leeds Caribbean community, government and statutory bodies and the police.

He was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 1977, awarded an MBE in 1982 for services to the community. In 1984 he became a lay magistrate. James died on 13 February 1994 and is remembered as one of Leeds early campaigners against racial discrimination.

born in Browns Town, St Ann, Jamaica, on 13 September 1940. James started writing songs in his teens. At 16, he began performing in Kingston, Jamaica, as a solo artist, recording with producers Coxsone Dodd, Clancy Eccles and Lyndon Pottinger. In the early ‘60s, he met Canadian Roger Smith, who managed a band called the Vagabonds, and James was asked to join the band

In 1964 the band embarked on a six-month tour of the UK and within two weeks of arriving, they had recorded a single “Ska Time” and due to the single’s success, the tour was extended. By 1965 the band began supporting musicians like Rod Stewart, The Who and Jimi Hendrix.

Jimmy James and The Vagabonds signed with Pye Records and recorded an album, The New Religion, in 1966. They continued to tour as supporting acts to Sonny and Cher and The Rolling Stones across Europe.

The Vagabonds disbanded in 1970, but James, who owned the band name, re-formed in 1974. The new lineup achieved two hits in the UK singles Charts with “I’ll Go Where Your Music Takes Me” and “Now Is the Time” in 1979.

In 2008, James performed at Jamaica’s Heineken Star Time, British Invasion concert. In 2011, he performed at the Royal Festival Hall with Gwen Dickie (Rose Royce), Percy Sledge and others. James continued to perform solo in his seventies, collaborating with previous band members or others artists, such as Clem Curtis – The Foundations frontman.

Richard Anthony James was born in Maypen, Clarendon, Jamaica, on 5 September 1953 to Nevil and Lena James. When his parents travelled to the UK in the late 1950s, he and his siblings lived with their grandparents. James joined his parents in the UK in 1963.

He was a studious child and did well at school, achieving good exam results. In 1969, he was offered an apprenticeship as a building technician, becoming the first Black apprentice in the company.

James served a five-year apprenticeship, and in his final year, he was given a position as a resident project engineer and then as an assistant design engineer.

James enrolled on a 4-year degree course at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, achieving a BSc. Environmental Engineering (Honours) degree in 1984.

In 1983, whilst visiting the US, James got three job offers and emigrated to the US the following year. In New York, he worked for JB&B, worldwide building services consultants. Richard produced the plant room for the iconic headquarters of the Bank of China in Hong Kong.

In 1991, James returned to the UK to join The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). James continued his successful career in the UK with JB&B and Flack & Kurtz. In 2008, he joined DSA Engineering worldwide building services consultants as director and principal engineer.

His career successes include the Hearst Tower in New York, The International Bank of Qatar in Doha and Burj Dubai Residential Towers in Dubai. New Providence Wharf, Cross Harbour and West India Quay in Canary Wharf, London, and The Hilton Hotel, Manchester.

father and Irish/Sierra-Leonian mother.

He was excluded from school at an early age and went straight into employment. Shortly after this, he was convicted of assaulting police officers and sentenced to eight months imprisonment at Strangeways.

In his early twenties, Jasper turned his life around, attaining a BSc degree in Social Science from Manchester Polytechnic. In 1985, he moved to London and obtained a job at the Mangrove Community Association and became interested in supporting British Black communities. He subsequently joined a range of organisations such as The 1990 Trust, The Royal Commonwealth Society and Scotland Yard’s Operation Trident.

Over the next decade, he became an influential race and human rights activist, working with a range of organisations such as the Inner London Education Authority, London Race & Criminal Justice Consortium and Sarah Reed Justice Campaign.

He was a member of the Home Secretary’s Race Relations Forum and was elected president of the National Black Students Alliance.

In 2000, he was appointed director of Policing and Equalities, becoming one of the most influential Black political figures in London, working to improve policing and equalities for the African Diaspora and the working class.

Jasper has many admirers and was listed among the Top 100 Great Black Britons, and received a Life Time Achievement Award - NUS Black Student (2010) and Pride of the Motherland Award (Africa) - African Student Societies (2010). Jasper continues his passionate calling to challenge inequality and racism.

Clarendon, Jamaica. He migrated to London in 1963 to join his mother, who lived in Brixton in 1962. Johnson attended Tulse Hill School in Lambeth. At school, he joined the British Black Panther Movement and developed his work with Rasta Love - a group of poets and drummers.

In 1973, he graduated in sociology from Goldsmiths College. During the ‘70s, he worked as the first library resources and education officer at the Keskidee Centre, Brixton, where he staged – Voices of the Living and the Dead. Upon his father’s death in 1982, he wrote “Reggae fi Dada”, blaming his death on the social conditions he had faced. “Di Great Insohreckshan”, was written in response to the 1981 Brixton riots and was an account of police brutality.

Numerous honours have been bestowed on Johnson, including - associate fellow of Warwick University (1985); XIII Premio Internazionale Ultimo Novecento, city of Pisa (1990); honorary fellowship from Goldsmiths College, University of London (2003); honorary visiting professor of Middlesex University, London (2004). He was the recipient of the Silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica (2005), Golden PEN Award for ‘A Lifetime’s Distinguished Service to Literature’ (2012), and an honorary doctorate from Rhodes University, South Africa (2017). He is also a trustee of the George Padmore Institute in London.

Richard Anthony James Engineering

William Clarke - Britain’s first Black WW1 pilot

Travis Lloyd Johnson, OBE

Social Activism

Travis Lloyd Johnson was born on 1 March 1944 in Watermount, Jamaica.

He came to the UK in 1962 at the age of 18. He is renowned for his exemplary work for the Jamaican Diaspora in Leeds, Manchester, Huddersfield, Sheffield, Preston and Liverpool.

Johnson first worked as a bus driver in Leeds. He was a founding member of the Jamaica Society (Leeds), established in 1977. In 1981, Johnson was appointed magistrate and member of the Leeds District Magistrate Courts Committee and served from 1982-1993 on the Leeds City Council Race Advisory Committee.

He was also a founding member and chairperson of the Community Action and Support Against Crime (CASAC) in Leeds.

Johnson’s legacy is rooted in his contribution to the health sector. He was a founding member of The Sickle Cell Anaemia Support Group resulting, in the Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Centre which functions within the National Health Service.

He was a devoted member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1969-1995 and served in the capacity of lay canon of Ripon Cathedral.

His loyalty and patriotism to Jamaica motivated him to organise events for visiting Jamaican institutions and dignitaries, and in doing so, promoted the interests of Jamaica in the wider community.

Committed to Leeds and Jamaica, he received an OBE in 1999 and a Badge of Honour (BH[M]) from the Government of Jamaica. He died in 2008.

and managing director of JLB Shipping and Logistics based in Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.

Johnson is a successful executive with over 35 years of experience in international trade, shipping, logistics and marketing and worked in a managerial capacity in all spheres of transport integration.

Johnson-Green is the winner of many awards, including the European Federation of Black-Women in Business Award, (BIBA), 2007, the Caribbean Idea Marketplace (CIM) Compete Caribbean/IADB Grant/ Award in 2013 for Innovation and Vision – Isocon-JLB International Ltd, and the winner of the Jamaica Times 2014 Award for International Shipping. In 2015, she was honoured on International Women’s Day.

She has served as the president of the Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica for 10 years.

She is also a consummate fundraiser and has held the annual Christmas feeding program for the less fortunate in Kingston Jamaica since 2008.

In Birmingham, she has held the annual senior citizens Christmas Gala since 2008. She is the founding member of the Black Business Community Initiative - fundraiser and collaborator of the JN/Kiwanis Movement Blood Bank Initiative, Kingston, Jamaica, and is the organiser of the Food Bank Programme, Church of God of Prophecy, Birmingham, UK.

Her other business interests include JLB International (Foods) – Importers and distributors of authentic Caribbean Processed Foods, in the UK.

She is the co-owner of Isocon-JLB International Ltd, the first ISO-Tank Maintenance Facility in the Caribbean region - a Scottish-Jamaica partnership .

was eight. His family then spent some time in the Bahamas and Miami before returning to Jamaica in 1983. He is the great-grandson of Charles Edward Johnston, the founder of the Jamaican Banana Producers (JBP), a cooperative that successfully empowered Jamaican growers to compete with the exploitative United Fruit Company.

Johnston gained a BA in Agricultural Management in Florida. In 1992, he completed a postgraduate degree in shipping from the University of Cardiff before joining JBP’s London office as a shipping manager.

Johnston became a naturalised EU citizen and permanent UK resident in 1998. He began an MBA at City University, underwritten by JBP. A fateful encounter with a lacklustre Jamaican patty inspired his business plan required as part of the course.

Jamaican Patties Ltd, the flagship brand of Port Royal Patties, is now a market leader. The brand is sold across the UK and Europe in leading supermarkets and wholesale to the catering industry

Johnston secured two commercial investors in Jamaica and a grant of £25,000, which was equivalent to 20 percent of his investment in plant equipment. He admits that the first years were difficult, but broke even in the second year before achieving a reasonable sale price and volume.

Along with a small group of partners, he launched “Rudie’s”, a restaurant based in Dalston.

In three years, Rudie’s has carved its distinctive market niche as an authentic and sophisticated taste of Jamaica, with an edgy street-style based on the British Rude Boy subculture.

Evan Jones

Author/Playwright

Evan Gordon Newton Jones (29 December 1927 - 31 July 2012) was a novelist, poet, playwright and screenwriter based in Britain.

Jones was a prolific writer best known for his much-loved poem, The Song of the Banana Man, and his powerful script for the 1975 BBC television series, The Fight Against Slavery.

His novel Stone Haven, taking its name from his family home in Portland, was another creation, which won Jones praise after the Institute of Jamaica Publications bought the volume in1993. He also wrote, Madhouse on Castle Street (1963) and the 1984 Tales of the Caribbean series: Witches and Duppies; Anancy Stories; and The Beginning of Things.

Evan Jones was born in Portland, Jamaica, the son of a banana farmer and a Quaker missionary who defied convention. After attending Munro College, Jones continued to Haverford College in the US and then graduated from Oxford with a BA (Hons) in English literature. The Bodleian Library acquired his papers after his death.

Jones wrote the scripts for many films, which starred actors such as Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Dirk Bogarde and Jeanne Moreau, amongst others. His repertoire of films includes classics such as King and Country (1964), Modesty Blaise (1966), Funeral in Berlin (1966), Escape to Victory (1981), and A Show of Force (1990). His wife, Joanna, was an actress, and their daughters, Melissa and Sadie Jones, have become bestselling novelists in the UK

The Song of the Banana Man (1956) has become one of Jamaica’s all-time favorite poems, and many Jamaican children have memorized it by heart over the years

introduction. She is a multi-awardwinning singer, songwriter, and actress, one of the world’s most outstanding performers, influencing contemporary artists and musicians today.

Although she was born in Jamaica in 1948 and spent only a short time in Britain, from the age of 13 Jones grew up in America. Strikingly beautiful and unusual, she began her modelling career in the US, moving to Paris, where she worked for the top fashion houses, photographers and magazines, profoundly influencing the gender-fluid fashion movement of the 1980s.

Already a star in the New York party scene, she began recording her own hugely successful music in 1977 under Island Records, collaborating with Sly and Robbie on several of her albums, including Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985). Hint 1977,

role model and an inspiring advocate for youth development in Lambeth.

Profoundly affected by the tragic murder of her son Dwayne Simpson in 2014, she launched a campaign against youth violence and knife crime in Lambeth.

For her tireless work, Jones has received the Daily Mail Inspirational Woman award (2019).

A resident of the Angell Town estate in Brixton, South London, Jones raised seven children as a single parent. She lost her son Dwayne after he tried to stop an attack on a young boy. His intervention possibly saved the boy’s life, but tragically, he lost his own.

In recognition of her son’s love for boxing - developed after his release from prison, Jones’ activism has transformed the local boxing gym, known as “Dwaynamics”, in honour of her son. It is now a safe haven for young people where they can develop life skills through boxing, fitness, training, mentoring and employability workshops.

She started acting during the 1970s, coming to the public’s attention in Conan the Destroyer. Next, she appeared as an assassin in the 1985 James Bond movie, A View to a Kill, followed by the films Boomerang (1992), Vamp (1986) and Wolf Girl (2001).

In 2017, she was followed to Jamaica by the director Sophie Fiennes in her masterful documentary, Bloodlight and Bami, which portrayed the very natural woman behind the superhuman persona. Jones came from a religious background which she has since described as oppressive; her brother, Bishop Noel Jones, is a preacher of a mega-church in America. She is a grandmother through her only son, Paulo, who she had with her long-standing artistic collaborator, Jean Paul-Goode. In 2015, she co-wrote her memoirs, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs.

Jones has been instrumental in strengthening community relations with the London Metropolitan Police (LMP) and has harnessed excellent relationships with the business community, providing training programmes for young people in the area.

Her dynamism has not gone unnoticed, and her many awards include the Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Groups in the Community (2017); The New Scotland Yard Commendation for Exemplary Voluntary Service to the Lambeth Police and Community (2016). The New Scotland Yard Commendation for Leadership Commitment and Service to the Young People of Lambeth (2016); Point of Light Award from Prime Minister David Cameron (2016). In 2014, she was awarded the UK Community Award for Religious Leader of the Year by the Jamaican High Commission.

Kenness George Kelly Sculpture

George “Fowokan” Kelly, born April 1943, is a visual artist from Kingston, Jamaica, who migrated to Britain in 1957. He now lives in Brixton, South London.

On a visit to Benin, Nigeria in the 1970s, he was drawn to the artistic traditions of pre-colonial Africa and ancient Egypt. He changed his name to Fowokan, which in Yoruba means “one who creates with the hand” and taught himself how to sculpt.

In 2011, Fowokan featured in Better than Good, an arts initiative highlighting the achievements of Black artists, and also No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990, held at the Guildhall.

Fowakan is known for portraits, such as his bust of Mary Seacole, using a style that alludes to a fascination with Africa. An example is The Lost Queen of Pernambuco, a sculpture inspired by the story of a settlement of Africans who escaped enslavement and lived as a community on the border of Brazil and Dutch Guiana for 90 years, only to be re-captured due to their lack of vigilance.

Fowakan’s exhibitions include: From Bronze to Gold, Rich Mix, London (2011); Inhuman Traffic: The Business of the Slave Trade, British Museum (2007); Society of Portrait Sculptors exhibition, London (1999 - 2006); The Royal Academy of Art, London (1999 - 2005); Transforming the Crown, New York (1997); Beyond My Grandfather’s Dreams, Jamaican High Commission, London (1994); Havana Biennial, Cuba (1990); and Three Brixton Artists, London (1989).

photographer who has been at the forefront of documenting the Black experience in the United Kingdom since the sixties.

In 1963, Kenlock arrived in London, aged 12 to join his parents in Brixton Hill, South London.

He became a professional photographer, capturing the lives of the communities around him, and his work came to represent an exploration of Black British culture and history

During this era, Kenlock joined the British Black Panther movement, becoming their official photographer. He documented rallies, racism and upheavals, and he took the iconic photograph of the “Keep Britain White” banner in 1972.

In the 1970s, he worked at the West Indian World newspaper, and specialised in culture, fashion and celebrity news. By 1979, he had co-founded Root, a British version of the US Ebony magazine, which lasted for eight years and Choice FM, the UK’s first licensed Black radio.

Kenlock documented the lifestyles of public figures, including Muhammed Ali, Olive Morris, James Baldwin, Darcus Howe, Eartha Kitt, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder and captured images of reggae icons Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker and John Holt, and leaders Michael Manley and Indira Gandhi.

horticulturalist, curator.

Wesley is a trustee of The Royal Parks, which holds responsibility for some of London’s most historic landscapes and landmarks, visited by 77 million people a year. He is also a seasoned broadcaster, appearing on all the main UK channels and worldwide on CNN. He was previously the chair of the London Committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund for seven years and is also a respected speaker on royal biography, history, and open spaces.

Wesley was conceived in Guava Ground, Clarendon Middlesex, Jamaica, and born in Middlesex, England.

He was the first Black bursary boy at the UK’s oldest school, Winchester College, and one of the first black British Scholars at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied history.

Since 1979 Wesley has been a BBC news producer, correspondent and presenter, specialising in the arts, culture, the Royal Family, horticulture and travel. His first articles as a writer were for the Gleaner and were based upon his inaugural visit to Jamaica when he met both his family and Michael Manley at Jamaica House. He has written for many UK titles and worked as a broadcaster in over 40 countries, including Jamaica.

He has been a jeweller, essayist, poet and musician (a former member of the group Cymande in the 1970s).

His exhibition celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the arrival of the “Windrush Generation” (Expectations: The untold story of Black Community Leaders), was curated by Kenlock’s daughter, Emelia, and featured images of 40 years of Black leaders in the UK.

Wesley has curated several exhibitions of the works of the British-Jamaican artist Rudi Patterson and been involved in numerous cultural projects of benefit to the Jamaican diaspora, of which he is a proud member.

Man in suit with medals - From Portrait of a Generation courtesy Jim Grover©

Bun often eaten with cheese

3 GENERATIONS OF MASTER BAKERS SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 55 YEARS.

Sunrise Bakery

“As a child, on Saturday mornings my mum and I would go and wait in a long queue for warm fresh hard dough bread then go home and eat it with fried fish” Gary Stewart

born in Clarendon, Jamaica.

Williams moved to the UK in 1958, where she worked as a nurse and community worker in North Kensington.

During the ‘50s and ‘60s, Black people faced overt racism, discrimination in education, housing and employment. In addition, they had to defend themselves against common threats of violence and death epitomised by the brutal murder of Kelso Cochrane in May 1959.

Williams encouraged the Black community in North Kensington to join the Labour party and make a difference to their community. She was also a mother to four children, an active school governor, community fundraiser, magistrate, Lancaster Road Methodist Church committee member, and volunteered at the Open Age project, Ethnic Communities Oral History Project and Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB)

At the CAB, Williams was involved with the inception of the Pepper Pot Club (PPC) - a club formed in 1981 to meet the needs of the ageing African-Caribbean community. With the help of her colleagues, she successfully lobbied Kensington and Chelsea, and the Greater London Council to secure funding for the PPC.

The PPC continues to be supported by charities and councils. Williams stepped down in March 1988 but continued to serve as a lifelong committee member and chairperson. In 1992, Williams was honoured with a community award for her role in the development of the Pepper Pot club.

Jamaica, one of nine siblings. He helped his father with the family farm until 1944, when he joined the RAF after seeing an advert in The Gleaner. He had heard that if Germany won the war, Hitler would re-introduce slavery.

He received intensive training in Kingston before travelling to England, sailing along the American coastline and evading German submarines along the way.

After three months of training in Yorkshire, King was posted to RAF Hawking near Folkestone where he served as an engineer. After returning to Jamaica after WWII ended, King found life in Jamaica had changed, so he travelled back to England on the Empire Windrush in 1948, where he re-joined the RAF. He later worked for the Royal Mail. the NHS and in transport and construction.

Seeing the discriminatory treatment faced by some Black citizens, King turned to politics and became a member of the Labour party, serving as a local councillor for Peckham’s Bellenden Ward in 1983. He was subsequently elected mayor of the London Borough of Southwark.

King and Arthur Torrington co-founded the Windrush Foundation to keep alive the memories of the young men/women who were among the first wave of post-war settlers in England and to tell the story of our African ancestors. In 1998, he published his autobiography, Rough Side of the Mountain.

He also kept records of all who travelled with him on the Empire Windrush, subsequently providing a national database which much of Windrush passenger research is founded and relies upon.

King was awarded an MBE in 1998 as part of the Windrush anniversary. As a result of King’s pioneering work, Windrush Day was declared official on 22 June, 2018

Beverley Knight OBE

Performing Artist

Beverley Anne Smith (Beverly Knight) was born on 22 March 1972 in Wolverhampton to Delores and Edward Smith, from St Elizabeth, Jamaica.

Knight pursued a theology degree but had always sung in church. In 1995, her vocal talents were recognised by Dome Records who released her debut album, The B-Fun, was followed by Prodigal Sista (1998) and Who I Am (2002).

In 2013, Knight took the much-acclaimed lead role in the stage show, The Bodyguard, and starred in Memphis in 2014. Her accomplishments are notable, including performing before Nelson Mandela and singing Happy Birthday to Mohammed Ali.

Knight has collaborated with singer D-Influence, and with Country Award winner Craig Wiseman (with whom she co-wrote “Shoulda Woulda Coulda)”.

She has released eight studio albums and is best known for hits “Greatest Day, Get Up!”, “Shoulda Woulda Coulda” and “Come as You Are”, earning her the title of one of Britain’s greatest soul singers.

In 2006 and 2007, Knight starred in the BBC TV series, Just the Two of Us and hosted four series of the BBC Radio 2 show Beverley’s Gospel Nights.

After releasing a platinum-selling compilation album in 2006, Knight went on to tour the UK with the band Take That.

Knight, an ambassador for Christian Aid and Terrence Higgins Trust, has performed at Black Pride in Regent’s Park.

28, 1927 in Uxbridge, Middlesex, to Alexander Campbell, a Jamaican labourer and busker, and Minnie Bullock, a farmer’s daughter from Wiltshire. Laine grew up in Southall, West London, and attended Mellow Lane Senior School, after which she took up hairdressing and other odd jobs. Having had singing and dancing lessons as a child, Laine took up singing seriously in her mid-twenties and joined the acclaimed Dankworth Seven. A romance developed between herself and bandleader John Dankworth and in 1958, they were married, strengthening their professional bond as collaborators.

Laine is one of the most celebrated British singers and the only female singer ever to receive Grammy nominations in the jazz, popular and classical categories. She has also acted, and her stage career began in 1958, starring in Flesh to a Tiger (Barry Reckord) at the Royal Court Theatre. Other shows include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Valmouth, Women of Troy and Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.

Laine used her musical and acting talents to full advantage in Showboat (1971) and Colette (1980) in London’s West End, The Seven Deadly Sins at the Edinburgh Festival (1961), and in US productions of A Little Night Music and The Merry Widow. She played Princess Puffer in Broadway hit musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1986), receiving a Tony nomination, a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk nomination for best actress in a musical.

Laine starred in the Houston Ballet’s Lady in Waiting – composed by John Dankworth, Benny Green and J Renault-Williams. She was the voice of ‘God’ in the BBC Proms’ production of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, and ‘The Witch’ in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, for which Laine received a nomination for best lead performance.

land her mother is of Scottish and English descent. Cleo personifies the fact that art and politics are not mutually exclusive. Whilst passionate about dance, Cleo was instilled with a balanced sense of justice at a young age.

Cleo has established her political reputation as a strong social justice activist and campaigner, particularly regarding anti-austerity and issues affecting African heritage communities. She was elected as a councillor for Cotham (2016-2021), serving as the Green’s deputy group leader within that term, and an MEP Candidate. In 2018, it was the Green party’s time to have a Lord Mayor, Cleo was one of three who put themselves forward and she won by one vote, becoming the first Green Party’s Lord Mayor of Bristol (2018-2019).

Involved within the arts and culture sector for almost two decades, Cleo’s experience includes being a dance teacher, film maker, poet, curator, chair of St Pauls Carnival, arts and events manager for Stapleton Road, radio producer and presenter on Ujima, and writer-in-residence at the Arnolfini.

She is currently an actress with Sheba Soul Ensemble, Director of international arts organisation Black Artists On The Move, Choreographer with newly formed Libations Dance Company and leads a weekly zoom exercise class for elders.

She has received three MOBO Awards, an Urban Music Lifetime Achievement Award, an OBE and an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.

In 1986, Laine became the first British artist to win a coveted Grammy for Best Female Jazz Vocalist for the third of her live Carnegie Hall albums. Her friend, Ella Fitzgerald, sent Laine two dozen roses with a card that read: “Congratulations, gal - and about time too!” Laine has been a frequent guest on US television, including An Evening at the Boston Pops with Cleo Laine and Live at Wolftrap. Laine received an OBE in 1979 and was created a dame in 1997.

Cleo has been a board member for Destination Bristol, Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, chair of the Downs Committee and serves on the Avon Fire Authority, chairing the People and Cultural committee. She also represents the Green/ Independent group nationally, as a fire diversity champion and on the Fire Services management committee and Fire Strategic resilience board.

Lancaster MBE -Youth Activism

Esme Monica Murielda Lancaster was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, on 1 March 1917. She was educated in Jamaica as a teacher before moving to the UK, more than 50 years ago.

Lancaster is renowned within the Black community for her long and dedicated service to youth advocacy and development. She established the Young Mothers Relief Association, which still provides support to young mothers in the community. In addition, she opened her home to foster 42 children.

Lancaster is devoted to nation building and has also used her gift as a poet to promote Jamaica’s history and rich cultural heritage. Driven by a passion for community development and volunteering, Lancaster utilized her skills as a teacher, social worker, community youth worker and poet to motivate, inspire and educate generations of Jamaicans in Bristol and Birmingham.

In recognition of her service to her community , Lancaster is the recipient of numerous awards including the Member of the British Empire (MBE), Compassionate Action Award from the Reform Club in London, The Jamaican Foundation UK, The Ford Scarman Award, The Life Member of the Millennium Fellowship Award, the Institute of Jamaican Nationals Local Heroes Award, the European Federation of Black Business Women Award and the Black-Led Churches of Birmingham Award.

Jamaican descent, and is a professional rugby player for Northampton Saints, who plays in the Aviva Premiership. His father, Linford, played football and cricket; however, rugby players were on his mother’s side, including her cousin, Dave Pinches, who played for the Saints.

Lawes was introduced to rugby when he went to senior school, aged 13. He has said that his father is his role model, “...He’s always there, shouting from the sidelines. I always looked up to my dad.”

Lawes has won England representative honours for the U18 and U20 sides and won his first senior cap against Australia in November 2009. He won his first start in England’s 21-20 success over the Wallabies in Sydney.

Lawes appeared in three Rugby World Cup matches in 2011 including the quarter-final against France but was unavailable for the opening two Six Nations games in 2012 due to a knee injury.

In December 2012 he played off the bench for the last 13 minutes against the All Blacks at Twickenham where England beat the All Blacks for the first time in ten matches.

After early World Cup exit, Lawes played in 2016 Six Nations to earn himself a spot on the tour to Australia, then in 2017 the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand.

He reached the 60-cap landmark in the 30-6 win over Australia at Twickenham In November 2017.

Voices - Real Experiences

in Gloucester, England. He is a former English cricketer, who played in five Tests and one (ODI) One Day International for England between 1988 and 1992. Lawrence was a popular, powerfully-built fast bowler, before a particularly horrific knee injury curtailed his career.

By the age of 17, Lawrence was playing for Gloucestershire, opening the bowling with Jamaican cricketer Courtney Walsh. He joined the England team for the one-off Test against Sri Lanka in 1988, returning back in 1991, when he took five wickets and contributed to England’s series-levelling win in the Fifth Test against the West Indies at the Oval.

However, having just established himself as England’s primary bowling strike force, he suffered a life-changing knee injury in 1992 in New Zealand which forced a long hiatus from the game.

Despite two come-back attempts, he was unable to play for England again and was eventually forced to retire from cricket at the age of 29. He subsequently went into bodybuilding.

Esme Monica Murielda

. . . We grew up under the colonial system and we knew everything about England – everything. And we came here, nobody had ever heard of Jamaica. I mean few, few, people. And it was funny, the few who had heard of Jamaica treated you differently. Those who had never heard, they all had the opinion that we lived in trees . . .

Constance Nembhard

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE - Civil Right Activism

Do reen Delceita Lawrence, born 24 October 1952, in Clarendon, Jamaica. At nine, she moved to England. She worked in a bank and in 1972, she married Neville Lawrence. They had three children, Stephen, Stuart and Georgina.

In 1993, teenager Stephen Lawrence was brutally murdered in a racist attack in South East London.

The Lawrences demanded police service reforms claiming that the London Metropolitan Police (LMP) investigation was being conducted unprofessionally in a racist and incompetent manner. In 1999, a judicial inquiry was established by Home Secretary, Jack Straw, and chaired by Sir William MacPherson, to investigate the circumstances of Stephen’s death.

The enquiry concluded that the London Metropolitan Police was indeed “institutionally racist”.

Doreen Lawrence continued to campaign for justice for her son and secured further reforms of the police service. She and Neville founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to promote a positive community legacy. She is a member of the Council of Liberty, and the charity Stop Hate UK.

Painter Chris Ofili’s No Woman No Cry (1998) in the Tate Gallery depicts a mother crying. Each tear is a collage of Stephen Lawrence. In 2000, Doreen Lawrence was featured in a portrait at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery London.

Doreen Lawrence was appointed an OBE for services to community relations in 2003, and was created a Life Peer in 2013. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pride of Britain Awards (2012), and named Britain’s most influential woman in 2014.

Doreen Lawrence has honorary doctorates from the Open University, the University of West London, and was appointed chancellor of De Montfort University in 2016.

Jamaica. Her parents migrated to the UK when she was an infant. She started school in Port Antonio before joining them to complete primary and secondary schools in Fulham, London.

Alongside her first degree, she studied film and television part-time. Her first film for Channel 4 in 1985/6, Mistaken for Mad, looked at the Caribbean and Asian communities and mental health.

She worked briefly in the BBC newsroom and freelanced in the industry and developed several projects for the BBC. She worked on the series Eye on the Prize in the US on the history of the Civil Rights Movement created and produced by Henry Hampton. It was nominated for an OSCAR and numerous other awards, including an Emmy and a Peabody.

She is a member of Women in Film and Television, The Royal Television Society and the British Film Institute and was invited to the Sundance Film Festival by Robert Redford. She was also a temporary editor for The Gleaner (UK) and a board member for the Edinburgh Film Festival.

In addition, she is a guest lecturer and has been a private tutor. She is currently filming a documentary.

Lawrence was a member of the Lignum Vitae Club, a charity which falls under the patronage of the Jamaican High Commission. She also provided career advice for several years at Whitgift School (Croydon).

campaigner and the father of Stephen Lawrence, a Black British teenager who was murdered in a racist attack in South East London in 1993. He was married to Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon

Following the murder of their son Stephen in 1993, Doreen and Neville Lawrence maintained that the London Metropolitan Police (LMP) investigation was not being conducted in a professional manner, citing incompetence and racism as prime flaws. In 1999, after years of campaigning, and with the support of many in the community, the media and politics, a wide-ranging judicial inquiry was established by Jack Straw, the then home secretary.

Chaired by Sir William MacPherson, a public inquiry was conducted, concluding that the LMP was “Institutionally racist”, one of the primary causes of their failure to solve the case.

Neville Lawrence received death threats that forced him to return to Jamaica, where he lived in secrecy for over a decade. When the strain of their son’s death became too much for the couple, they divorced in 1999. Lawrence has strong Christian beliefs and decided to publicly forgive the gang of racists who murdered his son,“I wanted to be baptised and in order to be baptised you have to forgive people who have done you wrong”

Lawrence took Stephen’s body to Jamaica and buried him there because of how much the youngster fell in love with the island during his many visits. The location of his grave in Jamaica has been kept a secret.

Neville Lawrence was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003 for services to community relations.

motivated attack while waiting for a bus in Eltham on the evening of April 22, 1993.

Within 24 hours of the murder, police had been given the names of five suspects. Despite this, no arrests were made for two weeks, allowing the suspects to destroy evidence, concoct alibis and intimidate witnesses.

Lawrence’s friend Duwayne Brooks, who was with him at the time of the attack, had also identified two of the suspects. However, at the murder trial in 1996, a police officer testified that Brooks told him that he wasn’t sure, leading the judge to dismiss the identification evidence as unreliable. Three of the suspects were acquitted while charges against the other two were dropped.

In 1997, following an inquest into the teenager’s death in which the five suspects refused to answer any questions, the Daily Mail published their pictures under the famous ‘MURDERERS’ headline, adding, ‘The Mail accuses these men of killing. If we are wrong, let them sue us.’ Home Secretary Jack Straw ordered a public inquiry into the police investigation, chaired by retired High Court judge William Macpherson.

Macpherson’s subsequent 1999 report sensationally concluded that institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police force played a part in the flawed investigation.

The decision sent shock waves across the UK, forcing all organisations to take stock of what was meant by the label. Many introduced new equality measures in the workplace and the boardroom.

In 2012, two of the original suspects were found guilty of murder following a review of forensic evidence. The prosecution came about due to the partial revocation of the rule against double jeopardy in 2005, a common law rule that once acquitted, an accused person could not be tried a second time for the same crime.

The Stephen Lawrence Centre was opened in London in 2008, designed by award-winning architect David Adjaye, to “transform the lives of young people and achieve real social change. It is run by the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, an education charity spearheaded by Lawrence’s parents, Doreen and Neville Lawrence. Among its programmes is Stephen Lawrence Building Futures, which supports young people wishing to pursue a career in architecture which was one of Stephen Lawrence’s ambitions.

in London, to Jamaican parents and grew up with four older brothers. She attended Blackheath Bluecoat School and Vauxhall College of Further Education. It was not until she completed her education that she found out she was dyslexic, a diagnosis that influenced her to take up comedy.

Le Mar demonstrated a gift for performing at an early age, joining the Lewisham Drama Club. She then signed up with Second Wave Women’s Drama group, where she performed the Net Full of Holes at the Albany Empire in Deptford.

In the 1980s, she honed her talent as a stand-up comic at open-mic spots and warm-ups. She would go on to appear in the hit BBC comedy series The Real McCoy (1991-1996). Her popularity earned her the title ‘The Queen of Black Comedy’.

She launched her professional theatre career in 1994 with her one-woman Funny Black Women On The Edge, directed by Paulette Randall. The show played at Theatre Royal Stratford East after debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Le Mar was one of the founders of Bemarrow Sisters theatre company. Over seven years its productions included A Slice of Life, directed by Decima Francis, Gloria, directed by Trevor Laird, and This Way Up, written by Peggy Bennette-Hume. She wrote and directed The Brothers, which debuted in 2006 at the Hackney Empire. The show went on to play across the UK and was also broadcast on MTV Base.

Le Mar appeared in Channel 4’s sketch show Get Up, Stand Up. She also presented Choice FM’s The Saturday Morning Show and the Angie Le Mar Show on BBC London Radio. Her one-woman show, Off The Hook was a sell-out at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, in 2000. It was the first ever sell-out show by a Black female comedian in London’s West End. Aside from appearing at the Comedy Act Theatre Los Angeles, Le Mar was the first Black British performer to tread the boards at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre.

Le Mar’s company, Straight To Audience Youth’ (STAY), uses writing, directing and stand-up comedy masterclasses to develop young talent. She celebrated 25 years in show business with An Audience with Angie Le Mar at the Barbican in 2010.

Among her radio inputs, Mar presents her show, Time of The Month, on Colourful Radio. She is married with three children.

Jerk Chicken

Abolitionist

Louis Celeste Lecesne (c. 1796 or (c.1796 or 1798 – 22 November 1847), was an anti-slavery activist and the son of Charlotte and Louis Lecesne. His father was French and had left St Domingo, and his mother was said to have African ancestry. His mother was manumitted by Lecesne’s father. Lecesne jr, was educated at Mr Goff’s school for “children of colour” in 1802 because his father wanted him to have the best “English education”

Lecesne and John Escoffery came to prominence as members of a committee intent on changing the law so that free men “of colour” would be given free and equal rights to white people for which they were arrested on 7 October 1797.

While Lecesne and Escoffery were held in gaol, petitions made to the governor were rejected as it was claimed that the signatories were all owed money by the accused. A member of the House of Representatives moved that a secret committee be formed to look at this case. Hector Mitchell was made the chair of this committee which included the mayor of Kingston

Their investigations resulted in the forced exile of Lecesne and Escoffery to St Domingo. The pair had to sell their watches. With this money and the help of British people on the island they set out for England.

Other campaigners, such as Edward Jordon, Robert Osborn and Richard Hill continued to agitate for equal rights for free coloureds, and they were finally successful when the Jamaican Assembly passed legislation allowing them to vote in elections and to run for public office.

The case of Lecesne and Escoffery was raised in the House of Commons by Stephen Lushington, a known abolitionist and anti-slavery campaigner.

The libel case was successful and Parliament ruled that both men should be allowed to return and be given compensation. Back in Jamaica, Lecesne continued his activism and became a board member of the Anti-Slavery Agency in 1832.

Jamaican law and UK immigration law.

Born 13 June 1956, in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, she completed her Bachelor of Law (LLB Honours) at The University of the West Indies, Barbados, in 1982, and earned her certificate of Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School in 1984.

After moving to the UK in 1986, Ledgister saw a need within the UK Jamaican community for legal advice related to both Jamaican and British Law, and she has made this her specialist practice ever since. She has voluntarily provided legal advice to various Jamaican organisations and community groups, including The Jamaican High Commission, National Commercial Bank, Victoria Mutual Building Society and Jamaica National Building Society.

Responding to a need for interpreting patois for some Jamaicans at various governmental organisations, Ledgister co-founded Patois Personnel (1999), a translation service that offers assistance to Jamaicans at Her Majesty’s Courts, Prisons and Detention Centres. She has been recognised by educators in the UK and Jamaica for her work in achieving official language status for Patois in the UK.

Ledgister served on the management committee of Community Playhouse Nursery for over 20 years, and school governor and advisor to Jamaica Basic School Foundation UK.

A proud Jamaican, Ledgister was directly involved in the establishment of the UK Jamaican Diaspora movement, continuing to assist at all levels of its development. She has travelled extensively throughout both countries, attending policy-making meetings and seminars, conferences related to Jamaica and its Diaspora.

born 23 August 1941 in Greenwich farm, Kingston. He is one of the major forces in the Jamaican music industry. Lee was a pioneer of the UK reggae market, licensing his productions to the Palmer Brothers (Pama), Island Records and Trojan Records in the early 1970s. Recent film Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records was named in honour of his friend and mentor, Duke Reid.

Lee would go on to produce over half the catalogue for Trojan records during its existence, making a major contribution in taking Reggae and Trojan to the international stage.

Between 1969 and 1972, he produced classic hits including “Everybody Needs Love”, “Bongo Natty”, ““Cherry Oh Baby”, and John Holt’s “Stick By Me” which all charted in the UK.

Lee was instrumental in producing early dub music, working with his friend and dub pioneer King Tubby in the early 1970s. This era also saw the emergence of the “flying cymbal” sound on Lee’s productions, with Lee’s session band, The Aggrovators. Dub music would go on to become one of the most influential sources of modern music spanning genres and continents particularly in the UK where Lee’s music was sampled by the bands such as Massive Attack and Portishead and continues to influence modern sounds such as Grime.

Louis Celeste Lecesne

Rustie Lee

Celebrity Chef

Rustie Lee, born 28 November 1953, in Portland, Jamaica, was reunited with her parents - Archie and Eugenie (both deceased), at age 4, in Birmingham, England. Lee was educated at Handsworth Wood Girls’ School and Birmingham College of Food and Domestic Science, where she graduated with distinction as a master baker. Lee opened the first Caribbean restaurant in Handsworth, Birmingham.

Lee is a television personality with the most infectious laughter. She was also a chef, actress, singer and politician. She came to public attention for her appearances on the morning TV-am in the 1980s. Following her initial successful period as a chef, Lee took over from Sarah Kennedy in 1983 on the second incarnation of ITV game show Game for a Laugh. During an eight-year residency Lee made her reputation as Britain’s No1 authority on Caribbean cooking, becoming the first ever Black presenter of a Saturday Night prime time network entertainment show.

In 2004, Lee appeared on Livings I’m Famous and Frightened! 2, a reality show featuring a number of celebrities staying in a castle over a weekend, taking part in various challenges and looking for paranormal activity, guided by a medium. Lee won the series.

Lee appeared and participated in the Channel 5 reality-television show Celebrity Super Spa in 2013, and in 2016, she appeared in ITV’s Who’s Doing The Dishes, hosted by Brian McFadden.

Lee makes occasional appearances on This Morning, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Daily Cooks/Saturday Cooks and That Antony Cotton Show, The Wright Stuff and Loose Women. Lee now makes regular appearances on Channel 5’s Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, a spin-off chat show for Big Brother.

Lee has written several cookbooks, including Rustie Lee’s Caribbean Cookbook (1985) and A Taste of the Caribbean (2007).

In 1985, Lee released the album Invitation to Party, including her cover versions of “Barbados” and “My Toot Toot”. In 1994, she released a further single, “You’d Better Phone”.

in the Nottingham, the East Midland Region and across the UK, volunteering her service, skills, time and finances. She has served in various capacities (chair, treasurer and secretary, committee member) for the Nottingham Jamaican Friendship Society (NJFS) and the African Caribbean National Artistic Centre (ACNA).

Lee-Brown has also served in the Nurses Association from 1985 and is still an active member in the African Caribbean Descendant Community where she resides.

This local heroine of Nottingham would often look after students arriving from Jamaica, assisting them with immigration and finance. She is also an excellent cook.

Currently, Lee-Brown serves as secretary of the ACNA Centre. She is highly respected, hosting visiting Jamaican prime ministers, high commissioners, members of The Jamaican Parliament and several sports and entertainment celebrities at the ACNA Centre.

She has a close relationship with the Jamaica High Commission through its Community Relations Department, the Jamaica National Bank, Victoria Mutual Building Society and many other businesses and stakeholders.

Lee-Brown is a great fundraiser and has never been afraid to ask for help. Currently she is masterminding the idea of having two defibrillators on the exterior of the ACNA Centre to assist with saving lives in the current violent atmosphere in many local communities.

Lee-Brown is a true community-minded champion of the people.

is a retired professor of educational development and mental health.

Leiba attended Clarendon College as a teenager before migrating to the UK. He worked as a nurse at the Warlingham Park Hospital and the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospitals.

In 1977, Leiba became a clinical teacher and tutor at Kings College Hospital, during which time he attained a bachelor’s degree and a masters in sociology at London University. From 1984 to 1987, he was a lecturer at West London Institute of Higher Learning, before going on to become senior lecturer, principal lecturer and head of the division of Health and Welfare Studies at South Bank University over the following decade.

In 1990, Leiba gained his M.Phil in Health Promotion, and in 1997 his PhD in Economics, Sociology of the Professions, both from London University. From 1998 to 2001, Leiba served as deputy dean and lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at City University, St Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery.

From 2001-2004, Leiba was appointed senior research fellow at South Bank University/North East London Mental Health Trust, and from 2004-08 he was professor and chair of Educational Development (Mental Health). Leiba retired in 2008, and he is now professor emeritus at London South Bank University.

Between 1998 and 2013, Leiba wrote and co-authored over 20 publications in journals such as the Nursing Standard, Managing Clinical Nursing, British Journal of Nursing, and the British Journal of Community Health Nursing.

Photo: Courtesy EVEWRIGHT© from Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories

Arthur Leigh, born 15 October 1919, was 22 years old when he answered the call from the Royal Air Force (RAF) to volunteer to fight the Nazis in WWII. He had been employed as a clerk but felt that the opportunity to serve in England was better than his chances in Jamaica.

He arrived in the UK during the winter and found the military really tough, but he survived. In fact, Leigh did exceptionally well at camp. Although he volunteered to do clerical duties on the home front, he was able to change to training as a flight mechanic.

After the war ended in 1945, he and a few other colleagues, including Dudley Anderson, studied bookkeeping and typing at Wednesbury Commercial College, West Midlands. They were demobbed in 1947 but, like some other ex-servicemen, Leigh had beforehand made arrangements with friends in the West Midlands to obtain accommodation and a job because he had intended to return to England soon.

Empire Windrush came to the rescue in May 1948, and Leigh could not wait to get to the West Midlands, where he became an accountant at F.H. Lloyds & Company Ltd and remained there until 1960, when he moved to London.

He worked for a company that made billiards and then in 1968, he obtained a clerical post in the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

and schooled in Hanover, Montego Bay.

In 1962,Leslie migrated to England with her children to join her husband. She worked in several different roles as a community health care assistant for over 20 years until her retirement. Recognising the challenges for Black children in the UK she became a very active and enagaged parent in her children’s schools.

She has supported many families, both in the UK and Jamaica, and has helped in the growth and establishment of many charities.

She later owned a restaurant, where she showcased her excellent culinary skills at various charity events, including her Annual Gala Dinner and Dance, Red Rose, Champagne Valentine Dance and Caribbean BBQ, raising thousands of pounds.

When her son-in-law lost a limb in a car accident in Jamaica, Leslie saw the need to support healthcare providers in Jamaica with life-saving equipment. She sent materials to the Noel Holmes Memorial Hospital and to the West Haven Children’s Home in Hanover.

She kept open a hospital in Lucea which was due for closure, and established a charity in 2006. The largest donation to the hospital was an ambulance costing £40,000 in 2017, which now serves Hanover and the surrounding areas.

Leslie’s outstanding and unique style, enthusiasm and professionalism is an inspiration to all. She is proud that her family are by her side, supporting her in her charity work.

years old, he began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre and graduated from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is an award-winning actor and has been acclaimed for his outstanding film, TV, and theatre performances

Between 2004 and 2012, he became well- known internationally for his portrayal of big-time con artist named Michael “Mickey Bricks” Stone on the BBC television series Hustle.

His film roles have included playing the campaign manager Henry Burton in Mike Nichols’ film Primary Colors -1998. This part earned him a Chicago Film Critics Association award nomination for “Most Promising Actor”. Adrian appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, a musical adaptation of the William Shakespeare play, set in the 1930s and received a British Independent Film Awards nomination for his performance.

Adrian received an Ian Charleson Award commendation and a Time Out Award for his 1991 performance as Rosalind in Cheek by Jowl’s all-male production of As You Like It. In 1993, he played Anthony Hope in the National Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

His extensive classical work in the theatre includes Othello at the National Theatre, for which he won an Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his performance, Henry V at the National Theatre and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre in London. He starred in two plays, Red Velvet in 2012 and Hymn in 2021 written by his wife, actress and playwright Lolita Chakrabarti.

Leigh spends some of his time assisting in the management of the West Indian Ex-Service Association, Lambeth, London.

In 1996, he was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Company at the Donmar Warehouse. He was awarded a CBE in 2019 and honorary degrees from the University of Warwick and De Montfort University, Leicester.

Arthur Charles Leigh

WWII Military

Andrea Levy Author

The youngest of four siblings in London born to Jamaican parents, Andrea Levy (March 7, 1956 - 14 February, 2019) grew up on a North London council estate and studied textile design and weaving at Middlesex Polytechnic. She attended creative writing classes at London’s City Lit institute.

Her father was a passenger on the Empire Windrush, and Levy set out to write stories about the experiences of Black Britons and of the historical bonds between Britain and the Caribbean.

Her debut novel Every Light in the House Burning (1994) is the semi-autobiographical story of a Jamaican family living in North London in the 1960s. Next came Never far from Nowhere (1996), about the contrasting experiences of two sisters growing up in London during the 1970s. In Fruit of the Lemon (1999), a young woman visits Jamaica after a nervous breakdown and discovers her unknown personal history.

Best-seller Small Island (2004) explored the experiences of those who returned to Britain after serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and who migrated to join the post-war reconstruction. It discusses the adjustments that Jamaicans and White Britons had to make during this era of post-war Caribbean migration.

Small Island won several awards, including the Whitbread Book of the Year, the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. It was also made into a BBC two-part television drama (1999) and staged to critical acclaim at the National Theatre in 2019.

Levy’s fifth novel, The Long Song (2010), is set in Jamaica during the dying years of slavery and following emancipation. The novel won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and was long -isted for the Man Booker Prize. It was adapted into a two-part BBC TV drama in 2018..

In 2014, Levy published Six Stories and an Essay, exploring her cultural heritage and what inspired her to write. Her last work, Uriah’s War, is a short story marking the centenary of the Second World War and centres on two Jamaican men caught up in the conflict.

Her literary archive has been acquired by the British Library.

1943, and came to the Midlands in 1963. Lewinson joined the NHS as a mental health nurse at Central Hospital in Warwickshire.

She and husband, Dalton had four children, and the family lived on Beresford Avenue in Coventry. She was an active member of the New Testament Church of God (NTCG) in Bell Green. Over the years, she held numerous positions including youth director and fundraising committee member.

In 1984, Lewinson established ‘The Tuesday Club’ at the NTCG to address the plight of isolated Black elders in Coventry. The Club enabled Black elderly the opportunity of broadening their social networks.

Her work was featured in the Guardian newspaper in November 1988.

The article read: “In the back room of the NTCG in the poor Coventry suburb of Bell Green, 15 elderly West Indians are enjoying a meal and a gossip.

“Mrs Veletta Lewinson ... works four nights a week as a nurse, runs the day centre, does voluntary work for Age Concern, and keeps Sunday for family and church. She is a stalwart, thoughtful woman, with a sense of humour matched by a sense of grievance.”

Lewinson gained a certificate in welfare studies at Tile Hill College. She lost her husband Dalton after 28 years together and also suffered a stroke in 1991 which left her paralysed for some time.

Hundreds of tributes were paid when Lewinson died on January 8, 2019 at the age of 75.

Midlands, on August 27, 1972. She grew up with her mother, Joan, in Pendeford, Wolverhampton, and attended The Regis School in Tettenhall (now King’s Church of England School). A keen athlete since the age of 12, Lewis joined the elite Birchfield Harriers at the age of 13. A superb all-round talent, Lewis quickly progressed through regional and national rankings towards world-class in the heptathlon. She achieved an impressive best of 5277 points in her first year, 1989.

In 1994 she became Commonwealth champion and was named Britain’s woman athlete of the year in 1996 when she was Britain’s only female Olympic athletics medallist in Atlanta. In 1998, she conquered Europe at the European Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Lewis’ preparation for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was marred by an Achilles tendon injury. However, she had lost out to French champion Eunice Barber at the previous year’s World Athletics Championships and was determined to compete regardless. Lewis ended Day 1 ahead of Barber but third overall and had extended her lead over the French woman in the long jump on Day 2 before injury forced Barber to retire.

Lewis’ notionally stronger second-day events ensured she held the lead into the final event, the 800m. Running with a leg strapping, she finished behind her two closest rivals but sufficiently close to winning Olympic gold.

Lewis received an MBE and an OBE in 1999 and 2001, respectively. She was voted runner-up at Sportswoman of the Year by the Sports Journalists’ Association in 1996, then went on to win it in 1997, 1998 and 2000. Lewis has also been named Female Athlete of the Year by the British Athletics Writers’ Association four times (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000) and Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year a record three times (1994, 1998 and 2000).

Retiring from athletics in 2004, she is a regular athletics pundit for the BBC, including during London 2012 and Rio 2016. Lewis was a finalist on Strictly Come Dancing and was an Olympics ambassador for the 2012 Games.

Lewis’ school in Wolverhampton was extensively refurbished in 2012 and included a £1 million sports hall named in her honour. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, Steve Finan O’Connor, and their three children.

Three-times heavyweight champion

Lennox Claudius Lewis was born in September 1965 to Jamaican parents

Violet Blake and Carlton Brooks in Stratford, East London.

At the age of 12, Lewis joined his mother in Ontario, Canada, where he attended Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute and excelled in several sports. Boxing was his favourite, and his impressive amateur career culminated in the knockout of future world champion Riddick Bowe at the 1988 Seoul Olympics as a super heavyweight representing Canada.

Lewis’ professional debut took place at London’s Royal Albert Hall in June 1989, and he subsequently advanced to 20 consecutive victories - 17 by knockout. After Riddick Bowe captured the heavyweight championship from Evander Holyfield in 1992, he refused to fight Lewis, the mandatory challenger, and was stripped of the WBC title

As WBC champion, Lewis controversially drew a March 1999 unification fight against WBA and IBF champion Holyfield, having landed almost three times as many punches. He defeated the American in a unanimous decision eight months later to hold both titles, to become only the second British-born boxer in 100 years to hold all three belts. He also earned the vacant IBO title.

When he retired from the ring in 2004, defeating Mike Tyson along the way, he was regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. In 2018, Boxing News ranked him third behind Muhammed Ali and Joe Louis. Lewis has the twelfth longest reign in heavyweight championship history.

He is an ambassador for the international sports charity Laureus and set up his charity, the Lennox Lewis League of Champions Foundation, to inspire the next generation of boxing champions. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of North London for his work with young people, notably his setting up of the Lennox Lewis College in east London in 1995. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1999, Lewis was awarded a CBE in 2002.

In 1988 his adopted home of Canada awarded him a Member of the Order of Canada, CM, and 20 years later, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

1975 to train as a nurse. She progressed to become one of the 3% of BME executive directors of nursing in 2005.

Paulette’s professional NHS career has spanned 35 years. She has been an executive director of nursing, a director of midwifery and a director of the Pan-London Maternity Services. Paulette was appointed lay governing body member of the CCG and NHS non-executive director to influence the improvement in quality, access and patient experience. She has received many accolades for improving standards of care; ‘Silver Award for Excellence’ (2000), Health and Social Care Award (2002), Award from European Federation of Black Women Owners and Professionals in (2002) and an MBE for contribution to nursing and charity organisations (2014).

She is committed to organising, implementing and delivering countless health improvement programmes. She has received commendations and the Medal of Appreciation Award from the Jamaican PM in 2017 as an acknowledgement for her contributions to Jamaica.

She has been the president of The Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK) for 14 years and steered the organisation to its 40th year celebration. She is also a founder member and president of the Caribbean Nurses and Midwives Association (UK) and chair of BAME Forum.

She is a remarkable person, always challenging the status quo to improve people’s lives, education and health.

in Clarendon, Jamaica. He moved to the UK in 1959.

Lilly gave up his engineering career to become one of the top Afro hairdressers in the UK, and was twice finalist in the Afro section of the British Hairdressing Awards.

Lilly opened his first Hairdressing Salon, “Mr. Alex in Brixton”, on the first day of the Brixton riots, April 1981. The business expanded to Streatham, South London and renamed “Personal Touch Hair and Beauty”. His services were sought after by celebrities.

Lilly taught at various colleges and organised hair and fashion shows, in conjunction with the Brands R&D, to improve Black hair products.

During the seventies, Lilly, and a friend, imported many of the early ska and reggae tracks for their sound system

He also coached a team of young footballers in the Young and Black and Christian (YABAC) Club. He took YABAC to the local INVICTA League, winning the league.

In 1996, Lilly was diagnosed with leukaemia, and despite the tremendous efforts to find a bone marrow match donor for a transplant, Lilly died in July 1997 at the early age of 49. He has helped to raise funds for the Royal Marsden Hospital, Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) and Daniel DeGayle Leukaemia Funds.

The Mr Alex Hairdressing Foundation which awards scholarships for disadvantaged students, was launched in June 2019 in his memory.

Lennox Claudius Lewis CM OBE

Boxing Champion

Dr Dwight Lindo, an alumnus of the University of the West Indies, is a medical doctor. He has worked for the NHS in the UK since 1990 as a consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at Kingston Hospital, Surrey, since 1999 and as a senior lecturer with St George’s University of London since 2005.

He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and was granted fellowship with both Colleges.

At Kingston Hospital, he has been clinical director for neonatology 2001-2008, clinical director for paediatrics 2008 - 2013 and was lead clinical audit for Kingston Hospital from 2002 - 2007.

He worked with the Local Ethics Committee from 2003- 2015, advising on ethical issues and with the Flu Pandemic Planning Committee from 2006 - 2009.

2001-2005 he worked as part of the original South West Regional Neonatal Board to reorganise the care of neonates.

Lindo is nationally recognised by the Resuscitation Council UK as a trainer in newborn resuscitation as well as a teacher on their ‘teach the teacher’ course. Lindo also supervised and taught the first neonatal nurse practitioner to be trained at Kingston Hospital between 2009 and 2011, and this success has led to the programme being extended.

Lindo is a patron of the Friends of The Heart Foundation of Jamaica and has been organising fund-raising events for the organisation on a yearly basis for the last three years.

UK in 1964.

In 1979, after working as a midwife, Lindsay moved from nursing to becoming a branch manager of the Victoria Mutual Building Society.

Lindsay is also the proprietor of Diamond Travel, established in 1987. It is the first and only African Caribbean Travel Agency in the Midlands to hold three major operational licences.

Lindsay has made valuable contribution to business development in the African Caribbean community.

Since 1993, she has been the director and company secretary of Black Business in Birmingham, providing funding and consultancy to develop minority businesses.

She has been a member of the Black Business and Executive Forum since 1993, committed to strengthening minority local businesses and increasing networking. Lindsay is also a member of the African Caribbean Business Forum that assists in the growth and diversity of the African Caribbean Business community. Lindsay is a longstanding chair of the Association of Jamaican Nationals and chair of Handsworth Wood Girls Academy. In 2012 Lindsay was appointed the first Black woman president of the Rotary Club.

She was awarded the European Federation of Black Women Business Owner Award in 1998, the Jamaica Local Hero Award in 2000 and the 3B Enterprise Excellence Award in 1997 and 2002. In 2008, she was conferred with Jamaica’s Order of Distinction and awarded the OBE in 2011 for her services to the community. She was appointed vice- lord lieutenant of the Midlands in 2013 and awarded an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University in 2017.

College.

He travelled to London in 1963, where he became an artist, writer, editor and arts administrator.

Lloyd became involved with the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM) in 1966 and produced book jackets, greeting cards and other materials for Black-owned publishing companies; New Beacon Books, Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications and Allison and Busby.

Bogle-L’Ouverture’s first title, Walter Rodney’s The Groundings with my Brothers and Bernard Coard’s How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Sub-Normal in the British School System. Lloyd also worked at Random House, Penguin Books and Oxford University Press.

His success as an illustrator began with the children’s book My Brother Sean by Petronella Breinburg (1973).

His 1995 novel for teenagers, Many Rivers to Cross, won the Youth Library Group award and was nominated for a Carnegie Medal.

Lloyd is also a sculptor and he has sculpted busts of C. L. R. James, Sir Alexander Bustamante, Lord Pitt, Sir Garfield Sobers, John La Rose and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Lloyd is the subject of a photograph in the National Portrait Gallery, London, by Horace Ove. He also features in Ove’s film about John La Rose, Dream to Change the World in 2012.

Exhibitions include: Transforming the Crown: African, Asian and Caribbean Artists in Britain (1997) and exhibition in three New York venues, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Caribbean Cultural Centre - representing the Caribbean Artists Movement (1966-1996).

Dr. Dwight Lindo MBBS FRCPI

FRCPCH MSc - Health

J.C. Lodge Music

June Caroll Lodge, was born on 1 December 1958, London, England to a Jamaican father and British mother.

She was raised and educated in Jamaica. Lodge is an actress and fine artist, and also known for her musical talent.

Lodge became one of the most popular female artists of the ‘80s and ‘90s, balancing traditional reggae with many genres and styles of music. Her breakthrough hit, “Someone Loves You”, Honey” was written by songwriter Errol O’Meally and produced by Joe Gibbs. It topped the Jamaican charts, earning Lodge gold and platinum discs in the Netherlands, where it was the #1 top-selling single of 1982.

Lodge later signed with producer Gussie Clarke’s Music Works label, debuting with I Believe in You in 1987. Another album, Selfish Lover, followed, as did her 1988 breakthrough hit, “Telephone Love”, one of the first dancehall singles to cross over to R&B and hip-hop.

Tropic of Love was released (1992) with “Home Is Where the Hurt Is” becoming her highest-charting hit in the US. Lodge and O’Meally co-produced the 1993 album, To the Max, featuring the single, “Activate Me”.

Lodge returned to England in 2001 and, with Jet star Records, later delivered the album, Reggae Country.

Lodge’s other songs include, “More Than I Can Say”, “Someone Loves You”, “Honey”, and “Make It Up”.

Lodge released two Jamaican-oriented cassette albums for children, Sing ‘n’ Learn and was invited to produce a 13-part children’s TV series. Lodge is the recipient of awards from the Press Association of Jamaica and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union.

police superintendent from London Metropolitan Police Service (LMPS) where he served with distinction for 30 years.

He worked at executive levels, especially with the Olympic policing coordination team with responsibilities for coordinating the security strategy for the successful 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Game. He has been chair of both the National and London Black Police Associations. (BPA).

Logan was Hackney’s deputy borough commander, receiving an unprecedented three consecutive annual commissioner’s commendations for top performance in London.

Leroy was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2001 for his role in developing anti-racist policies for the police. He was also awarded the Prime Minister’s medal of appreciation for services to Jamaica. Additionally, Logan has received; four Commissioner’s Commendations (2003-07), the Further Education Colleges National Gold Award (2010), and a PhD (Hons) from University of East London (2013).

Logan, was a co-founder of the initial UK Diaspora (2003), actively participating in the formulation of the constitution in preparation for the first conference in Kingston.

Logan ensured the strategic targets of the Jamaica Diaspora Crime Intervention and Prevention Taskforce (JDCIPTF), and a series of strategic collaborations. The UK JDCIPTF are mobilized to deliver its part in meeting the international Jamaica 2030 vision. He is chair of LIYSAB, Voyage Youth, Jamaica Diaspora Crime Intervention and Prevention Task Force. His story was also portrayed by director Steve McQueen in his critically acclaimed film series Small Axe, “Red, White and Blue”.

Crab Curry

John Edward McKenzie Lucie-Smith, born 27 February 1933, is a Jamaicanborn English writer, poet, art critic, curator and broadcaster.

The Lucie-Smiths had been in Jamaica since the 1880s; his father was assistant colonial secretary in the civil service. He moved to England aged 13, attending The King’s School, Canterbury and Merton College, Oxford (1951 to 1954).

After Oxford, Lucie-Smith joined the RAF as education officer and later worked in advertising for ten years before becoming a freelance author. He was the chair of The Group, a London-centered poets’ group (1959 and 1965).

Lucie-Smith has lived in London since arriving from Jamaica in 1946. He is known as an influential art historian who has become a prolific and widely published writer on art – in excess of one hundred books. His books include Movements in Art since 1945, Visual Arts of the Twentieth Century, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Art Today are used as standard texts throughout the world.

given distinguished service to the nation-building agenda for Jamaica by working through the Agency of the Jamaican Diaspora UK.

He is very conscientious about Jamaican students studying away from home and helps them to settle into their new environment.

Lyn emigrated from Jamaica to the UK in the 1960s to join his parents, aged seven. He helped in the family business, a service and petrol station, while still at school. After graduating 1986 with a BA in Education specialising in Craft, Design and Technology, he was recruited as general manager for Kon-Long Caterers of Wolverhampton.

Lyn owns and operates Cleone Foods Ltd., manufacturer and distributor of one of the UK’s most popular brands of Jamaican patties “Island Delight”, available in major supermarkets in Britain.

Through his generous spirit, he has provided his facilities free of costs to house the Consulate.

Despite his many accolades, he is a humble and gracious person, whose warm personality endears others to him. He is well respected among the Jamaican Diaspora and wider communities in Birmingham.

becoming a nurse. She completed her state enrolled nurse (SEN) training in 1963. However, deciding she had more to offer the NHS, she applied to undertake the midwifery course and later became a registered midwife.

As a midwife, Lynch worked in East London for many years, including St Thomas’ Hospital, before working for a short while in Barbados. On return to the UK she worked in White Chapel Maternity Hospital and Kent, where she was promoted to midwifery sister in 1978. Lynch worked as a midwife for over 39 years in the NHS, retiring due to ill health in 2000.

Alongside her professional duties, Lynch was very active in supporting a number of charities in her community. She has been an advocate for those less fortunate and spoke on behalf of the Black and minority midwives and members in her community. Although retired, she is still active in charity work.

Lynch has been a member of the Nurses Association of Jamaica UK (NAJ) for over 38 years, including spells as branch chair and secretary.

At the beginning of the 1980s he conducted several series of interviews, with artists, for BBC Radio 3. He was a contributor to The London Magazine, in which he wrote art reviews, and wrote regularly for the independent magazine Art Review from the 1960s until the 2000s.

In addition Lucie-Smith has curated a number of art exhibitions including three Peter Moore’s projects at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool; the New British Painting (1988–90) and two retrospectives at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Lyn is the recipient of a number of awards in the UK, including Commander of the British Empire (CBE), which he received during the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2013. He was recognised as Small Businessman of the Year in 2012 and appointed Business Ambassador for West Midlands by Prince Charles in 2012. He was selected for the position of high sheriff for West Midlands in 2020.

Her commitment to the NAJ and its objectives can be found in helping the fundraising activities of many communities and supporting those less fortunate in the community.

In recognition of her dedication, unwavering support and charity work, Lynch was formally recognised at the NAJ 40th Anniversary Celebration.

John Lucie-Smith Health

Dr Oliver Augustus Lyseight

Faith Pioneer

Oliver Augustus Lyseight, born 11 December 1919 in the district of Claremont, Hanover, Jamaica, was the fourth of twelve siblings. He was raised in the Methodist tradition, and he excelled academically.

Lyseight joined the Church of God in 1939 and began his ministry work in Jamaica in 1941. He worked as a war food administrator in the US (WWII), returning to Jamaica to become a licenced minister in 1946. Lyseight married Rose Goodison in 1947, and the couple were blessed with seven children.

Upon moving to Britain in 1951, he attended the Darlington Street Methodist Church in Wolverhampton. He then opened a branch of the New Testament Church of God (NTCG) with a congregation of 25, gradually overseeing more branch openings in Birmingham, London and Walsall. In time, the American Church appointed Lyseight as its national overseer in Britain, the first national spiritual leader of the Windrush Generation in England and Wales.

Lyseight was the founding father of the Afro West Indian United Council of Churches and was a prominent voice in the work of Ecumenism in the wider church movement.

He retired in 1978 and died on February 28 2006, aged 86. An estimated 2,000 people attended his funeral service. He has been recognised by the Wolverhampton Civic and Historical Society for his services to the NTCG and the wider community.

His mother died when he was five, and his grandmother brought him up in St Elizabeth with his father supporting him from England. He joined his father in Sheffield (1979) and began his studies at Richmond College, where his cricketing talent was recognised. In 1981 Malcolm played for Yorkshire schools, Sheffield Caribbean and Sheffield United and was selected for the Yorkshire League XI versus the County XI in April 1984.

The strict Yorkshire-born policy prevented Malcolm from playing for Yorkshire. Instead, he signed for Derbyshire, making his first-class debut in 1984, and later Leicestershire, playing his final first-class match in 2003, during which he claimed over 60 wickets. He passed 1,000 first-class wickets with Leicestershire. He made his first international appearance in the Fifth Test against an Australian already 3–0 up in the series.

On the West Indies tour in 1989-90, England won the First Test. Malcolm took ten wickets in the Second Test, taking nineteen wickets, England’s leading wicket-taking bowler of the trip.

In 1994, Malcolm played against South Africa at The Oval and produced his greatest spell of international bowling, ripping through South Africa, ending with 9 –57. This herculean feat earned Malcolm one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1995.

Malcolm’s eight-year international career ended at the 1997 Ashes series at The Oval. He ended with over 100 wickets, and his final Test bowling average was over 37.

Kingston, Jamaica.

After attending Wolmer’s Girls’ School, Mark served as a medical secretary in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during the Second World War but was denied equal pay with male staff - something that she was quick to protest about. In 1952, she married Jamaican fast bowler Stanley Goodridge and gave birth to a daughter. Soon afterwards, Stanley accepted a contract to play cricket in Durham, England. Mark and their daughter joined him and in 1957 the couple had their second child, a boy. She returned to work as a medical secretary and began her involvement in charitable works, community service and educational projects.

The Goodridges divorced and Connie married Michael Mark. She joined the West Indian Ex-Servicemen’s Association and she successfully convinced them to add “women” to the title of the organisation in recognition of women’s contributions to the war effort.

In 1980, Mark founded the Mary Seacole Memorial Association (MSMA), which marked the centenary of the nursing heroine’s death with a memorial service in 1981. The MSMA continues to maintain Seacole’s grave in Kensal Green Cemetery, London.

In 1989, Mark successfully lobbied for the inclusion of West Indians in preparations to celebrate the contribution of service personnel on the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. With support from the Arts Council, she put together an exhibition of photographs collected from service personnel and the archives of the Imperial War Museum. In 1992, she received the British Empire Medal for meritorious service during the war.

In 2001, Mark received an OBE. In 2018, to coincide with what would have been her 95th birthday, a Blue Plaque in tribute to her was re-installed at the Mary Seacole Housing Association in Hammersmith after the original was vandalised six years earlier.

Malcolm wrote, You Guys Are History, a history of Black cricketers, and he runs DEM Sports, a company that sells cricket equipment to schools and clubs globally.

The event coincided with a ‘Google Doodle’ depicting Mark typing and speaking out about equality. The Evening Standard listed her amongst 14 “Inspirational Black British women throughout history”.

Mark died in west London following a stroke in June 2007, aged 83.

Una Maud Victoria Marson Writer, Activist, Feminist

Una Marson, feminist, writer and equal rights campaigner, was born, 6 February 1905 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, to Reverend Solomon Isaac and Ada Marson. The youngest of her siblings, she attended Hampton High, Malvern (1915 - 1922), one of the oldest boarding schools in Jamaica.

In Kingston, Marson began working as assistant editor on the socio-political journal The Jamaica Critic. Between 1928 and 1931, Marson published The Cosmopolitan, a monthly publication, making her Jamaica’s first female editor-publisher. She wrote Tropic Reveries (1930) and Heights and Depths (1931), which explored themes of women and male relationships. Her first play, At What a Price (1932), was applauded for its Jamaican themes, characters and settings.

Tropic Reveries (1930) and Heights and Depths (1931) explored themes of women and male relationships. Her first play, At What a Price (1932), was applauded for its Jamaican themes, characters and settings.

Marson moved to London (1931) and lodged at the house of Dr Moody, in Peckham. The poem, Nigger was a critique of British racism.

A meeting with King Sir Nana Ofori Atta Omanhene of West Africa (1936) further developed her intellectual convictions of a transnational African alliance, which inspired London Calling (1937), a play about Caribbean students in London. At What a Price had a three-night run at the Scala Theatre (January), the first Black production in the West End.

In 1934 Marson was appointed editor of The Keys and a member of the influential Women’s Freedom League. She was the first Jamaican invited to speak at the International Alliance of Women for Suffrage and Equal Citizenship, Istanbul, in 1935 and to attend the League of Nations in Geneva.

Marson returned to Jamaica in August 1937 and set up the first interracial - Readers and Writers Club. Her third collection of poems, The Moth and the Star and poem Kinky Hair Blues: I Like Me Black Face/And Me Kinky Hair/But Nobody Loved Dem/I Jes Don’t Think It’s Fair, encourage a positive self-image. Her most successful play Pocomania, which opened in January 1938, tackled the struggle of a Black middle-class woman to be free from a repressive colonial society, was one of the first plays to present the creole language on stage.

Marson formed the Jamaica Save the Children Association, was appointed West Indies producer on the BBC Empire Service and appeared in John Page’s propaganda film Hello! West Indies (1943). Marson faced prejudice from colleagues who were often uncomfortable with her colour. She returned to Jamaica in 1945 and died on 6 May 1965.

born in Clarendon, Jamaica, to Francilla Reid and Obadiah Martin, was known as “Saxa”.

Martin gained international prominence by accompanying the English ska band “The Beat” in the 1980s. He played with the Beatles and many early ska artists, including Laurel Aitken, Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker.

He migrated to the UK in 1962 and lived in London for 18 months before moving and settling in Birmingham.

He quickly established himself with other musicians from Jamaica and played at pubs and clubs. Martin, who always travelled with his saxophone, would walk alone into English and Irish pubs and clubs to seek a gig. He was rarely refused.

He helped to craft the signature sounds on “Mirror in the Bathroom”, “Too Nice to Talk to” and “Hands Off She’s Mine”. Martin played on all three Beats albums, I Just Can’t Stop It (1980), Wha’ppen? (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982).

Martin brought a specifically Jamaican lyrical quality to his endeavours. The band were able to fuse all of their respective musical influences into a unique sound that was highly danceable. Alongside other ska bands like the Specials, the Selecter and Madness, the Beat became one of the most popular bands of the Two-Tone Ska movements.

Martin played a vital part in bringing Jamaican ska to a new generation, forming great relations between Black and White youths in the 1980s.

He qualified from University College and Middlesex Hospital School of Medicine (University of London) in 1990 and gained membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1994, becoming a fellow in 2007.

He undertook specialist training in Leicester and University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland. He was appointed lead consultant in Cardiology in January 2003 at Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust (based at Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford in Kent) and honorary consultant cardiologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Martin is a senior cardiologist at Darent Valley Hospital and led the development of modern cardiac services there. He introduced novel, patient-centred, multidisciplinary pathways and was involved with the development of the £4.2million purpose-built Heart Centre.

Martin also led on the clinical development of the Bexley Community Cardiology Service established in 2007 and brought secondary care cardiology out of the hospital into Bexley’s local GP surgeries. The service has been recognised nationally as a model for cardiac service development.

As well as having a particular interest in coronary artery disease, angioplasty and stenting, Martin runs an adult congenital heart disease clinic jointly with St Thomas’ experts, a research clinic in heart failure and a specialist service for ‘difficult-to-treat’ hypertension and hypertension in young adults.

Martin has served as chair of Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust Patient Safety Committee (2008-2013) and clinical director, Emergency and Unscheduled Care (2013-2015).

Martin actively supports several Jamaican charities and is a patron of the Friends of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica.

Val McCalla Publishing

Val McCalla was born on the 3rd October 1943, in Kingston, Jamaica, during the Second World War.

He studied accountancy before travelling to Britain in 1959 to serve in the Royal Air Force. He had wanted to train as a pilot, but a perforated eardrum prevented him pursuing that dream.

McCalla became employed in a variety of accounting and writing positions. At a left-wing London paper called the East End News, editing a double-page news section aimed at Black readers, entitled “The Voice” he had an idea to expand it and to create a national newspaper for British-born black people whose parents were from Africa or the Caribbean.

The Voice was launched at the Notting Hill Carnival in 1982. The timing was perfect, as a few months earlier, Black youth in Britain’s main cities had taken to the streets to protest against police harassment and lack of opportunities. The new paper was seen as a way to engage with marginalised communities and lucrative recruitment advertising filled The Voice.

The Voice became a runaway success from its initial sales of 4,000; within eight years it sold more than 53,000 copies a week. Its campaigning journalism and hard-hitting news stories became a important source of information, and it also provided a launch pad for many aspiring black journalists.

McCalla launched other publications: Black Britain, The Weekly Journal and a monthly women’s glossy, Pride.

is a writer, poet, international speaker and community advocate. Her contribution to Jamaica’s literature includes Hope Leaves Jamaica, Festus and Felix, Birds in the Wilderness (voted ‘Book of the Year’ by the Jamaica Library Association,1998) and Tricky-Tricky Twins.

A former lecturer in slavery, colonialism and the Black experience in Britain, McClymont later worked in local government as a community development manager. In 2012, she founded the CALAH Centre to achieve better outcomes for Black and Minority Ethnic children and young people. She designed and delivered safeguarding training and briefing sessions in places of worship to raise awareness of harmful practices such as child exorcism and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

McClymont has spoken at the Houses of Parliament and the House of Lords on youth violence, Black unemployment and Windrush. In 2015, she spoke at the Scottish Parliament regarding African women and climate change. McClymont has worked as a visiting author in schools and libraries across England and Scotland since 1993. During Black History Month 2004, Hope Leaves Jamaica was selected by the Learning Trust Hackney and used in schools to explore Jamaica’s history of migration to Britain. During the 50th anniversary of Windrush, she was commissioned by Wandsworth Libraries to work in twelve libraries in the borough.

A traveller, McClymont has read her poetry in Jamaica, Florida and across the UK. In 2014, she represented Jamaica/the Caribbean at the launch of Glasgow Commonwealth Writers Project. In Jamaica, McClymont’s work has been well received in numerous education and faith establishments, as well as across the UK.

Ishmahil Blagrove

KNOWS HOW TO MAKE A DRAMA OUT OF A CRISIS

The Voice is currently published by GV Media Group Limited.

With her determination to “Be the change you want to see”, in April, McClymont publicly addressed the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, suggesting that he should not have accepted an apology from the UK Prime Minister regarding the Windrush scandal. Later she was an invited speaker at the VE Day celebrations at Windrush Square in London.

Ishmahil Blagrove is a director, cinematographer, social activist and writer, known for his films and books about the African diaspora. His social justice advocacy, Rice N Peas, founded in 1993, has produced several documentaries, including Blood Diamonds (2001) Roaring Lion (2002) Gang Wars (2003), Bang Bang in Da Manor (2004), Hasta Siempre-Cuba (2007), and This is Our Country Too (2008).

He grew up in Ladbroke Grove, West London, and has memorialised the history of the local areas in the stunning Carnival Photographic and Testimonial History of the Notting Hill Carnival (2014). In addition, he has campaigned for the Grenfell Tower victims and excavated local histories for years wherever he is. Living between London and Cuba, he is of Jamaican descent and a genuine pan-Africanist.

to Esmeralda and Sidney McDonald. She attended St Hilda’s Diocesan High School in Browns Town, St Ann, and St Andrews High School for Girls in Kingston. McDonald attended the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus from 1967 to 1973, graduating with an MBBS degree.

McDonald did an internship in Jamaica at Victoria Jubilee, at the maternity unit of Kingston Public Hospital, and at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital, Kingston, completing the programme at Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas.

She also trained in general surgery in Scotland, where she became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1982. She trained in Urology in London at the Institute of Urology, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and the North Middlesex Hospital.

She acquired her diplomate in Urology from University College London in 1990, and was appointed consultant urologist at the North Middlesex University Hospital in 1995, a post she still currently holds.

McDonald is one of approximately 50 female consultant urologists in the UK, in a specialty dominated by approximately 600 male consultant urologists. She is actively involved in training young urologists in the Caribbean, Senegal and Zimbabwe, travelling regularly to the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, performing workshops.

McDonald is a past member of the Nominating Committee of the Société International d’Urologie and of the Board of Directors of the Société International d’Urologie. She is a current member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons; European Association of Urological Surgeons; American Association of Urological Surgeons; Société International d’Urologie and fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. She is also an honorary consultant to St Luke’s Trust, in which capacity she treats the Church of England clergy.

McDonald was honored in 2018 by the Caribbean Urological Association for services to Urology in the Caribbean. She currently has a private practice at the London Clinic on Harley Street.

he was later promoted to officer.

During his RAF career, Sidney received 3 Commanders-in-Chief commendations awards for outstanding service. He later went on to work 12 years for the Ministry of Defence.

Sidney became a member of Longhurst Homes (Registered Social Housing) which later merged with Havelock Homes. He was appointed chairman of the new company, Longhurst & Havelock Homes Ltd. The company manages over 8,000 homes operating across the Midlands and partners with over 30 local authorities delivering affordable homes.

Sidney, a former member and chairman of the Board of Independent Monitors for HMP (1994-2002) has also served on the Board of National Probation Service and on the Board as chairman of Lincolnshire Marriage Care Centre, where he helped with literacy, counselling and relationship building.

He has chaired CALL Advocacy,, a self-advocay group; the Racial Equality Council (2002-2007); the Crown Prosecution Service, Hate Crime Panel (20062010), and is a member of the Lincolnshire criminal justice board.

Currently, he volunteers with various statutory organisations, including the Lincolnshire Police Authority Independent Advisory Group. He is a member of CPS East Midlands Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel, the University of Lincoln Research Ethics Committee (Law Faculty) and the British Psychological Society. In 1999, he was awarded an MBE for his volunteering services to the community and Ministry of Defence. He was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by His Holiness Pope Gregory XV1 in 1832, for his counselling work in supporting marriage and family life.

Jacqueline McKenzie was born in England of Grenadian and Jamaican parentage. She lived in Grenada, as a child and attended St Joseph’s Convent and the Institute for Further Education before coming to the UK.

McKenzie went on to study journalism and media at the University of the Arts London and read law at West London University (LLB Law). She earned postgraduate degrees in International Relations, Human Rights and Documentary Research at the University of Kent and the University of the Arts London.

McKenzie spent 19 years in local government in several roles, including equalities, community development and regeneration. In 2005 she joined Birnberg Peirce and Partners, where she practised as a human rights lawyer, managing an extensive portfolio of immigration and criminal cases.

In 2008 she was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. In addition she was called as a barrister to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Grenada in 2011.

McKenzie was the acting chief executive of Female Prisoners Welfare Association/Hibiscus, a charity which works with migrants and foreign national prisoners.

She set up McKenzie Beute and Pope, an immigration and asylum specialist firm in 2010. In 2015, she founded the Organisation for Migration Advice and Research to assist people who are unable to afford legal services. The organisation conducts research and also provides training in immigration law and policy for members of the CARICOM Diplomatic Corp of High Commissioners in the UK.

Recently, McKenzie became one of the most visible campaigners, fighting the Windrush deportations, defending the victims long before the “scandal” was newsworthy. She has spent years advocating for the government to pay attention to Caribbean-born citizens. McKenzie was recognised for her work ranking in the Top 10 Power list.

Jacqueline McKenzie Lawyer

Desmie McLean was born December 1937 to Jamaican parents in Jamaica.

She opened a hairdressing business in 1970, one of the very few Black hairdressers operating in Islington, North London.

McLean took care of her sick husband while caring for their two young children. However, she was determined to be successful in business, and with the support of her husband, she persevered. She gained many awards and recognition for her work with the community, including, The Voice Award 1999, Experience Corp Award 2005, The African and Caribbean Award, The Islington Civic Award 2005 and the Islington Hero Award 2007.

McLean has also been a member of the management committee at the Islington Law Centre for more than 30 years. She is still part of the Finsbury Park Business Forum.

McLean is committed and dedicated to the wellbeing of members of her community. As a founder and chair of the Association of African and Caribbean People, she has made regular hospital and prison visits, counselling, drug addicts, helping people with their relationships and mental health problems.

McLean also set up a food program designed to meet the needs of the sick and the housebound, with provisions and other items.

She is still involved in industry developments and hairdressing technologies and continues to consult on hair care and products. An evangelist, Reverend McLean now holds seminars, bible studies and conducts prayers with her community, still sharing her knowledge, expertise, and bringing assistance to those in need.

She attended Chatsworth Elementary School in Shawcastle, then went to Delrose High in Kingston.

In 1960, aged 17, McNish joined her parents in Sheffield, England. They later moved to London.

McNish tried to get into a college with little success, but wanted to help her parents so took a job at a sweet factory, and eventually joined the cadet nursing programme at the Marylebone Hospital in the late 1960s.

Eventually, McNish started a family, but found it a great struggle to cope with five children and to remain solvent.

In 1966, she returned to nursing at Central Middlesex Hospital and commenced her midwifery training in 1970.

She held several positions as a qualified midwife, and was promoted to district nurse in Lewisham Hospital, and ward sister in Norwood Cottage Hospital and Croydon General Hospital. At Mayday University Hospital, she held senior management and senior resource nurse positions.

McNish retired in 1995, but a year later, she returned to the profession to take up a deputy manager post at a nursing home in Crystal Palace, which lasted eleven years.

An active member of Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK) since 1979, McNish was its executive secretary and is currently a trustee. With strong links with the Jamaica High Commission (JHC) involving assisting distressed Jamaican citizens, McNish voluntarily escorted someone back to Jamaica on behalf of the JHC.

Barry returned home to Jamaica and told him about England. The stories fascinated him so much that he could not wait to emigrate.

When Empire Windrush docked at Kingston Harbour, Jamaica, in May 1948, offering a one-way fare of £28.10s to the mother country, McPherson obtained the permission of his parents to travel under Barry’s guardianship.

On board, McPherson found a job in the bakery where he earned a small amount of money for his upkeep. He thoroughly enjoyed himself on the ship. When it landed on 22 June 1948, he and Barry headed for Stafford, West Midlands.

Finding good accommodation and employment was challenging. In 1952 he decided to take up a position at Coventry, but found the place and people disagreeable. Later that year he obtained employment in Birmingham, where he remained.

In Handsworth, McPherson found a small West Indian community consisting predominantly of men as it was rare to see Black women in Birmingham at that time.

At 21, he married a local young lady and had three children. In the 1970s he managed a wine shop, and was one of only three Black men to have done so in Birmingham at the time.

Desmie McLean Business

Vida Menzies OD Activism

Vida Menzies was a famous physiotherapist who specialised in the Alexander Technique, and introduced it to Jamaica in the early 1950s, after studying it in the USA.

Menzies moved to England in the 1950s, where she lived for more than four decades. In London, she opened a beauty treatment salon at Harrods, specialising in massage, hair care and facials. The salon became extremely popular at a time when the Jamaican community was making its presence felt across the UK and particularly London.

Gracious and charming, Menzies became a doyenne of the Jamaican community and was involved in many community organisations and initiatives, such as the Association of Jamaicans UK Trust which she chaired during the sixties. Menzies was well-known for her fundraising events and use of iconic premises.

Menzies was awarded an Order of Distinction (OD) in 1976 for services to the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK and for her charity work.

Her clientele included many well-known and important people, and she later established an Alexander treatment centre on Ebury Street, which was patronised by many artists, politicians and musicians. She also hosted an open house every Thursday night.

Menzies was a founding member of the Commonwealth Countries League, which specialised in raising money for the education of girls throughout the Commonwealth.

He has an inspiring forty years of public service involving the Jamaican community in the UK and in the Caribbean.

He has organised many fundraising activities such as Basic School Education and Hurricane Relief in Jamaica, Grenada, Haiti and elsewhere around the world.

Mighty has championed the raising of funds for the Chain of Hope project, spearheading the drive to fundraise for the restoration of the Lucea Town Hall and Clock Tower. He is an outstanding leader in the Jamaican Community, who strongly believes in nation building and community development.

Mighty has served the community of Derby with pride. He was a JP and magistrate between 1991 and 2006. An integral part of civic and cultural life, he served on Derby City Council Minority Communities Forum (2008-present) on the Derby and Derbyshire Race Equality Commission (2010-present) and was the chairman of the East Midlands Caribbean Carnival Arts Network (2010-present). He was also a member of the Independent Community Inclusion Board of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service (2011-present).

Mighty was awarded an MBE in 1990. He has been the recipient of several awards, including the Gleaner and Jamaica National - Overseas Special Award; the Jamaica Local Heroes Award; Derby City Council Civic Award, Derby City Council Youth Service Outstanding Service Award In 2012, he received an honorary master’s degree from the University of Derby (2012).

Jamaica.

When he was ten years old, his mother moved to Greenwich, Kingston, where he attended Stewarts School.

As a teenager, Miller became the frontman for the Downbeats. He embarked on a solo career, first doing the Caribbean show circuits and travelling to Canada.

He backed Ray Charles, Chubby Checker and Chuck Berry at the Jamaica Hilton. He joined the Jamaican show band, the Vagabonds, who were on their way to Britain.

Miller’s unique showman style was a combination of music hall and reggae. His stage name was originally Clown Prince Miller. His 1981 hit “Mule Train” was reworked by Sly and Robbie and became a huge hit.

Miller became the go-to MC for shows featuring Jamaican artists visiting Britain, from Bob Marley and the Wailers to Dennis Brown. He was selected to compete in the 1969 Wembley Reggae Festival, the first major reggae event in Britain.

Miller’s acting credits include Vince in the Channel 4 sitcom Desmond’s, and he appeared in the James Bond film Dr No (1962) and What a Girl Wants (2003). He won the Best Male Actor Award at the 2006 Black FilmMakers’ International Awards for his role in Winnie and the Duppy Bat.

A special tribute from the Hon. Olivia Grange summed up Miller; “Count Prince Miller was a tower of a man who contributed to the growth and development of the Jamaican entertainment.”

Kei Miller

Novelist

Kei Miller, was born 24 October 1978, in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended Wolmer’s Boys School and University of the West Indies, where he studied English.

In 2004, Miller gained an MA in Creative Writing from the Manchester Metropolitan University. His debut was a collection of short stories, Fear of Stones and other stories (2006), which was shortlisted for a Commonwealth Writers Prize (Best First Book). Two poetry collections followed, Kingdom of Empty Bellies (2006) and There Is An Anger That Moves (2007). His first novel, The Same Earth, was published in 2008. Recent publications include critically-acclaimed novel, The Last Warner Woman (2010), poetry collections, A Light Song of Light (2010) - shortlisted for the 2010 John Llewellyn-Rhys Memorial Prize, and The Cartographer Tries to Map A Way to Zion.

His most recent publications, The Last Warner Woman (2010), poetry collections, A Light Song of Light (2010) - shortlisted for the 2010 John Llewellyn-Rhys Memorial Prize, and the collection, The Cartographer Tries to Map A Way to Zion.

A strong religious theme runs through his work. The Kingdom of Empty Bellies (2007) combined St John’s gospel with Bob Marley’s music, while A Light Song of Light (2010) contained praise songs. The Last Warner Woman (2010)revolved around the fate of the character’s interaction with the Revivalist Church. Miller tells the tale of an old Jamaican woman’s recollection of her remarkable journey from a leper colony to an unbelieving England. It won the Forward Prize, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize, the Green Carnation Prize and the Historical Writers Award.

Miller has been a visiting writer at York University, Canada; the Department of Library Services, British Virgin Islands. He has been a Vera Rubin Fellow at Yaddo; and International Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa. He is the editor of New Caribbean Poetry: An Anthology (2007), and teaches Creative Writing at Glasgow University, Scotland.

British vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the successful 1970s disco/reggae group Boney M. She started life in Clarendon, Jamaica and attended James Hill Primary School.

Her parents migrated to the UK in the 1950s and Mitchell joined them in 1963.

By the end of the decade, Mitchell successfully auditioned for Hair and moved to Berlin to join the German cast. After Hair, she joined Les Humphries Singers for a few years.

In February 1976, Mitchell became part of a new group, Boney M, who went on to sell 100 milion records worldwide with hits, such as, “Daddy Cool”, “Ma Baker”, “Rasputin”, “Mary’s Boy Child – Oh My Lord” and “Rivers of Babylon”. Mitchell was widely regarded as lead vocalist.

Shortly after their 10th anniversary in 1986, Boney M disbanded. Napier-Bell wanted her to lead on his remix album of Boney M’s greatest hits, but she decided to focus on her solo career. She recorded a remix album (1989-90) and fronted a new Boney M line-up for the single, “Stories”. .

In 1996, Mitchell and husband Pemberton built the Dove House Studios/Dove House Records.

In 1999, Mitchell released her long-awaited album, Share the World followed by the seasonal album, Christmas Rose, including the title track, “Lord’s Prayer” and “I Want to Go to Heaven”.

A born-again Christian, She released, Let It Be, her fourth solo album in 2004, followed by the album Liz Mitchell Sings the Hits of Boney M., recorded in Prague and backed by a Czech symphony orchestra.

Mitchell formed the “Let It Be Foundation” in 2006, to give members of the Windrush generation an opportunity to engage with their roots.

Rice and Peas - A Jamaican favourite

Harold Moody

Civil Rights Leader

The founder of the civil rights group, the League of Colored Peoples, in 1930s Britain, Harold Arundel Moody, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1882, the eldest child of pharmacist Charles Moody and his wife Christina.

Moody arrived in London in 1904 to study medicine at King’s College, but he found it hard to find housing because of the colour bar. Despite qualifying top of his class in 1910, he was refused work at a hospital on racial grounds and was later rejected for the post of medical officer for the Camberwell Board of Guardians for the same reason.

Moody decided to set up his own GP practice based in Peckham, South London in 1913. He was a devout Christian and was elected chair of the Colonial Missionary Society’s board of directors in 1921. He was later voted president of the London Christian Endeavour Federation, becoming the primary contact for Black people who required assistance with finding accommodation and employment.

In 1931, he took this further by founding the League of Coloured Peoples (LCP), which became an influential platform in promoting social justice. It also became part of the wider anti-colonial movement. Its campaigning was underpinned by its journal, The Keys, which it began publishing in 1933.

In 1944, the LCP drew up its “Charter”, a precursor to the resolutions of the Fifth Pan-African Conference held in Manchester a year later. It demanded full self-government for colonial peoples at the “earliest possible opportunity’’, and insisted that “the same economic, educational, legal and political rights shall be enjoyed by all persons”. It added, “All discrimination in employment, all public places, entertainment and refreshment shall be illegal and be punished.”

A respected and popular GP, Moody further distinguished himself during the Second World War by freely offering on-the-spot medical treatment to bomb victims.

After a strenuous speaking tour of the West Indies and North America, Moody returned to London ill and weak. He died at home in April 1947. The LCP survived him by only four years, but his legacy continues. In 1995, English Heritage erected a Blue Plaque at his former home, 164 Queens Road, Peckham.

Jamaica, and emigrated to Britain in 1923 to study dentistry at King’s College London.

While still a student he visited the British Museum and was so affected by the Egyptian and Asian collections, he decided he wanted to be a sculptor and taught himself to carve. By the time he had completed his dental studies in 1930, he had also become a proficient artist.

Moody’s first completed piece, Wohin (1934), was carved in oak wood and among Moody’s most famous works from this period was his great female head, Midonz (1937), which he described as “the goddess of transmutation”.

Moody’s first solo show opened at the Galerie Billiet Vorms, Paris, in October 1937 to great public acclaim. An exhibit at Kunstzaal van Lier in Amsterdam followed shortly in January 1938, and Moody was reported as “one of the greatest sculptors of today”. After the success of his first two shows, Moody relocated to Paris, but returned to England during World War II.

Moody had an extremely successful art career and experimented with other sculptural mediums such as concrete and brass. In 1964, he created a metal sculpture called Savacou, a stylised depiction of a bird, for the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

Moody died in 1985 and his sculpture and work can now be found in important collections such as the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate, London as well as the National Gallery of Jamaica.

She was trained at the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC) and the School of Drama.

She was the principal (1997-2003) and head of the Jamaica Preparatory Schools between 20012003.

Moore was instrumental in turning the Colin Bryan Preparatory School with less than fifty pupils into a beacon of excellence in Old Harbour, St Catherine.

Beacon status was achieved through good leadership and many unqualified staff tirelessly driving up standards until it became a strong academic and performance arts institution.

The school won prizes in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Speech, Dance, Music and Drama Festivals.

When Moore moved to the United Kingdom, she used the performing arts to inspire and motivate students at St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in East London. She inspired the community with slogans such as “Many Cultures – One School”, “Enlightened, Empowered, Undefeated” , “No Child Left Behind” and “Every Child A Winner” to create an environment where pupils developed confidence and high esteem.

She lifted the school from second to bottom to top rung in her first year, and was invited to contribute to a Parliamentary Review held at the Houses of Parliament in October 2018.

Moore worked with the Jamaica National Building Society and a Jamaican performing arts committee to put on summer workshops for children, using the arts to encourage their pride in heritage.

She studied nursing at Coventry University between 1990 and 1993 and is most notable for her research into the availability of healthcare to senior citizens migrating back to Jamaica from the UK.

Although Morais was awarded a scholarship to conduct her research in Jamaica, she faced insurmountable challenges from her managers, who discouraged her and refused to recognise the scholarship, thus failing to grant her the time and support that her research required. As a result, Morais decided to travel to Jamaica, sponsoring herself while pregnant with her fifth child.

Upon completing her research in Jamaica, Morais received great publicity for her study, which identified the challenges senior citizens face when reintegrating into Jamaican society with specific healthcare challenges.

Her research was eventually recognised by her managers for its insight into healthcare inequality and was later presented to the Health Authority in Birmingham.

Morais’ determination to overcome the resistance facing her medical research is both a testament to the personal fortitude of Britain’s healthcare professionals and the deplorable racial and gender inequalities preventing Black nurses from excelling in their professions

She was presented to the Queen at the UK Central Council for nursing as a Florence Nightingale Scholar of Excellence. She continues her work as a community staff nurse in Birmingham.

Jamaica, is one of the founding fathers of ska. He has worked with Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, Garnett Silk and Jimmy Cliff.

Aged 17, Morgan entered and won the Vere Johns talent show with his impressions of Little Richard’s, “Long Tall Sally” and “Jenny Jenny”.

In 1959, he recorded a succession of hit songs, “Lover Boy, aka S-Corner”, “Oh My”, and “Fat Man”. Morgan also recorded for the legendary Coxsone Dodd, including “Leave Earth” and “Wigger Wee Shuffle”. In 1960, he held the top seven places on the pop singles chart simultaneously, including “Don’t Call me Daddy, In “My Heart”, “Be Still” and “Meekly Wait and Murmur Not”. In 1961, he had the biggest hit of his career, “Don’t You Know” - later re-titled, “Housewives’ Choice” by a local DJ – produced by Leslie Kong.

In celebrating Jamaica’s independence, Morgan released the first independence song, “Forward March”. It was a major success. He has since written several festival-winning songs: “Jamaica Whao” (1988); “Fi Wi Island a Boom”(2000); and “Progress” (2002).

In the mid-1960s, when ska evolved into rocksteady, Morgan continued to release quality music, “Tougher Than Tough” (widely credited as the first of the Rocksteady genre), “Blazing Fire”, and “Seven Letters”.

Morgan lived in Britain from 1963 and moved to Miami in the ‘80s. He remained popular in Jamaica and the UK. His eyesight began to wane in the late 1970s, and Morgan cut back on his performing schedule.

In 2017, Radiation Roots Records re-issued People Decision, first released in 1977.

Campaigner and activist Courtney Laws OD OBE, Director of the Brixton Neighbourhood Community Association with Home Secretary Lord Roy Jenkins at a meeting held in 1975. Jenkins was addressing Black community leaders on the underlying causes of crime and racial tension.

Courtney Laws with Home Secretary Lord Roy Jenkins

Through The Years

Poet, writer, journalist and photographer. Barrett came to England in the early 1960s where he worked as a journalist for the BBC World Service. He later moved to France and eventually settled in Nigeria. Throughout his life he has maintained close ties with England and his first novel Song for Mumu attracted critical acclaim. His ability to bring the plight of Black people to attention through various mediums is remarkable. See page 43 for Lindsay Barrett’s profile.

Photos from a collection owned by Margaret Busby©

Cecil Morris

Radio Station Pioneer

Founder of the trailblazing pirate radio station, PCRL, Cecil Morris, aka Music Master, was born on June 26, 1946 in Clarendon, Jamaica, but came to the UK in 1962 to be reunited with his parents, settling in Birmingham.

By the age of 19, he had taught himself to play the drums, joined a band and was married. He then left his factory job and entered the music industry.

By the early ’80s he was running a successful record production and management company, the Birmingham-based Rising Star Records, looking after up-and-coming bands like Matumbi, JALN and Steele Pulse, and singers Annette B and Thelma May. He also opened up a music venue, The Elite, and ventured into publishing but still found time to launch a cinema club showcasing Black films.

After failing to secure air time with mainstream broadcasters he started a radio station. He said “I got involved in radio because, as I got to understand the music business, I quickly realised that this is what was needed to get the music to the public,” recalling how, after intense lobbying, the BBC only offered him a 30-minute Sunday show.

“I was disgusted. We [Black people] make up 10 per cent of your listening audience, we pay licence fees like everybody else, and we deserve 10 per cent of your air time.”

In the wake of the Handsworth riots in 1985, he unveiled the People Community Radio Link, better known as PCRL, one of the early Black pirate stations in the West Midlands. A mix of commentary and reggae, soul and gospel music, it proved an instant hit and garnered more than 250,000 listeners. Despite being plagued by repeated raids by the broadcasting authorities and subsequent loss of equipment, it continued to be a success, with spin-offs in merchandise and the PCRL record label.

Attempts to obtain a radio franchise failed and Morris frequently found himself in court for operating an unlicensed broadcasting station.

PCRL continued through the ’90s but was eventually forced to close in 2004. Clips of some of its most popular radio shows can still be heard on the PCRL website.

In recognition of his contribution to the UK’s cultural life, over the years Morris has received the Pioneering Black Radio Award from the Birmingham Black Business Association, the Lifetime Award from the Black Music Promoters Association and more recently the Phoenix Newspaper Veteran Award.

1979) made a lasting impact on the struggles of the Black community in the UK during the 1970s.

Born in St Catherine, Jamaica, she came to London with her family at the age of nine. Despite leaving school with no formal qualifications, Morris went on to study at the London College of Printing and the University of Manchester, where she obtained a degree in social sciences. She became active in the Manchester Black Women’s Co-operative and the Black Women’s Mutual Aid Group and established a Black supplementary school for children.

Her entry into grassroots activism followed a 1969 incident where Nigerian diplomat Clement Gomwalk was dragged out of his car in Brixton by police. An incredulous Morris confronted the officers who beat him and then arrested her. She accused them of threatening and humiliating her while in custody. Subsequently, Morris was given a suspended sentence.

In the early 1970s, Morris joined the British Black Panther movement and became a founding member of the Brixton Black Women’s Group. She was also active in the London squatter movement, famously taking over 121 Railton Road, Brixton, which became a hub of political activit y.

Morris helped set up the Sabaar Bookshop in Brixton, one of the first Black community bookshops in the capital, and became a founding member of the influential OWAAD – Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent – which held its inaugural conference at the Abeng Centre in Brixton in 1978.

Morris was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1978 and died the following year aged just 27. Lambeth Council has named one of its offices, a play area and a community garden after her. In 2011, the Olive Morris Memorial Award was launched to provide bursaries for young Black women. In 2018, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, she was named in the Evening Standard’s list of 14 “inspirational Black British women throughout history”. In 2021, the Nubian Jak Community Trust errected a plaque at her Brixton address.

UK’s largest Trade Unions in 1992.

He was born 19 October 1938 in Manchester, Jamaica. Following the death of his father, his mother migrated to England to find work and settled in Handsworth, Birmingham. Morris joined her in 1954, finding work at a local car parts manufacturer.

He joined the TGWU in 1958, becoming a shop steward in 1962, thereafter experiencing a steady rise to the helm of Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). After serving on the TGWU General Executive Council from 1972 to 1973, Morris joined the Union as a full-time official.

In 1979, he became national secretary of the Passenger Services Trade Group and was elected deputy general secretary in 1986. In 1992 following Ron Todd’s retirement, Morris was elected general secretary and served until retirement on 19 October 2003.

Morris was appointed a member of the Trade Union Congress General Council and Executive Committee in 1988 until his retirement. He was appointed a non-executive director of the Bank of England in 1998 and a member of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords from 1999 to 2000.

As a diplomatic negotiator and excellent orator, Morris was appointed to the Board of Governors of London South Bank University, a trustee of the Open University Foundation, and the member of the Courts of the University of Northampton and the University of Bedfordshire.

Other appointments include becoming the first chancellor of the University of Technology, Jamaica (1999) and chancellor of Staffordshire University (2004). He has headed the Commission for Racial Equality and chaired the Inquiry into professional standards in the Metropolitan Police in 2004. He sits on the Employment Appeal Tribunal and is also an independent non-executive director of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

For outstanding leadership and services to Britain, Morris was awarded the Order of Jamaica in 2002 and was knighted in 2003. Later, Morris was elevated to the House of Lords, as Baron Morris of Handsworth (June 2006), serving the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Desmond Barrington Morrison Boxing

Desmond Barrington Morrison was born 2nd February 1950 St Thomas, Jamaica, to Ruby Robinson and Dudley Morrison a stonemason, who migrated to England in 1955. Morrison’s mother followed in September 1956.

Morrison attended Enfield Junior school where he was known for fighting and being “troublesome”.

His guardians sent him to England (January 1959) to be reunited with his parents in Bedford.

Morrison became interested in boxing in 1958 after watching the film Somebody up there loves me, starring Paul Newman, and announced he was going to be a boxer.

At Goldington Secondary, Mr Rowe (teacher), introduced Morrison to boxing. His first sparring partner, still recalls being given a bloody nose. At age 16 his parents wanted him to go to college, but Morrison accepted an engineering apprenticeship instead.

Morrison’s first amateur fight was against HMS Ganges in Huntingdon (1967), winning his bout in round two. People laughed at his “skinny” physique because both shorts and vest were too big requiring a knot at the back of the vest.

During the seventies and eighties, Morrison won the British Boxing Board of Control Southern (England) Area welterweight title, (BBBofC) British light welterweight title, and Commonwealth light welterweight title, and was a challenger for the BBBofC British light welterweight title against Joey Singleton, Colin Powers, and Clinton McKenzie, and Commonwealth light welterweight title against Obisia Nwankpa.

Morrison retired after an eye injury in 1983, with a record of a long and distinguished career.

Morrison continues to share his expertise with students of boxing at the Queens Park Amateur boxing club in Bedford.

For 17 years, she was a volunteer helper, teacher, and then co-ordinator of the ACSHO Saturday School in Handsworth, helping to establish other Saturday schools in the Lozells and Bordesley Green area.

In the 1990s, Mosquito led an organisation that helped youngsters out of the cycle of deprivation and into further and higher education. She became a councillor in 1996 and worked on issues such as “child sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, elder physical and financial abuse, forced marriage, places of safety, knife crime, and supported the development of multi-agency safeguarding and domestic abuse hubs.”

Mosquito has chaired and brought in funds for nurseries and set up the Business Executive Forum as a business mentoring hub. As general secretary of the Standing Consultative Forum, she worked with faith groups to address issues around social justice and inequality, becoming deputy lord mayor of Birmingham.

Mosquito’s support of the family of Marcia and Letisha Shakespeare, murdered in New Year shootings (2 January 2003), helped bring about change in the way the police dealt with gang violence in Birmingham.

She has championed mental health as part of the policing remit. As deputy police and crime commissioner, Mosquito had responsibility for a number of areas, including counter-terrorism and human resources and as acting police and crime commissioner and chair of Personnel in the West Midlands Police, she was instrumental in transforming the force.

and became an established philanthropist, businessman and property developer.

On 18 February 1901, he established the Jamaica Burial Scheme Society, a benevolent society in Jamaica. It enabled many Jamaicans at home and abroad to bury their dead with dignity.

He financed this venture from the profits of different businesses he owned. He travelled to the US and successfully met with influential people, during a time when it was difficult for Black people to be taken seriously in business.

In 2001, the Jamaica Burial Scheme Society celebrated its 100th Anniversary (1901-2001), as the forerunner of voluntary organisations in Jamaica. The society now has scores of branches with tens of thousands of members in the Caribbean. The May Pen Branch in Jamaica, recently celebrated its 94th Anniversary with a large number of members.

In 1976, a bronze bust of Mowatt was unveiled on Brunswick Avenue, Spanish Town, St Catherine, Jamaica.

There is also a postage stamp depicting his Bronze bust. Mowatt left a legacy so that people could be buried with dignity.

Brixton Village

Peter Mudahy Business

Peter Mudahy is an experienced Black hair and beauty businessman who was born in 1966 in the UK to a Jamaican mother. He was sent to Jamaica to be raised in the Mudahy family home in the Waterhouse area of Kingston. He attended Sothermere Prep School in Half Way Tree before returning to London in 1972.

After being trained by the Weekly West Indian World as an in-house photojournalist, he now has 35 years of experience in the hair and beauty industry for companies such as Revlon Professional, Worlds of Curls (US), L’Oreal (UK) and Black Like Me in South Africa.

Mudahy’s career started in the early eighties, when a leading Black American manufacturer of hair products, invited him to handle marketing and technical promotions.

He managed sales and brand development for Revlon Professional, Nexxus, and Redken, while working for L’Oreal in the UK. In 2002, he returned to head up the international office of Black Like Me, South Africa’s first Black-owned business.

Currently, Mudahy is the CEO of Pak Group and Pak Cosmetics in the UK, Europe’s largest supplier of Black hair and beauty products, with offices in London, Nigeria and Chicago. Pak’s distributes over 600,000 beauty products through online and digital platforms, leading supermarket chains and the Pak Cosmetics stores.

Mudahy’s maintains that his family roots and Jamaican heritage are important to him.

Campion College and the University of West Indies, where she graduated with joint honours in Geology and Zoology. She is the recipient of various scholarships and awards, including the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship to University of Toronto, where she furthered her studies in Hydrogeology. In 1993 she married Justin Smith and migrated to England.

Elizabeth Mullings-Smith is an internationally trained professional with an illustrious career spanning over 30 years in transformational development projects on all continents, especially within the Caribbean. As a geologist and environmentalist, she has dedicated her career to enabling change and sustainable outcomes for communities.

She has worked in leadership on major international projects including as environment advisor to the London Olympic site project, with leading international engineering firms, and for intergovernmental organisations like the World Bank. She has served in an advisory capacity to governments in response to major climate and geophysical disasters, leading rapid post-disaster environmental assessments and developing adaptation, mitigation and risk reduction strategies in Russia, UK, Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti, Jamaica and Montserrat.

Elizabeth’s experiences include her employment at the engineering firm KBR, where she became the youngest person, and the only black woman in the company’s history, to sit on the consulting engineering board. She is a member and trustee on several boards and strategic think tanks in the United Kingdom, including The Institution of Environment Sciences, The Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) and The British Foundation for the University of the West Indies. She is currently the managing director of Maya Blue Limited, a development consultancy.

Elizabeth is an active member of the Jamaican Community in the UK where she currently serves as advisor to the board of the Jamaican Diaspora United Kingdom (JDUK). She also works closely with the Jamaican High Commission, London, and is a member of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) with responsibility for development issues.

and grew up in Mandeville, Jamaica, the youngest of four children, all of whom played a big part in his upbringing – due to his mother’s death.

In 1944, Mullings joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) and moved to England. Being underage, he lied about his age to make the journey to the UK.

Mullings first RAF posting was in Yorkshire where he was given the job of delivering coal to the billets. In protest, he decided to stay in bed until he was given a job as a store man in Supply Wing, where he stayed for the duration of his 27 years RAF service.

When he was posted to RAF in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, he frequently visited Manchester, where he met and married Gwyneth. They remained together until he died in 2014.

His postings included Germany, Iraq, Ireland, Singapore and Cyprus, and finally at RAF Valley in North Wales in 1966. After two years at RAF Valley, his next posting was a tour of Aman. Mullings declined and decided to leave the RAF.

He indicated an interest in selling “Fish and Chips” and the RAF paid for his training at Grimsby. Mullings attempted a number of businesses, including a Barbers, Fish and Chips, Greengrocers, Antiques and Collectibles, Hairdressing Supplies, Record and Videos, and a Pet Shop.

In 1989, Mullings had to register for British Nationality after serving in the RAF for 27 years in the UK. He expressed his extreme dissatisfaction, writing to Neil Kinnock MP for Anglesey, but he still had to register with the Home Office.

Anglesey remained the family home where Mullings and his wife Gwyneth had 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Norman Mullings MBE JP Activism

Norman Winnaka Nutall Mullings, born 31 January 1941 in Jamaica has been an activist since 1959 serving communities across London, including as a mentor and role model to many people on social justice matters.

Mullings is a founder member of the Willesden Internal Friendship Council and the Learie Constantine West Indian Association. The former was established to fight against discrimination and for African Caribbean Human Rights. The latter focuses on the needs of young people and the elderly within a community centre, ensuring they can organise and maintain their rich culture and heritage. It also has a social club with over 400 members. He has served as chairman since 1972.

Mullings is a magistrate in the Middlesex Area, Barnet Courts, serving over 30 years.

He served on the Lord Chancellor Advisory Committee for 15 years appointing and training magistrates in the Family and Adult Courts. In his work to improve the life chances of African Caribbean and Minority Ethnic communities, he has worked with the London Metropolitan Police at various levels to advise and foster good community relations. Additionally, he served as member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal.

Mullings has served on several school governing bodies in Brent from 1964 to 2009. In 1991, he was awarded an MBE for education in the schools of Brent.

specialized in paediatric nursing in hospital and community settings. She developed several community children’s services across London.

In 2003, Myers became the first nurse consultant for community children’s services.

In 2012, Myers received an Outstanding Service award from the Queen for excellent nursing service in the community. She is an international speaker who has contributed to the advancement of health and social care in the US, Caribbean and the African Continent. Myers was voted one of the top 50 most inspirational leaders in the NHS, and a top 50 BME pioneer by Health Service Journal in 2013.

In 2015, Myers received an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University. She later completed her leadership scholarship with the Florence Nightingale Foundation, exploring an integrated working across health and social care for children’s nursing services in community settings in 2018.

In 2017, Myers was appointed an associate director for Health Services and chief nurse for integrated services for children with disabilities at ‘Achieving for Children’ based in Kingston and Richmond. Currently, she is the strategic lead for nurses, therapists, and community paediatricians.

Myers is founder and director of Rehoboth Children’s Home, a charity which feeds and educates 25 orphaned and vulnerable children in Nakuru, Kenya.

Jamaican parents. He was educated at Hayward Grammar School, Bolton Sixth Form College and graduated in Law from University of Sussex in 1985.

Myrie’s rise to the top of British television journalism was steady and constant. His probing reports break the news and stories from war-torn regions and environmental disaster zones.

His success has led to him being London’s World Affairs Correspondent and regular presenter on the BBC News Channel and BBC News at Ten, BBC Breakfast, and weekday bulletins on BBC One.

Myrie joined the BBC on the corporation’s graduate journalism programme. His first assignment was as a reporter for Radio Bristol in 1988. After a year with Independent Radio News he returned to the BBC. He then reported for Points West, and latterly BBC Television and Radio News. After serving as Europe correspondent in Brussels, Myrie was appointed a presenter on the BBC News Channel in April 2009.

Notable successes include a Bafta nomination as part of the team covering the Mozambique floods. He won the Bayeux-Calvados Award for war correspondents for his reporting of ethnic violence in Borneo.

In 2010, Myrie broke the story that ETA had declared a unilateral ceasefire after he met an ETA operative in Paris, who handed over a tape of the organisation’s leaders making the declaration.

Myers is a pastor at Rehoboth International Christian Centre in Croydon.

Myrie has reported from around the world, including Guantanamo Bay in 2004, Kathmandu in 2015, and in October 2017 he visited Bangladesh to report on the Rohingya refugee crisis.

The Friends of Jamaica Children’s Choir

Jamaican born Toni-Ann Singh wins Miss World - a competition held annually in London. A Proud Moment for the Diaspora. Photo courtesy Miss World

Dr Dwain Anthony Neil OBE FRSA Senior Business Leader

Dwain was born in Kingston, Jamaica. His father was a policeman in Jamaica and then a security guard with British Rail. His mother was a lifelong business owner who ran a dressmaking business. Dwain is married and has three sons and a daughter. From the start of his working life he has taken part in volunteering activities of one kind or another. He was the chairman of the Parents Association for Educational Advance - a charity founded by his mother while he was at university. He was chairman of governors at a boys’ school in Neasden, North West London and co-founded the British Caribbean Junior Chamber of Commerce with two friends - Donna Tidsall and Mark Mantock.

During the nineties, Dwain served for seven years as Chairman of the Reach Society. He was also an assessor in the Office of the Commissioner of Public Appointments, and governor of the University of Hertfordshire. After a four-year stint at the BBC, as chairman of the Audience Council in London, he became one of the trustees at the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), serving as its treasurer for two yearss.

He is managing director of Leriko & Associates, a management consultancy, founded in 2002, providing social research, project management, mentoring and motivation services.

Dwain Neil is the Chairman and one of the co-founders of Reach Society, an award winning social enterprise designed to inspire young people, especially Black boys and young Black men, to develop themselves and become achievers.

In 2019 he received an OBE for services to the British African Caribbean community. Read more about the Reach Society and its founders on page 241.

Working with a wide range of groups he helps individuals and groups to discover their passion, social consciousness and direction through prose and poetry.

He has worked with a number of companies, including Zurich Corporation and Hartford Financial Services to spread his message widely. In 2018, he delivered a well-received series of lectures on comparative mental health in the UK, Jamaica and at Howard University, Washington DC.He has delivered a sermon at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on “Redemption and Transformation”.

A holder of an MA in Cultural Leadership and Fellow of the Kings Fund, Neita served as the UK ambassador for the European Year of Equal Opportunity for All, Face of the Year Campaign. He was consulted on the development of the new £350m Mental Health facility at Broadmoor and is involved in NASA’s programme to encourage the next generation into science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In partnership with US astronauts, they have completed a training programme for young people across the UK.

Neita continues to speak widely in churches in the UK and abroad, promoting a redemptive and inclusive message of bringing about harmony in community.

For his contributions to mental health, culture and advocacy, Neita was rewarded by being included in the Black Enterprise list of the Top 10 most powerful Black men in Britain.

and Lester Boothe from Bluefields, Westmoreland, Jamaica. She attended the New Hope Primary School and St Simon’s College, Kingston on a partial scholarship. She had hoped to become a pharmacist, majoring in Maths, English and Latin, but instead trained as a teacher. She married Cecil Nembhard, an automotive engineer from the then prominent Nembhard family in 1947 and they had three children.

Arriving in England in 1956, she retrained at Whiteland’s Teacher training college and spent the rest of her life teaching in deprived areas, giving much of her time to Black children who were often sidelined in the early days. She visited the parents of troubled children at home to provide additional support and to explain the education system.

In 1992 she founded the Caribbean Club For Professional Women and through their activities raised thousands of pounds for causes “back home” as well as supporting the Sickle Cell Society here in the UK.

She also founded a weekly club for retired Black members at her church St Michaels Tokyington and would organise international holidays for the group, many of whom had never left England. She took them on organised trips to Germany, Russia and China amongst other places.

Mrs Nembhard, as she is fondly remembered, mentored several young Black teachers during an era when racism in urban schools, often subtle, was rife. Two of these teachers went on to become headmistresses and until her old age they continued to refer to her for guidance.

Although Mrs Nembhard hadn’t lived in the areas where she worked nor in the communities she had supported since the early ’60s, she never forgot the people and the children of that first generation of migrants who came to Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.

She passed in 2017 and in the last 3 years of her life, it was some of her former students and mentees who facilitated her care at home where she lived until her final days. She had 3 full time carers on a rota. All were provided for in her will.

Wayne Nembhard was born in London to Jamaican parents Cecil and Constance Nembhard in 1959.

He studied at University of London Queen Mary College in 1977 where he achieved a BSc Honours in Aeronautical Engineering.

After spending some time at Westland Helicopters as a structural stress engineer, in 1982 he decided to move into finance and retrained as a CIMA accountant (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) with Thorn EMI and Eli Lilly. He later joined IBM in 1985 and went on to hold board level finance positions at IBM, including European Chief Financial Officer of IBM’s Billion Dollar plus Storage Systems Division and Global Pricing Manager in IBM’s European Headquarters in Paris responsible for global corporate transactions.

Since retirement in 2006, he runs his own property management and investment company, has been a board member of the Waltham Forest Housing Association, a Community Panel Member and a youth mentor/coach for Youth at Risk, Brent Council and various organisations across the capital.

emigrated to the UK at the age of eight. She is a retired international sprinter who competed between 1967 and 1971. Neufville broke the 400m World Record and won four gold and one bronze in various regional championships.

Neufville dominated domestic sprinting, gaining three AAA titles as a junior in 100 and 150 yds in the under-15s category (1967). The following season, she won the 220 yds (1968) and in 1969, was second in the 200m, in 24.3 seconds.

Her debut international for Great Britain was in September 1969, running in the 4×400m versus West Germany. In March 1970, Neufville competed in the European Indoor Athletics Championships (EIAC), winning the 400m gold in 53.01, a personal best of 54.20, World Record, and UK National Junior Indoor Record, lasting until February 2019.

At the 1970 Commonwealth Games (CG) in Edinburgh, Neufville chose to represent her country of birth, Jamaica, which caused controversy. At the CG, aged 17, she became the first Jamaican female to break an outdoor world record running 400m in 51.02 seconds.

In 1970, Neufville gained more recognition at ISTAF, Berlin, running 52.6 ahead of Germany’s Christel Frese and Inge Eckhoff. In the Pan-American Championships, California (1971), she won her third gold medal and bronze in the 4×400m. At the Central American and Caribbean Championships (1971) Neufville won a fourth gold.

Neufville was awarded Jamaica Sportswoman of The Year Award in 1970 and 1971.

appointed headteacher of Bearwood Primary School in Smethwick, West Midlands, becoming the UK’s first headteacher of African descent. The Education Committee feared “a storm”, so they deferred announcing his appointment until December 1967, giving O’Connor time to “settle down properly”. The appointment was approved by local parents. However, two days later, the school was daubed with swastikas and racist abuse in letters 2 feet 6 inches high! The background to O’Connor’s appointment was the introduction of the 1962 Immigration Act and Peter Griffith’s election MP for Smethwick’s in 1964, arguably the most racist electoral campaign in British history.

In an interview with the Times, O’Connor said: “I am only interested in carrying out the instructions of the Education Committee which appointed me – to take care of the school and the education of the children.”

O’Connor, a former RAF sergeant in World War II, rose above the taunts and threats, went on to serve as headteacher for sixteen years.

Matters were so bad that at one stage, in the face of unrelenting racist and physical threats, O’Connor considered moving his young family away from his home to stay with a relative. However, he remained steadfast, refusing to let the pressures affect his care for his pupils.

As the first headteacher, O’Connor broke glass ceilings and paved the way for notable Caribbean educators, such as Yvonne Conolly and Beryl Gilroy.

Wayne Nembhard - Aeronautical Engineering, Finance, Community Services

Jamaican volunteers for the WAAF London 1943 Courtesy: RAF

Bruce Oldfield was born in 1950 to a Jamaican father and an Irish mother. He spent his early years in care before being fostered by a seamstress who discovered and encouraged his interest in design.

Oldfield defied predictions to pass his 11-Plus. After university, he graduated to critical acclaim from London’s St Martin’s School of Art in 1973. In the same year, he staged his first fashion show for the Henri Bendel label.

By 1976, Oldfield expanded his business to include couture, a strategy that eventually led to Diana, Princess of Wales becoming one of his most prestigious clients.

During the 1980s, he also designed shoes for couture house Rayne. Oldfield’s second premises, dedicated to bridal wear in London’s prestigious Knightsbridge, opened in 2009.

Oldfield has created couture gowns for some of the world’s most iconic women, including Diana Ross, Rihanna, Queen Rania of Jordan and CamillaDuchess of Cornwall.

He was awarded an OBE (1990) for services to the fashion industry. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Art and the Universities of Durham and Sheffield. He governed the London Institute during 1999-2001 and was a trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2000 to 2002.

In 2001, Oldfield received an honorary doctorate of Civil Law (University of Northumbria) and an honorary doctorate from the University of Central England (2005). He is also a vice-president of Barnardo’s.

Oldfield still practices his art from his London Studio. Oldfield published his autobiography, Rootless in 2004.

Suzanne Packer was born in 1962 in Cardiff, South Wales, UK as Suzanne J ackson. Packer is an actress and director, best known as Sister Tess Bateman in Casualty (1986 - 2015), and Brookside (1982). She is the daughter of Jamaican immigrant parents who moved to Abergavenny and the elder sister of the Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson, and her mother worked as a nurse. Whilst studying at Llanedeyrn High School in Cardiff, she already showed an interest in acting, playing the lead in school plays including Oklahoma and The King and I.

Packer attended the National Youth Theatre of Wales before earning a BA in theatre and drama at the University of Warwick. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Her acting career began in the early 1990 and success came when she joined the cast of Channel 4’s soap Brookside as Mick Johnson’s wife Josie. She continued her professional studies and undertook a teaching degree at Goldsmiths College and later taught drama in London.

Whilst acting, she met and married American actor Jesse Newman (divorced 2004) and the couple moved to New York City, where she taught drama and acted, and in 2003 she gave birth to their son Paris. After moving back to the UK, she gained an audition for BBC drama Casualty and three weeks later she started work as Sister Tess Bateman, first appearing on screen from September 2003. On August 22, 2015, Packer quit Casualty after playing the character of Tess for nearly 12 years to become a member of the cast of Stella and Doctors.

After quitting Casualty Packer appeared with her brother Colin on the first series of Pointless Celebrities on 6 July 2011, but was eliminated in the first round.

On 19 March 2017, Packer appeared in the ITV crime drama Vera as ranger Sophia in the episode “Natural Selection”. In 2018, Packer appeared in the series finale of Death in Paradise, a minor role in an episode of Hold the Sunset, Eve Cicero in the Doctor Who episode, “The Tsuranga Conundrum” and Mother’s Love (Film).

Rudi Page is the chief executive of Making Connections Works. He has extensive and accomplished crosssectoral expertise in change and project management and policy implementation. He has senior level experience in the selection of ministerial and NHS senior leaders. Page has an outstanding track record for developing management models for system transformation and staff development.

Page has worked extensively in Jamaica and the Caribbean. He was appointed co-chair of Jamaica 55 UK Celebrations by HE Seth George Ramocan, Jamaican High Commissioner.

Numerous awards have been bestowed for his innovative approach to facilitating local and international development programmes across the UK, including the coveted “Inspire Mark” for “Passing the Baton” from London 2012 Organising Committee. Page’s pathbreaking approaches for community, economic, cultural development have been replicated across several countries and organisations. He has also written many articles, features and newsletters.

Page is the former sales and marketing manager for Dyke & Dryden Ltd, London (1982-1984) the then largest importer of haircare and beauty products for the African Diaspora. Following a visit to “Bronner Brothers Show, Atlanta, US, in July 1982, as part of the company’s trade mission, he coined the title and co-ordinated the original “Afro Hair and Beauty, Exhibition at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London, on the 19 and 20 March 1983. The Exhibition was opened by Lady Pitt who said, “Black is beautiful and we must never be tired of saying so or showing how true that is.”

Page followed that success with Haircare and Beauty (Europe) at HAIREX’86 and 88, the biggest hairdresser-led shows integrating high-quality hairstyling techniques, dance, theatre and education.

Charitable giving is central to Page’s idea of community and he is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Brixton, Kiwanis Montego Freeport, London Central Host Lions Club, North West London Community Foundation, RAFFA International Development Agency and Talawa Theatre.

Bruce Oldfield OBE

Couture Fashion Designer

Victor Llewelyn Page was born in 1926, in Manchester, Jamaica, where he attended Frankfield Primary School.

He sailed for England, UK, on the SS Jamaica Producer, arriving in London in 1951. Page went on to become a qualified dental surgeon, civil servant and community leader. He operated a dental practice for forty years until his retirement in 1996

After retirement he turned to activism. He was co-chairman with Sir John Hunt, of the British Caribbean Association for over nine years. He was also founder and treasurer of Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD) for 4 years. Page was elected as Vice-Chairman for Lewisham Community Relations Council.

Page recognised the need for formal structures to enable clear and accurate actions around an agreed vision and has often been involved as the founder/ co-founder of several organisations. He was chairman for several organisations over the years, including the Friends of Jamaica Labour Party (UK), Bustamante Foundation, which provided scholarships and bursaries to study medicine and dentistry, the Association of Jamaicans UK, Norman Manley Memorial and Centenary Celebration Committee (UK), Lady Bustamante Fellowship and the Marcus Garvey Trust. Additionally, he was a member and vice-chairman of the West Indian Standing Conference and Friends of Georgian Society of Jamaica (UK). He offered free advice and help for Jamaicans and West Indians for over 30 years.

Page was appointed the first African-Caribbean justice of peace in Bromley and southeast London. He served in that role for 27 years and was also supervisory chair of the Bromley Bench. He was a deputy vice-chairman of the Family Panel, treasurer of the Retired Magistrates Association and a member of both the Clinical Ethics Committee, Bromley NHS and the Church Council, Bromley Central Methodist Church.

innovative research spanning fifty years on barley and sorghum that expanded its industrial use in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world. He was the first Black scientist in Europe to have received the prestigious American Society of Brewing Chemists Award of Distinction. Also, in 1989, Palmer became the first Black person to have been appointed a professor at Heriot Watt University, Scotland, where he is Professor Emeritus of the School of Life Sciences.

Palmer was born on 9 April 1940, St Elizabeth, Jamaica. At the age of seven, his parents left him in the care of his eight aunts in Kingston, Jamaica. His mother, a dressmaker moved to the UK, as part of the Windrush Generation, in 1948 and settled in Islington, London. Mother and son were reunited in March 1955.

Too young to work, Palmer was assessed as “Educationally Subnormal” at his first school and was sent to Shelbourne Road Secondary Modern School. However, as fate would have it, Palmer’s cricketing skills gained him entry into Highbury Grammar School, where he gained six O’ levels and two A’ levels in Botany and Zoology. Palmer holds a BSc and MSc in Botany from the University of Leicester and University of Nottingham respectively.

He is actively engaged in charitable and community work and is president of the Jamaica Society Scotland and Board Member on various charitable organisations and was awarded the City of Edinburgh’s William Darling’s Good Citizens Award. Palmer was also made Freeman of Midlothian and in 2005 he received an OBE for his accomplishments in the field of grain science.

Palmer retired in 2005 and received a knighthood (2014) for services to charity, human rights and science. He has also been honoured with two doctorates for scientific and charitable work. He has written many scientific papers and a book of short stories. This is all in addition to authoring many scientific papers and books on cereal science and technology and Scottish-Jamaican history.

Alongside his academic work, Palmer has campaigned for most of his life for better opportunities for Black and Asian students. He is an expert in the history of the benefits to Scotland of the enslavement of Africans in the Caribbean.

Palmer is currently appointed by the Government of Jamaica as Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Scotland.

Health Service (NHS). She trained at Farnborough Hospital, Kent, Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham and West Hill Hospital, Dartford Kent.

Parboosingh worked as a midwife for some years, followed by a move to the commercial world, working at The Times and the Financial Times as a secretary for several years. She ran a nursing agency, then returned to the NHS, managing two elderly care homes in Battersea and Sutton. Her final job was as an NVQ assessor specialising in children, health and social care and supporting foster children by giving advice and guidance to teenagers before they are transferred to independent living.

Charities and voluntary organisations include; the President of the Kiwanis Club of Wandsworth, Friends of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica, Nurse Association Jamaica UK (NAJ) and HIV; she is also involved on the Social Committee of her church.

Parboosingh was married and has two grown-up daughters and four grandchildren. She is now retired and her hobbies include travel, reading and family, raising money and awareness for endless good causes.

Dr Victor Llewellyn Page OD

Dental Surgeon, Activist

Professor Sir Godfrey Geoff

Sir Godfrey Henry Oliver Palmer OBE also known as Sir Geoff Palmer. The scientist who discovered the barley abrasion process.

Dr. “H” Patten Dance

Dr Harold George ‘H’ Patten is the artistic director of Koromanti Arts and ‘H’ Patten Dance Theatre Co.

A choreographer, filmmaker, visual artist, storyteller, author and performer, Patten has developed an international reputation in African and Caribbean arts spanning 35 years.

He is also the recipient of several awards including the ADAD Trailblazer Fellowship (2010) and the Jamaican High Commission 50th Anniversary Award for services in the field of Arts, Culture and Entertainment (2012).

Patten has choreographed for the Ghanaian, Nigerian, Sierra Leonean, Malawian and Zambian National dance companies and the Stella Maris Dance Ensemble in Jamaica. He has taught at several notable dance schools.

As founder and artistic director of the Korotech Dancefest Professional Development Training Programme, he has successfully delivered this popular training programme in Africa and the Caribbean since 2007.

Patten has developed his filmmaking skills through his Dance for Camera technique. Subsequently, Patten wrote and produced the music pilot, Kwaito Ragga Jam (ETV, South Africa). He has also worked with many international Dancehall and Reggae artists including Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Capleton, Spragga Benz and Orville Hall.

Years of fruitful collaboration existed between Patten and Professor F. Nii-Yartey, Artistic Director of the Ghana Dance Ensemble, and Noyam African Dance Institute. In 2002 they created Elements which successfully toured the UK. As Artistic Director for the British Council’s Golden Jubilee Dance Project in West Africa (2003), Patten choreographed three national dance theatre productions in Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, culminating in, The Calling, a piece drawn from participating nations with performers from Senegal, Cameroon and the UK, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.

In 2013 Patten was the movement director on the critically acclaimed Fences theatre production at the Duchess Theatre, starring Lenny Henry. In 2016 he was a guest judge on the popular Dancin’ Dynamites Jamaican TV talent show.

social issues surrounding youth, gender equality, youth crime, entrepreneurship and renewable energy.

Peat’s parents moved from Jamaica to England to explore work opportunities, but the racism hindered them from their potential. His father was a mechanic and later a teacher. Peat’s mother became a senior payroll executive at several multinational companies.

Peat is the founder of the multi-award-winning social enterprise “The Safety Box” - training and development programmes to assist with reducing youth violence and help young people develop leadership, communication and conflict resolution skills.

He is a patron of the EY Foundation; Chairman of Jamaicans Inspired (a Jamaican Youth Diaspora organisation); and co-founder of GeNNex Solar, a renewable energy company with operations in Africa and the Caribbean.

In 2007, Peat was the first double award winner of the Enterprising Young Brits competition. In 2008, he won the BBC’s The Last Millionaire TV series, which took 12 of Britain’s most successful young entrepreneurs and dropped them into six of the world’s most exciting and demanding cities to make money from scratch in just five days.

In 2009, Peat was drafted into the Courvoisier Observers Future 500 Next Generation List. Later, along with 30 other young people, he travelled to Jamaica from the UK, where he spoke at Jamaica’s first Youth Diaspora conference.

In 2010, Peat represented Great Britain as a youth delegate for the G20 Toronto Young Entrepreneur’s Summit in Canada and featured in the under 40’s section of the 2011 Black Power List of Britain’s most influential Black people.

In July 2011, Peat received an honorary award from Brunel University as the Alumnus of the year. In 2012 , he was instrumental in connecting the Diana Princess of Wales memorial charity to Jamaica.

Peat was honoured in June 2015 by Kings House, where he received the Governor General Award for Excellence.

In 2016, he was listed in the ‘Financial Times’ Upstanding Top 100 Black ethnic minority executives in the US, UK and Ireland. In 2017, Peat was placed on the UK Black Powerlist and BAME 100 Top Board Index List.

of reggae music. Growing up in a musical family, studying piano and classical violin, she and her three sisters performed in churches.

Penn’s international career skyrocketed after her first hit, “You Don’t Love Me – No, No, No”, (1967), a track, which has been covered by artists such as Beyonce and Rihanna. Other hits in the ‘60s include “Blue, Yes Blue”, “Here’s The Key”, “Long Day, Short Night”, and “Are you There?”on Prince Buster’s Label.

In 1970, Penn took time out from music and moved to the British Virgin Islands. She returned to Jamaica in 1987.

The single “You Don’t Love Me - No, No, No”, was central to her comeback and she re-recorded different versions, one with Steelie and Cleavie in 1991, and later a dancehall version with Big Beat (Atlantic Records) in 1993. The latter charted in 68 countries and was featured in Nissan and Churchill advertisements. The album, Come Again, a joint production with Delroy Wilson, on Trojan Records sold circa 110,000 units (1995).

Penn found success with a number of crossover collaborations, including a single,”Never Ever” on Jet Star, “What You Gonna Do” and “Mercy pon we” with hip-hop artist John Forte (Fugees), culminating in RNB Album, Never Hustle The Music. She toured Hawaii with Alpha Blondy in 2005, officially releasing, Growing Up.

Penn performed at the Drum Arts Centre, in Birmingham, UK in 2006, and later, at the Uppsala Reggae Festival in Sweden. In 2011, she released a music video for the song, “City Life”, directed by Antoine Dixon-Bellot. In June 2013, she performed at the BET Awards, and later appeared with Ska Orchestra at The Jazz Café in London. She has appeared on Jools Holland and again at the Glastonbury Festival in 2014. Since then, Penn continues to perform thrilling fans at festivals across Europe. In 2001 Penn was honoured with the “Martin Luther King Award” by Caribbean Images in recognition of her contribution to Jamaican music. Her autobiography Story of my Life, is available.

James Peters

First Black Rugby Union Player

James Peters (7 August 1879 – 26 March 1954) also known as “Darkie Peters is the first Black man to play the rugby union for England. Despite the racial climate, Peters’ love for rugby and his skills were enough to make him continue to play until his retirement post 1914.

Born in Salford, Manchester to a Jamaican father and a British mother, Peters’ early childhood was challenging; his father, a lion tamer, was mauled to death by lions in a cage, and he was abandoned by his mother. At age 11, Peters broke his arm, and was sent to the Fegan’s orphanage in Southwark and then the Little Wanderers’ Home in Greenwich, where he discovered his sporting prowess and leadership qualities as a captain. Of note, Greenwich Admirals Rugby League Club now celebrates Peters’ life with an annual challenge game.

Peters worked in printing, which brought him to Bristol, where he played for Bristol Rugby Club and later Plymouth.

On 17 March 1906, Peters became the first Black player to wear an England shirt on his debut against Scotland, which caused controversy. However, despite the disadvantage of being a working class ‘coloured’ man in an elitist game, Peters won five caps for England between 1906-1908.

Peter became a victim of South Africa’s developing apartheid and English racism; and was withdrawn from the England line up because South Africa objected to playing against a Black player. On 17 March 1907, Peters played for England against Scotland.

The Sportsman commented, “dusky Plymouth man did many good things, especially in passing.” and The Yorkshire Post pointed out, “his selection is by no means popular on racial grounds”.

He played a further game, against France, scoring a try. Six weeks after playing against South Africa for Devon, he was not picked for the next game against South Africa on racial grounds and was not to play another game for England.

In 1910 Peters lost three fingers in a dockyard accident, but continued to play until 1912. It was not injury, but politics that forced him out of the sport. By age 34 and disillusioned with rugby union, he was accepted into rugby league. Returning to the north west of England, he played for Barrow in 1913, followed by St Helens in 1914 until his retirement.

School in Mandeville before his family relocated to Washington, DC, where he finished his schooling. He moved to London in the 1960s and in 1969 attended Rose Bruford College drama school in Sidcup.

Early on, his acting career broke many racial barriers and he was the first Black actor to appear in a number of popular TV series, including General Hospital, The Saint and The Bill before assuming his best-known role as Dr Bob Mathias in sci-fi series Space: 1999 (1975-1977).

Phillips has dedicated his life to the advancement of Black theatre through a number of projects. In the 1970s alongside actors like Yvonne Brewster and T-Bone Wilson, he became involved in the pioneering Keskidee Centre in north London which ran a drama company dedicated to showcasing Black theatre.

In 1980, he and Brewster founded the Carib Theatre with Phillips serving as artistic director; Carib ran two Black Theatre Seasons, and productions included James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, the first Black-produced and directed play to transfer to London’s West End. Other significant productions were Remembrance by Derek Walcott and Sitting in Limbo, playing in London and touring Jamaica. In addition, its education arm toured schools across London for several years, engaging some 30,000 pupils.

In 1994, Phillips was invited to Ghana by the British Council to direct Trevor Rhone’s Old Story Time at the newly built National Theatre in Accra and deliver a series of lectures at the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana.

Phillips also managed a 60-strong company of singers, dancers, and musicians from South Africa in a tribute event to Oliver Tambo at the Barbican in London and Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire. He also directed Jamaican comic actor Oliver Samuels at the Hammersmith Apollo for the Blue Mountain Theatre.

In 2008, Phillips performed Aimé Césaire’s epic Notebook of a Return to my Native Land, with music from Errol John, at the George Padmore Institute in London, as a tribute to Césaire. He founded the Stonebridge Area Youth Project (SAY), a performance-based initiative for youngsters on the Stonebridge Estate in north London.

Phillips was awarded the 2015 Edric Connor Trailblazer Award at the 10th Screen Nation Film and Television Awards.

spent his early childhood with his grandparents in St Mary after his parents had migrated to Britain. In 1956, young Charlie joined them in Notting Hill, West London, where they had settled.

At a very young age, Phillips was given a Kodak Brownie. He taught himself to use it and began to photograph life in Notting Hill. He would print in the family bathroom after his parents had retired to bed.

While in the merchant navy, Phillips travelled across Europe, working as a freelance photographer, capturing among other topics the student riots of the 1960s in Paris and Rome. He portrayed the lives of urban migrant workers in his first exhibition, IL Frustraz, in Milan in 1972.

Back in London, Phillips experienced “a bohemian lifestyle of squats and pop festivals”. He began recording Notting Hill, including racial integration and the birth of Notting Hill Carnival. His collection of images of funerals, How Great Thou Art: 50 Years of Afro-Caribbean Funerals, was exhibited at the Photofusion Gallery, Brixton in 2014, was called “a new landmark in British photography”. His photographs have appeared in Stern, Harper’s Bazaar, Life and Vogue and Italian and Swiss journals.

After eleven years running his restaurant, “Smokey Joe’s,” a revival of interest in Phillips work came about in an exhibition at the Tabernacle, Notting Hill (1991), which coincided with the launch of his book, Notting Hill In the Sixties.

Phillips’ work has been exhibited widely: Tate Britain, Museum of London, Nottingham New Art Exchange, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and Museum of the City of New York. His work can be seen in collections at The Wedge, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), and Tate Britain.

Phillips is featured in the art installation by Peter Dunn commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on the Portobello Road north wall, in a series of photomurals celebrating key personalities, history and events of the Golborne and Portobello area over the past hundred years.

On 17 June 2017, Phillips was guest curator at Black Cultural Archives for the day, to celebrate the forthcoming launch of the Charlie Phillips Roots Archive.

Social, Activism

Laurent Lloyd Phillpotts was born in St Andrew, Jamaica, in 1923.

After his formal education, he was a trainee linotype operator at the Jamaican Gleaner Company before volunteering for service in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1943. He underwent three months training at a camp on the island before travelling to England, UK where he received further military training. His role in the war was as a teleprinter operator, serving in Norfolk and Nottingham. After the war ended in May 1945, Phillpotts remained in the RAF for a further two years.

Having been demobbed, he attended Leeds Technical College in the UK to undergo further training as a linotype operator. At this time employment in Jamaica was challenging, so he found a job, and was permitted to remain in the UK. In order to pursue his ambition of landing a job at one of the newspapers on Fleet Street, London, he moved to Welling City in the 1960s where he worked at the Welling Times. He eventually obtained employment with the Daily Mirror.

After the arrival of Windrush passengers in 1948, Phillpotts demonstrated exemplary service in helping some of the new arrivals, particularly in finding work and housing in Nottingham. He was co-founder of Nottingham Consultative Committee for the Welfare of Coloured People (NCCWCP) and the Caribbean Cricket Club. In addition, Phillpotts was a devoted member of the Mary Seacole Memorial Association. The NCCWCP was instrumental in negotiating with trade unions, council leaders and the public and corporate sector and successfully lobbied for Black people’s employment in the Transport and other industries in Nottingham.

In 1956, Pillpotts produced a weekly paper called Colonial News, providing valuable information about the West Indies and life in Nottingham. In retirement and as a member, he assisted in the management of the West Indian Ex-Service Men/Women Association in Lambeth, London.

Phillpotts is still an active member of a number of organisations that provide services for Caribbean elders and is a valued resource person for the Jamaican High Commission.

parents; Violet and Keith Pine - housing manager and carpenter respectively. Pine attended Kingsbury High School and studied classical clarinet and taught himself the saxophone.

Pine’s musical career begun in 1981 playing with Clint Eastwood and General Saint. Over the years Pine has mastered the saxophone, clarinet and keyboards. He lives in London with his wife Dr Jeune Guishard-Pine and their four children.

In 1980s Pine was referred to as one of the first Black British jazz artist to make a serious mark on the jazz scene.

Pine’s debut album, Journey to the Urge Within, released in 1986 reached the UK Top 40. He is the principal founder of the seminal Black British big band the Jazz Warriors, which itself developed from the Abibi All-Stars community band’s series of performances at London’s Royal Festival Hall foyer during the summer of the International Youth Year 1985.

The Jazz Warriors recorded two albums under Pine’s leadership - Out of Many, One People, released on the Antilles division of Island Records in 1987, and Afropeans, released on Pine’s own label, Destin-e Records, for their 20th anniversary in 2007. The Jazz Warriors Afropeans project was commissioned by the Arts Council of England to commemorate the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.

Thirty years after the Jazz Warriors began, he put together the “Venus Warriors” all-female jazz band for a charity performance to raise awareness of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal.

In 1988 Pine appeared as himself in a jazz quartet in the Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis and he continues to present the popular Jazz Crusade programme on BBC Radio 2 now in its 12th series.

Pine was awarded an OBE in 2000, and Commander (CBE) 2009 for services to jazz music. He has honorary doctorates from the University of Westminster (2004) and the University of Southampton (2010).

leaving school, he became an apprentice there. He thoroughly enjoyed designing and making shoes and eventually set up his own business in Duckenfield, St Thomas.

Desmond Nehemiah Pinnock was born on 6 May 1926 in St Thomas, Jamaica. At the age of three, when his mother died, his father, aunts and uncles raised him. He met his future wife Caroline in Portland, Jamaica, and the union produced five children who were all born in Duckenfield.

In 1959, he migrated to England, joining Caroline’s sister and her husband in Huddersfield. Caroline and the five children joined him in 1961 and another five children followed - six girls and four boys.

Pinnock’s first job in Huddersfield was at LB Holiday, a dye and chemical works, which became the world’s largest privately-owned dye manufacturer. He then worked on the buses as conductor and later a driver where he encountered much racism. He later became an engineer at Brook Motors.

Pinnock’s involvement in the Shalimar Club - a music and social outlet for the Caribbean community inspired his community spirit. He co-founded the Antilles Credit Union, providing loans to people when banks refused to provide such a service.

He was also an active member of the Huddersfield West Indian Association, which operated a successful club - attracting crowds from across the UK, and stars, such as, Gregory Isaacs, Freddy McGregor and John Holt. Youth discos, beauty contests, fashion shows and carnival were staple events and activities.

The Pinnock’s became grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents of 46 children. Their great granddaughter, Shanta, was so impressed by him, she wrote a history project about his life.

Pinnock was one of the many trailblazers, who paved the way for future Windrush generations. He passed away at age 92 leaving behind a large and loving family and a great legacy in Huddersfield and hearts and minds.

Courtney Pine

Lauren Phillpotts

Winsome Pinnock Theatre

Winsome Pinnock was born in 1961 in Islington, North London, to hard-working Jamaican parents.

Pinnock attended Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Comprehensive Girls’ School, Islington and graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London (1979–82), with a BA (Joint Honours) in English and Drama and from Birkbeck, University of London (1983), with an MA in Modern Literature in English.

Pinnock is probably Britain’s most well-known Black female playwright and was described in The Guardian as; “the godmother of Black British playwrights”.

She was the first Black woman to have a play performed at the National Theatre (NT), LondonLeave Taking, 1988, part of a UK tour by the NT.

Pinnock’s award-winning plays include; The Wind of Change (Half Moon Theatre, 1987), Leave Taking (Liverpool Playhouse Studio and NT, 1988), Picture Palace (Women’s Theatre Group, 1988), A Hero’s Welcome (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs (RCTU), 1989), A Rock in Water (RCTU, 1989; inspired by the life of Claudia Jones, Talking in Tongues (RCTU, 1991), Mules (Clean Break Theatre Company, 1996) and One Under (Tricycle Theatre, 2005).

Pinnock is an inspirational and professional teacher and has been visiting lecturer at Royal Holloway College and a senior visiting fellow at Cambridge University. She is a senior lecturer at Kingston University, London and has worked for Arts Council England. Being a script editor, she served as a member of the teaching staff and board at the Royal Court Theatre and has judged writing competitions.

Pinnock has received many awards including; Unity Theatre Trust Award, George Devine Award (1991), Thames Television Award for Best Play of the Year (1991), and Pearson Plays on Stage Award for Best Play of the Year and was runner up for Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (1994). She had a Junior Judith E. Wilson fellowship at Cambridge University.

In high school, with early signs of leadership and a strong work ethic, Pitter excelled academically and went on to study Law at Kings College London, successfully passing the Bar in 1994.

During that time, despite dealing with the illness and subsequent loss of his mother Enid, Pitter commenced pupillage with Park Court Chambers in 1995 and became a member in 1996 at 24.

His practice revolved around professional misconduct and regulatory law, and later expanded to increasingly complex and serious criminal litigation.

In 2014, watched by his family and late father, Pitter ‘took silk’ at Westminster, becoming the first Black Queens Counsel on the Northern circuit

Today, a senior practitioner specialising in serious and organised crime, (homicide, cases involving a scientific aspect and fraud), road traffic homicide cases, gross negligence manslaughter (individual and corporate), regulatory law (health and safety) and professional misconduct (medical and police). Through his involvement in several high-profile complex court cases and proceedings, Pitter has gained expertise and experience in criminal, negligence, regulatory and professional misconduct law.

Regarded by barristers and judges alike as exceptional, Pitter is highly recommended and ranked in the leading professional directories, Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 in the areas of Crime, Health and Safety and Professional Misconduct.Pitter is committed to supporting local community events and programmes, particularly those in Chapeltown where he grew up, including the Jamaica Society Leeds and Mandela Warriors Basketball.

He continues to inspire young, aspiring lawyers and offers advice and support in pursuit of their dreams.

Susan Pitter has become an accomplished public relations and communications professional with over 30 years in the cultural, public, private and Jamaica tourism sectors.

Pitter is seen as an ambassador in her home city, and in 2000 she became the first Black Lady Mayoress of Leeds and the first of Jamaican heritage. In April 2001, she was honoured to welcome Nelson Mandela during his historic visit to Leeds.

Pitter is a widely respected connector, bringing people, local communities and national organisations together. She was named Leeds City Council’s 2014 Corporate Partner of the Year.

In 2015, Pitter was commissioned by Leeds Culture and Sport Department to spearhead extensive regional marketing and media coverage of the first hosting of the prestigious MOBO Awards in Leeds.

She was instrumental in securing over £1 million in funding and sponsorship for the Leeds and UK Carnival sector and is credited with taking Leeds West Indian Carnival from 100,000 visitors in 2013 to over 250,000 for the 2017 50th anniversary parade.

A member of the National Windrush Day Advisory Panel and Board of Leeds Playhouse, she continues to provide guidance and mentoring to young Black women in the cultural and communications sectors.

The Tabernacle in Powis Square, Notting Hill - During the 1950s it was the area of the West Indian Blues Club Scene and 1958 Race Riots. Courtesy Angus Thompson.

Evadne Ione Pitts was born in May Pen, Clarendon, but was raised in Nottingham, England, in the 1960s.

Growing up, she encountered discrimination in her school. However, Pitts overcame this form of educational racism through a determination to succeed, buoyed by the help of her mother and the grounding she gained at Eureka Prep School in May Pen.

Pitts began her career as a civil servant but switched to theological training at Queen’s College, Edgbaston, in the late eighties. Pitts was ordained deacon in 1989 and priest in 1994, becoming one of the first Black women to be ordained a Church of England priest. She ministered White parishioners for a few years, before moving to Birchfield, an inner-city parish, in Birmingham.

Pitts likes to be where people are, for example, in the betting and barbershops, the parks and public houses. She likes talking to young people, encouraging them to improve their education and lifestyle. She uses every occasion, including sermons at funerals and weddings, to talk about Black history and how proud she is of her African heritage.

At Holy Trinity, Birchfield, Pitts recently introduced an annual ‘Arise’ Service to honour the ancestors, especially the survivors of the transatlantic slave trade.

Pitts is particularly proud of this initiative, becoming aware that many of us are ashamed of the memory and what it entails. She is totally committed to raising the consciousness and confidence of Black migrant communities, empowering them to build a better future.

She believes that we should remember our history more, and takes every chance as a minister to disseminate historical knowledge.

In addition to the ‘Arise’ services, Pitts held ‘Daughters Arise’ and ‘Sons Arise’ services, and a Thanksgiving Service for Black people.

Pitts is instrumental in the development of a roundtable event at Holy Trinity, with a panel of Black academics discussing important issues. The second conference took place in May 2019 and others are being planned, which Pitts enjoys and is looking forward to its growth.

happy childhood in Kingston, Jamaica.

Powe was studying electrical engineering in Kingston when he decided to volunteer to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1944. Trained as a radar operator, he served in the RAF until 1948. After that, he went back to Jamaica, but returned to England within a few months, where he lived for the rest of his life.

He lived in Birmingham and later settled in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. Being aware of racial discrimination in the forces and civilian world, in 1956, he wrote and published a pamphlet called “Don’t Blame the Blacks”.

Powe worked as an electrical engineer from 1948 to 1969, then retrained as a teacher. Powe joined the Labour Party and was elected as a councillor in Long Eaton in the sixties. He later relocated to Nottingham, where he was elected a Labour councillor for Nottinghamshire County Council 1980.

Although he was involved in various political campaigns, he found time for fellow Jamaicans, advocating and guiding on questions of health, politics, policing, education, employment, legal, immigration and personal matters. For example, whenever a relative of someone was refused a visa to enter Britain, they would contact Powe, who would advise them about grounds for appeal. He cannot remember a time when any case going to appeal with his help was not successful.

One of his greatest contributions was as a founder member of the Afro-Caribbean National Artistic Centre in Nottingham, which opened in 1978. He initiated many of its activities, managed its finances and was secretary for over thirty years.

In 2010, Powe donated essential historical documents to the Nottingham Black Archive (NBA), dedicated to the research, collection and preservation of the history, heritage and culture of Black Northerners. His involvement with the Nottingham ex-Servicemen’s organisation and membership of the NBA Council of Elders enabled him to contribute to the NBA project, gathering the experiences of local Black servicemen/ women who fought in WWII.

Powe died before the project was launched, and in his honor the project was dedicated to him.

Wolverhampton. He is British of Jamaican Scottish heritage, and is an electronic music artist, disc jockey, and actor. He made a name for himself in the 1980s as a graffiti artist and was also a member of a breakdancing crew. By the 1990s he became well-known as a musician working mainly within the jungle, breakbeat and drum and bass genres, and has helped to promote these styles globally.

Goldie grew up in children’s homes and foster care. He was given the nickname ‘Goldielocks’ for his dreadlocks when he joined a breakdance crew called Bboys. At the age of sixteen, he returned to live with his mother on an estate in Walsall and over the following year became one of the most accomplished graffiti artists in the UK. Following an appearance in the hip-hop documentary film Bombin’ (1988), the film-makers took Goldie to New York, where he formed a mentor-mentee relationship with influential American street artist Brim Fuentes.

He moved to Miami, earning a living making and selling gold tooth caps, before returning to London in 1990 with a new musical ambition. Goldie quickly became a pioneer of jungle music with his acclaimed albums Timeless (1994) and Saturnz Return (1998), which combine hardcore beat, hip-hop, funk and reggae. He launched drum and bass record label Metalheadz in 1994 and has worked with artists as diverse as Bjork and David Bowie.

Goldie is also an actor with roles in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999) and BBC’s Eastenders (2001-2). He is the recipient of two honorary degrees and an MBE for his services to music and young people. In 2002 he co-wrote his autobiography Nine Lives with Paul Gorman and in 2017 he published the memoir All Things Remembered.

Leroy George Price Business

Leroy George Price, aka Sir Peckings, born in 1927 in Kingston, Jamaica, was the first person to import and retail Jamaican music, specifically Studio One records in Britain, at the beginning of 1960.

His father was from Portland and his mother, Westmoreland. He lived in Matthew’s Lane, West Kingston and was nicknamed “Peckings” because of his brilliant dancing and dress styles.

Clement Dodd and Price were friends, and with Price’s help, Dodd built up his sound system business, comprising four different sets, which reached audiences across the fourteen parishes of Jamaica. In 1963 Dodd opened Studio One studio.

Price was a successful dance promoter, who held one of the biggest events at the Progressive Lawn in Kingston, where Sir Peckings (Price) was up against Sir Coxson and Duke Reid the Trojan Sound System. His wife, affectionately known as Miss Gertie was in charge of the bar and food

In May 1959 Miss Gertie moved to London, England with 75 records for sale to Price’s friends, Duke Vin and Count Suckle - the first sound system operator in Britain (1955) and sound-system pioneer respectively. Price reunited with his wife in 1960, bringing with him a stash of records from Jamaica to sell to London’s sound systems operators.

Settled in Hammersmith, London in 1960, Price sold records from his home, until he was able to open Sir Peckings Studio One Record Shop in Shepherd’s Bush (1970s), selling mostly Jamaican and Black American records. Dodd shipped records to him regularly via air and sea.

Price died in1994 at his home. He was survived by his sons, Chris and Duke, who continued the business in Shepherd’s Bush, London.

who achieved international fame in the late ‘80s and ‘90s singing reggae with strong R&B and Pop influences.

Maxi Priest was born on June 10, 1961, to a Jamaican couple, Alfred and Hyacinth, in Lewisham, London.

born in Jamaica in St Andrew, Mavis Bank on 29 January 1958 and came to England when he was 11 years old. As a child he had no choice as to where he went, and did as his parents wished. He attended Britannia School for Boys situated in Rowley Regis, Warley, West Midlands and having left school went on to train as a mechanic.

Purville experienced the challenges that all young Caribbean folks experienced - racism both direct and indirect. He overcame them with grace and dignity and is an example to youngsters. He is an unofficial guidance counsellor.

During his career, Maxi Priest collaborated with various artists and had top ten hits in the UK and USA. He was also the first UK born reggae singer to have a number 1 hit in Jamaica with “Mi God Mi King,” released in 1984.

Bestselling international hits include “Close to You”, “Wild World” (written by Cat Stevens) and Crazy Love ( written by Van Morrison).

Purville left the mechanic work as a full-time trade and later became a driving instructor. Since then, he has taught hundreds of people to drive over the years.

As a driving instructor, Purville relies on recommendation rather than advertisement. Due to a growing clientele, there is usually a waiting period to become a student. In some instances, Purville has taught three generations in one family.

Purville is a gentleman in every sense of the word and is honest and trustworthy. He has given his students the confidence to believe in themselves. He is very calm, and his demeanour is well suited to his craft.

Not only does he teach students how to drive, but he also teaches them vehicle maintenance long before these skills were legally required. He will even go with someone to purchase their first car, and being a mechanic, that comes in very handy. Students will call him if they break down or have any driving-related issues for his assistance or advice.

Purville has maintained ties with Jamaica over the years and regularly returns to visit extended family and friends.

Heather Victoria Rabbatts was born on 6 December 1955 in Kingston, to a White English father (Army Officer) and Black Jamaican mother (US model), who migrated to England in 1958.

Rabbatts studied law at the London School of Economics and became a barrister. In 1987 she began working in local government, which was the beginning of her rise to prominence.

In 1989, Rabbatts became deputy chief executive officer (CEO) of Hammersmith and Fulham. She later became CEO of Merton before being appointed CEO of Lambeth in 1995, becoming the youngest council CEO in the country. Lambeth was a challenge, but she made significant improvements in housing, education and council tax collection.

In early 2000, Rabbatt co-founded and co-chaired iMPOWER, a public sector consultancy. She was governor of the BBC from 1999 to 2001 and was then managing director for Channel 4’s educational programmes and business 4Learning.

Rabbatts’ many voluntary contributions include; posts as governor at the LSE, associate of The King’s Fund, and trustee of ‘Malaria No More UK’.

In 2006, Rabbatts was appointed executive deputy chair of Millwall FC and executive chairwoman of Millwall Holdings plc. In December 2011, she became the first woman appointed as director of The Football Association (FA). In June 2015, Rabbatts resigned from FIFA’s anti-discrimination taskforce, and from the FA Board in 2017.

Caribbean playwrights to have made a contribution to theatre in Britain. A brilliant student, he studied theology at St Peter’s College in Kingston and went on to win the island’s Issa scholarship, enabling him to attend Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he graduated in English in 1953.

As a student, Reckord wrote several plays of sufficient note to be performed at the Royal Court in London. He is believed to be the first Black Briton to have plays performed there, and, as a bonus, his brother, Lloyd, who had left Jamaica for England in 1951, directed many of them.

Reckord’s first play, Flesh to a Tiger, was produced at the Royal Court in 1958. Set in Trench Town, Kingston, it featured Cleo Laine in her debut stage appearance.

The Royal Court also produced You in Your Small Corner in 1961, exploring the relationship between a middle-class West Indian and his White working-class girlfriend. It was adapted the following year for ITV’s Play of the Week starring his brother Lloyd and is remembered for its daring interracial kiss.

His most successful play, Skyvers, was first produced in 1963 at the Royal Court and is considered by former Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington to be “one of the key plays of the 1960s”. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2012, not long after Reckford’s death at the age of 85.

Reckford returned to Jamaica for a while with his wife Mary, an historian. When the marriage ended in the mid-1960s, he lived in London for 40 years with the literary editor and novelist Diana Athill, who wrote affectionately about their unconventional relationship in her memoirs.

he grew up with his parents and three siblings. At an early age, Reckord performed in pantomimes and developed a passion for performing. His first big role was in Tobias and the Angel at Garrison Theatre.

Reckford came to England in 1951, a year after his brother Barry, a playwright. He joined the Old Vic Theatre Company in London, and was offered small parts in the Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet. He eventually got a role in South Pacific at Drury Lane Theatre.

In 1958, Reckord appeared in You in Your Small Corner, about a Jamaican boy falling in love with an English girl. It was dramatised as Hot Summer Night by ITV in 1959. It was famed for the earliest known interracial kiss on British television, and it became a huge boost for his career. You in Your Small Corner was shown on ITV play of the week (1962). 50 years later, The British Film Foundation has put it on-line for Freeview.

Reckord acted in Danger Man (1960-1965) and, in 1964 The Human Jungle (Enemy Outside).

Unhappy about being typecast, and his limited funds he moved into directing and made two film shorts, Ten Bob in Winter (1963) and Dream A40 (1965).

Reckord later returned to Jamaica, and founded the Actor’s Theatre Company and Jamaica National Theatre Trust, directing many critically acclaimed productions.

In 2000 Rabbatts was awarded a CBE, and in 2016 honoured with a DBE for services to football and equality.

A recipient of Jamaica’s Silver Musgrave Medal (1973), Reckford spent the last few years of his life in declining health and returned to Jamaica to be cared for by his family. In accordance with his wishes, his body was donated to the University of the West Indies for medical research. In 2012 the Barry Reckord Bursary was launched to encourage new and emerging Black and ethnic minority playwrights living in the UK.

Reckord was recognised by London’s National Theatre’s Walk in the Light, Black artists’ contribution to British theatre, The Lloyd Reckord Colin Garland Education Trust (2015); and by the Jamaica School of Drama (2016). Reckord died aged 86, on 8 July 2015, after a short illness.

Dame Heather Rabbatts CBE

Solicitor, Businesswoman, Broadcaster

Michael Jerome Reece-Page

Mixed Martial Arts

Page was born at St Mary’s hospital in London on 7th April, 1987 to Curtis Page Sr and Pauline Reece, from Trinidad and Jamaica, respectively. He and his nine siblings grew up in London, north of the river. As both parents and most of his extended family were martial arts experts, unsurprisingly, Page began training in Lau Gar Kung Fu at three and competed in his first kickboxing competition when he was just five years old. His Uncle Stan Brown, a Lau Gar Master, taught Page’s father, who in turn instructed Page.

He is known in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) community for his unorthodox fighting style, which is a mix of freestyle kickboxing (points fighting) and sport karate. He is also a straight- up boxer.

Page earned the moniker Michael ‘Venom’ Page from fellow kickboxer Marvin Francis in homage to the film Five Deadly Venoms a well-known good versus bad guy martial arts movie. He is 5th Dan Black Belt in Kickboxing and a Brown Sash in Lau Gar.

Between 2007 and 2019, Page has amassed an impressive competitive record in all fighting styles and weights, including 14 wins and one loss in MMA, and undefeated in Kickboxing (two fights) and professional Boxing (one fight). To date, Page has also won six gold, five silver and two bronze medals and, his biggest achievement was the two golds he won in Walchsee Austrian, at the W.A.K.O (2009) to add to the gold won at the same in Kufstein (2008). Page has been signed to Bellator since 2015.

father and has spent his whole life in Bristol, the city in which he would be elected as the first Black mayor.

He graduated in economics, history and politics at the University of Wales and began his working life as a youth co-ordinator with international development agency Tearfund. He later worked in Washington DC with Sojourners, a Washington DC-based social justice organisation, and with President Clinton’s advisor, Reverend Tony Campolo.

On returning to the UK, he worked with BBC Bristol as a broadcast journalist and later with the Black Development Agency and NHS Bristol’s Public Health team on delivering race equality in mental health. During the same period, he obtained a master’s degree in political theory and government at the University of Wales.

Rees was appointed member of the National Community Forum and co-founded the on-going City Leadership Programme.

After participating in Operation Black Vote and Labour Future Candidate programmes, he decided to run as mayor of Bristol in 2012 but came second. In 2016 he succeeded and became the first Black mayor in the country to be directly elected by constituents.

In 2019, Rees vetoed the installation of a second plaque to the statue of the Bristol-born slave trader Edward Colston as he said the proposed wording failed to adequately describe his role in the trade.

His record of service and transformation in housing, education, employment rights and climate justice make him a beacon of hope and social justice. He was re-elected in 2021.

In the 2020 Powerlist, Rees was listed in the Top 100 of the most influential people in the UK of African and African-Caribbean descent. He lives in Bristol with his wife and three children.

raised by his adoptive parents.

Vincent was among the first passengers to arrive on the SS Empire Windrush, docking at Tilbury in Essex, on June 22, 1948. Reid was one of the youngest passengers at the age of 13.

Reid would go on to become a trailblazing teacher of Caribbean and African history, as well as a fighter against injustice and racism – but not without a fight.

He dropped out of school at the age of 15 after having a friendless time at King’s Cross.

After working for the Post Office, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) to train as a mechanic. Reid served in Malaya, rising to the rank of corporal at the age of 19.

At age 35, Vincent was accepted without qualification to study history at Sussex University, and after graduating, he went on to complete a masters’ degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

In 1974 Reid joined Brixton College of Further Education, now Lambeth College, where he educated and influenced numerous hearts and minds about the African continent and Caribbean regions leaders.

Reid retired early in 1995, and in 2000, his beloved Liz was diagnosed with cancer; she died in December, and his death six months later in 2001 came as no surprise.

Today Reid’s teachings live on through his son Joshua and daughter Mwana, and his grandchildren.

Paul Reid was born in 1963 in London to Standford and Marjorie Reid. His father came from humble beginnings in Jamaica and later moved to the United Kingdom and settled in Brixton, South London, on the famous Railton Road.

In the 1980s, Railton Road was notoriously referred to as the ‘Front Line’, a period when homes, community centres, house parties were raided and harassed by the police.

Reid pursued a career in youth and community service. He embraced his African identity as a result of his work at New Initiatives.

Reid was one of three co-founders of ORIGIN, which is now in its 20th year working with young people of African heritage and supporting them in their transition to adulthood.

ORIGIN is crucially important to Reid as he sees it as representing some of the critical building blocks required within the Black community.

Reid led the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) from October 2006 to May 2019 and has over 25 years of community development experience.

Reid played a significant role in building confidence and partnership among stakeholders, including local Black activists, the local community, Lambeth elected politicians, senior managers, diverse agencies and organisations.

Reid has stated that his life is driven by a sense of identity, both with the ancestors and with those yet to come as well as a deep spirituality and purpose .

He migrated to England in 1961 to further his education and improve his job prospects. He settled in Bristol with his aunt.

Reid was quickly disillusioned with the education system and educated himself and others on the importance of Black history.

To add to his disillusionment, Reid was denied an interview to become a bus conductor with the Bristol Omnibus Company in 1963 because he was Black. This resulted in the iconic Bristol Bus Boycott, organised by the Black community and supported by the Bristol university students and local MP Tony Benn. As a result, the Company changed its recruitment policy.

In the 1950s and 1960s, it was difficult to find decent accommodation with notices saying ‘No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs,’ along with banks refusing to approve loans for house purchasing. This caused Reid and others to establish the United Housing Association, to help provide better accommodation, including home care for the elderly.

Reid was awarded an OBE for services to social housing.

Following several unfulfilling jobs, Reid pursued a career in public services. He became an assistant social worker and part-time youth worker at the Mill Youth Centre in Easton. After further education, he became qualified in Social Work. He eventually became an education welfare officer, and then an area manager, overseeing more than 60 educational institutions.

When Home Secretary, David Blunkett, visited Bristol and declared it rife with crime and drug problems, Reid and others took action. The Signpost Rite Direkshon project was created, which offered a practical solution for troubled youths. Reid served on the Governing Body of Whitefield Fishponds Community School and was involved in establishing the first Junior Crime Prevention Panel.

was brought up in Clapham, South London, and now lives in Sheffield.

Reynolds’ gift for writing started at about eight years old when she told her mother she was going to write a book. Since then, she has never stopped.

After completing two degrees at South Thames and Westminster College, she began as a freelance journalist for The Jamaica Gleaner and The Village Voice.

Reynolds first novel, Seduce, was published in 2013 to much acclaim by Peepal Tree. Her other short stories are found in various publications; A Generation Defining Itself, Hair: A Journey into the Afro and Asian Experience, Moss Side Stories, The Suitcase Book of Love Poems, Tangled Roots and Closure: Contemporary Black British Stories, published by Peepal Tree (2015).

Reynolds, an activist at heart, is committed to anti-racism and intersectionality. She draws on her experiences for her creative body of work around race, class, body and spirit, and gender.

In 2018 Reynolds received £10,000 towards her second novel from The Arts Council England. Her short story, Born On Sunday Silent can be found in The Book of Sheffield, published by Comma Press.

Reynolds is also a creative workshop facilitator, broadcaster, editor of the anthology Writing As Resistance and she writes reviews for books and films.

She is also a trustee of the Racial Justice Network.

Reynolds is currently working on several writing projects, including a collection of short stories to be published by Dead Ink.

Paul Reid - Heritage, Activist, Community Service

Anthony Richards born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1946, caught the music bug hanging out at Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle Studios with others at age 12.

In 1962, aged 16 he joined his parents in the UK, and initially began training as a cinematographic technician. However, with encouragement from his cousin - record producer Bunny Lee, he pursued his love of music.

In 1973 Richards became marketing and promotions manager for Trojan Records, an independent British company responsible for promoting all Trojan recordings to get them on to the British charts.

During the 1970s, Trojan’s market was the growing African Caribbean community and working-class White youths of Britain.

Ken Boothe’s, “Everything I Own” was promoted by Richards and became a major hit for Trojan, topping the British chart for three consecutive weeks in 1974. Richards brought Jamaican music to mainstream audiences through on-air strategies, interviewing Ken Boothe, John Holt and Toots Hibbert on the BBC World Service. Richards is recognised as one who opened up Japan to reggae music in 1976 by showcasing The Pioneers and The Cimarons.

When Richards left Trojan in 1977, he collaborated with producer Sonia Pottinger to form Skynote Records, and later, he formed Carib Gems/Skynote Records. In the 1990s, Richards opened his own PPD Production 24 track studio in London, recording a diverse range of artists.

In April 2018, Richards was awarded the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for contribution to the Jamaican Music Industry.

work in the United States in 1945 when he was 19 years old. However, on learning the cost of a one-way trip to England was £28.10s on the Empire Windrush, Richards jumped at the opportunity for a better life.

Richards enjoyed the voyage that arrived at Tilbury Docks, in Essex, on June 22, 1948. He had no pre-arranged accommodation, so he sheltered in temporary accommodation with over 250 other migrants at Clapham South Deep Shelter.

Richards recalls the regular disturbance from the noise of the Northern Line trains running one level below as they laid in their beds. It was impossible to sleep in late. Breakfast was served in a marquee, after which all the men would go in search of work, at the Labour Exchange in Brixton.

Richards gained employment with British Rail (BR) in Orpington, Kent, where he worked until he retired 30 years later. Although he had found stable employment, finding suitable accommodation in the years after arriving proved difficult. This motivated him to work hard to save enough money, and he purchased a house in North West London.

Richard regularly played cricket at the weekends and during the Summer like many other Caribbean migrants.

Richard, however, will always be remembered as that dapper young man in the dark pinstripe suit standing with John Hazel and Harold Wilmot onboard the SS Empire Windrush in an iconic black and white photo.

Jamaican parents who migrated to England in the 1960s.

Mark is an atmospheric physicist and senior lecturer at Imperial College London. He has a track record of cutting across traditional academic boundaries to explore multidisciplinary research in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) education and outreach.

As a postdoctoral researcher, he managed a technology transfer programme and co-founded Duvas Technologies Ltd – a technology business that specialises in wireless environmental monitoring networks.

Richards is a member of the Imperial’s Equality and Diversity Committee and also sits on the Board of Trustees for the British Foundation for University of the West Indies (BFUWI).

Through outreach, Richards has fostered strong links with institutions such as NASA/JPL, the US Embassy, and community-based charities such as Generating Genius, CADSTI, Afro-Caribbean Diversity, and the Baroness Amos Bursary.

Richards has also contributed to media related projects through the Institute of Physics, Royal Society, British Council, British Library, plus several local authorities.

Richards actively works to encourage minority students from underrepresented groups to consider careers in STEM through exposure to the achievements of other minority leaders. He has also set up programmes in which students mentor younger students at Imperial College, and runs creative workshops for science teachers on how to get students more engaged using music.

As a student, Richards, known as DJ Kemist, spent most of his spare time Djing on Unique FM. In 2004 he founded Xtremix Records, an independent label providing remixing services to the music industry.

Anthony ‘Chip’ Richards MA Music Promoter

Alrick Riley

Film

Directo

Alrick was the first Black director to receive a British Film Academy Award. (BAFTA) He shared the award with two other directors for the acclaimed TV series Cops in 1999.

Alrick was born in London in 1964. A shy boy, his Jamaican parents encouraged him to attend acting clubs. He then began his career as a child actor at the age of eleven on the British series Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, as a featured extra. He went on to work as an actor on several series, such as: Johnny Jarvis and Me and My Girl and in the British movie Scum.

After leaving school, he bought an 8mm camera, and he discovered his passion for directing. He attended the prestigious National Film & Television School. Alrick directed two short films whilst at the school - Money Talk and Concrete Garden, both won him great acclaim and went on to be screened at multiple international film festivals. Both were screened on UK television. He has directed high profile television projects and continues to develop original drama ideas.

Riley went on to have an illustrious career in television direction and writing in both the United Kingdom and United States. He has acted in episodes of Playing the Field, Stanton Blues, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Hotel Babylon, Silent Witness, Boy Meets Girl, Babyfather, Ashes to Ashes, Bedlam, Spooks, Hustle, Hunted, Death in Paradise, Perception, Castle, NCIS, Legends, NCIS: New Orleans, The Walking Dead, Person of Interest, Tyrant and Once Upon a Time.

Recent TV director’s credits include Blood & Treasure an American action–adventure drama television series plus many more.

and Lyn Riley, who migrated from Jamaica to England in1950. They settled in Birmingham.

Riley, with a passion for Black music, entered academia in 1994 and was later appointed programme director for Black Music Research Unit (BMRU), University of Westminster (UoW). He is also principal investigator - Bass Culture Research, which explores the history of Jamaican music’s contribution to the culture and heritage of Britain.

Riley is a founding member of Steel Pulse (1975). Their album, Handsworth Revolution is seen as an important milestone in the growth of British Reggae. Steel Pulse won a Grammy for Babylon the Bandit (1986).

Riley’s professional experience spans over 30 years. He achieved silver, gold and platinum awards, and contributed to four number one singles, and seven number one albums.

In 1980, Riley started the British ska band Headline.

In 1989, he founded Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), the most visibly Black/multicultural classically trained musicians in the UK. In 1991 and 1992, RPO toured Jamaica on the invitation of the Rt. Hon. Michael Manley.

In 2017 he instigated the data report (BMRU) on Black British music. The report helped to change London Metropolitan Police policy, with the removal of Form 696, which had negatively impacted Black music.

In 2018, Riley staged an academic expo on the impact of Jamaican music in London, and in 2019 he released a documentary linking modern Black British music to Jamaican Bass Culture (1960s).

Riley is a subject specialist for the Open University validation panel, a board member for the Museum of London, a trustee for several arts companies, and a board member for Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.

businesswoman and promoter of Jamaican Art and Culture.

r . . . Nurses went down on their hands and knees to scrub the wards with buckets of hot water, disinfectant, floor cloth, and a coarse brush. Even though there were many spillages on the floors, there were not many hospital air-born infections such as today like MRSA and other known superbugs. We took great pride in keeping the wards spotless . . .

She spent her early career establishing a portfolio of London property investments. Once established, she began returning to Jamaica on a regular basis where her passion for Jamaican art developed. The collection she has put together is now recognised as one of the most important in Europe

Theresa has staged and curated exhibitions in London of Jamaican paintings and sculptures in institutions such as The House of Lords and New Hall, Cambridge and Cork Street Gallery.

In 2010 she completed Hanover Grange (“HG”), a nine-bedroomed villa constructed at the Tryall Club, Montego Bay where she showcases and promotes Jamaica internationally.

In 2013 Theresa established Jamaica Patty Co (“JPC”), producing and selling Jamaican food in Covent Garden, London. JPC sponsored the Jamaican Rugby Sevens team which went on to qualify for Rugby World Cup.

Voices - Real Experiences

Mrs Mary Lawrence

Patsy Blair Robertson Diplomat, Journalist

Patsy Blair (née Pyne) Robertson (1933-2020) was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. After graduating from Wolmer’s School for Girls, she briefly worked as a cub reporter for The Daily Gleaner, then went on to study Journalism at New York University, where she joined the staff at The Pittsburgh Courier.

She came to London in 1959, worked as a journalist with the BBC Caribbean Service, then joined the High Commission for the West Indies located on Bruton Street. Here, she became the public relations officer for Sir Garnet Gordon, the St Lucia-born Queen’s representative of the West Indian colonies. She then worked briefly with the West Indies Federation, a short-lived but exciting political union.

Robertson joined the Commonwealth Secretariat at its inception upon its establishment in 1965. She subsequently worked closely with Secretary-General Arnold Smith and every secretary general onwards. She was its official spokesperson and was the director of Information and official spokesperson at the Commonwealth Secretariat from 1988 until 1994.

She was an accomplished diplomat dedicated to human rights and played a pivotal role in the work of the Secretariat and its member states. Notably, she helped to shape a mainstream narrative against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Later, she was integral to the foundation of the Commonwealth Association, and a trustee of the Commonwealth Media Trust.

Robertson left the Secretariat in 1994 to be senior media advisor (1995) to the United Nations (UN)Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, and also to UNICEF at the UN General Assembly Session on Children (NY, 2000). In 2007, she was appointed chair of the Ramphal Institute where she worked until she died in 2020. In 2015, she was appointed a visiting professor at King’s College, London. She was a founding member of Widows Rights International, a founding member and president of The Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica, and led fundraising campaigns to preserve Jamaica’s architectural heritage. She was also director of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and a trustee of the Asha Foundation. The Commonwealth will remember her as being one of the longest-serving and prominent diplomats who raised Jamaica’s profile in the international arena.

were Jamaican who had moved to the United Kingdom in the sixties.

She is the director and founder of Kingsway Community Projects Limited, a voluntary organisation that benefits youths, women’s groups and seniors by arranging community events, training and consultation. The organisation ensures that local people have a say in issues of housing, community safety, social, health care and community development.

Robinson used her expertise in event management to successfully plan and organise a schedule of public events for the 2017 Calendar, in celebration of Jamaica’s 55th Anniversary of Independence. They included the Windrush70 exhibitions at St Martins Church, libraries in Birmingham, Windrush70 memorial stamps, a Windrush70 and Beyond Activity Book - Intergenerational Reflections - and a short film created by the local youths of Kingsway Community Projects Limited in commemoration of Windrush70.

In addition, each year since 2008, Robinson has produced a Caribbean-themed calendar. She was also involved in producing the Caribbean Through A Lens booklet for the National Archives.

Robinson has delivered numerous workshops and exhibitions to schools and community groups, including trips to Tilbury Dock in Essex, the Slavery Museums in Liverpool and Bristol, as well as other places of historical interest.

in 1958 after completing his apprenticeship at the Jamaica Gleaner Company.

Robinson developed a deep understanding of the Caribbean way of life of the immigrants in Britain, and he played an important role as a leader in the community. In 1975, he was asked to give evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on Race Relations and Immigration.

Robinson worked at the Leicester Mercury for some 15 years before studying at Leicester Polytechnic. He worked with Leicestershire County and City Councils as a youth and community officer until he retired in 1997. During this time, he instigated and supported the development of several community projects and organisations, and he contributed to the personal growth of numerous young people.

Robinson remained devoted to Jamaica although far from home. As a community leader, he arranged numerous community visits as a cultural exchange experience, initially between England and Jamaica and then other Caribbean islands.

Robinson is a founding member of the Caribbean Credit Union, and The Society of Jamaicans. He is also a long-standing member of the Leicester Caribbean Cricket Club.

In October 2012, Robinson was the winner of the 11th African and African Caribbean Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his contributions to the communities in Leicester and Leicestershire.

Robinson was awarded the MBE for his contribution to the community. He was also awarded with the Badge of Honour, from the Jamaican Government for meritorious services to his country.

C A R N I V A L

Carnival has been the principle hub for gathering of West Indians in London since 1959. Conceived by activists Rhuane Laslett and Claudia Jones, Jamaicans and Jamaican businesses have played a major role with music, sound systems and cuisine adding to the vibrancy of the event. Often imported foods and fruits which are difficult to find year ‘round are available at carnival. The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street party in Europe attracting over 1 million visitors annually.

Photo courtesy CVT©

C A R N I V A L

Jak Beula Dodd - see his profile on page 85 - has been a major catalyst in recognition of the founders ensuring their legacy will be remembered through the Nubian Jak Community Trust Blue and Black Plaque schemes for generations to come.

Notting Hill Carnival - Courtesy nhcarnival.org

Blue Plaque by Nubian Jak Community Trust

Joan DaCosta Robinson was raised and educated in Jamaica before migrating to England in the 1950s to complete her studies. After attending college, she got married and started to raise her family.

Robinson began her volunteer work in the early 1970s, assisting African-Caribbean women with career development and educating them on their legal rights. She returned to full-time education in her early forties, successfully obtaining qualifications in Commerce, Business, and Financial Management.

In 1991, in reaction to the needs of Children’s Services, Robinson founded VOUCH UK, a charity supporting children and young people with financial aid in the UK and in Jamaica.

Sadly, in the 1990s she and her family were thrust into a traumatic period, when she was unable to resume managerial work after brain surgery. She later sustained two strokes in 1998 and 1999.

Robinson, however, was determined to recover and return to work. She continued to be involved in many organizations, working to improve Women’s rights.

Robinson is also a member of the Lignum Vitae Club, Mustard Seed UK; the Norman Manley Memorial Lecture Committee; the Mary Seacole Memorial Association; the West Indian Ex-Service Men and Women Association; the Fawcett Society; the Bronze Women Monument Project; and the Fair Share Limited, which works for the rights of divorced women.

In 1996, Robinson was named Woman of the Year for her work with VOUCH, and in 2005 she was awarded the Badge of Honour by the Jamaican Government for meritorious services for her work with VOUCH.

to a Cuban father and Jamaican mother.

He became a naturalised Jamican at the age of four, and lived with his parents on Mark Lane in Kingston throughout his formative years.

Rodriquez is best known as a pioneering ska and reggae trombonist. In 1961 he migrated to the United Kingdom to broaden his musical experience and perform for the growing African Diaspora, where he became an integral part of the burgeoning reggae music fraternity.

Rodriguez started recording with his own band, Rico’s All Stars, and later, Rico and the Rudies, releasing the albums, Blow Your Horn and Brixton Cat (1969).

Rodriguez collaborated with some of the biggest names in music and worked with contemporary reggae greats such as Laurel Aitkens and Prince Buster. He played on reggae hits like “A message to you Rudy’”with Sugar and Dandy, and he also toured Europe with Bob Marley and the Wailers.

He also collaborated with Toots and the Maytals, Burning Spear, The Specials, Jazz Jamaica, and the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

Rodriguez received an MBE in July 2007 for services to British music. In 2012 he was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal for his contributions to Jamaican music.

His story is told in a documentary entitled The Legacy - The Rico Rodriguez Story.

Rodriquez died in 2015 at the age of 80.

Margaret Hospital (Jamaica) UK, formed to raise funds to purchase vital medical equipment for the Morant Bay, St Thomas institution.

Rose, affectionately known to some as ‘Molly’, was born in the Sunning Hill district of the parish in August 1943, the fifth child born to Louise and Otis Drysdale. Like many Jamaicans seeking a better life, she migrated to the UK in 1961.

She passed away in August 2017 after a relatively short illness.

With over 25 years experience in the media industry and several leading appointments Marcus Ryder was born in England to a Jamaican mother and English father. Previously Chair of the Royal Television Society’s Diversity Committee and head of BBC Scotland Current Affairs Ryder has won several industry awards ranging from BAFTAs to Royal Television Society and Foreign Press awards. In April 2021 he was appointed Chair of RADA - Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1992 Matthew Ryder was called to the bar and in 2010 was appointed a Queen’s Counsel. Formerly the Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Ryder is a leader in his field - his chambers ranking in the The Legal 500. Ryder has appeared in several cases as leading counsel in the UK Supreme Court, the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court. Aside from a range of high-profile cases, his expertise in overlapping complex crime and civil cases is well-regarded. Matthew Ryder has been repeatedly included in the annual Powerlist.

Joan Robinson BH(M) Activist

Marcus Ryder MBE Film Director, Journalist

Matthew Ryder QC Barrister

Paul Anthony Rose Activist, Community Service

Paul Anthony Rose was born on 23 March 1959, to Jamaican parents who migrated to Birmingham, where he was educated and raised.

Rose is the founder and CEO of VOWS (Various Outreach Working Services), a community enterprise that works with young people and senior citizens to create a better understanding between the two groups.

For many years, Rose has collaborated on Black History with the elders of the Windrush Generation. He has coordinated family activities, partnered with ex-military personnel and worked with the Staffordshire & West Midlands Probation Trust as a probation supervisor.

Rose has gained valuable experience engaging with different groups in a variety of outreach capacities and has forged relationships with Birmingham’s communities in order to disseminate the history, journey and sacrifices that Jamaicans have made in the UK, as well as their contribution to the development of the country.

Through VOWS, Rose has organised musical performances at the Midland Arts Centre (MAC) and offered a platform for intergenerational dialogue and learning from the elders.

Rose was in charge of the Windrush 70th Anniversary Exhibition in 2018, which took place at Birmingham’s landmark Library of Birmingham, and was one of the most impressive events to date. It brought community groups together, drew positive media coverage, and drew an impressive crowd of over 3,000 people to the event.

Roy, a Maroon, was born in Accompong Town, St Elizabeth. His grandfather was the traditional village master carver – a tradition that was passed on from father to son.

Roy joined the Merchant Navy at the start of WWII and served on munitions ships and oil tankers until 1944, when he was discharged due to illness. He disembarked in Britain and settled in South London, where he pursued his passion for Black cultural art and writing.

In 1956, Roy changed his name by deed poll to his African name ‘Namba’, becoming Namba Roy.

Staunchly proud of his black heritage, he would ensure this was expressed throughout his work.Black Albino and No Black Sparrows, his novels written in the 1950s reflect his heritage and traditions of rebellions and courage of the Maroons.

Roy was a self-taught artist and sculptor of African themes. His work, Accompong Madonna (1958), remains on permanent display at the National Gallery of Jamaica. He is, however, best known for his ivory sculptures, Spirit of the Black Stallion (c. 1952) and Jesus and his Mammy (1956), carefully carved forms that pay tribute to Africa.

Roy and his English wife Yvonne (née Shelley), an actress, whom he met in 1950, have three talented children; Tamba, Jacqueline, and Lucinda.

Even though Roy had limited success during his lifetime, his work became recognised after his death and was celebrated 20 years later as the centrepiece of the Commonwealth Institute’s exhibition of Jamaican art entitled Remembrance. Roy died in June 1961, aged 51. His novel No Black Sparrows, written in the 1950s was posthumously published in 1989.

years and is pivotal to the history of Black media in Britain.

He was the managing editor of GV Media Group Ltd, acting managing director of The Voice newspaper and managing director and editor of the Gleaner Company (UK) Ltd, which publishes the Weekly Gleaner newspaper.

He joined the Gleaner Company (UK) Ltd in 1988 as an editor for the Weekly Gleaner newspaper before being appointed as managing director in 1992. The Gleaner Company (UK) Limited acquired The Voice newspaper group in May 2004, and Ruddock was appointed the deputy managing director of the newly merged company, GV Media Group Ltd. He was appointed editor of The Voice in October 2011.

During 2012-2013, Ruddock presented a weekly radio programme called Voices from the Diaspora on Power 106 FM. The show was aired on Friday mornings on the Jamaican radio station and included interviews with special guests from the Diaspora living in the United Kingdom.

Ruddock was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Press Union between 2009-2011 and is a patron of the Nurses Association of Jamaica UK.

Andrew Salkey Writer

Felix Andrew Alexander Salkey was born in Colon, Panama, to Jamaican parents (30 January 1928 - 28 April 1995) and became a novelist, poet, and journalist.

At age two, Salkey was sent to Jamaica, to be raised by his grandmother and mother, who was a teacher, while his father continues working in Panama.

He was educated at St George’s College, in Kingston, and at Munro College, in St Elizabeth, before going to England in the early 1950s to attend the College of St Mark and St John. In the mid-1950s, he taught English at Walworth Secondary School (Mina Road School) - off the Old Kent Road in Southeast London.

A prolific writer and editor, Salkey authored more than 30 books, including anthologies, travelogues and essays.

He was the key figure, the main presenter and writer-in-residence in the Caribbean section of the BBC World Service at Bush House, London, and his programmes became a glittering showcase for a generation of writers, including Trinidadian Sam Selvon and Bajan George Lamming, who had made London their second home. Salkey was also a part of the West Indian Students Union (WISU) which provided an effective forum for Caribbean students to express their ideas and provided voluntary support to the “harassed” working-class Caribbean immigrant community during the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

In 1966, he co-founded with John La Rose and Kamau Brathwaite the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM), as a platform for Caribbean artists, writers, actors and musicians.

Salkey’s novels and poems include A Quality of Violence, (1959), Escape to An Autumn Pavement (1960), The Late Emancipation of Jerry Stover (1968), The Adventures of Catullus Kelly (1969) and Come Home (1976). His poetry, children stories - drawn from the Jamaican folk idiom –and other writings included, Travelogues, Anancy’s Score (1973), editing anthologies including Breaklight (1971).

He was a director of the London-based publishing company Bogle-L’Ouverture, founded by Guyanese-born, activists Eric and the late Jessica Huntley. In the latter part of Salkey’s life he was a professor of creative writing at Hampshire College in Amherst.

entrepreneur, Maureen Salmon’s contribution to the UK has been far-reaching.

Salmon was born in Mandeville, Jamaica, on 20 March 1959. In 1972, she joined her family in London.

She is the founder and director of Freshwaters Consultancya leadership and strategic development practice. She also co-created the Black MBA (UK) 2000-2004 and was executive director for Talent and Skills 2000.

Salmon brokered partnerships with the National Library and National Gallery of Jamaica by creating leadership placements for UK cultural leaders of Jamaican heritage, providing access to digitalised resources advancing the Library’s mission.

She supported the Jamaican High Commission (JHC) in 2012 by assisting visual artist Graeme Mortimer Evelyn to curate ‘Out of Many One People’, an exhibition celebrating Jamaica’s 50th Independence Anniversary at the Royal Commonwealth Society and JHC.

At the first National Conference on Educational Leadership and Management in Jamaica (2015), She delivered a paper, ‘Educational Leadership: The Path to Social and Economic Transformation. She also contributed to the Caribbean Curatorship and National Identity Conference, lectured at the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts, designed and delivered th e MA in Creative Arts Management, Entrepreneurship route and Motion Picture Arts Certificate programmes.

She also presented “Cultural Entrepreneurship as a Path to Prosperity for the Caribbean” at the first International Conference on Teaching and Learning Cultural Entrepreneurship in the US.

At the invitation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, she contributed to the Caribbean 2030 Leaders Network and collaborated with two fellow Caribbean associates to create the Caribbean Diaspora Skills Bank/Directory.

In 2018, Salmon was guest curator at the London College of Communication Library, University of the Arts, showcasing her work - ‘Made in Jamaica’ .

Salmon’s prolific work has been recognised through ‘Women of the Year’ in 2000 at the ‘Millennium Festival of Women’s Work’ and ‘European Federation of Black Women Business Owners’ Professional Award’. She was a finalist in the ‘European Union Women of Achievement Awards 2001’.

in Montego Bay after her parents migrated to the UK in 1959 and 1960. Samuels and her two sisters followed in 1970.

She spent nearly four decades working in the NHS as a nurse. Passionate about changing people’s lives for the better, she was elected Labour councillor for Wolverhampton council in 2004 before unsuccessfully trying to enter parliament for North Shropshire the following year.

Representing the city’s Ettings hall ward since 2009, Samuels is the cabinet member for adults and is chair of governors at Windsor Children and Family Centre.

In an online message to her constituents in 2020, she said, “I am working hard alongside my ward colleagues on vital local issues, including community safety. I have also championed the development of a new GP Surgery and chemist for Ettingshall.”

In 2015, she received an OBE from the Queen in recognition of her services to the local government.

Born to Jamaican parents, javelin thrower and heptathlete Tessa Sanderson came to England in 1965.

She was the first black woman to win a gold for Great Britain and is 6 times Olympian Olympic Gold Medalist – 1984, 3 times Commonwealth Gold Medalist – 1978, 1986 and 1990.

She remains today the only British person to ever win a gold Medal for javelin, a record that has been maintained for over 36 years. In total Tessa made 61 appearances at Internationals, and it was her sixth appearance at the Games that she again made history, equalling that of any Olympic woman and becoming the only Briton to achieve such a landmark.

In 2004, Tessa was awarded a CBE for Services to Sport England as well as the Sunday Times Life Times Achievement Award for her dedication to sport.

Tessa became the first female to be appointed vice-chair for Sport England, which she did for six years. In 2009, she established the Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy, aims to encourage young people and people with disabilities to take up sport; Tessa has been voted Sports Personality of the Year and Athlete of the Year three times by the Athletics Writers Association. Her media career involved television presenting for Sky Sports, BBC, ITV, Bloomberg, GMTV, Talk Sport Radio, and roads named in her honour.

experience in health and social care. He was born in England in March 1966 to Jamaican parents.

Sewell is a social worker by background with over 20 years’ experience. His specialties include programme and project management, managing diversity and equality, and mental health. He has also led the race equality programme for the National Mental Health Development Unit up to the end of March 2011.

Recent projects include; reviews of crisis resolution and home treatment teams, reviews of day hospitals for older people with mental health problems, delivery of a service specification and metrics for a primary care mental health liaison function, and delivery of an organisational staff engagement project in a large national charity. He has also undertaken national research on race equality for the Department of Health.

Sewell has held a number of senior roles within social care and the NHS, most recently executive director for organisational development in an inner-city Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. He has held roles as director of substance misuse services, director of Social Care, Business link inspector in Social Services Inspectorate, regional Implementation for National Service Framework and head of strategic planning in Housing and Social Service Directorate.

It has been his remit to improve service provision for groups with protected characteristics (as defined within the Equality Act 2010). Sewell has used his positions to advance this agenda and has earned a reputation nationally and internationally for this caring and socially-consious work. He is also a social campaigner for women’s rights and initiated the ‘Men Against Rape’ campaign. He holds a Diploma in Management Studies (DMS), CQSW and PRINCE2 Practitioner.

assists young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to study STEM subjects at top Universities.

Sewell has worked as a secondary school teacher in some of London’s most challenging schools.

During this period, he worked on his doctoral researchon Black masculinitiesandschooling, which was a groundbreaking work that led to several key publications. Sewell was in the team responsible for the transformation of education in Hackney as part of the Learning Trust and the celebrated Mossbourne School, the flagship of the Academy movement.

Sewell, born August 1959, in Brixton, was educated at St John’s School and Kentwood Boys’ School, Penge. His Jamaican parents came to the UK in the fifties. He received lessons from a retired Latin teacher.

Sewell graduated from the University of Essex with a BA (hons) in English and a PhD from University of Nottingham.

An interest in disadvantaged education became focussed in 2007. Black children who were very bright were not encouraged because professional concerns were only on underachievement. He recognised, whilst barriers for poor children into university were real, they were surmountable.

The organisation began targeting groups with the lowest achievement (Afro-Caribbean boys), and taught them science and math subjects and set the most aspirational outcome (attending top universities). The first boys in the programme were 13 and received extra-curricular activities, support and mentoring.

Most of the original cohort have attended universities and are now working for companies, such as, Shell, BP and for investment banks. Girls are also now the largest cohort, and the focus again is on science and maths.

Sewell helped to set up the Science, Maths and Information Technology Centre at the University of the West Indies. He has led the Inquiry into London Education, which resulted in the London Schools Excellence Fund - a programme that helped London schools to achieve the top grades for their students. Sewell helped to found the Michaela Free School, North London, a strict “no excuses” school.

Sewell was a awarded a CBE for services to education (2016) and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter and a UCL Honorary Fellowship in 2017.

Tessa Sanderson CBE Olympic Champion

Frances Batty Shand (1815 – 11 December 1885) was born the same year as the Battle of Waterloo, the daughter of a plantation owner, John Shand and Frances a freed slave. John Shand moved his family back to his native Scotland when Shand was just four years old. She arrived in Cardiff in 1857 after her brother was appointed to a high-ranking post at the Rhymney Railway Company. The siblings first lived at Park Place, but later moved to the fashionable Windsor Place.

Although Shand lived comfortably, she was concerned about the poverty in Cardiff and was jolted into activism by Frederick Hallet from the Blind Bible Society who told her about the difficulties blind people faced. Determined to help, Shand founded the Association for Improving the Social and Working Conditions of the Blind, which became Cardiff Institute for the Blind (CIB) in April 1865.

She initially rented part of a terraced house in Canton, turning it into a mini workshop for making baskets for coal ships where blind men could learn a trade and earn a wage - whilst undertaking activities, such as, music lessons, keep fit exercises, braille lessons and music classes. The workshop was a success and within a year the CIB moved to larger premises (1868) 0n Longcross Street close to Cardiff Royal Infirmary, with money inherited from her father.

At her death the newspaper wrote: “There are few in the neighbourhood who will forget the face of Miss Shand.” She died in Switzerland but was returned to Cardiff where she was buried.

Shand’s support of the people of Cardiff continued in her will; £3,000 for the Glamorgan Infirmary for a children’s ward (£330,000 today), and secured the CIB financially by way of a £1,000 annuity.

The CIB was given a new plot of land on Newport Road in 1948 and it opened there in 1953 as Shand House, and in 1984 they were transformed into flats. Shand was the subject of an ITV television programme in 2013.

A giant in Britain’s reggae industry, he joined his girlfriend Daphnie Ross in January 1962, and they married and moved from Swindon to Tottenham, London, in March 1962. Circa 1968, the former cyclist built his Count Shelly sound system and was resident at Newton Dunbar’s ‘Four Aces Club’ in Dalston.

He opened a grocery shop in Stamford Hill with fellow soundman and stage show promoter Admiral Ken in the 1960s. His sound was one of the best in England. He founded his Count Shelly record label in 1972 and released a flood of records by the best artists like Alton Ellis, Laurel Aitken, Owen Gray, Honeyboy the pioneer of Lovers Rock, Dennis Brown, Iroy, Johnny Clarke, Dennis Alcapone, Errol Dunkley et al. He released records produced by Bunny Lee and other producers and brought Errol Dunkley and other Jamaican stars on their first tours of England.

He opened a record shop in Stoke Newington, assisted by his step-daughter Jean.

Shelly coined the term ‘Lovers’ when Honeyboy suggested names for the reggae lovers rock ballads with a rock steady feel.

He was a flamboyant character with a welcoming personality; he was well-suited with felt hats in tow and drove a Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, and Rolls Royce cars.

Shelly transformed the Third World Record shop in Tottenham from a derelict old building into one of Britain’s most ultra-modern record shops. Circa 1983, he set up the famous Super Power Records in Brooklyn, New York City. He was responsible for helping the Jammys become prominent in reggae.

Shelly also had distribution premises in Harlesden from 1986 to the late 1980s. He relocated after some years to Jamaica, where he operated a record store in uptown Premier Plaza, Half Way Tree. Shelly retired and lived well. He died on August 16th 2020 in Jamaica. 202

in Trench Town, West Kingston, with his mother and stepfather who were members of the local Revival church. Shirley was a pupil at Boys Town School, where he claimed to have been ill treated by his teachers.

Shirley was spotted performing on Vere Johns’ talent show, by the then, Minister of Culture, Edward Seaga and Byron Lee, who then included Shirley in the shows he promoted.

Two attempts at forming a group, with Ken Booth, followed by Slim Smith and Franklyn White, failed. A meeting with the soon to be famous Joe Gibbs resulted in the release of their first song, “Hold Them”, which was a huge hit in Jamaica. “Hold Them”, written by Shirley, was recorded as a slower rhythm than the popular ska beat, which became known as the first rocksteady song. He then joined Bunny Lee, a union that produced the hit “Music Field” and others.

Shirley’s stage performance, comprising of a high-collared silver cape, was found amusing by Jamaican audiences. In 1968 Shirley launched his own record label and released Prophecy Fulfilling, Flying Reggae, On Board and others. He also opened a record shop.

In 1971, A Sugar was a big hit, resulting in his tour of New York and the UK with U-Roy and Max Romeo (1972).

Shirley was impressed with the UK and migrated in 1973, and soon founded the All-Stars Artistic Federated Union to advise and support artists navigate the vagaries of the music business. He also helped Jamaican Music students with sessions held at South East London Technical College. Shirley released ten albums, including The Winner (1976) and ending with Your Musical Priest (2004).

However, the long absence from Jamaica impacted his business interests, resulting in the loss of his record shop to the emerging Wailers, who used it as their base. In the late 70s, Shirley opened another record shop in Dalston, London and set up the British Universal Talent Development Association in support of young talents.

Roy Shirley passed away at age 63, in July 2008 in Thamesmead, London. The Jamaican government assisted the family return his remains to Jamaica for burial.

Frances Batty Shand Activism

Joy Antonia Sigaud Publisher, Writer, Composer, Philanthropist

Joy Antonia Sigaud was born in London to Jamaican parents Constance and Cecil Nembhard.

Her publishing career began with Times Newspapers in 1979 before working in a multi-lingual environment producing international business publications serving Africa and Europe. She founded her own magazine that was eventually sold in 1987.

As a married housewife, she began to compose music, a childhood passion, and explored her hidden fundraising talents; she secured funding for a Basic Health Care clinic in Africa for people living with AIDS and equipped a fledgling nursery school in London. One of her music events raised £25,000 for displaced women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the UNHCR. More concerts raised substantial funds for Alpha Boys Institute in Jamaica, early business start-ups with The Prince’s Trust and The Rainbow Trust in the UK.

In 2021 she composed the music to unveil the Windrush & Commonwealth NHS Nurses and Midwives Statue at the Whittington Hospital in London. The Philharmonia Orchestra Chamber Players, who play all her live music, performed “Windrush Variations” to both a live and international audience.

Joy Sigaud is the founder and CEO of EDITIONS media, producing free Black elite print publications, including Editions Lifestyle Magazine, documenting outstanding achievements and enhancing positive lifestyle images of the Black diaspora in Britain. Her self-sustained magazine is the only UK Black-owned publication to have the Audit Bureau of Circulation certification 2019. By invitation, she has assisted several other publications, introduced important new style features for Black History Month magazine, edited the Windrush Commemorative magazine and secured an interview in 2018 with former PM Theresa May, amongst others - at the height of the Windrush Scandal.

She is a keen patron of the arts. Her pioneering years in Nigeria, where she was also involved in shipping, transport, oil and gas through family businesses, underpin many of her concepts.

Joy Sigaud is the producer, editor and publisher, on behalf of the High Commission of Jamaica UK, of the book Jamaicans in Britain, A Legacy of Leadership and the Up Close Zoom Series.

Manchester, Jamaica, by her grandmother, Violet Simpson.

Simpson attended primary school in Mizpah and Christiana, before moving on to Manchester High School. She returned to the UK aged 18 to study Marketing and Finance at Stirling University.

Currently she is executive, corporate affairs and public policy at Jamaica National (JN) in the UK and executive director of The Voice, Britain’s leading Black newspaper.

Simpson has been instrumental in spearheading many key JNBS initiatives including: Outlook for the Future, featuring the Jamaican administration, opposition leaders and heads of corporate entities, as well as Caribbean Question Time.

She began her career with Price Waterhouse Coopers, specialising in business development, training and marketing where she remained for six years.

During that period, she was seconded to the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop and deliver a training programme for young women in business in Zambia.

Simpson has also represented the UK’s Jamaican community on the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board (JDAB), alongside advising the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on issues relating to the Jamaican Diaspora.

Paulette Simpson has been a formidable powerhouse working behind the scenes for the enhancement and enrichment of the community. Aside from managing the UK arm of the Jamaica National Bank which was founded in 1874, her role in a management capacity of The Voice Newspaper (founded in 1982 by Val McCalla) which the bank acquired has seen stability and soaring readership levels.

Simpson was featured in the 2018 Powerlist of Britain’s 100 most influential people of African and African Caribbean heritage. She has remained an advisor to the British government as a member of the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group and is presently the deputy chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee.

a senior staff member at the Professional and Community Education - Goldsmiths College University of London.

Trevor Sinclair born 30 May 1952 in St Mary, Jamaica to Jamaican parents. He is now retired but during his working life one of the many jobs was director of Turning Point Education, Training and Consultancy Organisation since 1985.

He is also an executive member of the London based organisation Catholic Institute International Relations (CIIR) and chairperson of International Co-operation for Development (ICD). ICD posts qualified development workers to support project/organisations on the African continent, the Caribbean region and Latin America. In addition, Trevor is an advisor to Christian Aid’s Latin America and Caribbean section.

Sinclair has extensive experience of organising and co-ordinating study visits at an international level.

In the past he has coordinated study visits to the following countries: Egypt, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, South Africa, Madagascar, China, Brazil, Ghana, the Philippines and more.

One of his mature students has said “My learning was extended beyond my own expectations.” Trevor Sinclair has the knowledge and gentle approach as Ghandi, wisdom parallel to King Solomon, and as good looking and smart as Barrack Obama.

Sly & Robbie Music

The Jamaican “drum and base magicians”, professionally known as, Sly and Robbie (S&R) are amongst some of the most innovative and sought-after musicians. The duo was formed by drummer, Lowell (Sly) Dunbar and bassist, Robert (Robbie) Shakespeare in the mid-1970s. They bonded over a love of Motown, Stax Records, the Philly Sound, Country Music and, Jamaican legendary labels, Studio One and Treasure Isle.

Their first project was with The Revolutionaries for Channel One studio, owned by the Hoo Kim brothers. The Mighty Diamonds’ 1976 album, Right Time, established Sly and Robbie as the “masters of groove and propulsion.”

They are responsible for significant advancements in reggae, including innovations with rhythm, like the harder beat called, Rockers (1976), followed by the then-prevalent, One Drop style, and the Rub A Dub sound (early 1980s).

They were instrumental in developing the trend towards “computer-assisted music” and programming, mid-1980s.

In S&R, Chris Blackwell saw a powerful musical foundation with the ability to expand and he appointed them to the core of the Compass Point All Stars (CPAS), his Nassau recording band. CPAS was to produce classic records for Grace Jones, Joe Cocker and Gwen Guthrie among many others.

S&R 1987 album, Rhythm Killers, was produced by Bill Laswell with an ensemble of musicians and showcased the duo’s branching outside of the reggae market and experimenting with electronic sounds. It also produced a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart with, “Boops” (Here to Go).

Early 1990s, S&R introduced the hits, “Bam Bam” and “Murder She Wrote” by Chaka Demus and Pliers. In the, Bam Bam style, Dunbar introduced East Indian tabla sounds in his drum beats.

S&R continued to innovate during the late 1990s and early 2000s, fusing dancehall and Latin music sounds (La Trenggae) or dancehall and hip hop/R&B (their 2004 Big Up riddim).

They produced tracks for Suggs’ 1996 debut solo album, The Lone Ranger , including the hit version of “Cecilia” featuring Louchie Lou and Michie One. Over 500,000 copies were sold in the UK alone reaching number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

After 35 years together, S&R still tour and record relentlessly. They won a Grammy Award in 1999 for the album, Friends and received their 11th Grammy Award nomination (2014) for the album, The Reggae Power.

In October 2015 the duo received the Gold Musgrave Medal, in recognition of their contribution to music.

Millie Small CD Music

Millicent Dolly May Small, born 6 October 1946, at Gibraltar in Clarendon, Jamaica, was the daughter of a sugar plantation overseer. After winning the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest at age twelve, Small moved to live with relatives in Love Lane in Kingston.

Small recorded a duet with Owen Gray, Sugar Plum (1962) and later recorded with Roy Panton for Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One record label as ‘Roy and Millie’, achieving a local hit with, “We’ll Meet”.

Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records, became her manager and legal guardian, who brought her to Forest Hill, London, in 1963. Small made only her fourth recording, an Ernest Ranglin rearrangement of “My Boy Lollipop” released in 1964. The song became a massive hit, achieving number two both in the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. Number one and two were the Beatles and Rolling Stones, respectively. In Australia, the song went to number one and number three in Canada. It stayed in the Nigerian Top Ten for six years.

“My Boy Lollipop” was the first major hit for Island Records and is regarded as one of the best-selling ska songs of all time, selling more than seven million copies worldwide.

As a young recording star in London’s swinging 60s, Small appeared on the 1964 Beatles TV special Around The Beatles. On 6 March 1965, Small appeared on the Australian television programme Bandstand, Melbourne, part of the Moomba Festival, and she toured Africa, bringing Jamaican music to the continent. Though her later recordings were less successful: “Sweet William” and “Bloodshot Eyes”, she continued to tour and perform up to the early 1970s.

On 6 August 2011, the 49th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, Small was made a Commander in the Order of Distinction for her contribution to the Jamaican music industry. She died in May 2020 at her home in London, survived by her adult daughter, who is also a musician.

Clarendon, Jamaica. She has established herself in the UK as a qualified district nurse within the National Health Service (NHS) and possesses a wealth of management, leadership and organisational skills.

Now retired, she has used these skills during her long and faithful service within the charitable sector, and has been a dedicated member, first as treasurer and then general Secretary of The Friends of The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (Foundation) between 1988 - 2015. She is currently patron of the Foundation.

Smikle has served the Jamaican community with compassion, dedication and a commitment to the diverse needs of its members.

She has worked tirelessly to position the Foundation internationally by collaborating with Heart foundations in other Caribbean countries, the US, UK providing opportunities for individuals to pursue health choices and further their educational needs.

A truly remarkable individual, Smikle has worked tirelessly for her community, organised several charity fundraising initiatives, raised money to purchase valuable medical equipment and employed service personnel for the Foundation’s recipients in Jamaica. She has also instigated similar projects in other areas of the UK.

At present, Smikle is working with other members of the Foundation to write its history, an initiative that will be used to engage the younger generation of British-born Jamaicans to develop a passion to serve and support their community.

Smikle was also a foster carer for children and young people in the care of the London Borough of Merton for a number of years. Through this role she offered the security of a family home for a number of young people from a wide and varied backgrounds.

A ward-Winning Make Up Artist

Dame Pat McGrath DBE has been called the most influential make-up artist in the world by Vogue magazine and other commentators. In 2019, she was included in The Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. She has worked at the top of the fashion industry for over 35 years.

In 2015 she launched a cosmetic line which has made her one of the wealthiest beauty moguls in the industry.

Tahlia Gray is the first to market a range of tights for people of colour through the giant chain John Lewis.

Multi award-winning Hairdresser and Stylist Junior Green.

Dame Pat McGrath

Doc Brown

Performing Arts

Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc brown (born 21 September 1977), is an English performing artists, screenwriter and radio presenter who played Nathan Carter in the CBBC TV series 4 O’Clock Club (2012 to 2015).

Smith is the son of a Jamaican author, Yvonne Bailey, and an Englishman, Harvey Smith, and is the younger brother of novelist Zadie Smith. The family hails from Willesden, London, where he attended Malorees Junior School and Hampstead School.

Smith’s rap career began from many live events such as the Mudlumz, an infamously tough gig, based at Dingwalls nightclub in Camden, where he battled among others before losing to fellow UK rapper Sway

Smith soon became a battle champion at, Jump Off in 2003, an international event which began life at Yo! Sushi in Soho, London before moving to the Swiss Centre in Leicester Square. The following year, Smith became the host of a monthly event at the record shop, Deal Real, in the West End of London, attracting hip-hop celebrities from the US.

Smith performed with Mark Ronson at the Fabric nightclub in east-central London with Daniel Merriweather, Amy Winehouse and Beverly Tawiah on vocals, Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender and the Scottish brass section of The Haggis Horns.

The first breakthrough record and Smith’s biggest hit was, “Donnie’s Lament”, or “Mad World Remix” - due to its extensive sampling of that year’s Christmas number one “Mad World”, by Gary Jules.

In 2007, Smith worked as a script consultant on Robins’ BBC Radio 4 sitcom, Rudy’s Rare Records, which Lenny Henry popularised on Radio and stage.

This eventually led to walk-on roles and more editing and writing work on other Radio 4 comedy shows, including Music Therapy and Look Away Now. Smith then went on to shoot an episode of Midsomer Murders and in 2014, he played the role of DS Joe Hawkins in the final series of ITV’s Law & Order: UK.

Assembly, Barking. He has been working and serving the community of London Borough of Barking and Dagenham for nearly 20 years. He is passionate about helping others and seeing them achieve their highest potential. Keen to ensure that people are not at a disadvantage for any reason, Smith regularly seeks opportunities to promote the welfare of others.

Smith has worked with The Police Consultative Committee to address police/community relations. As a member of the Age Concern Board of Trustees, he was instrumental in helping the organisation to secure significant funding for a project to help senior citizens access facilities and support in the borough.

He served as the chairperson for the Ethnic Minority Partnership Agency (EMPA), which had a remit to address the issues faced by the ethnic minority groups in the borough; He founded the Greenleaf After School Club, successfully managing it for 15 years. The club provided sup port for children and their parents, helping them to meet after school. He also worked for Barking Churches Unite Community Projects - a Drop in Centre (The Source) and a night shelter (Hope for Barking) which addresses social and housing needs for people in Barking and Dagenham.

Like most aspiring performing artists, he moved to Kingston and initially trained as a welder for Jamaica Public Services. Dennis Smith was famously known as “Al Capone” – a name acquired from an American Gangster movie of the same. Alcapone went on to chisel out a special space for himself in the annals of Jamaica’s musical industry.

His fascination with the Jamaican sound system culture and inspiration from musical stalwarts, such as Prince Buster, Coxsone Dodd, U-Roy and King Tubby, he and friends, Lizzy and Samuel set up “El Paso” sound system in 1969. El Paso grew in popularity and caught the attention of renowned Jamaican producer Keith Hudson. Together they made unforgettable hits including, “Shades of Hudson”, “Spanish Amigo”, “Revelation Version”, “Maca Version”, and “The Sky’s the Limit”, all in 1970.

In 1971, Alcapone released his debut album, Forever Version and worked with other influential producers, such as, Lee Scratch Perry and Bunny Lee and recorded chart toping singles including, “Ripe Cherry” and “Guns Don’t Argue”. During the period 1970 to 1973 Alcapone recorded over 100 singles, including “Number One Station”, “The Great Bobble”, “Teach the Children”, and “Musical Alphabet”; and three albums. In 1972, he was named Best DJ by Jamaican Magazine, Swing.

Alcapone, being a musical genius also began working as a producer, with artists such as Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson and Augustus Pablo. After several international tours in the first half of the 1970’s, Alcapone migrated to the UK in 1974. He released four additional albums between 1974 and 1977.

He returned to Jamaica in 1990 to record again with Bunny Lee and made an appearance on Adrian Sherwood’s, Two Bad Card, Album. In 1997, he released the album, 21st Century with Mad Professor. His contributions to Jamaican culture have been recognised by the government of Jamaica and in 2018 he received the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation.

Leighton Smith MBA BBA Director Victoria Mutual Finance Ltd

Leighton Smith’s relationship with Victoria Mutual began in 1995.

His success and drive combined with excellent performance, saw him rising through the ranks to assistant vice-president, sales & service in 2013 and then advancing to the post of chief representative officer for the VMBS Representative Office in the United Kingdom in December of that year.

In 2014 he was appointed as a director of Victoria Mutual Finance Limited, a UK subsidiary of the Victoria Mutual Group. In 2018, Victoria Mutual expanded its role to include oversight and responsibility for the Victoria Mutual Operations in the Diaspora.

Leighton has led Victoria Mutual’s corporate social responsibility charge in the diaspora markets supporting several charities, committees, associations and initiatives of Jamaicans and Friends of Jamaica in the UK. Under his direction, the philanthropic arm has supported many community-based projects in Britain and sponsors the Legacy 500 Book.

August 2015) was a cherished member of Nottingham’s Black community and a friend to all. She was energetic, stoic, wise and inspiring, and she generously shared that spirit with those she met.

In Jamaica, O’Connor married Joshua, a union that produced four children. She then moved to England from Jamaica in the 1960s in search of a better life for her family. She gained employment on the same day she arrived in Nottingham and O’Connor never stopped working hard and her four children expanded to nine.

She was a renowned seamstress and was the centre of the community, often organising trips to various parts of the country on behalf of the Black community in Nottingham.

O’Connor didn’t always have an easy life but gained strength from her firm belief in the power of God, enabling her to raise her large family single-handedly following the break-up with her first husband.

She suffered for many years with crippling arthritis but never gave up and never stopped encouraging her children. Her children know that death brings heartache that no one can heal, but the love she gave leaves beautiful memories that no one can steal.

Women like O’Connor represent the profound and valuable contribution Jamaicans have made to the prosperity of Britain for over thirty years, enriching the lives of others, caring and sacrificing for new generations and creating a vivid ethnic mix of friendships and families across all of our communities.

the different ethnicities in Huddersfield.

Smith (27 September 1962) is a British born first-generation Jamaican. Growing up, he learned about Jamaica and the wider Caribbean through its history, rhymes, local songs and music, and now employs this culture in his work with young people in children’s homes. In addition, he delivers cultural awareness projects to help children of dual heritage identify with and appreciate both ethnicities.

For over thirty years, he has worked for Kirklees Council, supporting children and youth with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. He mentors and supports people, who credit him for changing their lives.

Smith has fundraised and used his own money to put on voluntary activities to aid community cohesion.

He set up Jamaica Mass Explosion (JME) to create opportunities for all ethnicities to perform together at events and activities. The JME has performed at carnivals and events and remains the only Jamaican affiliated outfit in Huddersfield.

Another side of Smith’s work involves organising and delivering health promotion events to inform and engage BME communities about preventing and managing prostate cancer, diabetes, and cholesterol.

During Jamaican Independence, Smith creates intergenerational space where all Jamaicans of all ages and backgrounds can engage in dialogue and activities around Jamaica, Caribbean and Africa.

He often helps the BME and European elderly with their shopping and advocates on their behalf.

Once a year families would organise formal photographs of themselves and their children. This photo was taken circa 1962.

Solomon Smith Activist, Entrepreneur

Solomon Smith started giving food to the homeless at the age of 12. On his way home from school each day he noticed that there were a number of rough sleepers in his area. His mother, coming from a large, Caribbean family, always cooked a little too much each day, and Smith chose to feed the homeless daily with the extras. When his mother discovered what he was doing, she was proud.

While at University, Smith did a placement at a homeless shelter in Lewisham. It was supposed to be three months, but it lasted seven years, and this formative experience inspired Smith to set up his own soup kitchen.

It was very difficult at first to get support, but he persevered, used his own money and decided to go it alone. Soon people began to hear about his venture and on the first day (1 January 2013), 30 homeless people turned up at his soup kitchen.

The organisation has since expanded beyond Brixton, across the UK. Smith regularly gives his time and takes the goodwill that his generous supporters, such as Nandos, Marks and Spencer, ITV and Nike, have given him to give back to the homeless in the form of hope, food, love, clothing and coaching across various cities in the UK.

He has also started a soup kitchen in Jamaica and in Miami, US. The soup kitchens double as advice centres for shelter, legal needs, social and employment support, cooking classes, clothing and food banks.

Starting out, Smith faced discrimination and racism, and had to advocate for himself to get anywhere. As a result, he believes in giving the homeless a voice. He has made many media appearances, and has featured on BBC News, ITV’s Surprise Surprise and regular radio shows. He inspires children and young people by visiting dozens of schools, colleges and youth centres across the UK, encouraging the next generation “to give back” and recognise their communities. To date, Smith has given out over 80,000 meals to the homeless. He was awarded an honorary masters degree by the Open University and is also a multiple times TEDx Speaker and advisor to many local charities and homeless groups.

Smith born 18 July 1985 is a Londoner. His Jamaican parents help to maintain a close connection with Jamaica where he regularly visits friends and family.

the author Yvonne Bailey and English father - Harvey Smith. At the age of 14, she changed her name to Zadie. Yvonne Bailey Smith grew up in Jamaica and emigrated to England in 1969. She is the author of The Day I Fell off My Island (2021). Her four siblings include the rapper and stand-up comedian Doc Brown, and rapper Luc Skyz. Smith attended King’s College, Cambridge, where she studied English literature.

At university, Smith published a number of short stories in, The Mays Anthology. Her debut novel, White Teeth was introduced in 1997, before it was completed. On the basis of a partial manuscript, an auction for the rights was won by Hamish Hamilton . She completed, White Teeth during her final year at Cambridge. Published in 2000, the novel became a best-seller, winning a number of awards, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Betty Trask Award. The novel was also adapted for television in 2002.

As writer-in-residence at the Institute Contemporary Arts (ICA), London she published, Piece of Flesh. Smith’s, The Autograph Man (2002). Smith has been a fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and has taught fiction at Columbia University School of the Arts and joined New York University as a tenured professor of fiction in 2010.

Smith’s third novel, On Beauty (September 2005), set largely in and around Greater Boston, US was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the 2006 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Later that same year, Penguin published Smith’s, Martha and Hanwell, a book that pairs two short stories about two troubled characters.

Smith’s novel NW (2012), set in the Kilburn area of north-west London, was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction. NW was also screened by BBC 2 (14 November 2016). Smith’s fifth novel, Swing Time (2016), was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize 2017. In 2019, she published Grand Union, her first collection of short stories, and in 2020, Intimations, a collection of essays.

Smith is married to Nick Laird (2004) and has two children.

to the UK in 1961 to pursue a career in nursing. Working in a voluntary and charitable capacity gave Spence an insight into the needs of the diverse communities at grassroots level.

Spence is a pioneer in the public sector. Her passion for volunteerism fuels her, and her innate leadership skills have developed her community in Birmingham.

Due to her hard work and engagement in various charitable initiatives, she was elected to the post of Labour councillor, representing the citizens of the Soho Ward in Birmingham in 1986.

Spence came from a Christian family, and her parents involved her as a child in the Presbyterian Church. Her devotion to the church led her to become a superintendent in the New Testament Church of God.

During her tenure as a councillor, Spence served on several Birmingham City Council Committees, including urban renewal, community affairs, personnel and equal opportunities and the finance, management and social services.

In 1997, Spence achieved the pinnacle of her career in public service when she was elected lord mayor of Birmingham - the first African Caribbean person to achieve one of the highest civic posts in Birmingham.

Lignum Vitae sponsored walk

Franklin Spence (aka AJ Franklin) Music

Franklin Spence was born in the Parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica, in the early 1950s. At a young age he moved with his family to Kingston, Jamaica, where he attended Kingston Technical High School. He met fellow students Derrick Scott (also from Westmoreland) and Valman Smykle, discovered a shared love for music and formed a group, ‘The Fedderals’.

They were soon ‘discovered around Kingston by Kingstonian musical entrepreneur Derrick Harriott and quickly became part of his Musical Chariot showcase.

A year later, 1970, The Federals became ‘The Chosen Few’. Their debut recording, “Penny for Your Song” being released in Jamaica and on Island Records in the UK. The group changed their line-up with Franklin and David Scott, joined by Joel Bunny Brown and Richard McDonald. Working with Derrick Harriott, The Chosen Few achieved more hits with covers of, Everybody Plays the Fool and Ebony Eyes.

The group were very popular during the 1970s and 1980s with their melodic style which encompassed reggae, r&b, pop, soul and disco.

They toured extensively in the US, Canada and the UK. In 1974, The Chosen Few were persuaded to travel to the UK and sign a record deal with Polydor Records, giving Franklin the opportunity to refine his producing and songwriting skills. The band produced a number of albums for Trojan, including “Hit After Hit” (1973), “Everybody Plays the Fool” (1975), “Night and Day aka The Chosen Few in Miami” (1976), and I Love the Way You Love Baby - LP a rare 1975 album.

The Chosen Few disbanded in 1984, but Franklin continued to write and produce his own materials, releasing a single, “ This Love” and in 1998 his solo album, Taking It to The Limit was released. In 2006 ‘The Chosen Few’ members were persuaded to record and release another album, Musical Hangover.

Franklin still does international tours and participates in the community through his music, always giving his best.

is a well-known studio potter. Her lifelong calling began in 1964 when her uncle, the renowned Jamaican potter, Cecil Baugh invited her to enroll as a part-time student at the Jamaica School of Arts and Craft (JSAC) where he taught ceramics. Spencer became the first woman to graduate in ceramics from the JSAC.

In 1964, at JSAC, Spencer mounted her first solo exhibition at the Institute of Jamaica.

The following year she won the first prize for ceramics at the Jamaica Independence Festival. Spencer’s final exhibition, was opened by the Most Honourable Edna Manley, OM.

In 1967, Spencer moved to England and laid the foundation for her career, establishing a pottery studio in Portland Road, Nottingham, where she became recognised for her talent. She had a solo exhibition at the Nottingham Playhouse, the first of seven in successive years (1968), and in 1972, won the Holbrook Memorial prize for Pottery. In the same year, she set up a new studio in the Ridings, Derbyshire

Spencer has exhibited widely in England and Jamaica, including: The Potters and Painters Exhibition at the New Cornwall Gallery, Allestree; New Horizons Exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall; Exhibition at the Contemporary Art Centre, Jamaica; The Potter’s Art Exhibition at the BlackArt Gallery, London; Jamaican Winter Exhibition at the Commonwealth institute, London - visited by the Queen; Double Vision: An exhibition of contemporary Afro-Caribbean art, held at Cartwright Hall, Bradford, 8 November 1986 - 4 January 1987; Clay and Fire tribute exhibition to Cecil Baugh at the National Gallery of Jamaica following his death in 2005.

Spencer’s inspirational example of transforming her experience of a Jamaican woman artist, drawing on her heritage, building on her experience as a Windrush generation participant, led to communicating her artistic talent and skills to the Jamaican Diaspora.

In addition, in the UK, Spencer began doing pottery and story-telling sessions in local schools and also conducted demonstrations and workshops at Women’s Institutes, libraries, hospitals, prisons, community centres and festivals.

Spencer has also contributed to different publications as a researcher and as a co-author and continues to work at her Pottery in Hunter’s Bar, Derbyshire.

national British-Jamaican, who was born in Maroon Town, Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Soon after Stennett arrived in Britain in 1947, he joined the League for Coloured People (founded by a fellow Jamaican, Dr Harold Moody). Stennett, of dual heritage, had experienced racism, prejudice, hostility, and rejection in Jamaica and the UK, which helped shape him. He dedicated his life to fighting injustice and advocating for equal rights.

He co-founded the Cosmopolitan Social Society to cater for the welfare and social wellbeing of African Caribbean people already living and newly arriving in Britain.

Stennett joined the League for Coloured People, the Coloured Workers’ Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Trade Union and Labour Movement and regularly spoke on issues of politics and race at Hyde Park Corner.

In 1952 Stennett, alongside other learned activists, John Longmore (Sierra Leone) and Mubutto (Nigeria), founded the African League. As its chairman, he worked to galvanise support for the liberation struggle for freedom from colonial rule and oppression.

Stennett was also known as ‘Mr Magic Feet’ because of his dancing talent. He started the first Black newspaper in Britain, The African Voice.

The paper became an integral instrument for campaigning for justice against the colonisers and oppressors of the people of the African Diaspora, particularly across the vast African continent, the Caribbean and South America regions and the US.

Stennett worked in community race relations in London, Coventry and Wolverhampton. He retired to Jamaica with his second wife Mary, but returned when things didn’t work out for them. They settled in North Wales, where they had many happy memories and where he continued active support of the North Wales Race Equality Council until he passed away.

He also wrote, Buckra Massa Pickney, published in 2006 and his life has been celebrated by the acclaimed Jamaican writer/producer Julian Henriques in a film about him, fittingly entitled, Mr Magic Feet.

Whit Stennett MBE

Social Development, Activism

Arriving in the UK from Jamaica in 1959, Whit Stennett lived a full and accomplished life in Britain, ultimately becoming Trafford’s first Black mayor councilor. An avid cricketeer, when he arrived in England from Discovery Bay, St Ann he brought his cricket bat. Although, Stennett worked for years in the postal services he cared about the plight of his fellow African and Caribbean community in Manchester. He got involved in politics and joined the Labour Party. He was elected a councillor in 1993 and served as Trafford’s mayor in 2003- 04.

Stennett initiated Manchester’s first Black supplementary education and training project or Strategy To Elevate People (STEP) in 1989. STEP actively addressed the needs of young people who were being failed by the British education system and who faced stigmatisation and racism from the media, especially those in the African and Caribbean community.

STEP participants were exposed to Black excellence through positive and successful individuals who led in their various industries and academia. The program was piloted at Ducie High School, Trinity High, Whalley Range and St Thomas Aquinas. Some beneficiaries of STEP have excelled in school and have studied both the sciences and humanities at prestigious universities.

He is the author of two books, and autobiography, A Bittersweet Journey, and a collection of short stories for children. Stennett worked as a lay magistrate and his involvement in the Jamaica Society Manchester reached several areas of the community, for this work, he was awarded an MBE for community work in 1999.

Over the years, Stennett has given generously of his knowledge and time, developing policies, initiatives and activities to meet the needs of Black Mancunians.

In fulfilling his civic and social duties, he ensured that African and Caribbean communities invest in and obtain tangible benefits from their region.

Stennett is conscious of the need for Black people to record African and Caribbean history in Manchester and beyond, ensuring that our journeys and legacies are remembered.

pioneers of sound systems in Britain as Count Steve in Fulham, London in 1956. He was born in Millbank, Portland, Jamaica to Obidiah and Estella Stephenson from St Catherine and Portland respectively.

He attended Comfort Castle School in Portland before joining his two sisters at Love Lane, downtown Kingston where he continued his schooling at the world-famous Alpha Boys School at South Camp Road, Kingston.

Alpha is responsible for training some of most distinguished musicians, including Don Drummond, Lester Sterling, Rico Roderiguez, Edward ‘Tan Tan’ Edwards, Cedric Brooks and Vin Gordon. The school also provided a range of vocational training, in carpentry and tailoring, and Stephenson and his younger brother Vincent Lawrence excelled in the former.

He arrived in Fulham, London in 1955 and was conscripted into National Service, but also operated his sound system. In Kingston, Stephenson regularly attended the top dances where Count Nicks, Tom the Great Sebastian, Duke Reid, Sir Coxson, V Rocket, Lord Koos and others played.

Stephenson’s sound system was mostly instrumental, bringing together peoples from the Caribbean islands (Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Dominica and Montserrat) in areas like Acton, Ealing, Ladbroke Grove, Paddington, White City, Hammersmith, Brixton, Harlesden, Willesden and Stonebridge in London. Stephenson also performed at outings and excursions to places like Ramsgate, Margate, Great Yarmouth and Barry Island in Wales.

Stephenson’s greatest DJ was James Brown aka Shorty in the 1960s and 1970s. His sound system played at the famous 31 Club at Hillside, Stonebridge, and Ram Jam at Brixton Road, Brixton - both in London, where Shorty proved himself as a champion sound in clashes with other sound systems in the 1960s. After Shorty retired, Jimmy and Gayle took over as DJs in the latter 1970s.

The enduring legacy of Stephenson’s pioneering Count Steve Sound System was that it brought together people from the African Diaspora and the English communities, enjoying music genres, such as ska, rock steady, reggae, calypso and R&B.

Stephenson was a versatile giant of a man with a gruff voice, he also built and refurbished many houses and flats in England.

advancement of education, cultural and community development. He is an author and a lecturer on in equalities and multi-ethnic Studies. His longstanding and admirable record of working within the community has been honoured by both the Jamaican and British Governments.

Stephenson, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on the 10 December 1953, is listed in the Black Who’s Who and The Voice Newspaper’s list of the 100 most influential Black people in Britain. His involvement in community affairs includes advocating for the welfare of young people and senior citizens in Jamaica and the Caribbean Diaspora in the UK.

Fundraising for various Caribbean disasters, youth welfare and youth sports events. He has served as advisor to the Jamaican High Commission on Race Relations and Sports, and he is a former chairman of the Victoria Mutual Cricket Competition.

Stephenson’s list of awards reflects his commitment to improve the life chances and human rights of everyone he encounters. He was awarded the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation for Services to Jamaica (June 2003) and the Jamaica 50th Anniversary Special Award for Services to Sports on (August 2012).

Other awards include The Gleaner/Jamaica National Overseas Award-Certificate of Merit; Hansib Award for Services and Community Development; Voice Newspaper Special Award for Race Relations; Voice Newspaper Community Citation Award, Luton Community Relations Council Award and the Queen’s Birthday Honorary Award of the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1996.

Raheem Shaquille Sterling born in Maverley, Kingston, on 8 December 1994 is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for Premier League Club, Manchester City and the English national team. At age five he and his mother migrated to the UK settling in North West London, where he attended Copland School in Wembley. Unfortunately, his father was murdered in Jamaica when he was two years old.

Sterling has played for England youth teams at under-16 - under-21, levels. He has also played for England’s in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and UEFA.

Sterling joined Liverpool from QPR Academy in February 2010 and made his senior debut becoming the third-youngest player to play for the club. Sterling’s strike rate was 5.3 games per goal, which is below the 2.8 at City. It has been suggested that his improved strike rate is due to the leadership and style of play at City, introduced by Guardiola.

In July 2015, following a lengthy dispute over a new contract, Sterling was signed by Manchester City for £49m, the highest transfer fee ever for an English player. He then went on to help Manchester City win the Premier League in 2018 and 2919.

Sterling plays as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker, though he is more comfortable as a natural winger.

He is known for his pace, low centre of gravity and dribbling skills. Despite his small stature, Sterling also possesses considerable upper-body strength, aiding him to withstand challenges and retain possession of the ball.

In December 2018, Sterling alleged that sections of the media served to “fuel racism” in their portrayal of young Black footballers. The comments emerged after Sterling was subjected to alleged racist abuse during City’s 2–0 defeat at Chelsea.

Sterling made his senior debut for England in November 2012 and was included in England’s squads for the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2016.

He was named Liverpool’s Young Player of the Year 2013/14 and was the recipient of the 2014 Golden Boy Award.

Sterling has sponsorship deals with Nike, including advertising and modelling. He has made a substantial donation to assist those persons affected by the June 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire. Raheem Stirling is now a beloved household name, famous for his super scores and stellar performance in the UEFA Euro 2020 as a star player.

adulthood in the UK has become a committed Jamaican community elder, who for over 40 years continues to enrich the lives of generations of Jamaican and British communities.

Stewart was a founding member and chairperson of the Association of Jamaicans UK Trust, which served the Jamaican and wider Caribbean community, and was the Vice Chairperson of Mary Seacole Memorial Association. She is an active member of the Nurses Association of Jamaica, Lignum Vitae Club, VOUCH UK, and the West Indian Standing Conference.

Stewart used her professional skills to advise health authorities on culturally sensitive health care for Caribbean elders. She used her training and experiences in public relations to improve and promote a positive image of Jamaica in the social media, local and national publications and news agencies.

Stewart was also active in the High Commission’s community welfare outreach. Known for her talent and passion for floral arrangement, she frequently provided floral arrangements for events held by the Jamaican High Commission.

and Valda, who migrated from Jamaica in the 1950s. Desmond from Crofts Hill, Clarendon and Valda from Retirement District, St Ann met in Wolverhampton.

Stewart, the youngest of five siblings, played percussion instruments and bass guitar and at eleven he also learned to play Steel Pan. He developed a burning desire to become a leading Steel Pan player, becoming the first person of Jamaican heritage to win three consecutive British National Steel Band Soloist Champion titles (1987, 1988 and 1989).

Stewart has successfully merged different genres of music, including soca, reggae, classical, gospel, country and jazz, to create a Steel Pan sound enjoyed by all music lovers.

In the 1990s, Stewart established the Jamma Caribbean Jazz Band, using the Steel Pan as the lead instrument, blending it with the sounds of the double bass, keyboard and saxophone to create a new flavour of UK Jazz music.

His work has had a significant impact, including his song, ‘Ignorance’, which won the Notting Hill Carnival Calypso Monarch Competition (2001).

Stewart composed, ‘We Come Out to Play’, with The Original Defosto, Trinidad’s Calypsonian, to celebrate Panorama 50th Carnival Anniversary.

House parties were a common aspect of socialising as depicted here in the Small Axe Miniseries. Courtesy BBC.

Stewart’s contribution to carnival and Steel Pan music has expanded the potential and reach of the industry, which is recognised internationally in Japan, Asia and Europe. He was featured on BBC’s, CBeebies, engaging toddlers and children to improve learning through music. Stewart’s son Jamani has also become a successful Steel Pan artist.

Daniel Sturridge Football

Daniel Andre Sturridge, born 1 September 1989 in Birmingham, is an English professional footballer currently contracted to Liverpool FC in the English Premier League. Sturridge is of Jamaican descent, the son of former footballer Mike Sturridge.

He joined Aston Villa Academy before moving to Coventry City. In 2003 he signed for Manchester City, making his first-team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season. Sturridge signed for Chelsea in 2009 but was loaned out to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 season.

After a successful loan period at Bolton, Sturridge found his form, scoring 8 goals in 12 appearances. He returned to Chelsea for the 2011-12 season and signed for Liverpool FC in January 2013, forming an attacking partnership with Luis Suárez , with Liverpool scoring more than 100 league goals, in the 201314 season, with Sturridge scoring 21 goals. However, he succumbed to injuries over two seasons, impacting his time in the first team.

Sturridge has represented England in 15 appearances. He scored four goals for the under-21 team and debuted for the first team against Sweden on 15 November 2011. He was selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016. Sturridge was awarded the Carling Goal of the Month Award for September 2018.

Sturridge, a devout Christian, is actively involved in charity work. In November 2012, he presented a cheque for 50,000 on behalf of Hyundai to Street League, a charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged players across Europe get into football. In June 2013 he presented a further cheque of £50,000 to Street League, at their new centre in Liverpool. The Sturridge Foundation was opened in Portmore, Jamaica, to help youngsters get into sport and entertainment. He also owns the Sturr Class Entertainment record company.

Sturridge has endorsed Nike products and is an ambassador for BT Sport. He was featured in EA Sports’ FIFA video game series, and his signature jig goal celebration appears in FIFA 14. In February 2019 Sturridge was one of the presenters of the BRIT Awards.

socialite who became so well-known in late eighteenth-century Britain that he was satirised in the publication, A Mungo Macaroni in 1772.

Soubise was born in St Kitts, the son of a Jamaican enslaved woman. He was brought up by Captain Stair Douglas, renamed Othello and taken to England at age ten. In 1764, he was given to the captain’s relative, Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry, who was an eccentric fixture of London’s high society.

The duchess freed him, renamed him after a French duke and brought him up as her son. Trained by Domenico Angelo (whom Soubise also regularly accompanied as usher to Eton and Windsor), Soubise became a riding and fencing master.

He became a famous acquaintance among young noblemen and was a member of London’s fashionable clubs, including the Thatched House Club. He was also often a subject of great speculation and gossip and thought to be a notorious womaniser. In the collected letters of the famous Ignatius Sancho, Letter XIIII (dated 11 October 1771) addresses Soubise. Sancho urges him to consider his lucky position as an unusually privileged person and live a more seemly lifestyle.

However, on 15 July 1777, Soubise fled Britain for Calcutta, India. Historical accounts dispute whether he was sent away to amend his debauchery, evade a rape accusation from one of the duchess’s maids, or simply that he had caused offense to society by his fully integrated upper-class lifestyle.

In Caluctta, he reinvented himself. He founded a fencing and riding school, which he advertised as open to men and women students. On 25 August 1798, Soubise fell while attempting to break in a horse, which resulted in his death. He left behind two known children, Mary and William Soubise, with an unnamed mother.

who migrated to the UK in 1960.

Suban is married to Bruce, also of Jamaican descent and has one son and two step children. She credits her parents with instilling in her a set of core values which guides her, including dedication and resilience alongside her charismatic personality.

Suban began volunteering at the Cape Community Senior Care Day Centre (CCSCDC) in 2012 as an administrative and online assistant one day per week. Recognising the value of the CCSCDC she resigned from full-time employment to became a full-time volunteer.

The CCSCDC opens to the community twice weekly, providing tasty, healthy and nutritional meals for the elderly, most of whom are frail, vulnerable, isolated or have mental health challenges. As one of its primary objectives is to enable an independent lifestyle for the elderly, the centre enables clients to socialise and become involved in an array of mentally stimulating and physical activities, for example, singing, dancing, drumming, pottery, sewing, card making and tiling.

The centre has been recognised and awarded for its excellent service. Suban has worked tirelessly to network with other local communities and cultures, securing funding to enable the centre to become sustainable and to develop its invaluable services, widening its outreach potential.

Suban has also successfully set up and run a youth club for disadvantaged children. Currently, over 30 children attend regularly. She has dedicated the last eight years in service to her community and everyone she meets encounters her warm, encouraging and charismatic personality.

Levi Tafari (born 1960) is a secondgeneration Jamaican. His mother is from Crawle in St Catherine, while his father is from Brown’s Town in St Ann. A firm member of the Rastafarian faith and a dub poet, Levi Tafari is a rhythmic, poetic, consciousness raiser and urban griot.

Raised in Liverpool, he is married to Carol. Levi attended catering college where he studied classical French cuisine. Levi graduated with a distinction and entered into the world of catering as a profession.

Meanwhile, he had started attending the Liverpool 8 Writers Workshop in order to quench his artistic urge and to get the intellectual stimulation that he needed. He was desperately seeking a new medium of expression. In the early 1980s, there was a performance poetry explosion happening in Britain, and he left the trade he loved for the art he loved even more.

His work is rhythmic and lyrical and in the past he has teamed up with reggae, soul and funk fusion bands, most notably “The Ministry of Love.” He has also spent two seasons as poet-in-residence with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has performed with fellow poets, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Benjamin Zephaniah and Jean Binta Breeze. At the 1994 Jamaica Poetry Festival, he performed with Mutaburaka. Levi has had four collections of his poetry published and his work has been included in many anthologies.

Levi has made several guest television appearances and in 1992 he played himself in “Grange Hill” on BBC1, when he was also commissioned to write and perform a piece especially for the programme. In 1997, a documentary was made by the BBC’s Everyman programme, The Road to Zion which followed Levi on his first trip to Ethiopia. Levi has featured on Channel 4 Schools programme more recently, displaying his writing skills to a younger audience..

An important element of Levi’s work is visiting schools, colleges, universities and prisons running creative writing workshops, in the hope of inspiring the new generation of performance poets. Through “The Windows Project”, Levi has been able to carry this out successfully. He has also written a number of plays which have been performed at Liverpool’s Unity, Everyman and Playhouse Theatres as well as at the Blackheath Theatre in Stafford. His work has toured extensively both in the UK and abroad.

generation. She then joined him in Leeds in the early 1970s when she was a teenager.

After studying at Park Lane College, Taylor began working for the NHS in the Learning Disability and Mental Health Department. Her work in mental health inspired her to enter politics. In 2008, she was elected as a Labour councillor for the Chapel Allerton Ward in 2008.

She stepped down in 2012 to concentrate on local politics.

In May 2019 Taylor was elected the 126th lord mayor of Leeds and is the city’s first Black mayor.

She said, “Being the first Black lord mayor and a woman is a position which I am very proud of and really shows how great and diverse our city is.”

in Birmingham, England, and is the son of Jamaican immigrants.

His mother Enid was a nurse, and his father Derek was a professional cricketer and coach for Warwickshire.

Taylor was academically gifted and attended Moseley Grammar School, Birmingham. Then he studied English Literature and Law at Keele University, followed by the Inns of Court in London.

Taylor was called to the bar in 1978. He joined the same chambers as Ken Clarke, practising on the Midland and Oxford Circuit. At the 1987 general election, he unsuccessfully contested Birmingham Perry Barr for the Conservative Party. In 1992 he contested the Cheltenham seat. However, the campaign was marred by racism within the local Conservative Association.

John Major, then prime minister, campaigned for Taylor in Cheltenham, but he lost to Nigel Jones of the Liberal Democrats, the first time since 1950 that Cheltenham had not voted in a Conservative candidate. Four years later, Taylor became the youngest life peer to sit in the House of Lords.

In 1997, he was appointed as a part-time district judge, but was disbarred after his conviction and imprisonment following the UK Parliamentary expenses scandal in 2009.

Following a brief spell as TV presenter, Taylor served in many non-executive positions including Mottram Holdings PLC and the International Trade Council and in 2014 founded the Warwick Leadership Academy.

Ackee, Saltfish and Calaloo Courtesy: Miss G.

Andrea Taylor-Cummings Technology

Andrea Taylor-Cummings was born in Jamaica in February 1965. She obtained a first-class honours degree in computer science at the University of the West Indies, and then worked with the Ministry of Finance for three years before being awarded the prestigious title of Rhodes Scholar elect for Jamaica in 1989.

Taylor completed both an MSc and a doctorate in management studies at Oxford University, focusing on “people issues” surrounding major IT change programmes. Her thesis was awarded best UK Doctoral Research by the Society of Information Management.

Whilst at Oxford, Taylor met and subsequently married Jon Cummings. The saying is, “she went to Oxford to get her masters and got her Mrs. as well”.

Taylor worked as a change management and organisational design consultant with Accenture in London, Japan, and Korea, before co-founding a west-end based executive recruitment firm with her husband, which they ran successfully for ten years. After starting a family in 2002, she developed a portfolio career as an entrepreneur, business coach, and leadership development consultant.

In January 2017, the couple founded Soulmates Academy with the vision to stem the tide of divorce and relationship breakdown through relationship education, working with people operating within high-performance/high-stress corporate environments.

The Taylor-Cummings believe passionately that equipping couples with better understanding and skills ahead of inevitable relationship challenges will create better outcomes, and that in living out their message by proactively building great relationships couples will reap the benefits that come from improved productivity, well-being, and work-life balance.

celebrated British artist. She was born on 24 January 1960 in Letchworth, Hertfordshire to Jamaican parents. She is now married to radio presenter Dotun Adebayo.

Thompson was classically trained on the piano and sang in school and church choirs as a child.

After studying as a pharmacist, Thompson returned to her love of music and began working as a backing singer before embarking on a solo career and eventually producing her iconic debut album, Hopelessly in Love.

She went on to win two GLR Reggae Awards in 1982, for Best Female Performer and Best Song (Hopelessly in Love). In 1983, she again won Best Female Performer and also recorded duets with Sugar Minott, Make It with You and Trevor Walters, Love Won’t Let Us Wait.

As part of the Sheffield-based jazz-funk aggregation Floy Joy, she scored two minor hits with the soul ballad Until You Come Back to Me and Operator in 1984.

In 1990 she provided lead vocals on a version of Diana Ross’s “I’m Still Waiting”, a UK and US Singles chart hit. Other hits followed including Movement 98’s, Joy and Heartbreak and Sunrise. In 1992, Thompson’s Let the Music Play was included on the soundtrack to the film The Crying Game.

She has worked as a session singer with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, Pet Shop Boys, Chaka Khan and many others, and is also the co-founder (with Adebayo) of Colour Telly, Britain’s first Black internet TV station.

studied graphic design in the early 1980s at the Jamaica School of Arts (Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts).

An activist and talented artist, Thompson lived a life of visual transformation and was known as “Freestyle Artist without Borders.” He was initially a graphic designer who dedicated his work to illustrate the struggles, successes and liberation movements that occurred during the 1970s. Later in life, he became committed to showcasing reggae and related musical genres of Jamaica in a positive light.

He was instrumental in the creation of the Reggae Hall of Fame Museum in Kingston, and combined his passion for reggae and visual art, producing a canon of iconic posters depicting his belief that music was cosmic and healing.

He developed artistic pieces to illustrate world wide issues such as the Arab Spring and humanitarian struggles in Haiti and in African countries.

Thompson co-founded the International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC) in 2012 with partner Maria Papaefstathiou. During that inaugural year, the project received 1,142 poster entries from 80 countries globally.

Thompson’s vision resonates with the pulse of the future while paying full respect to the roots and lineage of reggae’s past. He will be remembered for his positive spirit and caring attitude towards promoting reggae, freedom and love without borders or discrimination.

Shirley Joy Thompson is a composer, conductor, and violinist, born to Jamaican parents in Newham, London.

She graduated in music from Liverpool University and then in composition from Goldsmiths’ College.

She set up the Shirley Thompson Ensemble in 1994, which performs her instrumental and vocal work, fusing contemporary classical orchestrations with other music styles. She was the first woman to compose and direct music for a major drama series at the BBC. She also directed the film, Memories in Mind, broadcast by the BBC (1998).

When her New Nation Rising, a 21st Century Symphony debuted in 2004, Thompson became the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony in 40 years. Thompson co-scored the award-winning ballet, PUSH, which premiered in 2005 before touring widely. In 2007 she composed music for the opening of the Parliamentary exhibition, The British Slave Trade: Abolition, Parliament and People, marking the 250year anniversary of legislation for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. In 2009 the Southbank Centre commissioned her to compose a piece to commemorate 100 days of Barack Obama’s presidency, Voice of Change.

Jamaica.

He arrived in Britain as a child in 1960 on the Askania, along with three generations of his family.

Settling in Bedford, his school experience (Goldington Primary and Secondary) was as the only Black child. Later, alongside Italians, Polish, Irish, and English, other African Caribbean pupils joined him, forging lifetime friendships.

After completing his O-Levels, a career advisor suggested that he take up one of the low-skilled jobs in the area. He resisted and chose to continue with his education, choosing to follow a career in architecture after his A-Levels. Thompson attended North London Polytechnic (University of North London), where he was the only Black British student.

The seven intensive years of study was followed by a tough start in the job market and a sense of needing to prove himself to get a position that was commensurate with his qualifications and ability.

Landing a job at a major architectural firm, he worked on a variety of building projects as well as becoming involved with town planning.

in Long Bay, Portland, Jamaica, to James and Clara Collins, and was the fourth of eight siblings.

A clever student, she achieved a place at teacher training college but was taken on as a ‘pupil teacher’ after she was unable to pay the fees. In 1948, she married Donald Thomson and, following the birth of her children, left Jamaica for New York to train as a dietician. Meanwhile, her husband had migrated to the UK, where some of his relations already lived.

Following graduation in 1956, she joined Donald, who had settled in the English market town of Bedford.

When Thomson tried to find a job, she was dismayed to discover that her qualifications as a teacher were not recognised in the UK and that as a dietician, she could only get a job preparing food in a hospital kitchen.

Baptised a Christian while in the US, she was not even able to properly practice her new found faith in the churches she attended due to the frosty welcome.

Eventually, Thomson was offered a place at Bedford Teaching College providing she could pass the relevant public examinations, including sitting her GCEs again. With her husband’s encouragement she did so. Once qualified Thomson obtained a position at a junior school to become the first African Caribbean teacher in Bedford.

In April 2016 she was honoured with the Luminary Award presented to people of Caribbean heritage who have brought to prominence issues that affect the Caribbean region and most recently, in 2018, to mark the 70th anniversary of the landing of the “Empire Windrush”, Thompson composed, Psalm to Windrush: for the Brave and Ingenious, performed at Westminster Abbey.

She is currently reader and head of composition and performance at the University of Westminster.

In the 1990s, Thompson set up his own architectural practice and was involved in several nationally significant voluntary projects, including the Black Cultural Archives, for which he drafted the early designs for a purpose-built centre in Brixton. Thompson was also heavily involved with the Black Architects Association and has supported several emerging Black professionals in the industry.

Thompson has spent over 20 years teaching at the University of the Arts in London on their retail design course, working with a diverse range of young people, with whom he has shared his passion for design and architecture.

Her first job was teaching a class of non-English speakers and Thomson rose to the challenge and devised teaching aides for the group. She taught at several other schools until retirement and there are still people in Bedford who fondly remember her for the inspiration and encouragement, she gave them.

In 1961 she was one of the founders of the Miracle Church of God in Christ in Bedford where she earned the title ‘missionary’ for her devoted evangelical work.

Thomson passed away in December 2014 aged 97 and is buried with her husband, who died in 1983. Her stone bears the inscription ‘Inspirational Teacher’.

Raheem Shaquille Sterling Football

Dr Shirley J. Thompson OBE Music

Edward Thornton, the worldrenowned trumpeter was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on 19 October 1932.

He attended school in Spanish Town and then in Kingston, where he studied music, arithmetic and english.

He excelled as a trumpeter and his peers included, Rico Roderiguez, Dennis and Lovelock Brown, and Roy and Lester Sterling. The school was run by the great Sister Ignatius Davies née Mary Davies.

After school, he played for some stellar musicians and bands, including Roy Coburn band (resident at the famous Bournemouth Club in East Kingston), playing alongside Tommy McCook the tenor saxophonist. Thornton later joined Eric Dean’s band at the Colony Club in Cross Roads, St Andrew, with the great lead trumpeter Lester Williams, the trombonist Don Drummond and guitarist Ernest Ranglin.

Thornton later joined the famous Baba Motta band.

Its members included Little Jesus (Harold McNair) the gifted alto saxophonist and they played at Club Havana on Windward Road, East Kingston.

Thornton had been living with his girlfriend Dorothy until she moved to the UK. Thornton came to England for the love of Dorothy and they were reunited in July 1954, residing at her mother’s house in Brixton, London. Thornton now lives in Acton, London.

Audrey and Michael Thorpe born 14 Dec 1955 and 19 May 1957 respectively, migrated to the UK in the 1960s from different parts of Jamaica to join their respective parents seeking a better life. They have been married for over 38 years.

Michael, an engineering apprenticeship assessor and Audrey, a pharmacy dispenser, have both worked supporting the local community by volunteering time to promote events and youth projects.

The Thorpes developed the award-winning ‘Promoting Racial Harmony’ road show, used to raise student awareness of race and diversity in South Nottinghamshire. Audrey was assistant chairperson of the South Nottingham Community Harmony project, working closely with Nottingham City Council Play Schemes, including Clifton Community Harmony Project, Royal Ordnance Variety Club and Silverdale Playscheme. She also organised and ran a local community play scheme and campaigned for safer park play surfaces and equipment for Silverdale Park.

Michael is a highly regarded engineering NVQ assessor. Whilst working at E.ON. he designed and implemented an innovative and interactive equality and diversity programme for apprentice inductions and was also responsible for overseeing the portfolios of some 40 apprentices.

Allman Town, Kingston.

In 1950, she married Jim Tillsley, who was an Englishman who came to Jamaica as a member of a military regiment, based at Up Park Camp in Kingston. Later that decade they moved to England, where they initially lived with his parents.

Tillsley’s first job was at a spring-making factory, where she worked until her retirement. When her husband ended his army service, they bought a house in Redditch.

A devout Christian, Tillsley was affectionately known as Auntie Madge for her loving support for members of her community. She is the chairperson of the Smallwood Residents Association and also founded the Sunset Pensioners Club. She has been involved in a number of clubs and associations for the young and minority ethnic communities, including arranging literacy classes for Asian women. She has also acted as press officer for the Police and Community Liaison Group.

In the UK, he played with the best musicians and artists, in studios and on stage, including Georgie Fame, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Lulu, Small Faces, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, and he is still in demand internationally.

The Thorpes were invited to the House of Lords by Lord Nazier Hamed in 1999 because of their race and community work and as founders of the South Nottingham Community Harmony Group. Michael is a previous winner of the Nottingham Windrush Award (1994). In 2013, he received the Black Achieving Men Award for volunteering.

Other areas of service include serving as chairperson of the Community Relations Council, president of All Women’s House, alongside running an advice surgery and translation service for residents. She was elected councillor three consecutive times and in 1991, Tillsley was elected to the highest civic post, mayor of Redditch. She also served as chairperson of the Redditch Community Relations Council.

Tillsley was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the community. A booklet entitled the “The Life and Times of Auntie Madge” was written by local historians Anne Bradford and Mike Johnson, and is on display in the Redditch Library.

Michael & Audrey Thorpe Activism

Edward Thornton aka Tan Tan Music

Dorothy Turner left Jamaica in 1964 to pursue a career in nursing.

In 1978, Turner and the other eight founding members decided to create, the Nurses Association of Jamaica UK (NAJ), to support nurses arriving in the UK from Jamaica. They experienced significant challenges establishing NAJ but with determination and courage the group persevered.

From 1982 to 1983, Turner led a project that sourced and delivered hearing aids to St Christopher School for the Deaf in St Ann and supported the Hillcrest Children’s Home. Turner also led fundraising projects supporting hurricane and earthquake appeals in Jamaica.

Turner represented NAJ on the Healthcare Stream of the Jamaica Diaspora (UK), working on initiatives to support non-communicable health problems, including the dissemination of blood pressure machines across health centres in Jamaica.

Turner is involved in family life and in her grandchildren’s upbringing. Her flare for the culture and the arts saw her form the folk singing group ‘Newness’, which performs at community events and activities to promote Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage.

As a leader in her church, Turner has lived a virtuous life spreading the word of God. In 2003, she was recognised by the Prime Minister of Jamaica for her commitment and courage shown in helping those in need in Jamaica. After a career as a nurse and midwife, she retired in 2004, having fought her whole career to improve access and availability of health and social care for users.

Clarendon, Jamaica, the seventh of 11 children. Following the death of his father when he was 14, his mother sent him to live in England.

Vaughan arrived in 1958 and settled in Luton Bedfordshire where he trained as a mechanical engineer at the School of Technology.

After receiving his ‘calling’ in 1961, Vaughan dedicated himself to evangelist work, visiting communities in Luton and beyond.

Having received a hostile welcome from the established churches, Vaughan decided to take over a small ministry in Bedford in 1965. After refurbishing a run-down building that the council had offered him, the Miracle Church of God officially came into being in 1966. Ten years later, the growing congregation moved into a new purpose-built building on the same site.

The church continues to go from strength to strength with a branch in Northampton and outreach ministries in hospitals, care homes, prisons and people’s homes.

More than 40 years on, Vaughan continues to oversee the ministry. His evangelist work has taken him across Africa, the Caribbean and the US, and he has planted churches in Ghana, Barbados and Jamaica. In 1988, he volunteered as a minister and aid worker following Hurricane Gilbert and has since supported various schools and orphanages throughout Jamaica, the land of his birth.

challenging government policies which negatively affect the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.

Synonymous with the “Windrush Scandal” his role in exacting tangible change in the immigration system from the British government around the deportation of Caribbean migrants is unparalleled. He successfully galvanised an online petition comprising 180,000 signatures, demanding amnesty for Windrush generation minors. Additionally, his Windrush Justice Fund raised over £40,000.

Born on May 17, 1961 in Wolverhampton, UK to Jamaican parents, Vernon’s career has centred around health and social care. A former councillor for Queensbridge Ward in the London Borough of Hackney, he has over 20 years’ of experience as a senior manager with the Citizens Advice Bureau, Department of Health, Local Government Association, director of the Brent Health Action Zone and regional director for MIND, he was the first director of Black Thrive.

Vernon is an associate member and Clore Fellow at the Department of History of Medicine at Warwick University and sits on the NHS England Equality Diversity Council. He is also a patron of Santé, a charity aiming to improve asylum seekers’ rights and health access particularly in the area of mental health. He was also a member of the Independent Metropolitan Police inquiry on Mental Health and Policing.

He is the founder of 100 Great Black Britons and Every Generation Media, developing educational programmes, publications and films about cultural heritage and history.

Vernon was made Pioneer of the Nation for Cultural History by the Queen in 2003 and later awarded an OBE for tackling health inequalities for ethnic minority communities. He was awarded the National Campaigner Awards 2019.

In 2019 he also won the Long-Term Achievement Award. Vernon has received an impressive list of honorary fellowships and professorships and continues to campaign for the rights of Black people in the UK. See page 228 for more on 100 Great Black Britons.

Dorothy Turner Health

TILBURY BRIDGE

Walway of Memories

Everton Wright’s landmark exhibition was launched in June 2021 to celebrate Windrush Day. The award winning artist has produced one of the most comprehensive installations depicting the lived experiences of some of those who disembarked at Tilbury Docks on 23rd June 1948.

Everton Wright is a British artist of Jamaican descent.

Photo courtesy EVEWRIGHT© at the forefront, a young Alford Gardner.

Duke VinThe Champion

First Sound System

Vincent George Forbes aka Duke Vin started the first sound system in the UK. He was born on October 25, 1928, Kingston, Jamaica to Sarah Ames from Trelawny and a policeman nicknamed Bulla Forbes. Forbes attended Calabar High School, Kingston and lived at Beeston Street, Bridgeview in Kingston.

Forbes, then an electrician, met Tom Wong who invited him to play the number two set on his sound system (early 1950s). Forbes’ set was so successful that Wong promoted him to the number one set.

In 1954, Forbes, travelled to London on the Swedish Ship, Peruvian Reefer - a Banana boat accompanied by Count Suckle and Lenny Fry. The boat landed at the Royal Albert Dock in London. In 1955, Forbes started the first sound system in England in response to a huge and persistent demand from Jamaicans.

Another first was the West End Granada Club, Berwick Street (1956) in Count Suckle’s presence. Forbes was unbeaten in all clashes and was eventually crowned Duke Vin the Champion.

Most of the powerful amplifiers used in sound systems were built by the renowned Ghanaian engineer Eddie Yebuah, with whom Forbes became lifelong friends.

His younger brother Carlton Forbes, a first-class professional cricketer with Nottinghamshire in 1959, was the owner of the famous Calypso nightclub in Nottingham, where Forbes frequently played. His unrivalled selection of records and a unique custom-built instrumental special on acetate, aka wax known as The Tickler, was produced by his friend the singer Derrick Harriott.

Forbes was forced to stop playing his sound system due to police harassment in the 1970s but continued playing as a DJ at clubs, dances and at the Notting Hill Carnival as a special guest of the musician and DJ, Gaz Mayall.

Duke Vin the Champion sound system has been heard by fans of Jamaican music in countries such as Holland, France and Scotland. Alas, the planned Japan gig could not take place due to illness and eventual passing of Vincent Forbes.

Kingston, Jamaica, was a poet, translator and broadcaster. He was originally employed by the Jamaican Department of Public Works as a civil servant. Upon retirement in 1960, he moved to London and was appointed the assistant secretary, librarian, and later vice-president of the Poetry League of Jamaica.

Vivian translated poetry by José-Maria de Heredia from French into English as well as poems in Spanish by Caribbean and Latin American poets.

He received the Silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica in 1960. For the Commonwealth Arts Festival in 1965, he was commissioned to write a poem in honour of Marcus Garvey.

artist, who became deputy headteacher of St Antony’s Catholic Primary School in Forest Gate, East London.

Wade attended St Peter Claver Primary School and trained as a teacher at the Mico Teachers College, Jamaica,

Wade performed at many annual national celebratory events, including National Heroes Day, Jamaica Programme of Excellence at Kings House and JCDC Festival of Arts shows. She performed with Louise Bennett at her residence in Canada (April 2000) and was a recipient of numerous national prizes including Best Teacher of Creative Folk Song (1999 -2001) and accolades from the late Joyce Campbell - Director of Jamaica Cultural Development Corporation (JCDC).

Always seeking new challenges, Wade moved to the UK in 2002, where she actively pursued her performance art to motivate pupils at all stages.

Wade began the very first performing arts club after being appointed science and maths lead at Willow Brook Primary School (Church Mead Juniors). The club became a beacon for disadvantaged children in a project called Ladders, which won the “Spirit of Notting Hill Carnival.

Vivian’s work appeared in various journals and anthologies, as well as the collection Wings of the Morning (1938). He was also frequently heard on the BBC’s Caribbean Voices radio programme.

He was a founding member and vice-president of the Jamaican Centre of PEN International. He was also a member of the British Royal Society of Literature and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Vivian was married to Rhue Hope McKay, daughter of writer Claude McKay and his wife, the former Eulalie Imelda Lewars.

Vivian died in London in 1998 at the age of 87 after an extended illness from heart disease and bronchopneumonia.

Wade also led her Dance Group to Best Carnival Group in the Walthamstow Carnival (2003 – 2006).

In collaboration with her sister, Angela Moore, she designed a creative curriculum for children in Newham Borough, East London, which ensured that cross-curricular links are made to secure and reinforce learning between subjects and disciplines, ensuring that pupils learn in an nterdisciplinary way. This fantastic and ingenious approach helped to propel the school from almost bottom of the league tables in 2014 to the very top today.

This inspirational woman continues to leave an indelible mark on her pupils – particularly those whom people thought ‘would never achieve’. She worked with Hugh Douse in 2012 to teach Jamaican Culture to third and fourth generations through a Jamaica National Initiative to instil pride and gratitude of heritage and self-advancement.

Her strong christian values coupled with her belief that all children can learn using the performing arts, should secure her inclusion in all legacy publications.

Theo James Walcott was born on 16 March 1989 in Stanmore, Essex to a Jamaican father and English mother.

Walcott grew up in Compton, Berkshire, where he attended Compton Church of England Primary and The Downs School, during which he played football for the local village team and later for Newbury. Walcott is married and the couple have two sons - Finley and Arlo.

In over a 13-year career with Southampton, Arsenal and Everton, Walcott has played 325 games and scored 75 goals (31 December 2018). Walcott a winger and forward began his professional career with Southampton before joining Arsenal for £5 million in 2006.

On 30 May 2006, Walcott became England’s youngest ever senior football player at 17 years old. In the same year. he received the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award. On 6 September 2008, he made his first competitive start in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra, and in the following match against Croatia he opened his senior international goal tally, becoming the youngest player in history to score a hat-trick for England. He also represented England at Euro 2012 and was caps 47 times and scored 8 goals.

Walcott’s consistent performance on the pitch especially in big matches, has contributed to Arsenal regularly finishing in the top four places in the Premier League, qualifying them for Champion League competition. Walcott scored the first hat-trick of his club career as Arsenal beat Blackpool 6–0. 2011-12. Walcott scored two second-half goals against Tottenham Hotspur for Arsenal to win 5–2 after being 0–2 down in the North London derby. 2013-14 Walcott finished the season with 14 goals and 12 assists from 32 Premier League matches and scoring 21 times with 16 assists in all competitions to be Arsenal’s top scorer.

Walcott has achieved silverware with Arsenal, including 2015 and 2017 FA Cups and Community Shields. His September 2015 performances saw him voted Arsenal Supporters’ Player of the Month.

On 17 January 2018, Walcott signed a three-and-a-halfyear contract with Everton in what the BBC reported as “a deal worth more than £20m”.

Walcott’s non-football activities include, UK charities, Build a School and Best Beginnings. His autobiography Theo: Growing Up Fast was published by Bantam Press.

Bonner, has been tipped as one of the most promising newcomers in the world of fashion.

Bonner was born in South London and grew up between Dulwich and Stockwell (mother and father’s home respectively). Her father was born in London, the youngest of a family who had migrated from Jamaica, and he instilled in her a sense of her Jamaican heritage and culture.

By the time Bonner began her degree at Central Saint Martins in 2009, she had developed an academic interest in investigating Black culture. Her dissertation was on “black rhythmicality” in the work of artists such as Charlie Parker, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kerry James Marshall and how they brought African tradition to working within western art forms. Bonner uses her dual heritage as a key reference in her collections.

Her graduate collection, titled “Afrique” and shown in 2014 on a cast of Black male models, won the L’Oréal Professional Talent Award.

The following year, Wales Bonner debuted “Ebonics”, her Autumn/Winter 2015 collection. In November 2015, she was awarded Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards, and the following June she received the LVMH Prize, comprising 300,000 and a year-long mentorship. By 2018, Wales Bonner had launched a womenswear collection.

At the age of 28, Bonner has a stellar reputation not only as a designer, but also as an academic. She has lectured at Parsons School of Design in New York, been profiled in GQ, the Gentlewoman and Vogue and had her garments displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum and at the Serpentine Gallery.

breakthrough producer nominee and award-winning documentary maker. Her last theatrically released project, as writer-lead producer, was the critically acclaimed feature-length documentary The Hard Stop (2015).

From its early stages she perceived the project’s subject of policing and black men as crucial for independent cinema and secured funding from Bertha Foundation, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, British Film Institute and Doc Society. Dionne has also been involved with several fiction and non-fiction projects including Nobody the Great (2007), The Fighting Spirit (2007), Black Voters Speak (2010) and One People: The Celebration (2012).

She has been taking photographs, curating and moderating debates and panels on film and culture for over 30 years.

Voices - Real Experiences

Theo James Walcott Football

. . . When I came here

I didn’t have a status as a Jamaican. I was British, and going to the mother country was like going from one parish to another. You had no conception of it being different . . .

Walter Lother

Shaun Anthony Linford Wallace is a barrister and an English television personality who came to fame as “Chaser” on the ITV quiz show, The Chase. Wallace is also a lecturer and frequently visits schools, colleges and other institutions to educate students on the many aspects of law. In 2004, Wallace won Mastermind and was ranked 286th in the World Quizzing Championships in 2012.

Born on the 2 June 1960 in the UK of Jamaican, Barbadian and Grenadian heritage, Wallace is the eldest son of four siblings and is married to Matilda Bray (1990) and they currently reside in London.

Wallace holds a BA (Hons) from Court School of Law, and is an alumnus from the Polytechnic of North London. He was called to the Bar in November 1984 and in 1986 completed pupillage. He was a member of Farringdon Barristers Chambers until February 2012, when he joined Great James Street Chambers. Wallace is also a member of the south eastern circuit of the Criminal Bar Association and has been a member of the Jamaican Bar since 1999.

He has taken part in hearings held at both the Old Bailey, and several Magistrates’ Courts in the UK.

In 2004, Wallace a television quiz enthusiast, became a champion of the BBC general knowledge quiz, Mastermind with the “Specialist Subject”, FA Cup Finals. Wallace was also a finalist on the first series of, Are You an Egghead?, narrowly losing out to Barry Simmons. He has contested on, Fifteen to One, The Weakest Link, and the British adaptation of Greed.

In 2005, Wallace unsuccessfully stood as an independent parliamentary candidate for the Brent South constituency.

Since 2009, Wallace has appeared on the successful quiz show, The Chase as Chaser. Although his brief is possibly to come across as a “Bad Guy” or “The Dark Destroyer” he is more like a “The Legal Eagle”. He also appears on the celebrity editions o f The Chase.

In 2018, he was a guest “Chaser” on the Australian version of the show, alongside fellow UK “Chaser” Hegerty and Labbett.

In 2019, Wallace appeared on the celebrity version of Catchphrase. He also appeared as a guest in Dictionary Corner game show Countdown (Channel 4).

In 2015 Wallace received an honorary doctorate of Law from London Metropolitan University and in 2018, his autobiography, Chasing the Dream, was published.

up singing in church and by her mid-teens was making regular appearances with ‘The Spirit of Watts’ gospel choir. In 1985, she received her first break, backing UK band, Hollywood Beyond.

In 1988, she restyled herself, Mica Paris, releasing eight albums. Her debut album, So Good included the platinum-selling single, “My One Temptation”. Numerous collaborations followed, including recordings with Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, Prince and Boy George. Her albums, Born Again was released in 2009 and Gospel in 2020. She also completed the soundtrack for Walt Disney’s High Heels and Low Lifes.

Paris presented numerous radio and television programmes, including, BBC Radio 2, Soul Solutions and Purple Reign: The Prince Story, and Channel 4 documentary, The Gospel of Gospel.

1981 to 2002. Born 2 June 1964, Birmingham to a Jamaican mother and Nigeran father. Walters began his career as an apprentice at Aston Villa in 1980, turning professional a year later after Villa’s First Division title triumph. Walters, still only 18, made 22 league appearances in the 1982–83 campaign helping Villa to finish sixth.

Walters joined Rangers in 1987 for a fee of 500,000, making his debut on 2 January 1988 in the Old Firm derby match with Celtic at Parkhead, a game which Rangers lost 2–0.

The Celtic supporters subjected Walters to racial chants including monkey noises and throwing bananas and other fruit. Walters, later stated that his worst experience in Scotland was at Heart of Midlothian’s Tynecastle, where the abuse was compounded by object-throwing, which was widely covered in the Scottish media.

Whilst at Ibrox, Rangers won the Scottish Premier Division in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and the Scottish League Cup in 1988 and 1990, thus enjoying the most successful spell of his career.

Paris starred in the West End musicals, Mama I Want to Sing, Sweet Lorraine (1993) and Love Me Tender (2015) and took part in The Vagina Monologues (2004). In 2020, Paris was cast in the BBC soap EastEnders.

Paris is an ambassador for Centrepoint, The Willow Foundation, the Amy Winehouse Foundation and the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Trident.

In 2003, Paris received the Gold Badge Award by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters and was in the top 10 of the 100 Great Black Britons poll (2004).

She received an MBE (2020) for services to music, entertainment and charity work. She is currently preparing for the 2021 UN’s Global Citizen event.

In 1991 Liverpool paid £1.25 million for Walters’ services and he remained a regular in the side, helping Liverpool to the 1992 FA Cup Final. Walters scored Liverpool’s first Premier League goal in a 2–1 win over Sheffield United, August 1992. That same season Walters was also the first Liverpool player to score a Premiership hat-trick in a 4–0 victory against Coventry City.

As Walters career waned, he moved to three clubs on a free transfer between 1996 and 2002, when he finally retired five weeks before his 38th birthday.

Walters became a coach and later a member of staff at Coventry Preparatory School for the four- to 11-year–olds in February 2003. He is also head coach of the under-14s at Aston Villa’s Academy. Following obtaining his teaching qualifications he is head of Languages at Aston Villa’s academy.

Walters is also heavily involved with groups aiming to eliminate racism in football. Wingin’ It, Walters’ autobiography, is the story of a footballer who beat the bigots.

Shaun Wallace

Canon Roy Blake Walters

Retired Councillor Roy Walters resides in Moss Side, Manchester with his wife and family. He is a stalwart of this community and beyond for his extensive contribution in many areas of community life.

Walters was born and educated in Clarendon, Jamaica. After a short stint as a Jamaican research assistant with the West Indian Sugar Company, he moved to England in 1958 where he worked with the Manchester Cooperate Transport Department from 1960 to 1991. He started out as a bus conductor and worked his way up to a depot operations manager, and in 1983 he was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to transport.

Although there was racism during his early transport days, he learned to overcome those problems. Walters became involved in the trade union, which kick-started his political career. He was elected in 1998 as the Labour Party councillor for the Lloyd Street Ward, Moss Side. His representative work had been phenomenal which eventually led to him serve as the first citizen, as lord mayor of Manchester in 2002 – 2003, the same year that Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games.

At the time he said “My hope is that all our diverse communities will feel regenerated and will have a part to play in the future prosperity of this marvellous City of ours.”

Walters started volunteering in 1963, and was the founding member of three organisations: Jamaica Society, Manchester; Jamaica Nationals Regional Committee, Northern; and West Indian Sports and Social Club and Community Centre - a venue which serves as a monthly passport clinic and for community meetings and events (WISSCCC).

He was a school governor from 1980 to 2009, trust board member/secretary of Mosscare Housing between 1983 to 2001 and former member of City South Housing Trust. He acted as a magistrate between 1985 and 2007. Always on the go, Walters was a non-executive of Central Manchester Healthcare Housing Association from 1990 to 2001. He was also a former Deanery Synod Member for Hulme Deanery.

He is still very much involved in supporting the community, providing a passport advisory service at the WISSCCC, as well as motivating and mentoring numerous members within the community. Walters is a life member of UNISON Trade Union.

“Aunt Lou”, “Winnie”, and “Sister Watson.”

She was born on the 6 January 1928 to Leila Silvera and George Lou Tong in Kingston, Jamaica. She attended the Carron Hall Girls School in the country and later returned to Kingston to study a law degree with the purpose of becoming a practising lawyer. She worked with her uncle, who was a lawyer, for six months.

However, she attended a Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDAC) campaign at Half Way Tree, Kingston, which led to her baptism in 1949 and marriage to James Watson the same year. The union produced three sons – Philmore, Fitzy and Noel Watson.

Watson joined the large exodus migrating to England in 1955, and she chose to settle in Birmingham. Despite having studied law, her first job was as a nurse, which she didn’t enjoy, and she quickly opted for her second career in the Midlands. Watson worked for the West Midlands Transport from 1959 to 1986, starting as a conductor and progressing to become the first woman bus driver in Birmingham.

Watson was also a keen gardener and has nurtured fruits and vegetables to harvest, reaping her crops and distributing them far and wide to families and friends in need. Her love of gardening actually gave her a debut appearance on TV, where she shared how she made gooseberry punch!

There were not many skills that evaded Watson: She was a decorator, lift giver, legal advisor, a true champion. Nowhere was this more apparent than when Watson laboured tirelessly for love as a primary member of the community services team at Hutton Road, SDAC. She truly thrived when she gave rather than received.

(PDT). She trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance and joined the all-male award-winning PDT company, touring between 1987 and 1997. She was born 30 January 1967 in England and is of Jamaican heritage.

Having left PDT to set up ABCD and lecture at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) for six years, Watson returned in 2009 as the new artistic director. Since then, she has choreographed a range of dance pieces including, Fast Lane, Melt, Neve 2 Still, Repetition of Change, Tear Fall and Windrush: Movement of the People.

in 2010 Watson was named as one of 50 influential cultural leadership programme women to watch. First awarded in 2010, Watson is one of the distinguished panel of judges for the New Adventures Choreographer Award.

In 2013 she collaborated with BBC’s adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and choreographed pieces to feature in the seven-part series screened in 2015.

In 2014 Watson choreographed three major commissions: Ghost Peloton, a collaboration with Scottish Public Arts charity NVA, in partnership with Sustrans, for Yorkshire Festival 2014 Grand Départ of the Tour de France; Honour, a multimedia live performance by Quays Culture for the centenary of WW1; and a large-scale performance for the RFL Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.

Watson’s prolific and inspirational works have been widely recognised; receiving the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts Companionship Award (2016), Sue Ryder Yorkshire Women of Achievement in Business Award, and she was named Yorkshire Woman of the Year. She was also one of “100 faces of a vibrant economy 2017” by Grant Thornton.

Other awards include: First English Woman’s Award for Arts and Culture (2018); and inclusion in the Top 50 Power List of the Northern Power Women Awards. She was appointed Chair of “Leeds 2023”. Watson was made an honorary fellow at NSCD for exceptional contribution to the School and contemporary dance. She is also a trustee for Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, The Place, West Yorkshire Playhouse, and an artistic advisor for Central School of Ballet and Leeds Inspired. Sharon’s recognitions are testament to her continued passion and drive to contribute to the local and national creative industries through the medium of dance.

Mavis Webb Activism

Mavis Webb was born on 23 September 1929 and lived in Westmoreland, Jamaica before travelling to the UK.

In England, Webb became an active member of her community. She was one of the members who successfully raised funds to open the Jalgas Sports and Social Club in 1974.

Webb has actively worked for the organisation and for the The Jamaica National of Preston.

Webb has also served the Spice Girls - a senior luncheon club that has catered to the elder members of the African-Caribbean community since the seventies. Its members are more than 50 individuals of all ages, drawn from a broad spectrum of the community.

Webb, affectionately known as Mavis or May, continues to attend the club, helping with the preparations and serving of meals, despite health issues. In her 80s, Webb is a mother, grandmother and great grandmother and a fabulous friend to her colleagues in the Spice Girls, the wider community and the younger generation.

Her renowned delicious Jamaican Pudding has been celebrated and eaten at many community functions. She is reliable, humorous, a proud Jamaican with a remarkable personality and loved by all who have had the pleasure of meeting her. Webb is good-humoured and dependable, vitally essential for the teamwork required in preparing, serving and tidying up after luncheons.

Members of the clubs and community strongly believe Webb is deserving of a special acknowledgement for her outstanding service to her community.

minister, who is active in his community and the Jamaican Diaspora in the UK. He worked as an administrator for British Gas West Midlands before going into full-time church work in 1987.

A minister for the New Testament Church of God (NTCG), Webley is one of the most well-known NTCG ministers in the West Midlands. He was the national director of evangelism (1987-1991), director of youth and christian education (1991-1997), and the district bishop for Birmingham/Solihull (1996-2014).

He is credited with masterminding the £5.2m rebuilding of his Handsworth church which became a beacon of hope in the inner city. The project was hailed as an unprecedented feat within the NTCG in this country. Webley served for 18 years at Handsworth’s NTCG where he became a leader of “accessible ministry” or “taking the church into the streets”.

Since 2014, Webley has been the national secretary treasurer of the NTCG, responsible for administrative matters, ensuring that the NTCG complies with all legislation and regulations in compliance with charity and company laws.

He provides support and advice to the national overseer and works in partnership with the administrative bishops and heads of departments to manage the organisation.

Webley has served on numerous committees including, Relate (Executive Member); Lord Chancellor Advisory Committee; Birmingham Citizens; Chair of The Drum Arts Centre; member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham – and a past president.

Webley was also chair of the West Midlands Police Authority for five years, achieving a double first - non-politician member to be elected chair, and African Caribbean chair of any police authority in the UK. He is acknowledged as having played a key role in calming the riots of August 2011 in Birmingham.

visit his parents and to study for an agricultural degree. He had no intention of staying for more than four years.

Westcarr, born 1937, in Brown’s Hall, St Catherine, Jamaica, studied at Dinthill Technical High School, where he joined the cadets of the British Army. He later worked as an overseer on a sugar estate before deciding to travel to the UK.

Attempting to enter college, he experienced rejection, which he put down to racial discrimination. However, after a few weeks with his father and friends in BIrmingham, he soon came to believe that there were good employment opportunities.

He was soon employed on Birmingham buses for a year, after which he returned to Gloucester with his fiancée, Millicent, whom he married in 1962. Between 1961 and 1963, Westcarr worked at RAF Quedgeley. He took on a couple of other jobs until 1965, when he joined R.H.P. Aerospace Bearings in Stonehouse as an engineer where he remained until his retirement in 1998.

Settled, Westcarr became involved in a range of community activities in Gloucester, becoming the founder of the West Indian United Action Group (WIUAG) which was active from the mid-1970s to the 1980s. The WIUAG initiated the Afro-Caribbean Saturday School and Ladies Circle and addressed the needs of the Black community.

In 1974, Westcarr joined Gloucester Community Relations Council, which later became the Gloucester Race Equality Council (GlosRec). He Chaired GlosRec between 1990 and 1995, and also played key roles in the development of the Jamaican Sports and Social Club and the Afro-Caribbean Association.

In 1978, Westcarr was appointed a justice of the peace. He was involved in a national fundraising project, along with about thirty fellow ex-pupils of Brown’s Hall School, and raised over £10,000 for an extension to the school to be built and refurbished, and the library was stocked with over £1,000 worth of books, and critically, the monies assisted nine students through high school.

In 2006, Westcarr published his autobiography, Memoirs of a Jamaican Peasant Boy, and also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for community work.

Tanesha Westcarr Activism

Tanesha Westcarr is the chairperson on the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council, entrepreneur and Governor General Achievement Award recipient for Leadership in the Diaspora. She is currently an events coordinator in London, a UK Brand Ambassador for Victoria Mutual Building Society and a fellow at Goodenough College in the Faculty of Politics and Social Sciences.

She served four years as the UK Youth Leader on the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. Her contributions extended to several Global Youth Forums and recommendations within the National Diaspora Policy of Jamaica. She was co-chair of the Jamaica55 UK Youth Committee and Executive Board member of the Jamaica Education Taskforce UK.

As a youth advocate, Tanesha launched The Jamaican Youth Forum UK at the Houses of Parliament in London, providing a platform for young people of Jamaican heritage to voice their concerns and recommendations to political representatives. She is recognised as a Global Young Leader and a champion of youth engagement, economic empowerment and sustainable education. Her earliest philanthropic activity was recognised with the receipt of the 2008 TimeBank Volunteer of the Year Award and a Local Heroes Reception at 10 Downing Street with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

musician born and raised in London, UK.

As a teenager, she performed in various singing competitions and began her recording career as a founding member of both “Brown Sugar” and the female backing vocalist group “Afrodiziak”.

Wheeler, with Band leader Jazzie B, rose to fame in the mid-1980s as lead singer of “Soul II Soul” (SIIS). They became an iconic Afrocentric movement and one of London’s best-selling brands.

Wheeler was born on 19 January 1963 in England to Jamaican parents and raised briefly in Jamaica. At High School, she and childhood friend Pauline Catlin, inspired by the Shirelles and The Ronettes, began performing together for fun. In 1976, Wheeler and Catlin entered and won a singing competition at the Bali Hai nightclub in London.

Later Carol Simms joined them and soon began performing as “Brown Sugar”, releasing their major label debut single, “I’m in Love with a Dreadlocks” (1977). It was a massive hit with sound system owners and reggae lovers and the song topped the British reggae charts.

However, following management issues, the group disbanded and in 1978, Caron reunited with Brown Sugar and embarked on a tour with Dennis Brown and later released a series of singles: “Our Reggae Music”, “Confession Hurts”, “Dreaming of Zion”, and “I am So Proud” in 1979. Alas, Brown Sugar disbanded after releasing, “Go On Now” in 1983.

Described as a pioneer of the British soul scene, Wheeler’s musical repertoire is often characterised by themes of love, relationships, and empowerment, as well as Black history.

Her dynamic on-stage performances have led many critics to consider her one of the most effective singers in popular music. Throughout a career spanning 40 years, Wheeler has sold over 6 million records collectively.

In June 2012, SIIS was honoured with the Heritage Award from Performing Right Society. Wheeler released her debut solo album, UK Blak (1990), which contained, “Livin’ in the Light”, “UK Blak”, and “Don’t Quit”. She released her second album, Beach of the War Goddess (1993).

Wheeler has enjoyed an on-and-off relationship with Soul II Soul but officially re-joined them in 2013.

Charlie Phillips captures the essence of the role of white women. Often forsaking their own families and ostracised for marrying Black men, today, interracial unions comprise one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority groups in Britain.

John Hazel - Courtesy: Windrush Foundation

Sharon Michele White DBE Civil Service

Sharon Michele White (born 21 April 1967) is a British civil servant (BCS).

White has been the chief executive of the British media regulator Ofcom since March 2015 and was the first Black person, and the second woman, to become a permanent secretary at the Treasury. She was recently appointed the new chairperson of John Lewis Partnership, becoming the first Black person and woman to be appointed to the role. Her parents emigrated to the UK from Jamaica in the 1950s, her father was only 15 and her mother 11. White was born in East London and brought up in Leyton where she attended a comprehensive school. White attended Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from where she received a BA degree in economics. She later earned an MSc in economics from University College London.

White worked for a church in Birmingham before joining the BCS in 1989. She worked first at the Treasury and later for the British embassy in Washington. She also worked at the 10 Downing Street Policy Unit during the Blair government, and at the World Bank, as director general at the Department for International Development, 2003–09 and then at the Ministry of Justice in 2009–11. She also worked at the Department for Work and Pensions.

At the Treasury, she supervised a review of the financial management of government and the Treasury’s management response to the international financial crisis of 2007-8. She was director general for Public Spending at the Treasury from 2012 to 2013, and then became Second Permanent Secretary in 2013. She was the first Black person to become a Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, and the second woman after Dame Anne Mueller in the 1980s.

In November 2014, The Voice named White the 7th most powerful Black person in Britain. In December 2014, it was announced that White would be the new chief executive of Ofcom from March 2015.

dock worker and a housewife.

White learned music by listening to the radio and singing Nat King Cole songs. The American singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson was his inspiration. White is a founding member of The Jamaican Folk Singers and was trained at the Jamaican School of Music.

Evelyn Rothwell, the wife of conductor Sir John Barbirolli, suggested that White should study in London. Instead, his father bought him a one-way ticket to New York, because “the flight was cheaper”. White won a scholarship and continued his studies with bass Giorgio Tozzi at the Juilliard School where he was selected by Maria Callas to participate in her master classes from 1971 to 1972.

In May 1971, White made his debut, as the runaway enslaved Jim, in the Juilliard American Opera production of Huckleberry Finn. He appeared with New York City Opera in 1974 as Colline in La bohème. In 1976, White made his London debut with the English National Opera as Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. He also starred with Leona Mitchell in the first truly complete recording of Porgy and Bess. The in-demand White has performed in the leading houses; the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Opéra Bastille, San Francisco, and Festivals - Glyndebourne, Aix-en-Provence, Verbier, and Salzburg.

White has covered a wide range of bass-baritone roles from Mozart to Wagner, and has also explored less traditional territory, including, as Bluebeard in Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, Golaud in Debussy’s Pelléas and Mélisande and Tchélio in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges.

In 2005 White sang Michael Tippett’s - A Child Of Our Time at the First Night of the Proms. Among his most memorable roles are Mephistopheles in Berlioz’s - The Damnation of Faust and Porgy and Bess. He has appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company - Othello (1989), with Ian McKellen as Lago and Imogen Stubbs as Desdemona.

In 1977, the first stereo recording of Porgy and Bess, received a Grammy Award. White himself received the Gold Musgrave Medal of The Institute of Jamaica. In 1995 and 2004 he was awarded the CBE and Knight Bachelor respectively and in 2000, White was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.

Source: Wikipedia

Content, St Catherine, and later became a successful entrepreneur, opening his first food business on Wellington Street, Spanish Town and soon after another on Manchester Lane, Spanish Town.

Whitter left Jamaica for the UK in August 1954 on SS Auriga. He worked tirelessly to build a real estate business and helped many Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals to own their homes in the UK.

In the UK, by the late 1970s, Whitter owned several real estate holdings and his companies owned over 500 properties in the South and South East areas of London.

He was the consummate Jamaican – he loved to help his people and enabled several of them to be gainfully employed or own their properties. He was one of Britain’s first Black multi-millionaires who made philanthropic contributions to Black organisations, schools, newspapers, football teams, beauty pageants and cricket in London.

A fearless man that stood up for what was right, Whitter is known to have challenged Greenwich Borough Council for his right to own and maintain a vast estate in the borough.

It took courage as a Black man to withstand pressure from many angles, and eventually, he won the case in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Whitter returned to Jamaica to live in 1979 and became the successful developer of the 1000 acres Ironshore Estate in Rose Hall, Montego Bay. The Estate is now a landmark with a diverse range of beautiful homes and commercial developments some of which are owned by returning residents from the UK, Canada and the US, who purchased lots from his company and built their homes or purchased ready build homes from his companies.

In Jamaica, he has made significant financial contributions to schools, churches, infirmaries and football clubs. He was awarded an Order of Distinction on 17 October 2011 by the Government of Jamaica for outstanding and important services to Jamaica. Whitter passed away in 2013 but his business and legacy lives on through his family and companies that are still operating.

Reverend Moses Whyte Faith

Moses Whyte was born in Trelawny, Jamaica, in 1942. He migrated to England in 1964 where he has made strong contributions to the Jamaican diaspora abroad. His reputation as a selfless and dedicated advocate of youth education, poverty alleviation and interfaith work precedes him.

In 1999, he founded Trelawny Overseas Relief Association (TORA). This charity works closely with the Citizens Advice Bureau to address issues of racial and religious hate crime in Walsall. He was also a former Labour councillor, vice chairman of the Traders Association, NEO Army Prince of Wales, Afro- Caribbean Centre Leader and president of Jamaica Diaspora UK.

Whyte is admired for his international community work around conflict and natural disaster relief. Through TORA, he arranged transport of aid to hurricane victims in Jamaica and donated to victims of disaster, irrespective of race, creed, or religion.

Whyte has also provided access to accommodation in Caldmore, so that young Jamaican boys can access various IT facilities, kickboxing and self-defence to raise their self-esteem. These facilities offer storytelling and poetry clubs, so that young Jamaican girls can express themselves and their Jamaican culture through creativity.

Although Whyte dedicates himself to raising the morale of his fellow Jamaicans, his passion for humanity traverses racial, religious and class boundaries, and he is appreciated by people all over the world who have benefited from his humanitarian and faith work.

Whyte is school governor and treasurer at Blue Coat Church School. Through this role, he has enormous impact on the young people that he encounters, mentoring and encouraging their educational ambitions with great enthusiasm. In his spare time, Whyte manages his own allotment; always keen to give what little he has, Whyte shares the fruit and vegetables that he grows with the elderly in his community. He is loved and appreciated by his friends and community in Walsall and beyond.

His motto for life is: “People will always want things but far too many need things, and it is these people I work for – I always put need over want.”

become famed for his microscopic art.

As a child with undiagnosed dyslexia, Wigan was ridiculed in class by his primary school teachers. He attributes his early inspiration to sculpt, aged five was, in part, to escape from the derision of teachers and classmates and to show the world that “nothing” did not exist; if people were unable to view his work, they could not criticise it.

In 2004, Wigan exhibited at The Artlounge gallery in Birmingham. The BBC’s Inside Out, South West noted that the works displayed included scenes of “Jesus Christ and The Last Supper with each individual figure no bigger than an eyelash or a human hair. At less than a hundredth of an inch tall, it’s painstakingly precise work”.

In 2009, Wigan appeared as a guest speaker at the TED conference in Oxford, United Kingdom, and later that year, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien in the US. On the latter, he exhibited, with the aid of a microscope, a photograph of Buzz Aldrin in a spacesuit next to the American Flag and another of five characters from Star Wars. Wigan explained that, while working on a grain of sand, he would sometimes use the tremor caused by his own heartbeat as a jackhammer to chisel the tiny particle.

Wigan marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II by sculpting her portrait on a coffee bean, describing the work as “a bit of a challenge because a coffee bean crumbles and is hollow in the middle”. The Library of Birmingham exhibited these works in 2015.

In 2010, the BBC reported that Wigan had sculpted a model of St Bartholomew’s church in Chosen Hill, Gloucestershire, on a grain of sand he had taken from its churchyard. He had done so because of a challenge from his girlfriend. The vicar of the church said the sculpture was beautiful, but Wigan’s view was that “as small as what you’ve seen, it’s not the best of me yet, I’m taking it even smaller because I’m not satisfied with my work right now, it’s too big.”

In July 2007 Wigan was made an MBE and in January 2018 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick in recognition of the significant contributions he has made to art and sculpture.

Westmoreland. In 1916, she studied medicine at Oxford, one of the first females admitted.

Her first job was at King’s College Hospital in 1923, she then worked for two years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in Hackney. However, finding a job post-World War II was hindered by the return of male physicians.

In 1929, Williams was posted to Ghana as a “Woman Medical Officer” to treat acutely ill infants and children and give advice at a clinic level. Faced with the shocking death rate and illness, Williams trained nurses to do out-reach visits, and created well-baby visits for the local community.

Williams, like other colonial physicians, was intrigued by the local illnesses which presented to her surgery. The appearance of young children with swollen bellies and thin emaciated limbs who died prematurely, piqued herinterest.

She performed autopsies on children who died, becoming seriously ill with strep hemolysis of a cut during such a procedure. Williams researched the name of the condition, and was told “kwashiorkor” or “disease of the deposed child”. She found that it was due to a lack of protein when the baby was weaned and it was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood in 1933.

Transferred to Malaya, Williams was gaoled for three and a half years at Changi by the Japanese during WWII. She suffered from dysentery and beriberi and was in hospital near death. In 1948, Williams was appointed head of the new Maternal and Child Health (MCH) division of the World Health Organization in Geneva. She later headed all maternal and child welfare services in South-East Asia. In 1950, she led an international survey into kwashiorkor across 10 sub-Saharan nations.

Between 1951-1953, following an outbreak of “vomiting sickness” in Jamaica, Williams coordinated research which identified the hypo-glycaemic effects of unripe ackee.

In 1968, Williams was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St. George (CMG). Williams died in Oxford in 1992 at the age of 98.

100 Great Black Britons

Patrick Vernon OBE is well-known as an activist. For decades Vernon has campaigned on behalf of the Black British community facing social injustices on all levels. He has devoted his life to campaigning on a national level for recognition, acknowledgement and redress.

Of Jamaican heritage, she is an independent researcher specialising in the politics of slavery, post- emancipation and Black British history.

She is the author of Equiano’s Daughter: The Lives and Times of Joanna Vassa and frequently broadcasts and lectures on the popular subject of Black British history.

Armed with his knowledge of Black British history, he is a leading and well-respected figure in broadcast and social commentary. 100 Great Black Britons, first published as a reaction to 100 Greatest Britons, which excluded any significant recognition of the contribution of British Black British people to the development of Britain, has become a major source of inspiration that has led to the recognition of many notable Black historical figures throughout history who are now included in the national schools curriculum with statues and memorials erected nationwide. See Patrick Vernon’s profile on page 217.

Historian Dr Angelina Osbourne has raised the international profile of so many of the African-Caribbean and African diaspora as co-author of 100 Great Black Britons.

Councillor Donald Williams CMG Politics

& Community Service

Born in St Ann, Jamaica, Donald Williams made history in 2010 as Rugby’s first Jamaican born Afro-Caribbean Mayor.

He had moved to Rugby (Warwickshire) in 1957 at a time when there were only 43 ethnic and Black residents.

Williams and his brother Winston were both members of the Labour Party for many years. They were strong community organizers and helped build the town’s first Community Relations Council, and later, in the 1960s, the Rugby West Indian Association.

Jamaica, to John and Dorothy Williams, a free Black couple.

As free Blacks, the Williams were increasingly in the minority, as Jamaica’s sugar industry reliance on enslaved Africans, grew over the 18th century. Even less common were educated property owners.

However, Williams’s father had been willed property by his former owner, which ensured his children received an education. Francis travelled to Western Europe in 1721 after becoming a naturalized English citizen in 1710 and taking the oath in 1723.

is the only one of 12 siblings to be born in Britain.

Williams is the creator of the Leeds Black History Walk (2009) and Heritage Corner (2014) to disseminate the history of the African Diaspora with Yorkshire connections through arts, education and public walks/discourses.

Over four decades, Williams has co-founded several theatre, community-arts and history projects and has sat on many related committees in the Yorkshire region. He is a founding member of Kuffdem Theatre (1988-93), RJC Dance (1993), Diasporan Stories Research Group (1994) and Leeds Bi-Centenary Transformation Project (2005-2009).

Councillor Williams entered politics in 1963 when Bill Pryce, the Labour Party parliamentary candidate, sought support from him and his brother. In 1987 Williams was invited to stand for the County Council and came second in the polls. In 2001 he was elected to the Rugby Town Council. Councillor Williams’ brother Winston Williams received an MBE for his community work and is fondly remembered in the town.

A story later evolved suggesting that Williams was the subject of a social experiment devised by John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, who wished to show that Black individuals – with the right education – could match the intellectual achievements of Whites. The Duke is reported to have sponsored Williams to travel to England to acquire an English education, including a stint at Cambridge University.

In the 1720s, Williams set up a free school for Jamaican children where he taught reading, writing, Latin and mathematics. He wrote poems, but the only poem to have survived is his Ode to George Haldane, an early governor of Jamaica. Supporters of slavery, such as Edward Long and David Hume, refuted Williams’ achievements and defended the “intellectually inferior” racist perspective.

Williams fought against racial discrimination, having been subjected to abuses and in 1724, a White planter - William Brodrick, called him a “Black dog”. Williams reacted by calling Brodrick a “White dog” several times.

Brodrick physically assaulted Williams and gave him “a bloody mouth”. Williams retaliated, and Brodrick claimed that his “shirt and neckcloth had been torn”. Williams insisted that since he was a free Black man, he could not be tried for assault because he was defending himself.

Williams’ defence was successful. However, the Jamaican Assembly subsequently “brought in a bill to reduce Francis Williams to the state of other free negroes”, making it illegal for any Black person to strike a White person, even in self-defence.

He has appeared on TV as Pablo Fanque, Britain’s first circus owner of African descent, who is buried in Leeds. He has also performed the piece in New York, US. His scripted pieces on Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass and others have been performed at many venues, including the Harrogate International Festival’s Royal Hall, the British Library and other libraries, museums and universities.

Williams research work includes publications on the history of Nigerians in Bradford, coordinating Carnival Chronicles interviews for the 50th anniversary of the Leeds West Indian Carnival, and in 2019 facilitating interviews for Eulogy, a project paying tribute to the first wave of Jamaicans to arrive in Leeds.

In 2013 Williams graduated from the University of Leeds with an MA in Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship and in the following year, he received a Leeds Black Award for services to the arts. He had previously won a Stephen Lawrence Award for services to education.

2018 was a momentous year for Williams. He was presented with a Points of Light Award at 10 Downing Street and was chosen to deliver the prestigious Joseph Priestley Annual Lecture by the Leeds Literature and Philosophical Society. Williams is also a visiting fellow at the University of Leeds.

Williams’ future plans include promoting the profile of 18-yearold Jamaican James Williams, who testified to Parliament in London in 1838, of his experiences in the notorious apprenticeship system. His testimony helped to bring this atrocious system to an end.

Clock tower Rugby Town Centre

Josephine Williams Activism

Josephine Winnifred Williams was born in 1955 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica but moved to the UK shortly afterwards.

After working for 19 years, she left the workforce to raise her children.

Williams established the Jamaica Basic School Foundation (JBSF) on the 6th of August 1995 and worked relentlessly to raise funding to assist with the development of early childhood education in Jamaica. The JBSF was established after Williams visited Jamaica and observed that many infant schools lacked resources. The organisation’s success is due to her effort and the support of a small, committed and hardworking committee of volunteers.

Her dynamic leadership resulted in the JBSF disbursing over $40 million Jamaican dollars for the purchase of equipment, teaching material, refurbishment, teacher training and the funding of school feeding programmes for over 90 basic schools in every parish across Jamaica.

In addition to her excellent fundraising efforts, Williams is also an expert in organising some of the most exquisite and professional fundraising events throughout the Caribbean community in the UK. Her annual Gala Ball and Family Fun day are highly anticipated events.

These events attract prominent people from across the UK and abroad. Her very first gala had the former Jamaican Prime Minister, the Honourable Michael Manley as guest speaker.

Williams’ dedication and commitment are extraordinary as 24 years later she is just as encouraged and enthusiastic about contributing to the development of more basic schools across the island. Her aim is to start building basic schools so that she can provide a greater impact and more opportunities through education for the youth of Jamaica.

Branch, Leonie Williams, born in 1943, came to England in 1962 to commence a career in nursing. Williams completed her state enrolled nurse (SEN) training and then undertook midwifery Part 1and 2 to become a midwife.

Qualified as a midwife in Walsall, Williams was appointed to a midwifery post at Hallam Maternity Hospital in September 1969 and delivered over 1000 babies during her 35 years career in the NHS.

Taking a year out to work in Saudi Arabia, Williams returned to Sandwell Maternity Hospital where she worked for many years and was promoted to midwifery manager for the Labour ward.

Her colleagues said she became one of the best known midwife in the hospital due to her hard work and kind and compassionate manner, including being a mentor for students, which has been corroborated by consultants.

Williams’ hard work and loyal service were recognised in 1998 when she was chosen to represent Sandwell Maternity Unit at the Buckingham Palace party to celebrate the NHS 50th Anniversary. In 2013 Williams also received a certificate of achievement for significant contribution to children in need in the Caribbean. In 2018 she was also awarded an Elders Award in recognition for community Contribution.

Williams has been very active in supporting her community, including as a member of the NAJ for over 30 years, during which she has been the secretary of the Birmingham Branch for more than 15 years. She is hard working and committed to helping NAJ meet its objectives as exemplified in her community fundraising activities and supporting the church and other charities.

who were headteachers at Friendship Government School in the parish.

In 1970 Mandingo won a Jamaica Government Civil Engineering Scholarship to study in London, UK, at the now South Bank University, and later worked as a junior civil engineer with Sir Robert McAlpine.

A lover of music, Mandingo also became the first DJ for Hawkeye Sound System, in 1971 and later Musical Prince Sound System – both in West London. He also recorded three reggae songs in 1974,

produced by his cousin Keith Williams aka Honeyboy and Larry Lawrence.

His final year project at University was ‘Road Construction in Jamaica’, which he put to good use in the 1970s when he took up employment in the Ministry of Works, Major Projects Division Jamaica, working on various and significant projects, including the road from Palisadoes to Port Royal and several buildings at the Norman Manley Airport.

In 1977 Williams changed his name to “Mandingo” in honour of the Pan Africanist Marcus Garvey. He also began to produce records, his first being, “Keep On Pushing”, co-written with Cornel Campbell. He has produced records for General Echo, Sugar Minott, Hortense Ellis, Honeyboy and others, and also undertook freelance work for editor Hector Wynter at the Jamaican Gleaner.

Mandingo returned to London in the early 1980s and pursued his talent for writing, becoming one of the first journalists working on The Voice newspaper. He also freelanced at the Jamaican Gleaner UK, Caribbean Times, The Times among other papers and magazines. He published Mandingo News and Views and Reggae World - his own colour magazines.

In 1984 Mandingo became a radio DJ on Time Radio in Harlesden, London. Later he appeared in ‘Black Heroes In The Hall Of Fame’ 1987, produced by Flip Fraser for Marcus Garvey’s Centenary. In 1987 he brought Arrows Sound System (SS) from Jamaica to play in England, the only time that a SS travelled the Atlantic to play elsewhere.

Williams was recognised at the NAJ 40th Year Celebration for her contribution and hard work.

Mandingo has received a Community Award from the Jamaican High Commission and the Stereograph Foundation Award from Silk Promotion.

Roy Samuel Williams (born 5 January 1968), is an English playwright of Jamaican heritage. Born and raised in Notting Hill, London, the youngest of four siblings in a single-parent home. Both his parents migrated from Jamaica to England. His mother worked as a nurse after his father moved to the US.

Williams did not do well in school. He decided to work in the theatre after being tutored by the writer Don Kinch and participating in rehearsals at a Black theatre company run by Kinch. He was 25 years old when he took a theatre-writing degree at Rose Bruford College and has worked as a writer since.

His first play was The No Boys Cricket Club, which premiered in 1996 at Theatre Royal Stratford East, and was based on memories his mother had of Jamaica. Williams received the George Devine Award for Lift Off; the 2001 Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright for his play Clubland; and the 2002 BAFTA Award for Best Schools Drama for Offside. He also received the 2004 South Bank Show Arts Council Decibel Award. In the 2006 Birthday Honours, Williams was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

In 2011, his play Sucker Punch was nominated for the Evening Standard Award, the Olivier Award, both in the category for Best New Play. He also adapted his own work for television and co-wrote the script for the 2014 British film Fast Girls.

In 2014, Williams returned to Stratford East with Kingston 14, a play that focused on Jamaica, the country of his parents. While it dealt with corruption in the Jamaican police force, its main focus was about people living in Jamaica doing what they could to get by.

He has won the Alfred Fagon Award twice; in 1996, for Starstruck, and in 2010 for Sucker Punch. In 2018, he was a made a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature.

Williams now sits on the board of trustees for the Theatre Centre.

Tony Williams Music

reggae host on BBC Radio London and club DJ, record producer, music shop and radio station owner and show promoter, was born in Savanna La Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica. He joined his parents at the age of 10 at the family home in Streatham, South London.

Williams loved music and was a fan of TWJ Sound System –owned by his elder brother - Spencer Williams and Joe Edey. He started as a DJ by playing records he purchased and kept those TWJ no longer wanted, enabling him to quickly make his mark at parties.

He played at Clouds in Brixton, formerly Ram Jam. Soon Lloyd Coxsone, of Sir Coxsone Sound System, invited Williams to play at a club called, Whisky A Go Go after it was renamed WAG, situated upstairs in the Flamingo Club in Soho, London’s West End on Fridays and Saturdays.

Lloyd Coxsone played at The Flamingo on Thursdays. His immediate predecessor was Duke Vin who had the first sound system in Britain (1955) who had left to play independently.

Williams produced several Reggae records and the big Soul hit, “It’s Over”, and ran his record shop at 7 Balham Station Road, Southwest London with his wife Sharon.

Following Steve Barnard’s departure from BBC Radio London, in the 1970s, Williams was appointed as a reggae DJ and he went on to present a successful Sunday afternoon show. Following in the footsteps of Jah Scorcher, Williams launched the British Reggae Industry Awards (BRIA) with other partners. The BRIA at the Cafe Royal in Regent Street, in London’s West End, was only outshone by the capacity-filled, Royal Albert Hall, circa 1992.

The BRIA was also held at the prestigious Indigo O2 in North Greenwich, London.

At this time, Williams was a presenter on WNK Radio in North London, which was headed by Joe Douglas. After WNK folded, he firmly established his own Rhythm 365 Internet Radio Station, which went on to establish the careers of radio DJs - Krucial, Bionic Rhona, CJ the Don, Preacher Roy, King C, et al. Williams passed away at his home in South London and is survived by his wife Sharon and children. His works were monumental and will inspire current and future generations.

with his family to England at six years old. and lived in Tulse Hill, South London. He holds a master’s in economics from the University of Essex. He is a member of the Institute of Economic Affairs, IEA.

Trevor was a chief economist at Lloyds Bank for over 15 years and now runs his own consultancy. He is a visiting professor at the University of Derby, chairman of the Institute of Economic Affairs Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (SMPC), author of Trading Economics (Wiley), and writes a regular column in Moneyfacts and other publications, including Clear Path Analysis and Economia.

Trevor offers original insights from first principles and practical behaviourally driven analysis backed by economic theory. In other words, he brings blue sky economic thinking to issues. He cuts through the noise, and demystifying economics. He has mastered the art of communicating the complex and making it understandable.

Voices - Real Experiences

Roy Williams

Playwright

The Voyage on board HMT Empire Windrush ...We had a happy time. The (calypsonians]

Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner were on board and everything that happened, they sang about it. We had a happy, a very happy time...

Alford Gardner

Alan Charles Wilmot WWII Veteran

Alan Wilmot was born in Jamaica in 1925. In1941, he volunteered to join the Royal Navy and worked aboard a patrol ship, picking up survivors in the West Indies.

In 1944 he volunteered for Royal Air Force service, and joined the air-sea rescue team.

He was demobbed in November 1946, travelled home to Jamaica and was fortunate to find employment in Customs and Excise. However, believing England had better prospects, Wilmot returned to London in December 1947 - during one of the coldest winters on record. Finding a good job and accommodation was difficult and he often slept on the London Underground trains after the services had closed down at nights. He obtained factory work in Acton and washed dishes at Lion’s Corner House in the West End.

Between 1950 and 1953 Wilmot pursued a showbusiness career but with limited success. The main obstacle being obtaining an international work permit.

In 1954, his fortunes changed. Eric Conner, the Trinidadian actor and singer, recorded a few hits, and the group of musicians formed “The Southlanders”, touring the UK’s variety circuit as well as travelling to Italy, Germany, France and Belgium. Playing rhythm and blues, they worked alongside Shirley Bassey, David Frost, Joe Loss, Frankie Vaughn, Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele among others.

Unable to compete with more succesful and popular bands, Southlanders ended up working in cabaret to keep solvent and when they eventually disbanded, Wilmot found a job in the Post Office as a telephone operator.

Wilmot was a member of and worked for the West Indian Ex-Service Association to highlight the contributions that West Indians made in World War 2. He was its president for a few years. The Nubian Jak Community Trust captured his story in Remembered (2017) an anthology of veteran’s stories and Jak Beula cast him in a starring role in the music video, “I have a Song”.

Sadly, Wilmot passed away in 2021.

mayor and has served the communities of Radford and St Ann’s, where he served as a local councillor for over five decades.

Desmond (Des) Wilson was born in 1939 in Jamaica and went to England in 1957, aged 18, settling in Nottingham. He worked first as a coal miner for three years and then for Nottingham City Transport.

He was a trained engineer, but due to declining demand in that industry, he adapted, and in 1971, invested in a café in Nottingham’s Radford area - known fondly as ‘Des’ Café’. Here he gained insights into people’s problems particularly the city’s West Indian community.

During the eighties, he became involved with organisations such as the Afro Caribbean National Artistic Centre, the West Indian National Association, the Race Equality Council, and, in the 1980s, the Indian Pakistani African Caribbean community project, aware of the situations, requirements, and aspirations of this diverse diaspora.

He contributed to the success of PATRA (Positive Action Training & Recruitment Agency)which helped to idenitfy leaders for management particularly within the housing sector. His dedication and commitment to education in Nottingham, New College, established a bursary in 2003 to support Jamaicans who wanted to continue their studies in Nottingham. In addition, he was elected a member of Nottingham City Council, serving from 1991 to 2007. He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Nottingham in 2012.

Des’s community links and knowledge of the business community served Nottingham exceptionally well. He supported inward investment, including Capital One.

Sadly, former Nottingham lord mayor and councillor, Desmond Wilson passed away on Thursday, 16th July 2020.

St Thomas, Jamaica, is the third of four siblings and is a retired nurse and midwife. She left Jamaica in 1959 to join her mother and younger sister in London.

In the 1960s, Wilson worked at Northwood and Middlesex Hospitals as a trained nurse and later as a midwife at St Peters Hospital, Chertsey, Surrey.

Besides being a trained nurse and midwife, Wilson fulfilled her lifelong desire at the London School of Fashion where she worked and studied from 19661972. She also had a brief stint as a British Telecom telephone/meter photographer (1972-1974).

Wilson is also very active in her community in Hackney, providing service and funds to assist in the health, welfare and education of young people in Hackney.

Wilson is the founder of the Nigerian West Indian Group and Higher Educational Trust Fund (2000 to present). She also pioneered the “Grandma Back to School Project” assisting excluded seven-year-old children with basic reading, through participating in charity walks, including for the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore (2001 and 2004).

For her love and dedication to children, at the age of 82, Wilson completed an eighty-two mile walk over 7 weeks to raise funds for Moorfield Eye Charity (2018).

She has also organised and taught handcraft in life skills, sewing and baking (2003 and 2018).

In creating a better future for seriously ill children and expressing her appreciation to the hospital that provided nineteen years of care and support for her twin grandsons, Wilson organised and completed a charity walk over five weeks for the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Courtesy:: Vanley Burke

Paulette Wilson is famed for her activism against the abhorrent laws surrounding the legal status of Jamaicans (and others) who came to the UK as children, were granted indefinite leave to remain, lived and worked here all of their adult lives then deemed illegal immigrants when changes and new policies were introduced to the immigration laws in 2012.

She was born in Jamaica in March 1956 and came to Britain to live with her grandparents in Wellington Telford when she was ten.

Wilson became a victim of what became known as the Windrush Scandal. Almost deported twice she fought her own case and eventually won the right to remain in 2018. She then devoted her life to fighting for the rights of others who were in similar situations.

Paulette Wilson was pivotal in bringing to national attention to the plight of the thousands of victims of the changes made to the British Nationality Act 1948 in 2012 which has destroyed so many lives.

Voices - Real Experiences

. . . I went to Gedling Colliery, trained to go on the coal face. Train to jack-up, like you are jacking up your car, to keep the roof up for safety. You are in a different world down there. I felt trapped.” When I was coming to England, my mother had said to me, “do not work in the coal mines” I could not write back to her and tell her that was where I was working . . .

Roy Wilks

Jamaica. He is an active member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDAC), a community which is often ignored by the wider society.

Windrass is a deacon and senior elder, but an unassuming and humble man. Along with his caring and supportive wife, they are committed to developing the church.

He has influenced the lives of children and young people who went through sabbath school and the Pathfinders movement which has a religious ethos, but takes on board the child’s social, cultural, and educational needs.

“Over the last eighteen months, including two bad winters, Windrass attended church every morning. Before going home for lunch, he would visit my father who at 95 years, with the onset of dementia, was no longer able to attend. Windrass organised for others in the church to accompany him on regular visits to have communion with my father. He always encouraged my siblings to be there, and though there were times when one of us couldn’t make it, he never failed. One week he received a phone call from Sister Windrass, and from his side of the conversation, I gathered that my dad was not the only person he would visit on communion days.”

Windrass works tirelessly, organising the refurbishment of the church, making numerous visits to the sick and elderly, made more arduous because he can no longer drive due to the loss of sight in one eye.

Windrass represents the thousands of deacons and elders who have kept and continue to keep the churchesone of the only trusted structures with quality services in the Jamaican communities across the UK.

diplomat andJamaica’s first Olympian gold medallist, winning the 400-metre in 46.2 seconds in 1948 in London, beating his teammate Herb McKenley.

Known as the “Gentle Giant”, Wint was born in Plowden, Manchester, Jamaica. While at Calabar High School, he not only excelled as a sprinter, but was also a high and long jumper. He fnished his education at Excelsior High School, then joined the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in 1942, and while there he set the Canadian 400m record.

He was sent to Britain for active combat during World War Two as a pilot. He left the Royal Air Force in 1947 to attend St Bartholomew’s Hospital as a medical student.

In addition to winning gold in 1948, he also won silver in the 800m, behind the American Mal Whitfield’s.

A third medal eluded the Jamaican team after pulling a muscle in the 4 x 400-metre relay final. In 1952, at the Helsinki Olympics,however, he made history, setting the world record and capturing the gold in the 4 x 400-metre relay. He also won silver in the 800m.

Wint ran his final race in 1953 at Wembley Stadium. By that time, he had also completed his internship, and graduated as a doctor. In 1954 he was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955, Wint returned to Jamaica, settling in Hanover, where he was the only doctor in the parish.

In 1973 he was awarded the Jamaica honour of the Order of Distinction (CD) and later the Order of Jamaica (OJ).

As a diplomat, Wint served as Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Britain and ambassador to Sweden and Denmark from 1974 to 1978, a time when African and Caribbean citizens in the UK were forced to push back against colonial and racist oppression. Wint died on Heroes Day in Linstead, aged 72.

Paulette Wilson Activist

Yvonne Woodhouse Health

Yvonne Jean Woodhouse was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on 2 March 1955. She spent her early years with her grandparents in Greenwich Town, Kingston, Jamaica, where she attended Seventh St School before moving to the UK to be reunited with her parents in Derby in 1966.

On completion of secondary education at Hardwick School, she completed a two-year pre-nursing course at Derby College. Woodhouse went on to qualify as a state registered nurse and state certified midwife and studied at Derby University, receiving a certificate in Health Promotion and later a master’s degree in Health and Society. After completing a teaching qualification, she taught at Derby College for over nineteen years.

She married Sean Woodhouse in 1978 and they have four children.Their eldest son, Rowan suffered from sickle cell disease As there was no support available, she was instrumental in setting up the Derby Sickle Cell Society Support Group, which helped shape sickle cell policies in Derby and organised fundraising programmes to highlight the nature of this condition in newspapers and journals.

In 2003, she established a Community Health Care business that has an annual turnover of £1m, employing over 50 people.

With the guidance of his mother, and support from school, Rowan graduated from Sterling University with a 2:1 in Marketing Law (2004) and joined British Petroleum in their International Business division based on the African sub-continent. Sadly, Rowan passed away in 2015 after suffering a sickle cell crisis in London.

Woodhouse believes that one should support and give back to the community and homeland. In 2015, she and her husband bought a farm and house in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica. Unable to keep still, her leisure time is spent as an agony-aunt columnist for a local newspaper.

Woodhouse served as founder and secretary to the Derby Sickle Cell Society, council member of Southern Derbyshire Community Health Council, and Committee member and vice-chair of Derby United Credit Union

moved to England at four with her parents. The family faced issues of low pay and life in a deprived area. The children faced issues of racist name-calling at school and on the streets, but community support helped to sustain them

Wright gained a degree at the University of Nottingham and a PhD at the University of Keele in 1988. Her research highlighted the reasons why migrant children were underachieving in UK schools.

Wright was appointed a university professor in 1999, the second Black female professor in the UK, and she is the nationally elected representative for the university and college union. She has since made many media appearances, discussing the experiences of Black Caribbean children and the fragile position of Black academics.

For over 40 years Wright has been involved with charity and community organisations and has been the vicechair and chair of organisations like the Derby West Indian Association; Derby West Indian Credit Union; Nottingham Jamaican Friendship Society. She has also sat on the boards of PATRA- a training organisation for young Black people; Editorial Board for Journal of Education and Development in the Caribbean School of Education, The University of the West Indies, Mona and helped found KARI, Derby Black Women’s Network.

Wright is currently serving her second term as the UK’s Diaspora advisory board member to the Jamaican minister with responsibility for the diaspora.

The Voice newspaper, 29 May, 2000, wrote that she “was the first Black British-based scholar to really show that Black students received differential treatment from white teachers”.

In 2012, Professor Wright was presented with the ‘Seven Heroes Award’ for her contribution to the development of the Jamaican Community and other nationals in the UK and overseas’. This indicates her proven track record of service to the Jamaican Diaspora Community.

Wright has published six books and over 100 articles in academic journals, focusing on the educational experience of children in diaspora communities and actions to improve their outcomes.

Assemblies of the First Born (AFB) UK and US. He helped to established twenty church branches throughout the UK and three US branches.

Charles Samuel Wright (8 March 1930 - 19 February 2017) was born in Garden Hill, St Catherine, Jamaica, where he attended Garden Hill All Age School. He became a born-again Christian at 14 years old and left Jamaica for the UK in1954.

Wright was known for being a man of great faith, integrity and vision; he was instrumental in establishing Pentecostal churches and as part of the ecumenical movement. His passion was always for people, and thousands have benefited through his local and international ministry, which reached the UK, Jamaica, America and India.

Wright was a businessman. He had a grocery and butcher shop and two bakeries and supplied shops throughout London. He employed a large staff, including church brethren and others. He eventually gave up the business to focus full-time on leading the AFB Church.

He was involved in the community, sitting on several committees, including the Brixton Riots and the Board of Visitor Committee at the Prison Service. He transcended the racial divide by arranging meetings with the local mayor, the police and the church in an attempt to build better relationships between the police and Black youths.

He married Stephanie Rhule on 29 October 1955, and they lived in many places before purchasing a house, 55 Stormont Road, Battersea, which became Assemblies of the First Born in London. Ullalee, his daughter, was born on the 29 October 1965.

Wright and Pastor Jennifer Green married on the 26 May 2007, and she was by his side in life and ministry until he passed away peacefully at his London home surrounded by family and friends following a period of ill health.

He is survived by his wife, daughter Ullalee and granddaughter - Britannia, step-daughter - Michelle and her husbandChris and two grandchildren - Alex and Nathan.

Wright will always be remembered by the AFB, which he led with excellence for over 55 years and by the wider community, which he faithfully served.

Airletters - every household used these featherweight self-sealing letters to keep in touch with “home” - urgent messages were sent by telegrams - one would often call a neighbour or friend to be with them when opening a telegram.

Hairdressers were a weekly ritual for many

Bride and Groom with wedding table display circa late 1950s - Courtesy Marsha McDermott

Photo: from a collection circa early 1960s

Photo courtesy The West India Co.

Ian Wright MBE Footballer

Ian Edward Wright, born 3 November 1963 in Woolwich, London. He was born to Herbert and Nesta, who came from Yallas and Kingston, respectively. Wright has cited Sydney Pigden, a school teacher, as being “the first positive male figure” in his life who guided him, and has most recently made a ground-breaking documentary about domestic abuse in general, speaking candidly about his experience growing up.

Initially, Wright found it difficult to attract interest in his footballing talents, and he became disillusioned. In prison for failing to pay tax and insurance fines, he vowed to God that he would make it as a footballer, and he did.

Wright played semi-professional with Greenwich Borough in 1985 and was signed by Crystal Palace in August 1985. He scored 24 goals in the Second Division and 33 in all competitions.

The following season, Wright gained full England Cap. He also reached 100 goals, assisting Palace to third place in the league. In six seasons, Wright scored 117 goals in 253 starts and 24 substitute appearances in all competitions. He was the club’s record post-war goal scorer and third on the all-time list. In 2005, Wright was voted into Palace’s Centenary XI and was named “Player of The Century”.

Wright signed for Arsenal in September 1991 for £2.5m, a club-record fee. He scored a hat-trick on his league debut against Southampton and 29 league goals (24 for Arsenal, 5 for Palace) making Wright the league’s top scorer. Wright went on to become the club’s top scorer for six seasons in a row; winning the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993; and the 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final.

His final goal at Highbury was Wright’s 300th career goal for both Palace and Arsenal. Wright scored 185 goals from 288 appearances (279 starts) for Arsenal.

He is Arsenal’s second highest goal scorer of all time, behind Thierry Henry. In a 2008 poll of fans for the 50 Gunners Greatest, Wright was placed fourth.

Wright is an excellent example of tenacity in the face of adversity and was awarded an MBE for services to football. Wright has three sons.

figures of the British contemporary dance movement. Born in Mandeville, Manchester, and raised by grandparents until he was 13, he was reunited with his parents in Willesden, London, in 1958.

When Yarrum swapped an engineering apprenticeship for dance. he became the first Black dancer to be employed in a British dance company. In 1961, he joined the Willesden Jazz Ballet Group (WJBG), where he was taught by Alison Beckett - the pair have since collaborated at the Northern Contemporary Dance School (NCDS). He joined Rambert Ballet School on a scholarship (1965), where he was taught by the renowned Dame Marie Rambert.

When the London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) opened (1966), Yarrum taught the new students; three years later, he became a founder member of London Contemporary Dance Theatre (LCDT), where he was a leading dancer for 18 years. He has toured globally and worked with renowned choreographers. Yarrum is a founding member of The Place, London.

Yarrum’s own seminal work, The Bronze, entered the LCDT repertoire in 1975.

Yarrum has had teaching engagements with Millennium Dance 2000, Middlesex University for Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and as an associate artist for Adzido (2003).

He has appeared in a self-choreographed solo work, Missing, at the Royal Opera House, London (July 2004), and Edinburgh Festival. Many of Yarrum’s students also have successful dance careers in LCDT, Phoenix Dance and Alvin Ailey as well as West End musicals, including Cats and Five Guys Named Moe.

In 2014, Yarrum was appointed an Officer of the British Empire for his services to dance.

came to England at the age of 10.

Although trained as a teacher, she worked as a youth worker and later as a national youth service officer, where she began writing about youth work. In 2003 she realised that, despite being happy working in the youth sector, her long-held ambition to write a novel had been on the back burner for far too long.

After a couple of false starts, Young decided to write about Jamaica, and its rich history of Chinese settlement, British colonialism, socialism and US fiscal policy in the Caribbean and its effects on Jamaicans. Young wrote Pao, which took her seven years and was published by Bloomsbury in 2011.

Pao was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize and the East Midlands Book Award.

Young’s second novel Gloria (2013) was longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her third novel, Show Me A Mountain, was published in 2016. Home Is Where the Heart Is - a short story about a young girl who arrives in England from Jamaica in 1967 was published in 2018 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

Young now lives and works as a full-time writer. She also reads and offers feedback to other fiction writers, mentoring to those with first novels in progress, and teaches creative writing workshops. In addition, Young contributes to the development of artistic approaches that help ‘marginalised’ groups of people to use words and writing more effectively in their lives.

Voices - Real Experiences

The Voyage on board HMT Empire

Windrush

...I discovered that there were a few pubs in southeast London that deliberately refused to serve coloured people. Some [of us] were rudely abused by customers … In some cases, it was so bad that on many occasions the coloured man had to ask someone inside the pub to purchase drinks for him. That person would hand the drinks to him outside the door ...

Handsworth, Birmingham.

His father, who worked at the post office, was from Barbados, and his Jamaican mother had trained as a nurse.

Zephaniah began writing from an early age, and his poetry was already circulating in Handsworth’s Caribbean and Asian communities when he became a teenager.

His poetry is strongly influenced by the music, poetry and street politics of Jamaica and England. After serving a prison stint, he left Birmingham for London where he became actively involved in a workers co-operative in Stratford and that work led to the publication of his first book - Pen Rhythm in 1980. Zephaniah has said that his mission was to fight the dead image of poetry in academia, turning poetry reading into concert-like performance

His 1982 album – Rasta, which included a tribute to Nelson Mandela, gained him international prestige. In 1996, President Mandela asked Zephaniah to host his Two Nations Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Zephaniah’s second collection of poetry, The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985), was an attack on the British legal system. Rasta Time in Palestine (1990), came from his visit to the Palestinian occupied territories.

Zephaniah was poet-in-residence at the chambers of Michael Mansfield QC, where he sat in on the inquiry into Bloody Sunday and other cases.

These experiences led to the Too Black, Too Strong, poetry collection (2001). We Are Britain! (2002) is a collection of poems celebrating cultural diversity in Britain. His first book of poetry for children Talking Turkeys, was reprinted six weeks after being published.

Zephaniah is currently a professor of creative writing at Brunel University with several honorary doctorates.

Wilmoth George Brown

In 2003, Zephaniah publicly rejected an OBE but has since won the BBC Young Playwright’s Award, Best Original Song in the Hancocks 2008 and Talkawhile Awards for Folk Music.

Nehemiah Project

Nehemiah Housing was founded by Bishop McCalla, Bishop Wilton Powell and Bishop Horatio Fearon.

Over the past three decades, this community-based Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) housing provider has grown dramatically, having started life in 1989 as the Nehemiah Housing Association before merging with United Churches Housing Association in 2007. Following a rebrand in 2018, the organisation is now known as Nehemiah Housing.

Current Chairman Bishop Llewellyn Graham said: “Both Bishop McCalla and Bishop Fearon worked tirelessly alongside Nehemiah’s current Chairman Bishop Wilton Powell OBE to establish Nehemiah Housing Association.”

Their mission was to build successful, sustainable and diverse communities by providing housing and well-being services in a culturally sensitive way. Today, Nehemiah Housing has a portfolio of over 1200 properties serving the multicultural African Caribbean, Asian, Irish and European communities within the West Midlands.

The Association provides homes for single people, families, couples and elderly people in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. As Landlord, Nehemiah Housing Association pride themselves on being accountable and accessible to the communities they serve and on making a major contribution in the prevention of homelessness.

The provision of good, affordable housing is the platform from which the Association has committed itself to the community at large, conveying the ideas of value and a sense of caring.

BACKGROUND

In the 1980s, growing housing needs, urban deprivation and an ageing African-Caribbean population posed problems which were exacerbated by riots in Handsworth in 1981 and 1985. The African-Caribbean community, through a variety of churches responded with the creation of the Nehemiah and United Churches Housing Association (UCHA) in 1989. Nehemiah took its name from the biblical rebuilder of Jerusalem.

Throughout the 1990s Nehemiah and UCHA began to develop sheltered schemes for Black elders and family housing and accommodation for singles. Nehemiah expanded into Wolverhampton.

Nehemiah then went on to develop further in Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley with mainly sheltered schemes. UCHA spread further into inner city Birmingham and into Smethwick.

Following discussions with Black Star and HAMAC, which were subsequently subsumed into a mainstream housing association, Nehemiah and UCHA merged in 2007. The new Nehemiah United Churches Housing Association’s mission was to create successful diverse communities. From 2010 Nehemiah UCHA expanded further into community ventures while developing housing steadily for a variety of general and special needs.

The founders, Bishop Horatio Fearon and Bishop McCalla sadly passed within 24 hours of each other in 2020 as a result of Covid-19.

Basil Watson

Jamaican born artist Basil Watson OD was selected by public vote to design the Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station.

The erection of the bronze monument itself will be a permanent reminder of the pioneering Caribbeans who came to Britain from 1948 to work, rebuild after WWII and create a better life for themselves and their families. The Jamaican government awarded Basil Watson the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) in 2016 in recognition of his artistic accomplishments.

Sculptor and painter Watson has designed public sculptures and monuments across the world including statues of Martin Luther King, Usain Bolt and Merlene Ottey. This is his first public artwork in the United Kingdom.

Watson says “ the design represents so many things on different levels and the suitcases indicate the traveller and his family with all their possessions, which hold the key to the past including their culture whilst looking to the future.”

The monument will be unveiled in 2022.

Reach Society A Dynamic Trio Building Connections

“Reach Society is an award-winning social enterprise that encourages, motivates and inspires young people, especially Black boys and young Black men to realise their potential and make viable transitions into adult life”

Reach Society was founded in 2010 by 3 pioneers who recognised that many young people, Black boys and young Black men were not sufficiently informed to attain their full potential. Aside from social issues, the lack of information and understan ding of the opportunities available to them needed to be addressed in both a long-term and sustainable manner.

Associate Professor Donald Palmer, an Immunologist at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Dr Dwain Neil OBE, Nuclear Chemist and Management Consultant, and Rob Neil OBE, a former Civil Servant, disappointed with the government’s efforts to address the needs of young people, especially Black boys and young Black men, founded the Reach Society.

The 3 Jamaican professionals, already established in their own respective fields, developed an award-winning programme to inspi re the young people to develop their potential and to date they have engaged more than 25,000 young Black people in the process fo r developing their potential in order to make viable transitions into adult life.

The programmes which now extend from London to Wolverhampton, Leicestershire, Birmingham as well as Bedfordshire from 2022, are based on the exacting principles of being well-informed and that everyone has a right to knowledge. This is effected through several large inspirational events, the most notable being The Annual Careers Conference. The conference, held in Lond on at the Royal National Hotel is attended by 2000 young people, some as young as 13 and upwards. The event incorporates, role models, potential employers, and workshops - always with an interactive Q&A session at the end.

Reach’s self-sustainable approach has enabled them to hold Employability Days, which are scaled-down events in the same format as the annual careers conference which are held in urban areas outside London. An important innovation are their Careers Days. These specifically target primary school children preparing them to recognise and understand their own talents and give some in sight - in a child friendly manner - from a very young age.

Reach provide a host of services from Networking Programmes to Recognition Awards. They have published several books and more recently have begun the Mentoring Gen-Z programme giving young people the opportunity to take control of their futures by recei ving pertinent advice from aptly qualified leaders ranging from a small to medium and large Blue Chip companies in a variety of fiel ds.

Raising self-esteem and building connections is a giant first step to take on the road to success!

Patrons of the Reach Society are: Lord Herman Ouseley, Marva Rollins OBE, Professor Trevor Williams, John Budu-Aggrey and Professor Sir Geoff Palmer.

Left to right: Professor Donald Palmer, Dr Dwaine Neil OBE, Rob Neil OBE

Composer & Concert Pianist Eleanor Deanne Therese Alberga OBE

Eleanor Alberga was born in Jamaica in 1949. Having studied at the Jamaica School of Music she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music in 1970 after winning the Biennial West Indian Associated Board Scholarship.

With an illustrious career as a concert pianist and later a composer, her music has been performed by the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic and The Women’s Philharmonic of San Francisco amongst other internationally renowned orchestras.

Alberga has received several high-profile commissions including Roald Dahl’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which today is widely performed in schools. The Stories of Eva Luna was commissioned by Music Theatre Wales and opened at The Royal Opera House Linbury Studio in 2009. The Choral work Arise, Athena! was performed at the opening of the Last Night of the BBC Proms in 2015. Of equal acclaim are her solo and chamber works both instrumental and vocal.

Her extensive repertoire and ability to incorporate African and Caribbean tones and techniques with her love of classical music is evident. She is a major force among the contemporary classical composers. Featured regularly alongside the old masters such as Beethoven and Strozzi, multi-award winning Alberga is regarded as one of the most talented composers of the 21st Century.

Some of the wonderful charities and fund-raising organisations founded by Jamaicans in Britain

The Association of Jamaicans (UK) AOJUK

Mustard Seed Communities UK

Heart Foundation (Friends of the Heart Foundation (UK)

JA Hospital League of Friends (JHLOF)

Save the Jamaica Fund UK (SJF)

Friends of Princess Margaret Hospital (UK/JA)

Ellen Pearl Outreach Children’s Charity (EPOCC)

VOUCH UK/JA (Voluntary Organisation for the Upliftment of Children in Need)

Lignum Vitae Club

Nurses Association of Jamaica (UK)

Caribbean Club for Professional Women

JNS Inspirations Raising Awareness and Funds Through Music (Editions Media)

Nehemiah Housing Association founded by Jamaicans

Jamaica Basic Schools Foundation (UK)

The Jamaica Society Leeds

Rugby West Indian Association Social Club

The Association of Jamaican Nationals (Birmingham) UK

Reach Society

The Angel Foundation Jamaica

244

Familiar Faces

Neil Kenlock

Willliams James Adams Jr (will.i.am)

Barbara Blake-Hannah

Doreen Lawrence Judi Love

Lloyd Blackford ‘Sir Coxone”

Allan Charles Willmot Charlene White

Naomi Harris Ainsley Harriot

Black Uhuru Grace Jones Cint Dyer

Photo Courtesy Angus Thompson

Photographer Charlie Phillips historical

Grandparents and grandson 1974 © Charlie Phillips

Honorary List

Eleanor Alberga OBE - Composer, Pianist

Ishmahil Blagrove - filmmaker

Nerine Barrett - Pianist

Lloyd Blake - Business

Ihator Brown

Tony Bullimore - Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Syd Burke - Broadcaster, Photographer and Journalist

Orville Burrell (Shaggy)

Delores Campbell - Community Champion

Louise Coverely-Bennett (Miss Lou) - Folklorist, Poet, Songwriter, Performer

Aggrey Burke - Psychiatrist, Academic Author

Jimmy Cliff

Tasha Danvers - Athletics

Mark Dalgety - Friend of Jamaica (opened a Tea Farm in Jamaica)

Desmond Lloyd Drummond - Rugby

Joyce Fraser

Kirkland Gill - Regimental Sgt Major Coldstream Guards

Alison Hammond

Chester Harriott - Variety Show pianist and late father to Ainsley Harriott

Ernie Harriott (Daddy Ernie) - DJ and Radio Presenter)

Simon Hinds - Lobbyist

Patricia A Hunter - Director for Product Development Consortium Nottingham

Paul Ince - Football Manager

Rothwell Campbell known as Roddy Kentish - Activist and one of the Mangrove 9

Lurleen James - Health and Nurses Association of Jamaica UK

Cllr Adam Jogee - Mayor of Haringey

Paul Lawrence - Mentor & Community Activist

London Hughes - TV Presenter

Judi Love - Television Host, Comedian

Orville Lincoln Lynch - DAF - RAF

Alexandra Maurer - TV Presenter and Radio Journalist

John Mitchum McAnuff, Shirley McGreal OBE - Publisher

Omari McQueen - Celebrity chef and author at 12 years old

Edna Manly - Artist (1900-1987)

Alvin Marriott - Sculptor

Reverend William Minell

Norman Mitchell MBE - Community Champion

Darren Mark Moore - Football Coach

Margaret Moore - Nurse

Dennis Morris - Photographer

Joy Nichols MBE - Business

Neil Lascelles Prendergast - Founder of Top Pop Sodas

Michael Pryce - Radio and Television Journalist

Trevor Rhone - Film/Theatre, Author, Playwright

Rick Roberts - Afro Hairdresser of the Year 2019

Matthew Ryder QC

Brian St Louis - Barrister

Antoine Sigaud - International DJ, producer/composer, co-founder Jusu Brothers Restaurant

Carmen Samuda - Nurse & Nurses Association of Jamaica UK

Margaret Semple - Friend of Jamaica

Virginia Smith - O’Conner

Julius Soubise - Fencer

Lavinya Stennett - Founder Curriculum Black

Stephanie Sullaman - Healthcare and Nurses Association of Jamaica UK

Penny Thompson - Community Champion

Tippa Irie - Anthony Henry - Reggae Singer and DJ

Arthur Torrington OBE - Friend of Jamaica

Vas Morgan - Philanthropist, Reality TV Actor

Ashley Walters (Asher D) - Actor and Rapper

Cynthia Winnie Watson

Dr Nelson Watson-Druee - Professional Speaker and Executive Coach

Raymond Watson - Sculptor

Charlene White - Journalist & TV Presenter

Densign White - Olympian & Chairman of Sporting Equals

Nadine White - Journalist

Augustus Malcolm Wilbert - Business and Community Worker

Avis Williams-McKoy - Nurse, Consultant Child Protection Services

Winston Williams MBE - Co-founder of the Rugby West Indian Association

Augustus Malcolm Wilbert - Business and Community Worker

Dr Owen Williams OBE - Chief Executive Northern Care Alliance NHS Group

The generations continue Courtesy: Jim Grover

LIST OF PASSENGERS WHO BOARDED HMT EMPIRE WINDRUSH AT KINGSTON JAMAICA IN MAY 1948

ARIS Not accompanied by wife

ARIS Not accompanied by husband

Not accompanied by husband

Not accompanied by husband KINGSTON

Not accompanied by husband KINGSTON

Not accompanied by husband

BULLOCK Not accompanied by wife

BATTEN Not accompanied by husband

Not accompanied by husband KINGSTON

Not accompanied by husband

C

SIKARUM GOPTHAL

Not accompanied by wife

C

FREDERICK GREY

Not accompanied by wife

C

HAROLD GORDON

Not accompanied by wife

C

accompanied by wife C

CLIFFORD FULLERTON

Not accompanied by wife

C FRANK FORBES

Not accompanied by wife

C JOHN FISHER

Not accompanied by wife

C HENRY FALCONER

Not accompanied by wife C

ALVIN FARRER

Not accompanied by wife

C ASTON FRANCIS

Not accompanied by wife C

MAXWELL FRANCIS

Not accompanied by wife C

KENNETH FRANCIS

Not accompanied by wife

C CYRIL GRAHAM

Not accompanied by wife C

CECIL GARRICK

Not accompanied by wife

C ALVIN GUY

Not accompanied by wife C

JOSEPH GRANT

Not accompanied by wife

C

JOSCELYN GRANT

Not accompanied by wife

C

GEORGE GAYNOR

Not accompanied by wife

C

REGINALD GORDON

Not accompanied by wife

C

VICTOR GRAY

Not accompanied by wife

C

HERBERT GREY

Not accompanied by wife

C CLIFFORD GREEN

Not accompanied by wife

C

FERDINAND GOODEN

Not accompanied by wife

C

JAMES GREGORY

Not accompanied by wife

C

RUPERT GRANT

Not accompanied by wife

C

OSWALD GARRICK

Not accompanied by wife

C

WILLIAM HUNTER

Not accompanied by wife

C

RICHARD HENRY

Not accompanied by wife

C

LIONEL HANCHARD

Not accompanied by wife

C JOHN HERBERT

Not accompanied by wife

C

AUBREY HENRY

Not accompanied by wife

C

LLOYD HYLTON

Not accompanied by wife

C

LEEROY HAYNES

Not accompanied by wife

C

ALFORD GARDNER

Not accompanied by wife

C

GLADSTONE GARDNER

Not accompanied by wife

NEVILLE HARVEY

Not accompanied by

Abbott, Diane 35

Ade-John, Camille Eloise, 35

Affleck Gladstone, 35

Aitken, Loranzo, 36

Akala, 36

Alasia, Sanchia, 36

Alberga, Eleanor 243

Aldred, Bishop, Joe 37, 70

Allen, Kofi 37

Allen, Sislin Fay, 37

Anderson, Barrington Lloyd, 38

Anderson, Basil Rupert, 38

Anderson, Derrick, 38

Anderson, Dudley, 39

Anderson, Vivian Alexander, 39

Andrews, Maurice 39

ASWAD 40

Atkinson, Dalian Robert 40

Atkinson, Sir William 40

B

Baker, Hubert Baron 42

Bailey, Shaun 41

Barnes, Danny 41

Barnes, John Charles Bryan 42

Barnes, Natalie 42

Barrett Efunshile, Althea Joy 42

Barrett, Carlton Lindsay 43, 172

Bartlett, Cynda Lolita 43

Baxter, Carol 43

Beadle, Gary 44

Beadle-Blair, Richard Barrington 44

Beckford, Carmen 44

Beckford, Robert 45

Berry, James 45

Besson, Jean Prof. 45

Beswick, Esme Bishop 46

Black, Carolle “Lady” 47

Black Church Movement 69

Black Cultural Archives 59

Blackford, Sir Coxone Lloyd 47

Blackwell, Christopher 48

Blackwood, Richard Clifford 48

Blake, Noel Lloyd George 48

Blake-Hannah Barbara Elaine 49

Blissett, Luther 49

Bloom, Valerie Vesada 49

Boothe, Kenneth George 50

Boothe, Lorna Marie 50

Breeze, Jean Binta 50

Brewster, Yvonne 51

Broadwater Farm 246

Brooks, Bishop Melvin Alphonso 51

Brown, Bini 51

Brown, Castro 52

Brown, Dennis Emmanuel 52

Brown, Eric Bishop 52

Brown, Kevin 53

Brown, Errol Lester 53

Brown, Gilroy 53

Brown, Mykal “Wassiffa” 54

Brown, Paul 54

Brown, Sonia 55

Brown, Victor 55

Brown, Zillah Elizabeth 55

Bryan, Cllr Merlita 57

Bruno, Frank 57

Bulgin, Keith Lloyd 57

Burgess, Marti 58

Burke, Aggrey 249

Burke, Vanley 58

Burrell, Celia 58

Burton, Deon John 60

Burton, Edson 60

Burton, Eric 60

Butler, Dawn Petula 61

Byfield, Cheron 61 C

Cameron, Clinton Lloyd 61

Campbell, Betty 62

Campbell, Cecil Bustamante

“Prince Buster” 62

Campbell, Derrick 62

Campbell, Evadney 63

Campbell, Graham Michael 63

Campbell, Lady Colin 63

Campbell, Lloyd Enright 64

Campbell, Naomi Elaine 64

Campbell, Sulzeer Jeremiah “Sol” 65

Campbell, Timothy 65

Campbell, Vincent 65

Campbell, Wilbert aka Count Suckle 66

Campbell-Clark, Eunice 66

Carnival 195

Carty, Hilary 66

Case, Charmaine 67

Cassell, Ivy Victoria “Alexander” 67

Chamberlain, Nira 67

Chambers, Eddie 68

Charities 244

Christian, Euton 68

Christie, Sir Linford OBE,MBE 68

Clark, Eunice Cllr 71

Clarke, William Robinson 71

Clemetson, David Louis Lt 71

Coke, Monica 72

Collington, Valentina Dr 72

Collins, Nick 72

Collymore-Woodstock, Ena 73

Conolly, Yvonne 73

Cooper, Delores OD 73

Cork, Lorna MBE 74

Cowans, Norman George 74

Cox, Kadeena 74

Craig, Cllr Asher 75

Croll, Dona 75

Crooks, Garth Anthony 75

Crosby, Gary Mark 76

Crossdale, Milton 76

Cross, Sandra 76

Cumper, Patricia 77

Cunningham, Bentley 77

Cunningham, Laurence Paul “Laurie” 77

Curling, Arthur 78

Daby, Janet Jessica 78

Da-Codia, Louise 78

Daley, June 79

Daley, Michelle 79

Daley, Naomi Arleen 79 “Ms Dynamite”

Dallas, Garth Orlando 80

Danvers, Tasha De’Anka 80

Davis, Jamellia Niela 81

Davis, Dame Karlene Cecile 81

Davis, Peter 81

Dekker, Desmond 82

Delapenha, Lloyd Lindberg “Lindy” 82

Delapenha, Loy Marie 82

Denniston Oswald 83

Dixon, Alisha Anjanette 83

Dixon, Ferdinand Ralph (Satch) 83

Dodd, Jak Beula Jonny Alexander Bubuela

85, 139

Douce, Tom Thomas 85

Douglas, Derek 85

Douglas, Desmond 86

Douglas, Olive William 86

Douglas, Tony 97

Drummond, Errol 86

Drummond, Desmond Lloyd 87

Dryden, Dudley George 87

Dunkley-Bent, Prof. Jacqueline 88

Dunn, Sydney Alexander BISHOP 88

Dyer, Clint 88

Dyke & Dryden - Len Dyke, 89

Dudley, George Dryden 89

Dyke, Lincoln Len 89 E

Earle, Robbie Fitzgerald 89

Eaton, Fanny Entwhistle 91

Edwards, Joel Nigel Patrick 91

Edwards-Brown, Rioch 91

Elden, Emanuel Alexis 92

Ellis, Alton 92

Ellis, Hortense 92

Emembolu, Emeka 93

English, Audley Harris 93

English, Hubert Glenford 93

English, Junior Lyndel 94

Eubanks, Christopher Livingstone 94

Euell, Jason Joseph 94

Evans, Derrick Errol 95

F

Fenton, Professor Kevin 98

Figueroa, John Joseph Maria 98

Flannigan, Neil 98

Fletcher, Cherry Cassandra 99

Flowers, Alda & Johnny 99

Foster - Allen, Elaine 99

Francis, Armet 100

Francis, Carol 100

Francis Carole 100

Francis, Dorothy Elaine 103

Francis, Howard 103

Francis, Ira and Auvil 103

Francis, John 104

Francis-McGann, Carole 104

Fraser, Peter “Flip” Randolph 104

Fraser, Brenda 105

Friends of Jamaica Children’s Choir 177

Fuller, Michael 105

G

Gabbidon, Willitz 105

Gardner, Alford 106

Garrison, Lenford Alphonso (Kwesi) 106

Garvey, Amy Ashwood 106

Garvey, Marcus Mosiah 25

George, Karl Alexander 106

Gibson Al 106

Gordon, Colin 106

Gordon, Iris Greta 109

Goulbourne, Patricia 109

Graham, Aubyn St. John 109

Graham, Keith Valentine “Levi Roots” 110

Graham, Llewellyn Bishop 110

Graham-Paul, C Shirley 110

Grandison- Markey Celia Maud 111

Granville, Primrose 111

Gray, Owen 111

Gray, Tahlia 205

Green, Junior 205

Gregory, Norma Jacqueline 112

Gregory, Sherill 112

Griffiths, Courtney 112

Groce, Cherry 113

Gulley, June Elizabeth 113

Guscott, Jeremy 113

Guy, Carlton “Jackie” 115

Guy, Nigel Sylvester 114

Hackett, Roy 115

Hall, Stuart McPhail 115

Hall-Ramsay, Mickela 116

Hamilton, Al 116

Hamilton, Paulette A. Wilson 116

Hamilton, Raphael Thomas “Andy” 117

Harris, Lucilda 119

Harris, Naomie Melanie 120

Harrison, Audley Hugh 120

Hardt, Antoine 34

Hart, Richard 120

Haughton, Agatha & Albert 121

Haye, Linda Beatrice 121

Hayles, Maxie Alphanso 121

Hayles-Parkes, Audrey 122

Hazel, John 45

Headley, Victor 122

Henriques, Cyril George Xavier 123

Henriques, Louis Fernando 123

Henriques, Pauline Clothilde 123

Henry, Duane Winston 124

Henry, Lenworth George 124

Henry, Owen Adolphus 124

Henry, William 125

Heron, Gilbert Saint Elmo 125

Higgins, Herbie 125

Hill, Dawn 126

Hills, Janet 126

Hinds, Donald 126

Hoffman-Jackson , Vinette Fay Marcia 127

Holder, Lorna 127

Holmes, Dame Kelly 127

Holness, Andrew 15

Holness, Cecil 132

Holt, John Kenneth 132

Honeyboy 132

Honeyghan, Lloyd 133

Honorary List 249

Hoo, James Reginald “Jonny” 133

Hudson, Eric 133

Hudson, Lorlette 134

Hudson, Maurice 134

Hudson, Nezrine Vinetta 134

Hudson-Wilkin, Rose 135

Hutchinson, Cllr Norma 135

Huxtable, Amanda 135

Hylton, Lizette Maude 136 I

Ibrahiim, Khadijah 136

Irons, Eric 136

Irons, Janine 137

Isaacs, Gregory 137 J

Jackson, Angela Knight 137

Jackson, Carl Anthony 138

Jackson, Colin Ray 138

Jackson, Lorna 138

Jaddoo, Desmond 141

James, Errol Edward JP 141

Fagon, Alfred 95

Fairin, Stanford 95

Fairweather, Anthony Norval 96

Fairweather, Ivor E. 96

Familiar Faces 243

Fashion of the Day 101

Fearon, Horatio 96

Hammond, Mona 117

Hanley, Ellery 117

Hanson, Devon 118

Hanson, Kenrick 118

Harding, Percival (Percy) 118

Harriott, Ainsley 119

Harriott Veryl 119

James, Michael Francis “Jimmy” 141

James, Richard Anthony 142

Jasper, Lee Meta 142

Johnson, Linton Kwesi 142

Johnson, Travis Lloyd 143

Johnson-Green, Beverly 143

Johnson-Smith, Kamina 17

Johnston, Edward 143

Jones, Evan Gordon Newton 144

Jones, Grace 144

Jones, Lorraine 144

Jones, Wilfred Emmanuel 145

K

Kay, Janet (Bogle) 145

Kelly, Anthony Patrick 145

Kelly, Kenness “Fowokan” George 146

Kenlock, Neil 146

Kentish, Roddy 249

Kerr, Wesley 146

Kiffin-Williams, Gloria 148

King, Samuel Beaver 84, 148

Knight, Beverley 149

L

Laine, Dame Cleo, Lady Dankworth 149

Lake, Cleo 149

Lancaster, Esme Monica 150

Lawes, Courtney 150

Lawrence, David Valentine 150

Lawrence, Doreen Delceita 151

Lawrence, Janet Mae Yolanda 151

Lawrence, Neville 151

Lawrence, Stephen 152

Laws, Courtney 66, 152

Lawes, Courtney 150

Laws, Courtney 171

Le Mar, Angie 152

Lecesne, Louis Celeste 153

Ledgister, Barbara Joy 153

Lee, Edward O’Sullivan “Bunny Striker Lee” 153

Lee, Rustie 154

Lee-Brown, Enid 154

Leiba, Tony 154

Leigh, Arthur Charles 156

Leslie, Gloria May 156

Lester, Adrian 156

Levy, Andrea. 157

Lewinson, Veletta, 157

Lewis, Denise 157

Lewis, Lennox Claudius 158

Lewis, Paulette 158

Lilly, Alex (Ben) Rochester 158

Lindo, Dwight 159

Lindsay, Beverley Isadore 159

Lloyd, Errol 159

Lodge, JC 160

Logan, Leroy 160

Love Judi 243

Lucie-Smith, John Edward 161

Wade Lyn 161

Lynch, Ludiana 161

Lyseight, Oliver Augustus 162

M

Martin, Lionel Augustus 163

Martin, Winston Dr 163

McCalla, Val 164

McKay, Claude 122

McClymont, Velma Kate Elizabeth Ernest 164

McDonald, Jean 165

McFarlane, Sidney Claude 165

McGrath, Pat 205

McIntosh, Hermin 166

McKenzie, Jacqueline 249, 166

McLean, Desmie May 167

McNish, Lyrell 167

McPherson, George 167

Menzies, Vida 168

Mighty, George 168

Miller, Clarence (Count Prince) 168

Miller, Kei 169

Mitchell, Elizabeth “Liz” Rebecca 169

Mitchell, Steve 169

Moody, Harold 170

Moody, Ronald 170

Moore, Angela 170

Moore, Daren Mark 171

Morais, Jacqueline 171

Morgan, Derrick Seymour 171

Morris, Cecil 173

Morris, Olive Elaine 173

Morris, Lord William Manuel “Bill” Baron

Morris of Hansworth 173

Morrison, Desmond Barrington 174

Mosquito, Yvonne 174

Mowatt, Andrew Duffus 174

Mudahy, Peter 175

Mullings, Elizabeth 175

Mullings, Granville 175

Mullings, Norman Winnaka Natall 176

Myers, Joan 176

Myrie, Clive 176 N

Nehemiah Project, The 239

Neil, Dwain Anthony 179, 241, Neil, Rob 241

Neita, David 179

Nembhard Constance 179

Nembhard, Wayne 180

Neufville, Marilyn Fay 180

Newspaper Clippings 242

O’Connor, Tony 180

Oldfield, Bruce 181

Osbourne, Angelina 228

Packer, Suzanne 181

Page, Rudi 181

Page, Victor Llewellyn 182

Penn, Dawn 183

Peters, James 184

Phillips, Anton 184

Phillips, Ronald (Charlie) 247, 184

Phillpotts, Laurent (Laurie) Lloyd 185

Pine, Courtney 185

Pinnock, Desmond Nehemiah 185

Pinnock, Winsome 186

Pitter, Jason 186

Pitter, Susan 186

Pitts, Evadne Ione 187

Powe, Oswald George 187

Powell, Bishop Wilton Ralph 187

Price, Leroy George 188

Priest, Maxi 188

Purville, Winston 188

R

Rabbatts, Dame Heather 189

Ramocan, Seth George 19

Reach Society 241

Reckord, Barrington John 189

Reckord, Lloyd Malcolm 189

Reece-Page, Michael Jerome 190

Reedy, Winston 97

Rees, Marvin Jonathan 190

Reid, Vincent Albert 190

Reid, Paul 191

Reid-Bailey, Guy 191

Reynolds, Desiree 191

Richards, Anthony (Chips) Patrick 192

Richards, John 45, 192

Richards, Mark 192

Riley, Alrick 193

Riley, Mykaell 193

Roberts, Theresa 193

Robertson, Patsy Blair 194

Robinson, Annette Naomi 194

Robinson, Earle 194

Robinson, Joan DaCosta 198

Rodriguez, Emmanuel “Rico” 198

Rose, Andrea Barbara 198

Rose, Paul Anthony 199

Roy, Namba 199

Ryder, Marcus 198.

Ryder, Matthew 198

Ruddock, George 199 S

Salkey, Andrew 200

Salmon, Maureen 200

Samuels, Sandra 200

Sanderson, Theresa (Tessa) 201

Seacole, Mary 27

Sewell, Hari Harold 201

Sewell, Tony 201

Shand, Francis Betty 202

Sinclair, Trevor 203

Singh, Tony-Ann 178

Sly & Robbie 204

Small, Millicent Dolly May 204

Smikle, Winifred 204

Smith, Ben Bailey 206

Smith, Carlton 206

Smith, Dennis Alcapone 206

Smith, Leighton 207

Smith-O’connor, Virginia 207

Smith, Orville Solomon 207

Smith, Solomon 208

Smith, Zadie 208

Spence, Sybil 208

Spence, Franklin aka AJ Franklin 209

Spencer, Madge Marrion 209

Stennett, Enrico 209

Stennett, Cllr Whit 210

Stephenson Gilbert 210

Stephenson, Silbourne (Steve) Howard 210

Sterling, Raheem Shaquille 211

Stewart, Mavis Victoria Powell 211

Stewart, Phillip “Mighty Jamma” 211

Sturridge, Daniel Andre 212

Soubise, Julius 212

Suban, Paulette 212

Tafari, Levi 213

Taylor, Eileen 213

Taylor, John David Beckett 213

Taylor-Cummings, Andrea 214

Thompson, Carroll 214

Thompson, Michael 214

Thompson, Shirley Joy 215

Thompson, Vincent 215

Thomson, Pearl Clarita 215

Thornton, Edward “Tan Tan” 216

Thorpe, Michael and Audrey 216

Tilsley, Madge 216

Turner, Dorothy 217

Vaughan, Francis 217, 249

Vernon, Patrick Phillip, 217, 228

Duke Vin (George Forbes) 220

Virtue, Vivian Lancaster 220

Wade, Yvonne 220

Walcott, Theo James 221

Wales-Bonner, Grace 221

Walker, Dionne 221

Wallace, Shaun Anthony 222

Walters, Mark Everton 222

Walters, Roy Blake 223

Walters, Trevor 97

Watson, Basil 240

Weir, Mervyn 108

Westcarr, Bernard Edward 224

Westcarr, Tanesha 225

Wheeler, Caron Melina 225

White, Charlene 243, 249

White, Densign 250

White, Densig

White, Sharon Michele 226

White, Sir Willard Wentworth 226

Whitter, Basil Joseph 226

Whyte, Reverend Moses 237

Wigan, Willard 237

Williams, Cicely Delphine 237

Williams, Donald 229

Williams, Francis 229

Williams, Joe 229

Williams, Josephine Winnifred 230

Williams, Leonie 230

Williams, Martin Mr. Aka Mandingo 230

Williams, Roy Samuels 231

Williams, Tony “Anthony Wilfolks Williams” 231

Williams, Trevor 231

Wilmot, Allan Charles 232

Wilson, Desmond 232

Wilson Tinubu-Animasaun, Lorraine 232

Wilmot, Harold 45

Wilson, Paulette 234

Windrass, Edward 234

Windrush Passenger List 251*

Wint, Arthur Stanley 234

Woodhouse, Yvonne Jean 235

Wright, Prof. Cecile Yvonne 235

Wright, Charles 235

Wright, Everton 155, 219

Wright, Ian Edward 237

Yarrum, Namron ( Norman Murray) 237

Young, Kerry 237

Zarrun, Namron 238

Malcolm, Devon Eugene 162

Mark, Connie 162

Marley, Robert Nesta 29

Marson, Una 163

Martin, Lionel Augustus 163

Palmer, Donald 241

Palmer, Sir Godfrey (Geoff) 182

Parboosingh, Joy 182

Patten, Harold George “H” 183

Peat, Nathaniel 183

Shelley, Count 202

Shirley, Aimsworth Roy Rushton 202

Sigaud, Joy Antonia 203

Simpson, Paulette 203

Watson, Cynthia Winnie 223

Watson, Sharon 223

Webb, Mavis 224

Webley, Derek 224

Weddings 127, 130, 236

ISBN 978-1-3999-1828-2