The Voice Newspaper: October 2022

OCTOBER, 2022 • ISSUE NO. 1935 | £2.50

MEET THE REAL WARRIOR QUEENS p6 ›

BL

K HISTORY MONTH Did you know?

The founder of BHM UK resisted pressure to celebrate in February, as the US do, because he wanted the month to coincide with the sun crossing Africa’s equator.

› Full story inside

I am a Franchisee, this is my McDonald’s.

Read more inside

Inside THIS MONTH

Snapshots into history Newly-released photos unveiled p12-13

The Black History Man Robin Walker on the power of knowledge

ROUNDUP News, views, stories & videos THE 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK

1. Notting Hill revellers slam coverage Backlash over negative media reports

2. Chris Kaba shot dead by police News breaks of Streatham shooting

3. Aswad singer Drummie Zeb dies

Made by history

Sad passing of frontman of popular group

4. Leaders mourn passing of Queen

p26-27

Keep Black Love Alive Terence Channer on only dating black p28

African and Caribbean heads of state pay tribute

5. Call for cops to be suspended Demonstration for Chris Kaba makes demands

6. Shooting should be treated as murder

Delicious gospel Muyiwa Olarewaju says music genre better than jerk

Further coverage of Chris Kaba killing

7. Will black ministers make a difference?

p54

Sound System Queen Meet Valerie Robinson aka Lady V p67

Maurice Mcleod argues black representation is about results

8. Pressure on Labour Party over racism Ex-councillors call on leader Sir Keir Starmer to act

9. Teacher race row Teaching assistant can’t work from home like white co-workers

Jack Leslie Statue to pioneering footballer p71

10. Play black music at funeral Prof Nicholas Boston says it would be a fitting tribute to the Queen

CORPORATE AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS Paula Dyke E. paula@thevoicemedia group.co.uk

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paulette Simpson E. paulette.simpson@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk

NEWS EDITOR Vic Motune E. vic.motune@thevoicemedia group.co.uk

THE CELEBRATION of black history should never be limited to a single month of the year, but the extra focus in October makes this a special month.

Black history will forever be a journey of learning, remembering and feeling. We must continue to deepen it to lay down the bricks of knowledge that are the foundations of the future.

Some say Black History Month is past its’ sell-by date, yet we are still only scratching the surface learning about, and being empowered by, the historic achievements of people of African descent.

History is never just about individuals, however great they are; it is also about the collective of communities, movements, tribes and empires.

We continue to live through black history in the making and are part of it. And as we remember and celebrate, let us make sense of the present through the lens of black history.

Our interviews with renowned historians Professor Hakim Adi and Robin Walker both explore the relationship between our ancestors and ourselves.

They are modern day griots working tirelessly to pass down the knowledge to make us proud, stronger and emancipated from the mental slavery which shackles our minds to what we can achieve.

From George Alcorn who invented the X-Ray in the last century to Imhotep who mastered medicine in the 27th century BC, these figures and their achievements inspire and ask, ‘what am I capable of?’

Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jnr said: “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”

As a spiritual people we walk under the gaze of our ancestors, and black history resides within all peoples of African descent.

Traditions and behavioural patterns — good and bad — all come from somewhere. From our ancestors who had a relationship with the earth and cosmos.

Any wonder that 35 years ago the key founder of Black History Month in the UK, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, pictured, picked October due to its significance for some African people in the lunar movements.

It is important to remember that the trauma of colonialism is within living memory, and the horrors of enslavement just a few generations back. People of African descent are still healing, still journeying to emancipation.

The crises and opportunities that confront us today

Got a story? email us at yourviews@thevoicemediagroup.co.uk

This issue is 72 pages EDITOR Lester Holloway E. lester.holloway@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk

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OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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News feature

More black books please Parents call on libraries to better reflect the community they live in. By Sinai Fleary

B

LACK BRITISH parents are urging their local libraries to stock more black books to ensure their shelves are representative of multicultural Britain.

According to one poll, 38 per cent black people were more likely to have visited a library between 2019 and 2020 in comparison to 30 per cent their white counterparts.

Despite these figures, many black parents say their local libraries are failing to have books that reflect the communities they serve.

Speaking to The Voice, Maame Prempeh, from Shropshire in the West Midlands, said: “Black book covers tell a story, when we see the display, we feel included in the fabric of that environment.

“If there are no black books in libraries, it feeds into our sense of invisibility that we have in the education system.”

The mother of two believes black books should be available in all local libraries nationwide and not just during Black History Month.

She said: “Diversity isn’t just for black and brown children, it is for white children too, especially if we want to combat racism and discrimination.”

Ms Prempeh knows firsthand the power local libraries have.

She grew up in Kennington, south London, and when she was just 13 years old, she sadly lost her mother.

As a teenager, she spent a

vast amount of time at the Brandon Library, which she said “saved” her and helped to “cultivate” her identity.

She recalls the library having a “minority section” which led to her falling in love with black literature.

“That library and those books saved me because my mum had died and I was a young woman lost,” she added.

Ms Prempeh is of Ghanaian heritage and works as a Multicultural Educational Consultant and helps schools to embrace diversity by providing cultural resources.

She told The Voice she set up her business after her six-yearold son experienced racism at school last year.

She said: “It was so traumatic I had to do something, books were not enough.

ATTITUDES “I was broken as a mother because I had invested so much time into my child but I couldn’t stop him telling me ‘mummy, I want my skin to be lighter’.”

Ms Prempeh said by working closely with the school, she has seen positive changes in her son and the attitudes of other children.

She regularly takes her son to meet black authors, which she says has empowered her son — who is an avid reader and dreams of becoming an astronaut.

She added: “If we give them black books, then they are able to dream.”

START THEM EARLY: Maame Prempeh took her son to the library from an early age

INSPIRATION: It is time for our libraries to reflect the culturally diverse population that makes up modern Britain There are 3,667 public libraries (including mobile libraries) in the UK, with 7.3m active borrowers.

Borrowing items such as books, newspapers, music, CDs, DVDs or audiobooks, is the most popular reason why people use the library, according to official data.

But the lack of diversity on the shelves in libraries may be a reflection of wider problems within the UK publishing industry.

In 2020, the Black Writers’ Guild (BWG), wrote an open letter condemning the industry for “raising awareness of racial inequality without significantly addressing their own”.

Three years earlier, research published by the Book Trust reported that only six per cent of children’s authors published in the UK were from an ethnic minority background.

A minor improvement from four per cent in 2007.

These figures suggest finding black books may not just be a problem for UK libraries, but also on the high street.

Most libraries source their stock from about six main wholesalers, which is causing

problems, according to one long-standing black Londonbased library worker who spoke to The Voice, anonymously.

Stephanie Clarke (not her real name) has ten years’ experience working in public libraries across East London.

She revealed that distribution companies who supply libraries “may not have the stock” to ensure black titles make it to the shelves.

She said: “Unless the main suppliers diversify their stock, their range will always have this problem.”

Ms Clarke wants libraries to add black bookstores to their supply chain to combat the issue, and also cited austerity cuts and lack of dedicated staff as part of the problem.

She added: “If there isn’t anyone there at grassroot level to advocate for diverse books, then it doesn’t get filtered through.”

Ms Clarke is keen to see change and stressed: “The library service doesn’t belong to the staff, it belongs to the people.

“I do believe in the ‘power of the patron’. Library users must demand black books through writing to the library service, their local councillors and MPs. Schools and school governors can also put pressure on the local library to ensure stock is representative of the UK population.”

Claire Quansah, left, told The Voice she regularly visits her local library in Sale, Trafford, with her two children aged seven and 14, but believes more can be done. She said: “My library has a selection of books by black authors for both adults and children, but I definitely think there could always be more, maybe by showcasing lesser known authors and titles.”

Ms Quansah

applauded the creative displays during Black History Month at her local library and said she was pleased “they haven’t just focused on promoting books focused on black pain, but include positive stories too.”

But like Ms Prempeh, she would like to see a celebration of black writers “throughout the year”.

Ms Quansah works as the Head of Business Development for a communications agency and believes “something as simple as seeing black lead characters from a young age can have a positive impact on children.”

She says the problem isn’t just with books but with the events held in libraries too.

She said with story time workshops, she would more likely hear a “story about animals than one with black children as protagonists.”

With the growing cost of living crisis, and black parents relying on their local libraries to have access to books more than ever before — it is time for our library shelves to reflect the culturally diverse population that makes up modern Britain.

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| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Big Interview

THE MAN WHO STARTED Akyaaba Addai-Sebo reveals how he persuaded the Greater London Council to begin the celebrations in 1987.

By Leah Mahon

I

N THE heart of Greater London Council, a black activist and journalist decided he wanted to tell the forgotten stories of Africa in Britain.

Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, 71, arrived in Britain from Ghana after fleeing political corruption and soon joined the Greater London Council [GLC] in 1985, where he worked in the Ethnic Minorities Unit during the leadership of Ken Livingstone.

In the years that saw hundreds of West Indian children forced into schools for the “educationally subnormal”, and tensions between black communities and the police imploded, racial inequality in 1980s Britain was endemic.

While working at County Hall, Addai-Sebo said that it was a conversation with a colleague which made him realise the scale of the race-relations crisis unfolding in a generation of black children.

“One day, I went to work and our secretary [at the GLC] looked very downcast and was almost in tears. I asked her what was wrong, and then she said, ‘Would you believe it? I was putting Marcus to bed last night and after the prayers as I was leaving the room, he called me and said, ‘Mum, why can’t I be white?’,” he recalled.

“Marcus was six years old and his mother named him after Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the Jamaican Pan-Africanist and black nationalist, and here was this child confused about his identity. After that statement, I thought something had to be done.”

He already knew that the erasure of black history in the education system lay at the hands of local authorities and the government.

He observed the discourse first-hand as it made its way into playgrounds across the country.

“I saw that there was a problem with identity. The African children were mimicking to be like the Afro-Caribbeans and they didn’t want to relate to their identity when they were from Ghana, Nigeria, Somalia and all that, and you tried to talk to them in their language and they used to shrink,” he recalled.

TRAILBLAZER: Akyaaba Addai-Sebo was moved to act on the back of racial inequality that plagues Britain

The likes of Livingstone, former Lambeth Council leader Linda Bellos, Lord Paul Boateng, and policy adviser Ansel Wong were all at the Greater London Council when AddaiSebo came with proposals on how to transform the prospects of black children growing up in Britain.

He recalls how he was blessed to have a team made up of activists, including Wong, that were “progressive and supportive” of actions to tackle racism during a time that stifled the voices of marginalised people.

He designed a programme for “Britain to pay tribute and recognise” the contributions of Africans and people of African descent to the political, economic and social life across Great Britain and Europe.

Across oceans, AfricanAmercians had already been celebrating the contribution of their black diaspora since 1926.

What was once known to many as Negro History Week, Carter G. Woodson — a Harvard academic and the son of former slaves — was a pioneer in trying to undo the neglect of black history in institutions across the US.

INSPIRED Black History Month was formally celebrated in February to mark the birthdays of the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass and president Abraham Lincoln, who supported the abolition of slavery.

Addai-Sebo said the efforts of his American counterparts, who had been telling their own stories, was the very thing that inspired him to draft the proposals that would lead to Britain’s own Black History Month.

However, he says that bringing the stories of black people to the UK was never just about black Britain alone.

“This is a Pan-African initiative. It is neither British nor American or even European, but it is Pan-African,” he explains.

“We feed on each other’s history. Our history is a continuum of our encounter with the West, with Europeans particularly. And so, we cannot be divided in our sense of purpose and of our own destiny.” The Ghanaian activist recalls how

he dealt with “problems and resistance” from members of the community who also called for the new celebration to be held in February in synchronisation with their American cousins.

While facing threats of a boycott, Addai-Sebo recalls how he stood his ground amid the backlash from his own community.

The Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of Caribbean culture that drew in all corners of black Briton, was held in August and so he pushed back against the critics and explained that the Trinidad and Rio carnivals were held every year in April.

I saw that there was a problem with identity. The African children were mimicking to be like the Afro-Caribbeans And so, Black History Month in Britain was born in October to align with the “spiritual significance of the autumn equinox of Africa and the African way of life.”

“The autumn is a period of the harvest, is a period of plenty, is a period of self-examination,” he explains. “That we see where

we have come from, and over the past year, what we have done, the goals that we have set to achieve.

“We are examining our relations with one another; in the family and relationship with your siblings, with your parents, then in a school, even your next neighbour.

“We examine your relationship with the community, with the borough that you live in and then with the country and the rest of the world, that is how we examine ourselves in the month of October — we examine the state of black Britain.”

As the summer would draw to a close, millions of children would be returning to school, and so Addai-Sebo also thought of the countless black children, like six-year-old Marcus, that needed a celebration like Black History Month to “assist the consciousness of black children and black youth” in their return to classrooms

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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Big Interview

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Rebalancing AfricanAmerican history with the black British story

By Leah Mahon

BACKING: The proposals were supported by Ken Livingstone, above.

The Notting Hill Carnival, left, is a celebration of Caribbean culture and has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in Europe

and playgrounds across the country. Black History Month is now celebrated every year in the UK, not just by black Britons, but also by museums, businesses and local authorities, who aim to tell the forgotten stories of people of African descent.

Since its inception in 1987, efforts by campaigners and activists have been to have these very stories officially brought into the British school curriculum.

What is now known to many as “decolonising” the curriculum, the cause to embed the true stories of black history

and black identity across institutions has surged since the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

As the creator and pioneer behind the landmark month, Addai-Sebo said he was glad to see a new generation fighting for systemic change, particularly the parents of school children who are also at the forefront of a movement once neglected.

“It’s left with the parents to make these demands in the school, in the student unions, particularly those in the universities, to make said demands,” he said. “This will impact

education and also the local authorities, particularly where you live you should make those said demands. And also, look at the libraries and museums around you and you make sure that there is representation.

An adequate history of black persons and impact from antiquity to the present.”

He adds: “It’s the responsibility of all of us, each one of us.

There is no central organisation that has to push it. Black History Month was organised on the principles of how Christmas is, it’s a matter of faith and belief — so if you believe it, you do something about it.”

THE CELEBRATION of Black History Month has become a mainstay for many of the black diaspora the world over, but as academics campaign for its teachings to be embedded into curriculums, it has left stark questions over which stories are being told.

In years gone past, African-American history has dominated Black History Month in Britain, but more recent years have seen a new emphasis on black British history.

Olivette Otele, a Professor of the History of Slavery at Bristol University, told The Voice there has always been a connection between the legacy of black Americans and black Britons. She said: “I’ve been looking at Black History Month across the country; every single year we pay homage to our American siblings.

“We also see how what they have been doing inspires us in so many ways, not just in music etcetera but access to vote.

I remember the excitement when Obama was elected; it was across the globe.”

Professor Olette says that African-Americans have been within a “dominant discourse” for a long time, sitting “quite comfortably not knowing about other cultures.”

It’s a phenomenon, that she believes, stems from the idea of Britain.

“There’s something to do with British[ness], I would say. It’s not necessarily conscious, but for them Britain is the monarchy. There’s something exotic about Britain, they don’t necessarily want to know about that history [of British black people] because Britain is the escape,’” she says.

US author and community leader Walter Fields Jnr believes it’s a challenge for African-Americans “to see ourselves beyond the shores of the United States.”

“We are socialised in such a way that the United States becomes our end-all. So even though we are people of the diaspora, our focus continues to be on the continental United States,” he admits.

“For many black people, even though we understand that our history exceeds the boundaries of this nation, we have yet to develop the type of relationships that allows us to see ourselves in a global sense.”

Despite what he calls the

most “politically mature” and “developed population of black people on the planet,” black Americans still grapple with the history of their oppression that hasn’t granted them the freedom of knowledge.

In the past few years, the celebration of black British history has become a staple in October. They pay tribute to Roy Hackett, the leader of the Bristol Boycott in 1968, and the Windrush Generation, Britain’s first wave of Caribbean migrants to arrive in Britain, now have a day dedicated to them.

Professor Olette believes that to have these stories told across the diaspora we need connection not only with the history of black Americans, but also black people in Europe.

Dr Maboula Soumahoro, whose family come from the Ivory Coast, is the pioneer behind Black History Month in France; the Netherlands and Germany also celebrate the history of their black citizens.

Mr Fields says that part of unifying our diaspora is to understand that black people have all endured under the “chains of colonialism,” that continual education on global platforms is the way forward.

“We all suffered, some in similar ways, but some different ways. For the slave trade, they didn’t care whether or not they dropped you off in the UK or the Caribbean islands or Brazil or South America,” he says.

“We have the most amazing story of any people in humankind. The fact that we came out of Africa enslaved, the fact that we landed all over the world, the fact that we have thrived; it’s just an incredible story.

He said: “I think we have downplayed that a lot because we tend to focus on the painful aspects and not the triumphant aspects [because our pain has been dismissed by so many for so long].”

“And so, I think we have to recognise the pain and acknowledge it, but we have to start talking about the triumphs of black people around the globe. When we do that, we change the whole narrative around these Black History Month celebrations and they truly then do become a celebration and just not a marking of time.”

SEEKING CHANGE: Olivette Otele, a Professor of the History of Slavery at Bristol University, and Walter Fields Jnr

6 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Black History Month

Fearless female warriors POWERFUL ROLE: Oscarwinning actress Viola Davis plays General Nanisca in The Woman King

Remembering the forgotten history of the black women who led empires and armies. By Vic Motune

Y

OU’LL OFTEN hear about the role of powerful African kings like Shaka Zulu and Ahmed Baba or independence leaders such as Jomo Kenyatta, Kwame Nkrumah and Nnamdi Azikwe.

But some would be hard pressed to name the important contributions of African women in history. Teaching about Africa’s history in the West often focuses on colonisation. But long before Europeans arrived, the continent was home to powerful ancient kingdoms and empires, some of which were led and protected by women.

The soon-to-be-released film The Woman King is set to highlight the pivotal role they played in Africa’s history. The movie, which has attracted some controversy, centres on the Agojie, an allwomen warrior army in the historical African kingdom of Dahomey, now the southern region of the West African nation of Benin.

Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis, who plays General Nanisca, has said the film is one of the most important works of her career.

Its depiction of courageous black female warriors has been praised on social media and in reviews.

But the flick has also been criticised for featuring a tribe that sold other Africans to Europeans during the transatlantic enslavement era. Starring John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, and Thuso Mbedu, it has sparked worldwide interest in the overlooked history of the African women who fought for their communities and led empires and armies.

We take a look at some of these trailblazers.

QUEEN AMINA Leader of men AMINA, commonly known as the warrior queen, expanded the territory of the Hausa people of north Africa. She was born around 1533 in Zazzau, which is in the present-day city of Zaria in Kaduna Syate, Nigeria.

Her parents were King Nikatau, the 22nd ruler of Zazzau, and Queen Bakwa Turunku. After both parents died around 1566, Amina’s younger brother Karama inherited the throne. Amina, however, decided to join the military. She worked at improving her combat skills, quickly gaining the admiration and trust of her male peers.

Her first military operation was launched just a few months after she was crowned Queen following the death of her brother.

With 20,000 men under her command, several conquests followed.

Her military successes led to the expansion of trade routes and

resources from conquered lands resulting in Zazzau accumulating immense wealth.

Among her many innovations was the construction of defensive walls around Zazzau which became known as ‘Amina’s walls’.

For the rest of her 34-year reign, she continued to fight and expand her kingdom. Today in Nigeria, she is still celebrated in traditional Hausa praise songs as “Amina, daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man that was able to lead men to war.”

YAA ASANTEWAA Freedom fighter

YAA ASANTEWAA was a Ghanaian Queen who rose up to lead an army against the British.

She was born into a family of traditional rulers around 1840.

In 1900, the Ashanti people were under attack by the British army. However, it was an attempt by one colonial admin-

istrator to claim a sacred Ashanti treasure for himself which triggered armed resistance.

For the Ashanti people, the Golden Stool, a royal throne, was the ultimate symbol of power.

Ignorant of this fact, British Governor of the Gold Coast (as Ghana was then known) Sir Frederick Hodgson, made the crucial mistake of demanding to not only sit on the Golden Stool, but own it.

The Ashanti people were outraged. However, in a meeting of tribal chiefs, doubts were expressed about whether they could defeat the British.

Yaa Asantewaa came forward and issued a rallying cry.

She told the Ashanti chiefs: “If you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we the women will.

I shall call upon my fellow women.

We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields.”

Her speech worked and under the control of Yaa Asantewaa, they took on the British. It was unheard of at the time for a woman to lead in this way. Beginning in 1900, Asantewaa’s troops laid siege to the occupying British forces, nearly bringing them to their knees. To

defeat Asantewaa’s army, the British had to bring in reinforcements numbering in the thousands and tonnes of artillery.

She was later captured and exiled to the Seychelles where she lived until her death in 1921.

But the British never captured the Golden Stool. Asantewaa’s fight against the British played a key role in the struggles that led to Ghana’s independence in March 1957.

QUEEN NANNY OF THE MAROONS National heroine

QUEEN NANNY was the leader of the Jamaican Maroons, a community of escaped African slaves who fought a guerrilla war lasting several years against British colonial authorities in Jamaica. It is often referred to as the First Maroon War. Much of what is known about Queen Nanny comes from oral history as little written documentation about her

life survives. According to Maroon legend, she descended from the Ashanti tribe in what is now Ghana.

Although the circumstances of her arrival in Jamaica are unknown, it is widely assumed that she came there as a slave, later escaping to join other formerly enslaved people in the island’s Blue Mountain region. By 1720, Queen Nanny’s remarkable leadership and military skills saw her chosen as leader of the Maroons. She began to train her people in guerilla warfare.

Her innovative strategies enabled her soldiers to take the well-armed British colonialists by surprise, decimate their numbers and win dozens of battles. Queen Nanny’s success helped secure the freedom of hundreds of slaves whom she helped integrate into Maroon society.

Their success in battle led the British to sign a peace treaty in 1740 guaranteeing the Maroons’ independence.

In 1975, Jamaica’s government recognised Queen Nanny as a national hero, bestowing her with the title “Right Excellent.” Her likeness appears on the Jamaican five-hundred dollar bill.

8 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Black Business Guide

Be a part of the movement for black-owned businesses PLATFORM: The Black Business Guide helps black entrepreneurs showcase their businesses

The Voice is not slowing down in its support of black-owned businesses. By Vic Motune

T

HIS OCTOBER will see the publication of the seventh edition of its Black Business Guide.

The 2018 launch of the inaugural guide saw this newspaper lead the way in providing a platform for black entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses.

The seventh edition comes at an exciting time. A number of recent reports have pointed to the collective spending power of UK black consumers and how they are using it to support black-owned businesses.

Research from the Black Pound Report 2022, produced by culture change consultancy

Backlight, found black and minority ethnic consumers have an annual disposable income of £4.5 billion. The figure for African Caribbean consumers alone is £1.1 billion.

It surveyed 3,500 people and found 93 per cent of black and minority ethnic consumers believe brands have a responsibility to embrace diversity and inclusion.

As well as being supported by these consumers, black-owned businesses are becoming an increasingly important economic force.

A report launched by thinktank Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), and Minority

2022-23

MAY ISSUE 6

The success of these business owners in fields as diverse as eco-fashion, hospitality, technology, haircare, and cosmetics will once again be highlighted in the forthcoming guide. Readers can learn about their entrepreneurial journeys through a range of feature articles and interviews

They will also find a wealth of information on everything from African-inspired clothing, children’s toys and natural hair and skincare products to African and Caribbean food and drink.

The guide will also have a special focus on how banks are responding to the needs of busi-

Powe red by

UB U SKINBE SLSAGUCIDKE

Supplier Development UK (MSDUK), published earlier this year, revealed that ethnic minority entrepreneurs in Europe contribute over 570 billion euros (£497bn) to the continent’s economy despite significant challenges such as lack of access to capital and contracts.

ness owners from underrepresented backgrounds.

As the OPEN and MSDUK report illustrates, these businesses are thriving despite significant obstacles. It is black entrepreneurs who are often taking action to build ecosystems that help strengthen their communities and reduce the wealth gap.

This can take the form of hiring black workers, investing in community projects and training initiatives and creating platforms that support other black entrepreneurs. So when we support black-owned businesses, we also support black communities.

Yes, we need systemic change to remove the obstacles they regularly face. But we also need this important movement of people wanting to support black-owned businesses to continue and grow.

The Voice’s Black Business Guide will be out in October.

Check our website for details: www.voice-online.co.uk

Coming soon!

Autumn Edition 2022 80 pages showcasing products and services from black owned businesses across the UK. UK

Direc tor y ess Community Bla ck Pa ge sBlack and Caribbean Busin Connecting you with

the

Limited printed copies are available email your postal address to: subscription@thevoicemediagroup.co.uk

no place I’d rather be.

I love the feel of your streets, meet ing all the peop le who call you home.

Some of us were born down the road, others a cont inent away.

But no matter how far we’ve come, you make Londoner s of us all.

Discover free activities Make a date with London

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| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Black History Month

10,000 years of black Britain LESSONS TO BE LEARNT: Professor Hakim Adi is aiming to set the record straight with his new book

Professor Hakim Adi tells Montel Gordon why ancient history has a lot to teach us about the present

W

E WOULD be doing ourselves a disservice if we only examine the black British experience from the post-war 1945 period onwards.

There are over 10,000 years of black history in Britain, including during the Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian eras, which have been whitewashed from history.

In recent years there has been growing awareness of the ‘African Emperor’ Septimus Severus, who ruled the Roman empire from York and called himself king of England.

But there are other Africans who have ruled Britain from 139 to 142 CE, including Quintus Lollius Urbicus, who came from what is now Algeria.

Occasional archaeological discoveries, like the African ‘Ivory Bangle Lady’ and ‘Cheddar Man’, have drawn the public’s attention to early black presence on this island, but these stories have yet to make a dent on overall perceptions of British history.

Professor Hakim Adi aims to set the record straight with his new book African and Caribbean People in Britain: A History, which builds upon the works of Edward Scobie, Peter Fryer, Folarin Shyllon, Rom Ramdin and David Olusoga.

Adi is an acclaimed author and activist, most notably known for his work on black political involvement, his canon Pan-Africanism: A History is lauded as one of the most comprehensive texts upon the subject.

He told The Voice: “The problem is that history is generally presented from the perspective of we could say the rich and powerful, that is to say, the white men of property. It’s their vision of history, which is largely presented in schools and universities on TV. “They do that because it’s a history that glorifies them and

their ancestors. Because they want to prevent people from having a real understanding of the world in which we live. Because history is not just about the past. It’s also about the present, it’s about how we understand the world around us and how we understand our place in the world.

“If you are written out of history, that has an impact on you.

If somebody tells you Africa has no history, that has an impact. If we are told that black people in Britain never did anything, we are being given a distorted view of the world.”

Adi was particularly interested in finding out more about the 1,000 years of black history after the Romans left, a period when some assumed the black communities that arrived during the multicultural empire simply vanished.

This was far from the case.

He writes about Gormund, ‘King of the Africans’, who ruled Ireland and invaded England with thousands of African troops in alliance with the Saxons.

The early medieval period has many such figures, from the north African Hadrian — of Hadrian’s Wall fame, who was described as ‘vir natione Afir’, translating as ‘man of African race’ — to the Moors of the 12th century whose presence in Britain is a lot further north than maps in history books showing them stopping at south of France.

Black life has been present and continuous for the past over 500 years. What was it like to be black in Tudor times? “They married English people, they worked in a number of different occupations, they owned property. So some would have had relatively good lives, others perhaps not so good, depending on their particular position in life.

“I think one of the things which struck me a lot was that kind of racism we have experienced in the 20th century and

after is something that is not necessarily something that is particularly prevalent in previous centuries.”

The transatlantic slave trade remains an horrific period in British history, but Adi looks

back further to reveal that every monarch from Elizabeth I to Victoria Saxe Coburg (Queen Victoria) was involved in human trafficking.

In fact, the first monopolies in human trafficking were royal

EARLY BLACK PRESENCE: Ivory Bangle Lady and Cheddar Man

monopolies involving the Royal Africa Company.

Adi said: “All of the monarchs and their families were involved in this great crime of human trafficking. In fact, if you look at the movement for abolition

in this country, it was the monarchy that was the most determined opponent of abolition.”

The widespread manipulation of racism in this country has eradicated a lot of these stories and episodes of black Britain.

It was the government who established the ‘colour bar’ which openly discriminated against non-whites, and segregation of the armed forces in the First and Second World Wars along with seafarers in London, Liverpool, and Cardiff, leading to the riots of 1919.

This government-manufactured racism has influenced the general populace at times.

With the recent police killing of Chris Kaba, Adi laments how history continues to repeat itself.

His documentation of black political activism against the police shows how this history of resistance against the police manifests itself throughout every generation.

Discover their stories

From renowned writers and artists to pioneers in the anti-slavery movement, remarkable black people throughout history have left legacies at the places we care for.

Learn more at nationaltrust.org.uk/BHM-voice The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846

12

| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Snapshots of the past

Rare photos shine new light on black history The Black History and Culture Collection of 300,000 rarely seen images dating back to the 1800s is aimed at presenting black history in a way that goes beyond slavery. By Vic Motune

I

T’S OFTEN said that photos provide people with a ‘window’ to the past. And when it comes to teaching history, there’s a lot of truth to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.

A historical photo can help paint a more comprehensive view of a past event, and help those viewing it better understand the people and landmarks that shaped history.

year, a collection from Getty Images aimed to do just that.

The Black History and Culture Collection, a not-for-profit initiative, digs into Getty’s archives to provide free, noncommercial access to 30,000 historical and cultural images of the black diaspora in the US and UK dating from the 19th century until the present day.

The collection provides improved access to rarely-seen

To be involved with reframing access to these images made a tremendous impact on me personally and professionally Following the tragic death of George Floyd in May 2020, several petitions were launched to make the teaching of black history in English schools mandatory.

Campaigners argued that an important part of the continuing struggle to dismantle systemic racism was providing access to the stories in black history that have ultimately shaped Britain. Earlier this

images to educators, academics, researchers, content creators and more, hopefully enabling new stories surrounding black culture to be shared.

The collection chronicles the everyday lives and accomplishments of black Britons and African Americans through rarely seen images that bring their history to life.

In launching the collection, Getty worked with internation-

ally recognized researchers and historians and educators such as Dr. Deborah Willis of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Dr. Tukufu Zuberi of the University of Pennsylvania to help curate the collection.

Getty Images also worked with several influential black British figures on the collection including entrepreneur Alexander Amosu, music manager Dumi Oburota, and boxer Joshua Buatsi, who shared their own perspectives on the photos.

Speaking about working on the project, Dr Willis said: “To be involved with the Black History & Culture Collection and work so closely with reframing access to these images made a tremendous impact on me personally and professionally.

“It offered me ways in which to guide my students’ research projects and to show how the black History & Culture Collection is a useful archive that can be used by artists, scholars, families, INSPECTION: May 25, 1957: The King’s African Rifles on parade in Woolwich during a visit to politicians, and students to London to take part in the Royal Tournament (photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) recontextualise the past and give new meaning to images that have been largely unknown or underused.”

STRIKE A POSE: South African singers Albert Jonas and John Xiniwe, of The African Choir, in a staged photographic portrait session, 1891. The choir, drawn from seven different South African tribes, toured Britain from 1891 to 1893 to raise funds for a technical college in their home country (photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

LEADERSHIP: Three women cubmasters from Jamaica in London for the coronation of George VI and his wife Elizabeth in May 1937 (photo by Hulton Archive/ Getty Images)

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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13

Snapshots of the past MAKING A DIFFERENCE: December 4, 1943: Odessa Gittens, front, on her way from London to an Auxiliary Territorial Services (ATS) training camp (photo by Leonard McCombe/Picture Post/Getty Images)

TRAILBLAZER: English composer and conductor Samuel ColeridgeTaylor (1875–1912), circa 1905 (photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

CHAMPIONING CHANGE: Racial justice campaigner Darcus Howe (1943-2017, left) with revolutionary and civil rights activist Michael X (1933-1975), on their way to court in London, December 1968.

Michael X was committed for trial on a drugs charge, London, December 9, 1968. (Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

PUBLIC OUTCRY: A demonstration on Gresham Road/Brixton Road near Brixton Police Station, south London, in support of the ‘Brockwell Three’ organised by the Black Workers’ Movement (BWM), July 1973 (photo

by Stuart/Daily Express/ Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

KEEPING SPIRITS UP: Young Caribbean women, members of the Windrush Generation, gather around a piano for a singalong, July 1949 (photo by Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Fashion

By any style necessary Brenda Emmanus OBE talks to the organisers and designers hoping to build the brand and vision of the Black Lives Matter movement

F

ROM THE black berets and uniforms of the Black Panthers, mini skirts marking women’s liberation or the slogan t-shirts of Katherine Hamnett — fashion has played its part in activism; and a mission by a female entrepreneur marks the continuance of the proactive campaigning celebrated by Vogue magazine in 2020 with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Adwoa Aboah.

A collaboration with one of Europe’s biggest Brand Licencing events at London’s ExCeL Centre in support of the Black Lives Matter movement presented activism of the stylish kind.

As a montage of moments of black protest burst onto screens, and African drummers and dancers seduced attendees towards them, the Culture and Unity catwalk show began.

With conviction and confidence, a host of young models graced the runway wearing an eclectic selection of casual and sportswear emblazoned with ‘Black Lives Matter’ branding.

The event was the brainchild of Saphia Maxemed, a licencing agent and founder of London Entertainment Inc. Pulling together a committee that included representatives from major retail and entertainment brands, Saphia secured the licence for ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the UK with the intention of promoting the movement and its objectives both at home and internationally.

“When George Floyd was killed we were all devastated. I remember asking what I could personally do, and all that I could think is that I have the power to speak out to my industry and question all the suppliers and retailers about why we have not got anything saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ in each retail outlet.

“I spoke out in an industry publication in 2020 and that is what sparked the conversation and where we are now. We have been building slowly so now we have partners on board, and we are ready to push our proposal.

“We now have beautiful

products that we want to deliver to high street stores like Primark and River Island. We have trademarked the logo of the Black Lives Matter movement and have collaborated with the UK branch of the organisation and their website to spread the message and garner support.”

For Saphia, this event was as much about civic mobilisation as it was building awareness and support. Every member of the creative team, the models, DJ and show producers were skilled black talent, including three designers who agreed to show their collections in support of the cause.

Keeping the vibe lively with a string of Afrobeat hits was DJ Longers, whose previous collaborations included Idris Elba and Cardi B. His choice of tunes beautifully accompanied the stunning creations of the award-winning accessories designer Anita Quansah, whose collections have appeared in Vogue and Elle as well as the current Africa Fashion exhibition at the V&A museum.

CONFIDENT “I have been in the industry for more than 20 years and when I first started I was criticised for my jewellery being big, brash and bold. Now we are confident to be our authentic selves.”

Fresh from London Fashion Week, South African LGBT+ designer Sibu Dladia shared an innovative collection with the mesmerised crowd. Sibu had previously partnered with the Levi’s brand to promote sustainability using denim, but moved by the worldwide impact of the BLM movement, this opportunity proved hard to resist.

“The BLM cause is important to me. I have always wanted to work with it as a project and this came at the right time.

We’ve just finished our huge project at London Fashion Week and have just been featured in British Vogue. Our narrative is to put our people out there. We are not just countries of colourful people, we have depth, skills

and a legacy to share.” Short but impactful, the show ended with the vibrant couture collection by Bunmi Fagbenro-Byron.

With the defiance of the black power movement itself, models navigated high heels on a shiny surface to parade garments of exquisite craftsmanship, and a colour palette inspired by the designer’s African roots and love of art.

“I have been designing for some time but this is my first collection in ten years,” stated Bunmi. “It’s called ‘Renaissance’, marking a new beginning for me. I am a black designer in London and wanted to be part of this movement.”

While getting designers on board to support the cause was a no brainer, the ultimate challenge of persuading large retail brands to endorse BLM and stock merchandise promoting it has proved a greater struggle for Saphia and her team.

“It’s not easy — I kid you not.

During Covid I saw them doing masks overnight — we have been trying to make changes since 2020 and it is only now happening. The number of conversations I have had with all the big retailers that I deal with day in and day out is unreal.

“The response is that this is something they need to think about because it’s ‘political’ and it is something sensitive that they have to do properly — yet when Covid came, they were on it. When there is a World Cup, suddenly there are flags in store.”

Anna Knight, Senior Vice President of Licencing at Informa Markets, agreed: “The Culture and Unity catwalk show was designed to unite us as an industry and empower us to move towards social change.

Demands are growing for consumer facing companies to make visible, authentic and effective commitments to focus on, and meet black consumer needs.”

A passion for fashion may be a universal phenomenon — it’s hoped the desire for positive social change may become VIBRANT: Left, a stunning dress by Bunmi; right, Anita Quansah’s award-winning accessories equally so.

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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Fashion EXQUISITE CREATIONS: The show ended with the couture collection by Bunmi Fagbenro-Byron, right and below

MAKING A STATEMENT: Sportswear featuring BLM branding

15

16 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

ADVERTORIAL

Better protection and supp sickle cell disease

Dr Kilali Ominu-Evbota

A

s part of our health series, we are focussing on Sickle Cell Disease. This is a serious and lifelong health condition that affects thousands of people across the UK. The hereditary condition is particularly common in people with an African or African-Caribbean family background.

Dr Kilali Ominu-Evbota is Co-lead of the Mid and South Essex Paediatric Sickle Cell Service.

Dr Ominu-Evbota explains, “Sickle cell disorder affects the haemoglobin in the red blood cells which makes the cells take up a sickle or – what I like to call – a banana shape.

Normal red cells are shaped like donuts.

These banana shaped cells get stuck as they make their way around the body and cause a variety of problems.”

People with sickle cell disease endure severe pain during a ‘sickle cell crisis’ that can occur multiple times per year, often requiring hospital admission so they can be given morphine to control the pain and prevent organ failure which can be fatal.

Symptoms of a crisis include – but are not lim-

Dr Ominu-Evbota ited to – severe pain, fever, one-sided paralysis, difficulty walking, sudden vision changes and confusion.

NHS ENGLAND’S LIFESAVING SICKLE CELL CAMPAIGN NHS England director of healthcare inequalities, Dr Bola Owolabi recently helped to launch a new campaign, ‘Can you tell it’s sickle cell?’

This is helping to increase awareness of the key signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease – among emergency care staff, carers and the wider public. Alongside this, a brand-new NHS training programme will also help staff better understand the condition, crises, and how to care for patients during their greatest hour of need.

Dr Bola Owolabi said: “We know that sickle cell disease is a debilitating illness that thousands of people live with, but has historically been poorly understood, which is why the NHS is launching this brand new campaign and asking: ‘can you tell it’s sickle cell?’

“It is vital that we continue to tackle healthcare inequalities head on and this means improving care and experience of NHS services, access

Dr Bola Owolabi to the latest, cutting-edge treatments, and proactively raising awareness of conditions such as sickle cell disorder that disproportionately affect some of our communities.”

John James, CEO at Sickle Cell Society said: “It is really great to see the first NHS national campaign for sickle cell disorder go live. We need to significantly raise awareness of this disorder. Only through increased awareness and education amongst health care professionals, and the general public, will we start to see improvement in patient experiences and ultimately their health outcomes.”

“A sickle cell crisis is an emergency – just like a heart attack or a stroke, it should be treated immediately as a crisis can be fatal” adds Dr Ominu-Evbota, “If a person with sickle cell says they are in pain, we must respect that and treat it promptly and appropriately. So, it is time to ask yourself; Can You Tell It’s Sickle Cell?”

FIRST NEW SICKLE CELL TREATMENT IN TWO DECADES Last year, the NHS struck a deal to roll out the first sickle cell treatment in 20 years, which

will help as many as 5,000 people over three years to have a much better quality of life.

The new treatment, crizanlizumab, will reduce chronic pain, trips to A&E and will dramatically improve patients’ quality of life.

One of the first patients to have this new ground-breaking treatment on the NHS, is Loury Mooruth, 62, from Walsall in the West Midlands. Speaking after her first treatment, Loury said: “Sickle cell has been part of my entire life. People look at you and think you look fine, but they don’t understand the pain and the trauma along with the many trips to A&E. “When I have a sickle cell crisis, it’s like someone has a knife and they are ripping it through my joints – particularly my hips and legs.

“Whenever I thought about having this new drug it brought tears to my eyes. I am so excited and over the moon because it is literally lifechanging for me and my family. I really want to encourage other eligible people with this disease to come forward and get this drug”.

Crizanlizumab, delivered by a transfusion

ADVERTORIAL

OCTOBER 2022

THE VOICE| 17

ort for people with

drip, works by binding to a protein in the blood cells to prevent the restriction of blood and oxygen supply that leads to a sickle cell crisis. The drug is expected to reduce the number of times a sickle cell patient needs to go to A&E by two fifths.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, is one of the 10 new dedicated centres to treat sickle cell disease across the country. Patients will be able to access the new treatment through their consultant at one of these clinics regardless of where they live in the country.

DONATING BLOOD CAN SAVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH SICKLE CELL Many people with sickle cell need regular blood transfusions to stay alive. As the need for blood donations for sickle cell is rising rapidly, more donors of black heritage are urgently needed– as ethnically-matched blood provides the best treatment.

Dr Rekha Anand, Consultant in Transfusion Medicine for NHS Blood and Transplant said:

“You can find out more and become a blood donor via the GiveBloodNHS app or at www. blood.co.uk.”

Sessions to donate blood are available near you, but if a local session is full, don’t worry. It’s good news because it means we’re getting a good response, please book an appointment for a future date. Your blood is still needed and you will still save lives.

STAYING SAFE WITH THE COVID-19 VACCINE Dr Kofi Anie MBE, is the Psychology Service Lead for children and adults with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, and also has Sickle Cell Disease. Dr Anie says: “It is quite easy to come into contact with people who might have been exposed to the virus.

“Fortunately, those who are vaccinated are much less likely to be hospitalised or to get seriously ill with the virus. This is why the NHS is urging people with sickle cell to talk to COVID-19 vaccination staff or their health profes-

sionals who help them to manage their condition, about vaccination.”

Data shows that COVID-19 vaccination has been extremely effective in preventing serious illness and deaths from the virus. The NHS vaccines have gone through rigorous testing, including on people from our community, so we can trust it to protect us against the virus.

EXTRA PROTECTION THIS WINTER With winter ahead, flu and COVID vaccines are again being offered to older people, pregnant women and others at greater risk from these viruses, for example because they have certain health conditions.

Getting any flu and COVID-19 vaccines you are offered is especially important as colder months draw in, and these viruses circulate most. But it’s not too late to come forward for an earlier dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting all the doses you need gives you and your loved ones the best protection from serious illness and hospitalisation.

Dr Anie adds: “The COVID-19 vaccine is

safe for people with one or more long-term conditions. Many people with sickle cell disease, including me, have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.”

Dr Anie also calls on colleagues working on the NHS front line to do their bit by getting vaccinated, saying: “It is very important to be fully vaccinated to help keep all our patients safe, and as NHS staff we have the moral responsibility and duty of care to do this.”

You can book an appointment for any dose you are eligible for at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or scan the QR code to book online. You can also phone 119 for free or visit a vaccination walkin vaccination site without an appointment – see www.nhs.uk/vaccine-walk-in.

Black History Voice OCTOBER, 2022 | Page 18

Painting a picture of history Fanny Eaton made great strides in the art world

O

NE OF Britain’s earliest art models was the daughter of a former slave and muse that went onto redefine the Pre-Raphaelites era.

Fanny Eaton was once known as Fanny Antwistle, or possibly Entwhistle, and was born in Jamaica on June 23rd 1845 to a white father and a black mother, who was freed upon emancipation. The duo soon left for a new life in Britain.

While living amid Victorian London, she quickly be-

Pilot Bessie soaring in the sky Bessie

Coleman first black woman to get international flying licence

B

essie Coleman, the first black licensed pilot, made history when she took flight in 1922. She was born in Atlanta, Texas and grew up with twelve brothers and sisters, her mother was African-American and her father was African-Amercian and Native American.

In 1902, her father left for Okahoholma to flee the racism that was commonplace for many black people in Southern states, but Bessie and the rest of her family stayed behind where she took up work helping her mother pick cotton and wash laundry.

However, an 18-year-old Bessie had bigger dreams in a world that had being black and a woman stacked against her. She began attending the Colored Agricultural and Normal University, now known as Langston University, in Oklahoma but was forced to drop out after being able to afford just one semester.

She moved to Chicago to live with her brothers after they served in the French military, where women on the other side of the world had already taken flight when it was banned for people like Bessie across US states.

After spending her evenings learning French, she enrolled at the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy after the newspaper publisher, Robert Abbott, told her to make the move to France.

Bessie received her first international pilot’s licence on June 15, 1921 from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. She became the first black woman to do so, and a year later took to the skies where she was lauded for performing “loop-the-loops” and recreating the figure “8” while soaring.

Bessie was a pioneer; she refused to speak at places where African-American faced racial bias and encouraged other black people, particularly women, to learn to fly.

gan work as a life drawing model at the Royal Academy of Art and her beauty was captured in a painting by Simeon Solomon in 1860, called The Mother of Moses.

It was noticed by other artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and Joanna Mary Boyce who were all a part of the Pre-Raphaelites Brotherhood - a group of English painters, poets and art critics - that used a young Fanny Eaton throughout their pioneering work.

Classicism and Neoclassicism, as well as Romanticism and Impressionism were just some of the art movements that depicted Victorian Britain, but what was most notable was the prominence of porcelain skin.

During this time, black representation was scarce yet alone for black beauty to be embodied in countless paintings that were held up as the standard of beauty.

Fanny was one of the first biracial women to be at forefront of galvanising this change in the art landscape.

Solomon in particular highlighted her features and afro textured hair throughout his pencil drawings.

In her later years, Fanny married John Eaton and lived on the Isle of Wight with her 10 children and grandchildren before passing away at the age of 88. Her memory is forever captured on canvases in art galleries around the world.

Bessies Coleman’s flight career was short-lived after she took to the sky one final time in April 1926. She was on a test flight with mechanic William Wills before a technical failure saw the plane turn upside 3,000 feet in the air.

During that time, planes had no roofs and the young pilot was not wearing a seatbelt as she fell to her death.

In the aftermath of her tragic passing, female AfricanAmerican pilots formed the Bessie Coleman Aviators Club 1977 to honour her pioneering memory in a world that often tells the stories of the Wright Brothers or Amelia Earhart as the first feats in aviation.

A new generation of pilots endeavour to remember the defining efforts of the first black female pilot that took to the skies.

Sitting for justice Claudette Colvin took a stand before Rosa Parks

B

efore Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger on the bus, there was Claudette Colvin. 15-year-old Colvin was born in Birmingham, Alabama and was riding on a bus in Montgomery in March 1955 when the driver ordered her to give up her seat to a white passenger.

A young Colvin was already beginning to embrace the stories of African-American leaders like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth that inspired her to refuse to give up her seat just weeks after she celebrated Black History Month.

At the time, Colvin defied segregation laws in the deep South, but it later saw her handcuffed and dragged off the bus by two police officers before being taken to prison and ordered to pay a fine.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) wanted Colvin to represent the struggle of African-Americans in the south, and also had the backing of Dr. Martin Luther King, but many thought she was too young to be the face of the movement.

In the months that followed, Rosa Parks also refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger in the same town, which sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, and propelled her to be labelled as one of the many pioneers of the civil rights movement. The United States Supreme Court later ruled in 1956 that segregated buses were to become illegal.

Today, it is almost as widely known that Colvin never was credited for her part in the civil rights era, but now as a retired care home nurse she told her story in “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice,” a memoir that recorded her integral role in the civil rights era.

AUGUST 2022

THE VOICE| 61

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Black History Voice OCTOBER, 2022 | Page 20

Black power forever Stokley Carmichael was a fearless fighter for black rights

T

he rallying call, “Black Power” was first led

by Stokley Carmichael, one of the many faces of the US civil rights movement. Born in Trinidad, Stokley moved to New York City in 1952 where he quickly became politicised when he joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was later imprisoned for his work in the Freedom Fighters.

He later went to Howard University and majored

in philosophy before joining Dr Martin Luther King in the civil rights era through his non-violent approach tackling anti-black racism.

Stokley, an unapologetic activist, later went against this famed approach and took on the need for violent resistance following the deaths of some of the movement’s most notable faces, including the assassination of Malcolm X and even was against alliance with other races amid the movement.

His calls for black power first echoed at a rally in Mississippi and went heard in the UK as Britain’s own black power movement went underway. His new, unwavering philosophy to racial injustice saw him banned from ever returning to Britain. He even later changed his name to Kwame Ture as homage to two African heroes and continued to champion black nationalism and Pan-Africanism.

At just 57, Stokeley later died of cancer in Guinea but was remembered for being one of the few pioneers that paved the way for a new era in fighting for black rights.

Sweet symphony Composer William Grant Still broke down barriers in classical music

A

t the turn of the Harlem Renaissance, an outburst of African-America fashion, art and music was the classical composer William Grant Still. He was born in Woodville, Mississippi and later moved to Little Rock Arkansa with his mother after the death of his father. A young Still went

Light of the world Lewis Latimer was switched on when he improved the lightbulb

W

hile Thomas Edison is known for inventing the light bulb, Lewis Latimer is credited for ensuring that lightbulbs lasted as long as we know them today.

Lewis was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts to parents who had escaped the entrapment of slavery just years before the soon-to-be inventor was born. He began serving in the United States Navy and returned to Boston after being honourably discharged and began work at the Crosby and Gould patent law office.

A young Lewis watched diligently over

the other draughtsmen and began teaching himself mechanical drawing. His budding talent didn’t go unnoticed and he was promoted to the same position. Some of his early designs include a railroad car bathroom and air conditioning unit.

Lewis was a part of an era that saw incredible scientific and engineering breakthroughs amid the post-civil war, where he was also involved in drafting the patent for the telephone for Alexander Graham Bell.

In 1878, Thomas Edison spent numerous occasions trying to improve a incandescent light bulb using electricity to heat a thin filament, which could only last up to 15 hours before dying. Lewis soon swooped in and improved Edison’s early work, making the lightbulb more durable from filament made of carbon. He later sold the patent in 1881. The African-Amercian inventor’s groundbreaking contribution led to lightbulbs being sold for much cheaper, he worked side-by-side Edison at his company and went on to publish a book about the process of his remarkable invention.

on to study medicine at the Wilberforce University before discovering his love for music.

In 1935, he became the first black composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra, called the AfricanAmerican Symphony by the New York Philharmonic, which reflected the position of black people in American society at the time.

Still continued to break down more barriers when he became the first black composer to have 1949 opera, Troubled Islands, performed by the New York City Opera.

He also conducted a major American symphony in 1936, the first of any black person in that era by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Still, an passionate activist and musical storyteller, composed nearly 200 works during his lustrous career which included five symphonies, nine operas, ballets and Negro spirituals. He went on to be awarded prestigious honours such as the Guggenheim fellowship and 9 honorary doctorates from colleges across the US.

26 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2022

40 years of Black British lives as told by the only Black newspaper.

With a forward by Sir Lenny Henry, and written by former and current Voice journalists, this powerful book documents the social history of Black Britain over the last four decades.

Out 6th October

Available to pre-order online.

Visit www.voice-online.co.uk for details

22

| THE VOICE

OCTOBER 2022

Dotun Adebayo

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Kemi or Kwasi - who would you pick to be the next PM? The real race for the Tory leadership is just beginning and this pair are the ones to watch

W

HO WILL be the first black leader of the Tories?

Will it be he or will it be she? And why should we care, I hear you say. After all, we don’t vote Tory.

We is black and ain’t no black in the Union Jack of the Conservative and Unionist Party of these here British Isles, I hear you say.

Well, where have you been all my adult life? You need to wake up and smell the coffee. Things done changed.

And now the most likely candidate to be Britain’s first black prime minister is red, white and blue all over.

With all due respect to Labour’s current crop of contenders, the party is as far away from electing its first black leader and, hence/potentially, the first black prime minister as it was in 1987 when the first tranche of black MPs, the so-called ‘gang of four’ (Diane Abbott, Bernie Grant, Paul Boateng, Keith Vaz) were voted into office.

RACE FOR NO 10 IS ON: Kwasi Kwarteng and Kemi Badenoch are likely to be frontrunners in the next Tory leadership contest (photos: Getty Images)

ELEVATION The post-Boris Johnson Conservative government, however, has shifted the likelihood of a black PM in its favour by the elevation of two heavyweight runners the next time the Tories decide to tear themselves apart in public with a leadership contest.

Indeed, you could argue that the two frontrunners in the next leadership contest (all things being equal, and they keep themselves scandal-free) will be controversial — Kemi Badenoch and new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

That would be an amazing turnaround of multicultural good fortune for a party which was, for at least a generation, seen as spawned by the devil incarnate by the vast majority of black people.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Badenoch’s hat will be back in the ring next time around. After her ‘surprisingly’ good showing at the hustings this time around, you try and persuade her otherwise. I think most observers of this year’s Tory leadership contest would go so far as to say Badenoch’s

hat is already in the ring for next time around.

Kwarteng’s stewardship of Liz Truss’s impressive leadership campaign, in which she was consistently ahead of Rishi Sunak, has elevated him of course to another level entirely.

From being the Clark Kent of black Tory politics, he is now the man to beat in a future contest.

Again, it would take something calamitous for Kwarteng not to be in it to win it next time around.

So what we’re looking at here, ladies and gentlemen, is a head to head between a man and a woman as to who will be the fist black prime minister of these

It will be fascinating watching how both of these potential Conservative leaders manoeuvre in the months ahead here British Isles. From what I know of both candidates (both of whom I have hosted) the race starts now. The preamble is over and now the battle to become the first black prime minister begins in earnest.

It will be fascinating and historic. We’ve never seen anything like this before. How many of us in our wildest dreams even believed that in our lifetime we

would see the keys to Number 10 being even within a realistic whisker of a black woman or man?

Of course, there are a couple of hurdles to get over. On the one hand we have a new prime minister who has still got a little over a couple of years tenure in the job.

And, of course, they will undoubtedly go into the next elec-

tion as leader and depending on what the outcome of that is, we may or may not be further away from having a black prime minister.

There is that. And, of course, it’s not a given that the Conservative Party will win the next election in which case the choice for the membership of the Conservative Party the next time a leadership contest comes up is, which person would make the better Leader of the Opposition — Kemi or Kwasi?

That’s for others to conclude.

Meanwhile, each of them will be eyeing their rival closely in the intervening years before the next leadership contest in the party.

It’s like when you go for a job at a commercial bank in the City (of London) and you see another black applicant there, they suddenly become your competition rather than anybody else who might also be applying for the same job. You just know that there’s only room for one of you.

It will be fascinating watching how both of these potential Conservative leaders manoeuvre in the weeks and months ahead.

It may take years but this race to become the first black PM is not for the swift but for those who can endure it. And I think I am in for the long haul.

Watch them.

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

| 23

Rate him or hate him - you can’t ignore him!

HISTORY MAKER: Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League when he came on as a substitute for Arsenal at Brentford at the age of 15

Make black history like Ethan T HE SECOND Elizabethan period is over.

No more ‘God save the Queen’.

The artisans will redefine the new era with song and dance and architecture. For the first time ever, people of African origin will occupy the front row seats in the room where it happens.

If we seize the time, as Black Panther Bobby Seale would say. ‘The time’ is history and we have never been in a better position to seize the history in these here British Isles — if we choose to. British history is ours for the taking at this precise moment, all we’ve got to do is raise our game. That’s what it takes to make history and we’ve got a good head start thanks to a 15 year-old boy with his eyes on the prize.

It was just the other day (the eve of the Queen’s funeral) that young Ethan Nwaneri became the first black history maker of the Charlesian (or whatever they intend to call this period) era, by being the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League, at the age of 15!

It is incredible, amazing and mad. He’s just a child. A kid taking on grown men who are going to bite his legs. Okay, he

When my kids ask me what I was doing aged 17, I have to change the subject

plays for Arsenal, but nobody’s perfect. Every history maker has his burden to carry.

When I think back to when I was 15 and what I was doing, Ethan’s achievements are frankly humbling.

Compared to him I was a wasteman at that age. A wasteman on the other side of the law and the north London divide. A stick’s man aboard the secondary school-to-prison express.

The system, in those dark and miserable days in the midst of the modern Elizabethan era (the Seventies) wasn’t allowing black boys very many other options to make history. In dem times.

Fortunately, I managed to jump off the back as the train snaked its way towards those high prison walls — thanks to my old man who threw everything at me, including the kitchen sink (literally) to get me into higher education. That saved me. But it didn’t save us.

History, not least BLACK history, is more about the future than the past — if that makes sense.

The importance of it is that it

can shape the future for not just us but, more importantly, for our children and our children’s children, and those future generations who we will never meet in life but who have a legitimate query of us, of our history and the historical characters, that populate the past: What have you done for us lately?

Because if history means anything, it means it will be doing for us lately in every generation.

How many of us are still inspired by the works of Bob MarCHASING HIS DREAM: Dotun’s nephew Olutobi AdebayoRowling now plays for Notts County but earned a contract with Peterborough aged 17

ley, Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Madam CJ Walker, Paul Stephenson, Paul Robeson and Bernie Grant?

And if we’re talking specifically football, look how the achievements of a 17-year-old Pele continues to inspire white and black folks all now.

Not only that, how many of us are still motivated and inspired by the history of our parents who went through great adversity for which we are the

living testament and dividend?

But whether they came via the Windrush or otherwise, our parents had to raise their game to give us, what they believed was, a better opportunity in life. They didn’t even realise they were making history.

When Ethan crossed the touchline as a substitute for the last few minutes of Arsenal’s match against Brentford, it was a reminder that I have done nothing to claim my place in black history. But it’s never too late.

Ethan is doing it for himself and his family who must be immensely proud, not for me or the Guinness Book of Records.

However, the dividend from his historical moment is that young black boys and girls can look at his achievement and think, WOW, I can do that. But also some of us elders should be thinking WOW, we could have been contenders if we had only knuckled down and excelled ourselves when we didn’t seize the time and just let it pass us by as we wasted (with foolishness) the little opportunity we had.

I’ve seen first-hand what a difference a dream makes with my young nephew Olutobi Adebayo-Rowling who now plays professionally for Notts County but received his first big league

contract with Peterborough at the age of 17. And it inspired me to go WOW – I have to do better.

He had to leave home to live 100 miles from his family at that tender age for him to pursue his dream. I have seen how that has inspired my own daughters as teenagers and every other young person in our family. Whereas when they ask me, “Dad, what were you doing at seventeen?” I have to change the subject.

I have never lied to my daughters, but I cannot bring myself to admit to them that when I think of what I was doing at 17, it mostly involves chasing girls, which was only marginally more productive than being chased by the police when I was 15.

Had I stuck to the programme like I was supposed to, I can almost hear your children saying, “If Uncle Dotun can get a Nobel Prize in literature, I can too.”

Wouldn’t that have been beautiful? History, shaking the hands of history.

So let me apologise unreservedly for not even trying to do my bit for the future of your children by making history that would inspire them to reach for the stars. And I suggest you do the same. Apologise. Unreservedly.

Happy Black History Month.

DOTUN ADEBAYO, BRITAIN’S MOST CELEBRATED BLACK BROADCASTER, IS KNOWN AS THE KING OF THE NIGHTTIME AIRWAVES. ALL VIEWS HERE ARE HIS OWN. LISTEN TO HIM OVERNIGHT ON BBC 5 LIVE FROM 1-5AM SATURDAY MORNINGS - MONDAY MORNINGS & 1AM - 4AM ON BBC RADIO LONDON (WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY MORNINGS). FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER: @dotunadebayo

24 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Black History Month

Africa’s first dictator

‘SHADOWY FIGURE’: Sir Percy Anderson turned a department that was supposed to enforce antislave trade laws into a tool to carve up Africa; below, the Colonial Office in Whitehall (main photo: National Portrait Gallery)

Lester Holloway on how Sir Percy Anderson masterminded the shift from slavery to empire

M

EET AFRICA’S first dictator. Sir Percy Anderson, the head of the British government’s Slave Trade department, wielded breathtaking power.

Occupying a desk deep in the bowels of the Foreign Office, this mandarin masterminded Britain’s shift from slavery to empire while stripping Africa of its wealth.

Sir Percy has been described as a shadowy figure who used his anonymity as a faceless civil servant to quietly turn the Slave Trade department into an agent for imperial expansion.

“The truth, I believe, is [that] he has begun to think of himself an African dictator, but a dictator concealed, who uses his power in secret, free of all responsibility.”

These words, spoken by the explorer Sir John Kirk in 1894, came more than a decade after Sir Percy had quietly turned a department that was supposed to enforce anti-slave trade laws into a tool to carve up Africa.

With his stroke of the pen, large slices of the continent were declared the white man’s, and so began Africa’s under-development.

This is a hidden story of how Westminster used this great apparatus of state first to support slavery, then to try to stop British and European slave traders from operating, and finally to spearhead the scramble for Africa.

The reality is that the race for Africa’s land began as soon as MPs had passed anti-slavery laws and voted to compensate slave owners generously.

In 2007, during the bicentenary of so-called abolition of slavery, the FCO produced a document entitled Slavery in Diplomacy which painted the onset of

colonialism as a well-meaning exercise.

Incursions into the heart of Africa were, according to the report, in order to ‘combat slavery at source’ by preventing Africans being captured by rogue slave traders.

Slavery in Diplomacy sought to celebrate the story of how Britain ‘forsaking past sins and wary of foreign charges of hypocrisy’ bravely battled to stamp out the slave trade after the Abolition Acts of 1807 and 1833, the latter which formerly abolished slavery. The hero of the FCO’s report was James Bandinel, a former head of the Slave Trade department, who led navy efforts to nab rogue traders on the high seas.

Yet, it was Bandinel’s successor, Sir Percy, who is far more significant. For here was a man who, above others, set in motion the first moves to partition Africa, using many of the same civil servants who had earlier tried to enforce abolition.

FOOTHOLD It was Sir Percy’s aim, working under the guidance of Lord Salisbury, prime minister at the time, to prevent the French from getting too large a foothold on Africa. Slavery, which had massively enriched Britain’s elite at the cost of millions of African lives lost in the Middle Passage and beyond, was now giving way to the age of colonialism.

The land Africans had been stolen from was now going to be ruled by the thieves, its mineral riches exploited to fuel Britain’s industrial expansion.

“They were replacing one system of domination and control with another”, says Dr Sulemana Abudulai, a former visiting fellow at Cambridge University’s Centre for African Studies.

The trading systems that were

first imposed to serve British business interests more than 100 years ago are still in evidence today. Africa’s reliance on cash crops is vulnerable to price drops, and its raw materials worth just a fraction of the value they attain once processed and packaged in the West.

“I don’t think there was an altruistic motive”, Dr Adudulai says. “This was not for the good of Africa at all. They imposed systems that were alien to people used to tribal and religious groupings. The strength of a people is in its’ identity, and they had a false identity imposed on them along with foreign rulers.”

Today these British rulers can be accused of trying to rewrite history, or worse, of using the bicentenary of abolition to peddle a soft-focus story about how colonialism began out of goodwill.

Just seven years after the 1807 Act, the passing of which is being commemorated this year, the

Brits had already begun laying the foundations of their empire by seizing the Cape Colony, in present-day South Africa, from the Dutch East India Company.

Sir Percy took control if the Foreign Office’s largest section, the Slave Trade department, in 1883 and renamed it the Africa Department.

This marked a crucial turning point. The British had only just completed a bloody suppression of the Asante people to establish the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) in 1874.

England was keen to arm themselves with as much land as possible ahead of the Berlin conference of 1885, where European nations haggled over trade routes.

Keith Hamilton, a retired historian and one of the authors of Slavery in Diplomacy, argues that the scramble for Africa was borne out of a desire to eradicate clandestine slave trading at source. Britain was ‘wedded to

an essentially moral cause’, even as they claimed vast swathes of western, eastern and southern Africa as their own.

Hamilton insists imperialism was, at its birth at least, simply a means of promoting legitimate trade between African rulers and Britain, thereby removing the need to capture land and sell people. And territorial annexation of land was simply a means of offering protection against ship owners and their henchmen.

ARGUMENT He says the government was responding to the calls of the anti-slavery campaigners such as Thomas Buxton and Stephen Lushington to work in Africa to extinguish the trade in human lives.

This argument is contested by Baroness Lola Young, who said: “The empire in Africa did not happen through Britain’s goodwill. There were economic interests, and the details of Britain’s

move into Africa would have been worked out at every level.”

The British parliament gave a whopping £20m in compensation to slave owners as they passed a law outlawing slavery in 1833. That’s a bank-busting £1.8bn in today’s money.

When you add to that the estimated £1bn profit made by British slavers (£89bn today), and the untold riches made by English plantation owners on the bleeding backs of enslaved Africans, it becomes clear that the African holocaust was big business. Factor in the money made from slavery in North and South America, and the sheer scale of this ‘economy’ because clearer still.

The Bishop of Exeter, for example, was paid £12,729 (£2.4m in today’s money) as compensation for the loss of 665 slaves in 1833.

Meanwhile, courts and institutions today continue to ignore calls for reparations.

AUGUST 2022

THE VOICE| 25

In business for yourself, not by yourself.

An introduction to McDonald’s franchising Starting your own business may seem like an overwhelming challenge, especially in the current climate. Franchising can help bridge many of the perceived barriers by offering a triedand-tested model in partnership with an established brand and giving you access to the brand’s systems, support and resources.

McDonald’s is an iconic, global brand which has been franchising in the UK for more than 35 years. Our core values – Serve, Inclusion, Integrity, Community and Family – define who we are and how we engage with our stakeholders, including our Franchisees.

Our Franchisees have a real sense of purpose and pride in what they do. It is not just about burgers and fries; they are on a longterm journey dedicating their full-time best efforts to bringing our brand to life in their communities.

You do not need prior retail or hospitality experience. Our Franchisees have an array of backgrounds including IT, dentistry, armed forces and even aviation. What they all have in common is an entrepreneurial spirit and the transferable skills to develop their teams and delight their customers within the McDonald’s framework.

Our Franchisees have access to top-quality support, including a business consultant who will give them advice and support throughout to help them succeed. Put simply – they are in the business for themselves, but not by themselves.

Read on to hear first-hand from our Franchisees about their journey with McDonald’s.

Anisha Sharma

Ian Stephenson

Tony Sealey OBE

“My parents came to the UK with very little. Watching them dedicate themselves to running their business and using it to give back has always motivated me to work hard, be successful and appreciate the value of community. I felt that being a McDonald’s Franchisee would allow me an opportunity to do just that, so after 14 years in finance, I made the decision to apply.

“I have been part of the McDonald’s system for more than 25 years. My formative years were spent working in my local restaurant in South London, then I enjoyed a fantastic opportunity working in Jamaica for a Franchisee who is still an inspiration for me. I returned and enjoyed a successful corporate career before becoming a McDonald’s Franchisee in 2018.

“Being able to treat people fairly, with honesty, integrity, respect and transparency, and expecting the same in return, is important to me. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than being able to afford an equitable opportunity to a diverse workforce and help them grow beyond their expectations. My partnership of more than 27 years with McDonald’s has just been exceptional and more.

The process was rigorous, but it set me up for success, and each stage only further fuelled my desire to become a McDonald’s Franchisee. The firm lived up to its promise; it demonstrated true partnership and continually supported me through the process.

Partnering with a global brand has afforded me a real sense of personal satisfaction, whilst allowing me to dream big. Over the last four years, my organisation has grown to 11 restaurants in South London, employing more than 1100 people locally.

McDonald’s encourages its Franchisees to contribute to the communities we operate in. In 2007 I was awarded an OBE to recognise my contributions to communities across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. This is emblematic of the great work that Franchisees, with the support of McDonald’s, can achieve.

I took over my first restaurant, in West London, in June. I absolutely love being able to have a direct and positive impact in my local community and on my people. No two days are the same and there is no looking back. I have never felt as excited about my journey as I do now.”

Every day I am able to make a difference, no matter how big or small, by empowering my incredibly diverse team, and creating and providing them with opportunities whilst giving back to my local South London communities. I am a supporter of many grassroots community projects and have also had the pleasure of being a founding patron for one of South London’s youth clubs, Legacy.”

Partnering with a globally recognised brand made it easier to break down barriers and scale up my aspirations even more, and our aligned values helped me to achieve my professional and personal goals.

McDonald’s is constantly innovating. It is an exceptional business opportunity for the right individual who has the willingness to understand, embrace and support the McDonald’s core values, and can fully commit their full-time and best efforts to a long-term relationship.”

We are actively seeking aspiring entrepreneurs who are passionate about operating a multi-site business.

To hear more about the investment and the franchise model and how it could complement your aspirations, please scan the QR code (left) to visit our website, where you can find out more about the selection process and our recruitment events.

26

| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Black History Month

Unearthing empowering secrets of our history L

IKE MOST people of my age group I grew up thinking there was no such thing as black history” the ‘Black History Man’ Robin Walker says candidly.

“We grew up watching things like Roots, and that more or less convinced us that we were jungle savages, then we became slaves, followed by the African American civil rights struggle. I didn’t realise Africa had a history and heritage before that.”

It’s a familiar tale that many of us will relate to.

Walker, author of the celebrated When We Ruled book, which edutainer Akala credits with his awakening about hidden African history, is quite simply a living, breathing encyclopedia of black history. And we are lucky to have him. Some say Walker is one of the most important black historians.

The Black History Man, as he is affectionately known, has been meticulously documenting and researching the finer points of ancient and medieval African history for decades, writing a number of books, and bringing the new, often mind-blowing facts about our history to the community.

What was Walker’s starting point on his journey to become Britain’s leading African historian? He answered with no hesitation.

“In 1989, I moved into a house where the man was from Ghana and the wife was from Trinidad. And they had in their collection a book by Chancellor Williams, The Destruction of Black Civilisation. That was my entry point into black history.

From there, I came across other scholars.”

Yosef Ben-Jochannan, who wrote the book Africa: Mother of Civilisation, and the work of John Coleman De Graft Johnson, were also major influences.

These historians set him on a new path.

“Eventually, I was introduced to a scholar in this country,

“

Robin Walker, aka The Black History Man, on the power of knowing our ancestors’ stories.

By Richard Sudan Dr Femi Biko. Femi’s teaching changed my life, my outlook, everything. Then I began teaching his course. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since. In 1999, I began to write books, too.”

One of the many popular topics discussed by Walker is the potential presence and arrival of black communities in the Americas before Christopher Columbus.

DISCOVERY Professor Ivan Van Sertima’s book, They Came Before Columbus, is one of the ones which set me on a path of discovery and so I can’t resist asking Walker for his take. The issue is hotly debated; some think Van Sertima’s work goes too far. Others argue that it reveals the tip of a much larger untapped iceberg.

Walker’s starting point is not the large Olmec heads of Mexico, thousands of years old with obvious African features.

While there might be legitimate questions about Van Sertima’s work, the central thesis that Africans had an established presence in America is in little doubt, Walker says. We were there. The question is when, and the earliest date?

What’s fascinating is that regardless of where one stands, the evidence pointing to an African footprint and presence in Mesoamerica is mounting, yet facts are met with a wall of resistance in mainstream academia. Walker pulls no punches, “They see us as inferior”.

Eventually the

whitewashed landscape of history will have to change. But, of course, power concedes nothing without demand.

If the gatekeepers of historical narratives are resistant to the idea of black civilisations pre-dating Europe, then it’s up to us to keep challenging the status quo, especially for the sake of future generations.

Everything which challenges the Eurocentric view of history, is usually dismissed as Afrocentric, when in reality the arguments should long be established as mainstream knowledge.

If there is debate over the sticking points regarding Africans in pre-historical America, then there can be no doubting the colossal evidence of advanced mighty African civilisations and dynasties, thriving and existing with complex complicated histories long before Europe claimed to have ‘discovered’ the existence nonwhite faces in the ‘New World’ and beyond.

None of this of course should be controversial, science teaches us that humanity began in Africa, and therefore at one time or another everyone on earth was

BLACK HISTORY PIONEER: Robin Walker

black, despite the pushback.

We saw some of that pushback in recent years, when a reconstruction of ‘Cheddar Man’, the oldest skeleton in Britain, revealed a black person with dark brown skin, wavy hair with blue eyes. For some, accepting their black heritage was too much.

Walker explains to me the significance of some other special findings discovered in caves at Jebel Qafzeh near Nazareth, Palestine, less than 100 years ago, of a number of skeletal remains dated back to approximately 100,000 years.

Technology has enabled a modern facial reconstruction of one of the skeletons, revealing the unmistakable face of a black woman, with clear prominent features and short curly hair.

The image is striking and

familiar. “The very first people in Israel looked like that,” Walker says. “Right after this we have a population in the Middle East descended from people like this woman, and they were called the Natufians. And, the Natufians, all scholars agree are black. There’s no debate. What scholars today do, is they don’t discuss the issue, but the ones that do are all agreed.”

After this, Walker talked of the early civilisations of the Sumer, in Iraq, and Elam in Iran, who descended from Africans like Jabal Qafzeh. Both nations widely celebrate the achievements of their modern cultures, but there seems to be silence about the African origins of both peoples.

Again, Walker outlines, the Elamites were black and that there is no debate about

that fact. What’s remarkable when hearing these gems of information is that facts like these do not seem to be widely available nor celebrated, given their significance.

DENIAL Of course, the rich reality of black history and black people smashes the myth of black inferiority and anti-black racism, which, unfortunately, is global currency.

By downplaying black history, white mediocrity is easier to sell as exceptional; when the playing field is uneven and people are disempowered through the systemic denial of key parts of their history. “We don’t live in a fair world, and information can be made to disappear”, he says. Those words underscore

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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27

Black History Month

ANCIENT CIVILISATION: There are 17 Olmec heads that have survived thousands of years in Mexico, left; above, King Mansa Musa on his way to Mecca – Musa ruled an empire which covered two thirds of West Africa and was worth $400 billion in today’s money; right, Jebel Qazfeh, the first known Israeli (photos: Getty Images)

just how vital the role of the historian is in today’s world, particularly with issues of racism still plaguing the country, even enjoying a resurgence of street fascism.

“I think the historian has the most important role,” explains Walker, “because the basis of why people can whip up hatred against black people, the basis of it is that people say you guys have no history. And the only reason you are not a jungle savage is because we rescued you and you should be grateful.”

Black people have a long and rich history which has undoubtedly shaped and moulded the entire planet, the absolute opposite of the myths which are perpetuated.

Some of the facts for example, and some of the details of

There can be no doubting the colossal evidence of advanced mighty African civilisations and dynasties the ancient kingdoms which once existed point to Africa’s golden age, before it’s dark age is arguably now.

In the 16th century, Timbuktu in Mali had large buildings and two-storey townhouses complete with indoor lavatories.

The population was around 100,000 whereas London during the same period boasted a population of around 20,000, and London was infamous for residents throwing their excrement out the window to the detriment of those passing

by on the street below. Most people today have heard of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Not so many, though, are aware that in the 14th-century, Africa produced the wealthiest man who ever lived, in King Mansa Musa, who ruled an empire which covered two thirds of West Africa and who himself was worth $400 billion in today’s money.

There were vast kingdoms and dynasties beyond Mali and Egypt which are often the main ones discussed.

“Polish archaeologists have

been digging in and around Sudan. People knew about the ruins before, but now they’ve started to publish reconstructions and restorations of those ruins. There are cathedrals and monasteries.”

Faras Cathedral is a case in point. A 3D reconstruction based on the ruins reveals a sophisticated building with columns and arches.

“That particular monument was built in 707AD,” says Walker, “which is 900 years before St Paul’s Cathedral in central London.”

There are so many African kingdoms which barely get a mention, but point to a completely different version of history than the one most people are taught. The oldest is the ancient Nubian civilisation, medieval Ta-Seti. Of course, there are

countless wonders born of the Ancient Ethiopian civilisation.

As time goes on, you get the sense that as technology continues to reveal and teach us about the untapped secrets of these ancient cultures, humanity will simply have to catch up.

MASTERFUL The old mythologies of yesteryear about black people and Africa will not stand the test of time. Walker is playing a crucial role in this process, and his work is vital.

There are so many black people who played significant roles in ancient Rome and Greek cultures, whose names barely scratch this history books.

Walker tells me about Malik Ambar, who was enslaved in Ethiopia in the 16th century.

“He ended up in India, and then Arabia and he became a ruler of one of the Indian kingdoms. His tomb is in India to this day and the Indians look after it.”

I’ve learnt so much in the space of an hour, having scribbled down as many notes as I can. We owe a great deal to people like Walker, but the best way we can honour their work is to continue it, to be enthused by it and to share it with others.

Walker is masterful at describing these historical African figures and places in a way which brings them to life.

His work is as important as so many of the facts and figures he describes. As long as our community has people like him, we definitely know who we once were, and importantly, where we are going.

28 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Terence Channer

Join the debate online: voice-online. co.uk/opinion

Black love in the West Was actor John Boyega right to say he only dates black, and why does this matter?

I

S ‘BLACK love’ in decline in the West and is there anything wrong with actor John Boyega expressing “I only date black?”

Let’s get this straight; one should be able to love, date and/ or marry whomever one chooses regardless of race or ethnicity.

However, there has been much after-dinner and online debate about ‘black love’.

The fact that the very phrase exists is instructive — parallel phrases such as ‘white love’, ‘Asian love’ simply don’t exist as far as I can tell. So why black love?

I believe to fully explore this issue would require an entire book.

The clear context is Black Love ‘in the West’, as obviously no similar concept exists in Africa or the Caribbean.

The extent to which the African diaspora has or has not remained romantically cohesive is the issue.

I remember growing up hearing so many black females complain that they could not find black male romantic partners.

Black women were generally reported as having a torrid time on the dating scene. However, some black men remained steadfast in their desire to ‘keep it black’ and were quickly snapped up.

I would hear black people comment on the power of black love when seeing black couples

walking holding hands. I often heard black women (and black men) complain that when a black man reached an elevated economic status he would marry white.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with marrying white because love is love, but it was the growing trend that appeared to be playing out in the African diaspora in the West that many interpreted as a lack of black self love.

Small pockets of the African diaspora were literally disap-

Small pockets of the diaspora were literally disappearing pearing in certain areas as a consequence. The 2001 Census of Britain showed that black British men were 50 per cent more likely than black women to marry outside their race.

Hence the glut of available black females. Some would argue that this is evidence of black love declining in certain parts of the West.

However, it would be reductive to treat the African diaspora as a monolith, because drilling down into the statistics one will

LOVE REVELATION: John Boyega was rumoured to have dated fellow actor Letitia Wright (photo: Getty Images) find that the majority of black men who marry white partners are African Caribbean, not African. Why is this?

I believe there are more powerful expectational cultural forces at play in African com-

munities as opposed to AfricanCaribbean communities.

I see African communities in the UK having more similar cultural mores as South Asian communities; strong language, strong cultural customs and

practices, deeper storytelling traditions. Take for instance the bride price or the dowry — a very powerful cultural traditions shared in both African and Asian communities.

Therefore, I believe these

cultural differences within the diaspora present a compelling answer. So no, black love is not generally in decline; it is arguably only in decline in certain communities within the diaspora.

What my circle had to say about black love...

HERE ARE some LinkedIn comments in reply to the issue I raised on whether black love is in decline in the West.

“The reason why ‘black love’ is a thing — just like ‘world afro day’ or ‘black history shenanigans’ — is because of the strategic and concerted effort to stamp it out.”

“In slavery times (Oh yes, I went

there) black bodies and sex were weaponised and capitalised upon to make more children and more slaves.”

“So black sex... yeah cool.

Make as many black babies as you like. But love… Nope — because to love is the best of us as humans, and as such would make black people more like those who said that they

weren’t human. Black love therefore was a form of resistance. Defiance.

A demonstration of humanity.”

“Wow Black love. Hopefully the growth of mixed race will dilute prejudice in the coming generations. It’s certainly alive and kicking now.”

“One reason I hear time and time again for black men (and

black women) expressing such a preference, is the ultimate relatability in the context of racism. I don’t have to explain it.

Sometimes we don’t even have to talk about an experience, one look from me and she knows exactly what I’m thinking and feeling.”

“The 2020 Sainsbury’s Christmas advert showing a normal fun-loving

black family, received a massive racist blacklash. It appears that the ordinary progressive loving black family is an anathema for some. It’s things like this that embolden some black men and women to double down on their desire to keep it black. For many black folk keeping it black is a form of insulation against cultural erosion and racism.”

Terence Channer is a consultant solicitor at Scott-Moncrieff & Associates LLP who specialises in police misconduct, injury and healthcare law. He is a passionate anti-racism advocate.

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30 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Victim support

Surviving abuse – and why it’s not reported In Domestic Violence Awareness Month, author and domestic violence worker Pam Haynes looks at why women don’t report abuse

T

HERE ARE several reasons why black women do not report domestic abuse.

Women reported feeling very isolated. Some had moved away from their families. Some women did not have access to their mobile phones or had phones with no data or they reported their calls were monitored with no access to wi-fi or social media.

As a result, they lost contact with friends. In her book Brutally Honest, Spice Girl Melanie Brown reported her phone calls to her parents were screened by her husband.

She ultimately lost contact with her family for over two years. Isolation is one of the main tactics used by abusers to control what women do, who they see and talk to and where they go.

Access outside the home is limited, often coerced to give up hobbies and aspirations, using jealousy to justify actions and enforced by physical violence.

For example, one woman, who will be called Ms L, reported her boyfriend broke her laptop in a fit of rage because she was studying rather than spending time with him.

Despite the barriers, many women have been able to navigate the obstacles presented to them, including working out an exit plan to escape their relationships safely, and focus

CALLS SCREENED: Melanie Brown lost contact with her family for over two years; below left, Pam Haynes

on their recovery and the welfare of their children.

Another reason people will not report violence is immigration status. Women were led to believe their immigration status in the UK is precarious, fearing they would be deported, should the relationship end.

Mrs S arrived in Britain on a spousal visa. She reported that her lack of British citizenship was held over her head for many years by her husband. He would claim not to have submitted paperwork, threatening to end the marriage and have her deported.

BAILIFFS She was not permitted to work and had no recourse to public funds. He gave her an allowance, but she had to account for every penny. It currently costs £1,330 to apply for British citizenship.

Women also reported not having their own bank accounts.

Salaries were paid into their husbands’ accounts denying them access to their own money. They had no idea if bills were paid.

In the case of Mrs W, the first she knew that they had defaulted on their mortgage was when the bailiffs arrived to evict the family.

Ms R reported being manipulated to take out several loans in her name with no help to repay them; placing

her in debt. In cases where the couple had separated, clients reported their ex partners withholding maintenance payments and failed to cooperate with the CSA or other court proceedings.

Racism is a huge factor in domestic abuse cases.

Homicidal data suggests that black and Asian women are disproportionately at risk of being killed by a domestic abuser.

Women reported facing barriers to receiving help. Their experiences were compounded by racism. Some were unwilling to seek help from statutory agencies, such as the police, social services, or housing authorities, because they had previously experienced racism.

Service providers were found ill-equipped to support minority survivors, basing their interven-

The facts ... l One in four women experience domestic abuse in her lifetime — Women’s Aid l One in seven men experience domestic abuse in his lifetime — The Mankind Initiative l In the UK, two women are murdered each week, killed by their current or former partner — Refuge

l On average high-risk victims live with domestic abuse for 2.3 years and medium risk victims for three years before getting help — Safelives 2015. l One in seven children and young people under 18 will have lived with domestic violence at some point in their childhood — Women’s Aid.

tions on cultural, ethnic or religious stereotypes.

Organisations like Sistah Space are crucial in supporting minority survivors and raising race awareness with professionals through their training programmes.

Another issue is lack of community support. Many women were ostracised from their family, faith groups and the wider

community, reinforcing the feeling of isolation.

Women reported feeling obliged to protect the abuser from police intervention due to their experiences of institutional racism.

Pamela R Haynes is an author and domestic abuse advocate. @lovingtheauthor

Where to seek help if affected by abuse l The National Domestic Abuse Helpline Number is 0808 2000 247 l The Mankind Initiative is for male victims of domestic abuse.

Call 01823 334244 to

speak to someone confidentially l Call Sistah Space on 020 7846 8350 for specialist support for African & Caribbean heritage women affected by abuse.

AUGUST 2022

THE VOICE| 31

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| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Midlands News

By Veron Graham

MOVIE ICON TALK INSPIRES EMERGING FILMMAKERS Legend Pam Grier drops in on Midlands Arts Centre

L

EGENDARY US actress Pam Grier stopped off in Birmingham and met with emerging filmmakers and artists from the region recently.

The celebrated star, now 73, widely accepted as the face of ‘Blaxploitation’ cinema which emerged in the early 1970s, was in the UK for a programme organised by the British Film Institute featuring showings of two key films from her extensive back catalogue — 1973’s Coffy and Jackie Brown from 1997 — plus an audience Q&A at the Midlands Arts Centre.

At an additional event at the same venue, Grier took time to offer words of inspiration in response to presentations from Ian Sergeant, Daniel Alexander, Amahra Spence, Janet Douglas

and Amy Smart detailing their careers to date and their aspirations to encourage diversity and inclusion in the creative sector.

Speaking to The Voice afterwards, Alexander said: “As a woman that has gone through such an iconic journey, for me, Pam represents change, leading the way and breaking down barriers.

HUMBLE “That’s why being at this event meant so much to me because there is synergy in what she has done with what I’m trying to be and do.

“It was surreal to meet her, to have a normal conversation about her career and mine, but it was also natural as she has a really warm soul. I’m inspired

by her ethos on life: she’s been on the scene for so long yet is still so humble and is willing to help others, which is an important ingredient, to be able to pause, give back and not make things all about yourself.”

Fresh from shooting a short film in London for Warner Brothers, Alexander is currently gearing up to direct his first self-written feature film.

As such, he took particular encouragement in Grier’s assessment of his “exquisite” showreel and asserted his readiness for a $20m (£17.6m) film.

“I needed that boost right now! She had no idea!

“I want this film not only to be a vehicle for me, but for other filmmakers and creatives, doing something special together — hopefully filmed here.”

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT: Pam Grier with rising filmmaker Daniel Alexander; left, Grier fielding questions from the audience on her iconic career

Jackson puts success down to early foundations

RECOGNITION: Angela Knight Jackson received an MBE for her services to the NHS and highlights how her faith helped her

AN NHS Director, recently awarded an MBE for her services to the NHS, specifically to the nursing and midwifery workforce, has attributed her success to the foundations laid down by her parents and “the giants who paved the way from the Windrush Generation”.

Based in Sutton Coldfield with a national remit, Angela Knight Jackson MBE has been the deputy director for nursing professional development for NHS England for just over two years.

It’s her latest role in an awardwinning career that has seen her practice as far afield as the Middle East, and hold a variety of local, regional and national positions in the UK — clinically, in academia, management and senior leadership.

Asked to look at her achievements that stand out the most, family topped her list: “I have always operated with the ethos of family first. I have worked part-time for approximately 25 years to support my husband,

who is a (Christian) minister, and raise my children.

“This is a testament that working to your values and authentic self enhances your potential — it does not inhibit it. Both my children have recently finished university — one is a medical doctor and the other graduated in law and will start a training contract shortly. My faith has sustained me immeasurably.”

DESIRE However, had it not been for a decision at 18 to go into nursing, “with a gentle nudge” from her father, the story may have been quite different. After arriving in the UK from Jamaica in 1955, Jackson’s parents married a year later, first living in Birmingham, then settling in Sheffield.

She added: “I suppose my desire for wanting to nurse led me into the NHS, as you enter into training, you begin to understand this huge institution. I attribute my success to the foundations laid in my childhood

by my mother and father. They taught and demonstrated three important pillars: faith, education and self-belief.

“I was left in no doubt that their coming to England and undertaking unskilled/semi-skilled work was not what was expected of me. I was told my grandfather was a schoolteacher: I had a grandmother who was a midwife. They pointed out that England was a land of opportunity, and I was expected to succeed. Of course, racism will raise its head, but I must (strive to) overcome.”

Still taken aback by her MBE, received last June, having been nominated by persons unknown, Jackson commented: “I embraced the honour. In fact, this was a catalyst to reflect on my life, career and roots — knowing full well I stand on the shoulders of giants who paved the way from the Windrush generation.

“The appreciation I have from family, friends, faith community and wider NHS colleagues have boosted my personal and profes-

sional standing, and given me a morale turbo boost.”

Looking to the current plight of nurses and nursing, she listed a series of issues facing practitioners of colour and the NHS, which includes the below-inflation pay award, recruitment, retention, promotion and wellbeing.

Speaking before the conclusion of the Conservative Party leadership election, she nonetheless had a series of actions for the new Prime Minister/Health Secretary: “Pay for nurses needs to be addressed. The NHS was at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic, we gave our all, some paid the ultimate price and lost their lives. The world including England now faces economic crisis with high inflation — nurses are using food banks and experience fuel poverty.

“During the pandemic the nation and Government clapped, but now we need those same hands to be outstretched, giving financial appropriation to nurses, midwives and indeed the NHS.”

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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33

Midlands News

WE MUST REACH OUT AND INSPIRE YOUNG GENERATION The first black deputy mayor of Sandwell delivers positive message after historic appointment

A

PIONEERING elected Black Country official has called for people in positions of power to send out positive messages of aspiration to the coming generations.

The appeal, made in the runup to Black History Month, came from Councillor Jackie Taylor, the first black person to assume the role of deputy mayor in the borough of Sandwell.

She told The Voice: “I never ever thought in all of my days, with my background, I’d see myself in this position. It is all of our responsibilities, people in positions of power, to send out messages that our people can aspire to achieve. It doesn’t matter where you are or where people put you.

“We get used to the hard knocks of life, but if we don’t get the things we’re trying to achieve the first time, let it be, but keep trying because when we reach those things, we will appreciate it all the more.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be in this position, after serving as a councillor in Sandwell since 2014 — the first Black African Caribbean to do so — which was another huge honour which came with major

responsibilities. I must express my gratitude to my husband (of 31 years) Marvin Taylor, for his support. I couldn’t be who I am without him. We met when I was 18!”

In her year-long role, Councillor Taylor, 61 — a qualified former nurse and social worker — supports the Mayor, Councillor Richard Jones, in their ceremonial roles.

As the first and second citizens of the borough, mayoral post-

I never thought, with my background, I’d see myself in this role holders preside over council meetings, attend civic events and represent the borough at external functions involving its residents and organisations.

Councillor Taylor’s historic appointment coincides with similarly ground breaking mayoral appointments across the Midlands in recent times.

In the same week last May, Councillors Sandra Samuels

OBE, George Cole and Tafadzwa Chikoto became the first mayors of African-Caribbean heritage in Wolverhampton, Leicester and Corby in Northamptonshire respectively.

Between 2018 and 2019, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito served as Lord Mayor of Birmingham, succeeding the Second City’s first black Lord Mayor, Councillor Sybil Spence (1997-98), who was also the first Lord Mayor of a major European city.

Concerning the recent appointments, Councillor Taylor reflected: “I do see a sea change, but I’m not naïve: it isn’t easy, particular for those (officials) of colour, whom I am very proud of. We don’t get the privileges that our white peers in politics do.”

Addressing the stereotypical image of Sandwell as a struggling area, she added: “If we continue with negative stories about deprivation, it feeds a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“There are pockets of deprivation, where people need specific help, like many places, but we need to turn that on its head. I believe that Sandwell is a borough of aspiration. I can look at myself, elected to this LANDMARK ROLE: Sandwell’s Deputy Mayor Councillor Jackie Taylor with her consort, husband Marvin Taylor, smile for a picture in May this year following her appointment role, as an example.”

Bryan takes centre stage for The Color Purple THE FIRST-EVER UK tour of The Color Purple musical opened to rapture at the Birmingham Hippodrome, ahead of scheduled performances in Plymouth, Northampton, Salford, Cardiff, Southampton and Norwich.

Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel and adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winner Marsha Norman, Allee Willis, Brenda Russell and Stephen Bray, the production recounts the powerful story of courageous heroine Celie, famously played by Whoopi Goldberg in the movie adaptation.

The role in the musical has been inherited by Wolverhampton-born singer/actress Me’sha Bryan.

She said: “The opening night was amazing! The audience’s reaction was fantastic! Midlands audiences are really, really vocal. Maybe it’s a Midlands thing, or something about this show that people literally want to get involved, shouting things out like they’re at home watching the telly!”

PLEASURE Admitting to having no trepidation in taking on this famed role, she added: “My thoughts were all about how I can do this role justice. The book was so well written, so the words just roll off your tongue. It was really easy and learning the music was a complete

pleasure because it was so well thought out with nothing superfluous in it.”

Although this production was originally staged in 2019 at the Hippodrome and Leicester’s Curve Theatre, this tour is Bryan’s first time playing Celie, although she has worked with various cast and crew members before.

“It’s going to be brilliant to take the story around the country and tell this wonderful story alongside this amazing cast,” she added.

“I’ve got friends dotted around the UK that I’ve known from singing, acting and performing who will be coming, so it will be an added pleasure to see them on the tour, too!”

STARRING ROLE: Me’sha Bryan plays Celie, the central protagonist

If you have a story for the East or West Midlands, call/text Veron Graham on 07954 572 988, email veronpgraham@gmail.com, or find him on Facebook or LinkedIn

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TUC Congress OCTOBER, 2022

Trade union anti-racism supplement

36 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

TUC Congress

A REPRESENTATIVE MOVEMENT TUC’s new chief Paul Nowak outlines his priorities for change

P

AUL NOWAK is expected to be confirmed as the next TUC General Secretary at Congress this year.

A lifelong trade unionist, Birkenhead-born Nowak has served as the Deputy General Secretary and led an internal listening exercise to hear from Black, Asian and other racialised minority staff at the TUC.

Q: Tell us about the work the TUC has been doing on anti racism and the response from affiliate unions?

Paul Nowak: You’re absolutely right, anti racism is part of our DNA, and it is a long standing commitment.

It’s right for us to challenge ourselves to make sure we’re living up to that commitment.

We’ve all been on the marches, passed resolutions and had written policies, but are we living up to our own and the public’s aspirations?

Are we making sure that we’re doing everything we can to be genuinely anti racist in everything that we do?

For the last two years our anti racism taskforce, chaired by by Patrick Roach, was an important initiative in light of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

But also reflecting the experiences of Black workers during the pandemic.

The pandemic didn’t cause inequalities

in our workplaces, it absolutely shone a light on those inequalities in our workplaces, and in our society more generally. So this year, at the Congress, the Anti Racism Taskforce will be reporting. It’s been a challenging initiative and an ambitious one. I’m hopeful that we have a document that really sets out what more the government needs to do, what more employers need to do, and what more unions themselves need to do to be genuine anti racist organisations, and to, to meet the concerns and the issues that matter to our black members.

Q: How much difference can trade unions make when you look at the scale of systemic racism at work?

Paul Nowak: We’ve found that two

in five Black workers have faced racism in work and the majority haven’t raised the issue because they have got confidence their employer is going to do anything about it. Twenty years on from our Stephen Lawrence Taskforce is that, yes, the movement’s made a lot of progress but we can’t be complacent.

So I think there’s lots of things that we need to do and some of it we’ve set out in the Taskforce report. Part of it is about demonstrating to Black workers that we are fighting their corner, and that when they really raise issues, then we take them up. We take them up at the bargaining table, we hold employers to account, we prosecute those cases of racial discrimination.

Another key element is about making sure we’ve got more Black reps and activists because people would have more confidence if they thought that the union movement looked and sounded like them, and people who’ve had the same experiences that they’ve had. We’ve still got a massive job to do in terms of making sure our representative base is genuinely representative.

Q: Recruiting Black workers is also crucial for the long term future of the movement.

Paul Nowak: It’s absolutely vital, on different levels. We know 85% of the private sector workforce is unorganised, in sectors that have high propor-

tions of black workers. So we’ve just got to be better organised in those sectors. If we’re going to build a movement that is as relevant to the next generation of workers as it has been to previous generations, then it’s got to be a genuinely representative movement, and one that organises right across the economy.

Q: What will be the legacy of the Anti Racism Taskforce and how will progress be monitored?

Paul Nowak: It will continue in spirit and in practice because we’re committed to is setting up an implementation group, which will monitor what we do after the Taskforce. We’ve got an anti racist manifesto that we’re asking unions to sign up to, which sets out a number of pledges based on the sort of key workstreams of the taskforce and that implementation group, which Patrick [Roach] will be closely involved; in Gloria Mills from the Race Relations Committee, they will be holding us to account. And we’ll be reporting back on a regular basis to the General Council and to Congress next year, as well.

Quite often we talk about what are the big public policy changes that we need to see and that’s all important but frankly we can’t wait for a change of government. We have to do what we

can do right now in workplaces. I think as a result of the work of the Taskforce unions are going to go back out into the workplace and make sure our bargaining agendas reflect the concerns of our black members. Are we thinking consciously about how our organising efforts can support black workers? Are we taking the race discrimination cases that we need to take to send a clear message to employers and to prospective members? It’s not about saying, “Oh, God, if only the government would do X or Y” I want the government to do X or Y, but there’s stuff we can do in the meantime.

Q: What work has the TUC been doing on getting its own house in order?

Paul Nowak: I’ve been heading up a project called building an inclusive TUC. We told ourselves the TUC is a great place to work but when we spoke to some of our Black staff, we fell short on those aspirations. So we’ve been working hard to first of all listen to our own Black staff about what their experience is and work to see what we can do to make it better. But consciously thinking about recruitment, progression, creating the right culture in the organisation. From the basics, like just how we treat colleagues, and how we recognise and reward the work that people do.

OCTOBER 2022

THE VOICE |37

TUC Congress pensions, poor holiday and sick pay, absence of benefits granted to other employees and job insecurity. It also reinforces occupational segregation by gender, race and/or nationality and causes division.

Employers outsource lower-paid workers so that they are not included in the pay gap reporting which usually applies to directly employed workers. Employers must be required to include sub-contracted workers in their calculation.

LARGEST

Eliminate the pay gap for Black and Asian workers as likely to be employed in insecure jobs with many being in vital front-line HE PAY gap for services like health and Black and Asian social care, and one in ethnic minority eight are under-em(BAEM) workployed compared to ers is a direct result of one in thirteen white discrimination placing men. barriers to enter and proONS reveals differgress in the labour market. ences in sectors where Main barriers are the all Pakistani and Banglatoo familiar issues of undeshi workers form the Harish Patel fair pay, job segregation, majority in the distribuunfair recruitment and setion, hotels and restaulection, lack of progression and loca- rants; black workers in public admintion. istration, education and health; and Indian workers in the banking and finance sectors.

By Harish Patel

T

REPORT

FAMILIES

Also, one of the factors is sex discrimination. A TUC report highlighted that BAEM women are around twice

COVID-19 crisis clearly exposed decades of race discrimination and its

devastating effects on BAEM workers and their families.

Even the House of Commons research admits that BAEM workers have been one of the groups most negatively impacted economically by the pandemic. Their unemployment rate was three times higher than white workers. Clearly, the ONS pay gap figures must be higher since many BAEM workers’ jobs, pay and livelihood were threatened by the pandemic.

The persistent lower level of wealth and security, consequently leads to pension poverty, particularly when older BAEM people are more likely to be tenants and paying rent. Age UK found that older BAEM people were twice as likely to live in poverty.

These jobs are intentionally labelled as “non-core” and therefore, devalued. This provides justification for exploitation through low pay, inferior

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PAY GAP DATA FOR BAEM WORKERS? Both mean and median figures, similar to gender pay gap data.

■ Overall pay gap as well as the full-time and part-time figures.

■ Hourly earnings of BAEM employees compared with white employees.

■ Gap between full-time BAEM and white employees, BAEM women and white male employees, by pay band and or job role.

■ BAEM breakdown of part-time and full-time permanent, fixed term or casual employees and outsourced staff.

■

OCT OBE R

Part-time BAEM employees compared with full-time white male employees.

■ Difference between basic pay and overall pay, pay scales, bonuses, target performance related pay or over-time.

■ Data on BAEM women, disabled, LGBT+, younger and older workers.

■ Clear and detailed commentary for all pay nuances mentioned here.

■

N ACTION-1O : 9 ID CAKOINVG SURE YOUR

FOR ALL M CE IS FAIR WORKPLA

Unite the Union recognis es and celebrat

es the contributions and roles played by black and Asian ethnic minority (BAEM) people in all spheres of our lives in this country and beyond.

Yet, BAEM people continue to suffer disproport ionately at work, in the community and in the wider society.

British history is part black history and we of need to start teaching inclusive history right from the beginning . The Covid-19 pandemic not only exposed centuries of structural, systemic and institution al racism and inequalities but also, the devastating financial impact and the effect on mental health and wellbeing of BAEM people. BAEM people are tired of structural inequality in health, judiciary, housing and education . We need to truly say what we see.

Black Lives Matter and Racism Hurts.

membUnion er to y ship

ortant

The Vo ice

Let us UNITE to stand up against racism in all its forms includin g sports. Join Unite’s campaign for Fairnes s & Justice, show racism the RED CARD and CHOOSE:

• COMPASSION over hatred • KINDNESS over cruelty • HOPE over fear • RESPECT over hostili ty • HUMANITY over aggression • UNITY over divisio n

e to workplac union guide ments Unite the act assess equality imp

n.org/equalities

020 7611 2643 equality@unitetheu Unitetheunion1 nion.org @unitetheunion 9572/DB/9-21

ou...

TUC B is pleased to support th e la Confe ck Worker We re cognise s rence the ro worker le that s in se 2 017 unions veral indust play in rie em s and

Black and Asian ethnic minority people should not suffer in silence and we use this opportunity during Black History Month, to invite everyone to play their part by challenging and reporting all those who refuse to accept that racism and institutional racism have no place anywhere in society.

www.unitetheunio

is imp

at vario powering the liv us lev es of els ac ross th e UK

During the pandemic, the unemployment rate for BAEM young workers increased more than twice as fast as the rate for young white workers. Not only black workers are over twice as likely to be in temporary work but also have experienced the largest increase in the number of people in temporary jobs. 42 per cent of Black workers are in temporary work because they cannot find a permanent job, compared to 31 percent of the total temporary workforce. One in three BAEM workers in

insecure work had asked for a fixedhours contract but only one in three of those was successful.

According to Runneymede Trust, BAEM workers are more likely to be in insecure employment, become unemployed, lack progression, be disciplined and be delegated menial tasks at work.

EXPLOITATION There should be no place for insecure contracts in the sixth richest country in the world. Government should tackle the exploitation of BAEM workers in precarious employment by creating decent jobs and stopping the growth of insecure work which consigns millions to inwork poverty and exploitation.

Unite has been calling on the government to put an end to the current two tier workforce and reform the rules on employment status to define all those on zero-hours contracts as ‘employees’. Also, to make zerohours contracts illegal.

Harish Patel is National Officer for Equalities, at Unite the Union.

Fair Pay for BAEM workers and Equality Audits Unfair, unequal pay and lack of transparency in pay systems create a divided, demoralised and undervalued workforce.

We have been asking for all employers to be required to conduct regular detailed pay audits of BAEM workers including by full-time, part-time, fixed-term, casual and outsourced workers, with the find-

ings made available as has been the case for gender pay gap reporting.

This should include pay and grading, job roles and other pay related details by sex, disability, LGBT+ and age. The employers should then produce targeted action plans with steps they will take to address any gaps identified which will be reviewed and monitored.

UNITE WILL CONTINUE TO CALL FOR: Mandatory reporting of the pay gap for BAEM workers including pay audits which are regularly conducted and the findings made available, with a requirement that they are reviewed and monitored to address any disparities. Also, a standard method of calculating the data including employers in the supply chain.

■ Trade unions to be fully consulted and involved throughout the process of reporting.

■ Mandatory equality audits and equality impact assessments to ensure that discrimination and barriers that contribute to the pay gaps can be identified and agreed action implemented and monitored.

■ Private and public sector employers to establish BAEM monitoring systems.

■ An authority to enforce reporting of BAEM workers’ pay gap and action plans as well as monitoring. There should be effective and meaningful sanctions for employers who have practices that encourage or lead to race discrimi■

nation and those who do not comply. EHRC should be given powers to issue fines to those failing to comply with a notice and it should be provided with adequate funding to carry out these duties.

■ A real living wage and an end to casualisation, zerohours contracts, precarious work, and long hours’ culture which impact on the BAEM pay gap.

■ Strong collective bargaining. Evidence has shown that workplaces with a recognised trade union and collective bargaining have lower pay gaps, more pay transparency and fairer practices regarding pay, terms and conditions. Government and employers should recognise that collective bargaining is an effective route to narrowing the pay gap for BAEM workers in all workplaces.

■ Statutory rights for union equality reps, including specific requirements on race equality and action to support the progression of black and Asian ethnic minority people at work.

38 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

PHOTO CREDIT: Marcus Rose/UNISON

TUC Congress

BLACK WORKERS RISE Gloria Mills says Black union members must be at the heart of the drive for equality

LEADER: Gloria Mills. (Pic: Mark Kerrison)

G

LORIA MILLS has been a trade union activist for over 35 years, and is well known as a powerful advocate for racial justice and equality. Chair of the TUC’s Race Relations Committee and a past TUC President, Mills first got involved with the former print union Sogat when she worked as a legal copywriter.

She became Director of Equality at Unison in 1993 and has been a member of the TUC’s General Council since 2000.

Despite her many achievements, she told The Voice that what mattered was not the office a person held, but the action they did in that post.

We caught up with Mills before Congress.

Q: Current trade union action is built on actions that have taken place in the past. How do you see it?

Gloria Mills: The collective voice of Black workers across the British trade union movement has been instrumental in putting race equality and anti racism at the heart of the trade union agenda. So when we look at progress,

we need to look at where we started from.

When the late Bernie Grant started a black trade union solidarity movement and I became involved, people were not happy about the fact that black workers were asserting their rights and their voice for representation at all levels of British society.

Against that backdrop, we were able to forge a powerful pathway through the trade union movement.

If you look at the work we did in the [TUC] Stephen Lawrence Task Force in 2000, we had a very important message for the trade union movement and they had to rise to the challenge to combat institutional racism.

We saw a serious shift in [trade union] resources to tackle racism in the workplace such as training for black, and Asian trade union officers at the

TUC Education Centre.

People were doing accredited leadership courses, and the TUC started the equality audit.

What self organisation has shown is that black workers have moved from the margins into the mainstream, and we have seen Black members become empowered through this process in their own union and started driving the collective agenda.

And it’s the collective voices of Black workers that will attract the future generation of Black workers into the trade union movement

Q: Trade unionism is part of the DNA of Black communities, isn’t it?

they fought tooth and nail for the community.

Black Caribbean people have had, and continue to have, higher trade union membership density because we come from a legacy in the Caribbean of workers organising. I was on oil field workers trade union picket lines, that’s a three year old girl.

That generation knew about unionism. We had people like Tubal Uriah Butler in Trinidad.

Trade unionism is honouring the legacy and tradition of those who fought slavery and for independence.

Black people are not new to trade unionism today, they have been here before fighting, you know, the good fight and organising.

Gloria Mills: I’m a girl of Windrush and my parents’ generation are, and

Q: Turning to the present day,

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WORKING IN UNISON

discrimination, disadvantage and deprivation.

Unions should demand policies and programmes to strengthen opportunities for labour market participation for Black workers, and in particular, for Black women who experience multiple forms of micro-aggression, discrimination and a hostile workplace.

It is important that trade unions aim to ensure that every workplace is a unionised workplace. Moreover, organising and recruitment need to be looked at in the context of trade union power.

U

PIC CREDIT: Marcus Rose/UNISON

NISON CONTINUES to recruit and encourage Black members to participate in the Union structures.

A range of mechanisms and tools enable Black Members progression through the union structures and decision-making.

Member learning is a key priority open to all.

These initiatives cover accredited training in a variety of courses, for example, employment law, negotiating, activists training, accredited courses, mentoring, tutor and leadership skills training.

REPRESENTATION The ULearn UNISON College provides opportunities to improve skills and widen access to education, learning and training through The Open University to those who have previously been unable to access them.

Black members representation on the National Executive Committee has increased to 10 per cent; 10 per cent of Health and Safety Reps, 12 per cent Branch officials, 24 per cent equality reps. One of UNISON’s Vice-President is Black.

UNISON has been leading negotiations with employers on workplace standards on race equality. Health and Safety and risk assessments are priority issues specifically since the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Union is calling on the Government to introduce its 2017 Manifesto commitment to close the Ethnicity Pay Gap – which is estimated to cost Black Workers over £3.2 billion in lost wages each year. UNISON is calling on the Government to introduce comprehensive race equality actions plans to tackle institu-

what areas should unions focus on?

Gloria Mills: We need to build talent pipelines, and we need to give people fair opportunities in order for them to be able to progress. I’ve seen about six trade union charters for Black workers over the last 40 years but we also need hard measures that will stop occupational segregation that has historically impacted Black workers who have been on insecure contracts.

For the last four decades, Black workers have been levelled down

by Tory actions because of outsourcing in the public sector which has eaten into the pay of Black workers which has become the profit of those companies.

Look at the care sector where in some care homes it’s disproportionately made up of Black or migrant workers.

We have to look at the process of recruitment, restructuring and redundancy, because this is tainted with racial and discriminatory biases and use the collective bargaining tools that we have, including the legally binding instruments that are available but are not being used.

We need to question why employers are selecting black people for redundancy and stop the abuse of Non Disclosure agreements and

tional, structural and systemic racism; extend the Public Sector Equality Duty to the private sector; introduce Mandatory Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting; use the levers of public procurement contracts to make it an obligation on companies to implement equality plans – that removes opaque racial barriers in the labour market.

INEQUALITIES We need to end generational racial inequalities that deny equal access and opportunities to Black workers.

The big challenge for trade unions is to demonstrate that they are winning on tackling racial injustice in the workplace. Winning on equality in general and specifically on race equality, will be necessary to change the agen-

compromise agreements on race and discrimination cases that has shielded employers from being exposed as serial offenders and discriminators. The background I come from, we’re fearless when it comes to challenging discrimination, and people don’t buy our silence.

That was what the Windrush generation did. That was the legacy they left us. And that’s why you see NDAs and compromise agreements are so immoral.

Q: Can you give examples of the kind of practical actions trade unions can take with employers?

Gloria Mills: Black unemployment, Black young male unemployment has not changed much in the last five decades.

One of the things Unison has been campaigning for, with a lot of the other trade unions like Unite, and the GMB, is for the insourcing of jobs.

Look at what happened at Barts NHS Trust, earlier this year when 1,600 mostly black women and migrant workers took two weeks of industrial action, they were able to win the insourcing of that contract from Serco from May 2023 back on NHS terms and conditions, and they will be paid 25%

da, the structure and the culture of institutions that continue to operate opaque practices.

Trade unions should galvanise the resources of workplace representatives within regions and sectors to bring about transformational changes in workplace culture. sectoral strategic litigation, with comprehensive and target action plans. We are calling on employers to introduce ethnicity pay audits; implement measures through job and pay progression and give Black workers the equal and fair opportunities that they deserve.

We need to end the occupational and racial segregation in the labour market that reinforces the glass ceilings and glass walls that keep Black workers outside of permanent, secure and safe jobs. Economic exploitation and impoverishment perpetuate the cycles of

more.

There was another example in Great Ormond Street where the security guards, again predominantly Black and migrants, had the jobs in-sourced.

We also need to push for public sector procurement to have a binding clause in every contract that says we expect you to have a diverse representative workforce.

So we can use the leverage of public money to change the culture and end racism being practised in those companies in receipt of public money.

It would have a transformational change in the private sector. We can use provisions within the Equality Act to have positive action so that where you have significant under representation you can take corrective action and to make sure you give opportunities to other people.

And we can look at class action on behalf of groups could end occupational segregation in some sectors by serving them with a Non Discriminatory Notice.

So we need trade unions to be working with the employers to say, ‘Where do you advertise your jobs? Do you advertise in The Voice?’

OPPORTUNITIES It is because of trade union power that workers get the best pay and terms and conditions, because of density and strength in numbers.

Empowering workers in general, and Black workers with the bargaining and negotiating tools necessary to win at work - we achieve the best for our members.

We organise and collectively bargain because we want to stop the unfettered abuse of management and corporate power and we can only change things by demystifying the negotiating process and training workers to do the financial and forensic analysis of their companies accounts so that they achieve a fairer wage and better outcomes from the profits they generate. As trade unions, we also need to build organising capacity in the workplace to enable working people to resist the fall in the value of wages and to keep pace with the cost of living. The TUC’s campaign for £15 would be a good start to recruit and build union density.

Gloria Mills National Secretary – Head of Equality, UNISON

40 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

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O

VER THE past two years the TUC’s Anti Racism Taskforce has scrutinised the movement, and it has been found wanting.

None of the trade unions is exempt from institutional racism and the movement acknowledges there is still some way to go if black workers are to be fully represented.

The manifesto has been informed by research and discussions with black trade unionists from across the movement. It sets out what trade unions, and the movement as a whole, will do to make sure it secures economic and social justice for black communities.

The manifesto and the Anti-Racism Action

Plan adopted by Congress set out the plans to refresh, renew and reboot the movement’s campaigning, organising and bargaining work and tackle racial inequalities in workplaces and communities.

In the next five years the TUC aims to secure transformative change. This manifesto sets out our intent and provides a mechanism

for the TUC and others to monitor and assess progress and review the changes needed in unions and across our movement.

The TUC’s Anti-Racism Implementation and Oversight Group will report regularly to the General Council and annually to TUC Congress on progress and outcomes.

TUC’S ANTI-RACISM MANIFESTO

THE PLEDGES Collective Bargaining: putting race on the agenda 1. Racial equality will be centred in the TUC’s collective bargaining agreements, by working alongside black members to identify the key bargaining issues and making sure that black workers voices are represented at the negotiating table.

2. The movement will identify a mechanism to monitor cases to tackle race discrimination in the workplace and report on progress, wins and losses.

3. The unions will work to improve the confidence of black workers in its ability to represent them on all matters, including tackling racism at work, by providing the adequate information to the TUC Equality Audit.

4. The TUC will implement training for our negotiators to secure racial justice at work, with the review panels including experienced black activists and/or trainers.

5. It will be demanded that employers monitor and review their recruitment, retention and employment practices and press for action by employers to tackle underrepresentation, outsourcing/two-tier employment and to eliminate race pay gaps.

6. Unions will champion cases of race discrimination and ensure that our decision-making processes are speedy, open and fair, whilst ensuring that Black members are supported effectively.

STILL RIGGED: RACISM IN THE LABOUR MARKET

By Frances O’Grady

T

HIS IMPORTANT and sobering report lifts the lid on racism in our labour market. Based on extensive polling, it provides quantitative evidence of the shocking scale of workplace discrimination facing black1 workers. And it offers an insight into the insidious way in which this racism undermines their lives, livelihoods, and life chances.

Carried out under the auspices of our Anti-Racism Taskforce, the TUC’s research shows that racism scars every aspect of working life. As well as determining who gets hired and fired, it also shapes Black workers’ day-to-day experi-

Frances O’Grady General Secretary of TUC ences, from training and promotion opportunities to the allocation of shifts and holidays. Many BME workers also told us they have experienced bullying, harassment and worse. Alarmingly, the vast majority did not report this to their employer.

WASTES TALENT Unsurprisingly, all this comes at a huge cost. Black workers’ mental health suffers. Their confidence takes a hit. And many suffer inwork poverty, sometimes having to do two, or even three, jobs to make ends meet. This racism doesn’t just wreck lives – it wastes talent and potential, costing our economy dearly.

As the global struggle for racial justice has intensified, race equality has become prominent on the political agenda. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted inequalities hardwired into our economy and society, with BME workers more likely to do dangerous work, more likely to contract the virus and more likely to die from it. We know too that Black workers are on the frontline of insecure work, being massively over-represented on zero-hours contracts and in lowpaid jobs. And this makes them especially vulnerable to the cost-ofliving emergency now hammering working people.

This study underlines the overwhelming need for change. Despite commissioning report after report on race equality, the government has consistently failed to deliver the reforms we need. Instead of addressing the causes and consequences of discrimination, ministers have chosen to pursue dangerous narratives about race that divide working people.

That’s why unions must put the fight against racism at the heart of our organising, bargaining and campaigning work. We must build solidarity among working people,

showing that the debates about class and race in modern Britain are fundamentally linked. And we must meet the aspirations of our black members for better work. As this research makes clear, many had a positive experience of homeworking during the pandemic, underlining why we need genuine flexibility for all.

ACTION PLANS But unions can’t do it all alone.

This report ought to act as a wakeup call for employers, policymakers and politicians. The scale of the challenge we face demands structural, institutional and legislative change. And where better to start than by introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting – alongside Action Plans to address discrepancies?

Now is not the time for incremental measures or half-hearted policy initiatives, but for transformative change. The trade union movement will keep fighting for radical action to address racism in our labour market. We believe Britain at work should be Britain at its best – fair, inclusive and equal.

Black workers deserve nothing less.

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Black Worker Power Britain’s top black trade union leader issues rallying cry for our communities to join, and get involved in, the union movement.

B

LACK WORKERS have the collective power to challenge racial injustice in the workplace, Britain’s most senior black trade union official has said.

Dr Patrick Roach — who leads a 300,000 member teachers’ union – said “now is the time” to get involved in the movement so the collective power of labour can tackle structural racism.

Dr Roach, 57, is chair of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Anti-Racism Taskforce, which brings together union leaders from every sector.

He said it was time to scrap the public sector pay freeze, which was more likely to deny black workers a pay rise. It was a “scandal” that too many employers were getting away with paying lip service to race equality at work, he said.

He told The Voice that black trade union-

ists should “use the leverage that we’ve got, the influence that we have, to speak up for working people, to speak up for our communities, against the government which, frankly, has been pursuing a hostile environment policy to the detriment of black communities, to the detriment of workers and of working class communities in general”.

Dr Roach, who is general-secretary of the teachers union NASUWT, added: “I want to see more black workers playing an active role within their trade unions.

NEGOTIATOR “Whether that be as caseworkers, negotiators, organisers, or employees within trade unions, black workers are part of that process of bringing this change, about setting the agenda for what our unions say, and what our unions do in practice.”

Dr Roach is only the second black general secretary of a major union in British history,

after Bill Morris led the Transport and General Workers’ Union (now Unite) from 1992 to 2003. The only other black union boss is Maheta Molango, who took over at the small footballers’ union, the Professional Footballers’ Association, in June last year following Gordon Taylor’s retirement.

PIC BY: Pierre Wachholder

By Lester Holloway

UNEMPLOYMENT The son of Jamaican parents who settled in Walsall, West Midlands, Dr Roach is a former teacher and lecturer in social policy.

He was elected leader in 2020 after two decades of service as an official at the union, having previously served as deputy general secretary. TUC research found that unemployment rates for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers rose three times as fast compared to white workers at the beginning of the economic dip.

Data shows that BAME workers were rehired three times more slowly, proving a pattern of ‘first out, last in’ that was

also seen at the start and end of the banking crisis of 2008-09.

This cannot be fully explained by factors like being more likely to be employed in sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality and retail; the figures suggest that ‘structural racism’ is also at play.

In recent months, the TUC has also joined forces with the business federation, the CBI, to press the former prime minister Boris Johnson to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay monitoring, so that the public can see what the pay gaps between black and white workers looks like.

A BETTER DEAL FOR TEACHERS IS REQUIRED TO TACKLE RACIAL INEQUALITIES The NASUWT believes that a Better Deal for Teachers is the only route to ending the injustice of racial pay gaps, stifled career progression and discrimination in the workplace.

Our children’s potential to contribute positively to the future of our society and our economy is directly linked to the hard work, dedication and professionalism of our teachers. Every child from every background can develop a passion for education and deserves to realise their goals and ambitions.

But teachers are angry and demoralised.

The NASUWT is demanding intervention from the Government to secure a better deal for teachers as part of a range of measures needed to ensure the continued support of the profession.

In particular, the NASUWT is urging the Government and employers to close the discriminatory gap in pay and career progression between Black teachers and their White colleagues. Just 54% of Black teachers, who were expecting to move up the pay scale in 2020/21 told the NASUWT they actually did move up the pay scale compared to 74% White teachers.

www.nasuwt.org.uk

42 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

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Unions fighting for race equality

By Glen Munro

T

HE KILLING of George Floyd in 2020 resulted in renewed calls for Britain’s trade unions to tackle racial injustice, within its ranks and the workplace.

The Voice newspaper spoke to some of Britain’s most powerful unions to assess their progress towards equality, showcasing their achievements.

HOW ARE UNIONS BARGAINING FOR RACE EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE There is a need for unions to negotiate for black workers within the workplace. Wholesale discrepancies in pay, promotion and representation in senior management roles across the British workforce is a cause for concern.

According to the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), black workers are more than twice as likely than white workers to be in temporary and zero-hours work.

Their plight worsened during the pandemic, with the employment rate for people from BME backgrounds dropping by 5.3% in the year to September 2020, compared with a 0.2% decrease in the number of employed white workers.

IMPROVING TERMS AND CONDITIONS Paddy Lillis, general secretary of Usdaw, believes urgent action is required to reverse the damaging trends adversely affecting black workers within the retail, distributive, manufacturing and service sectors.

He said: “Zero-hours contracts, strengthening regulation, raising sick pay and day one rights that apply to all workers would ensure support reaches those workers who need it most.

“Alongside this, anti-trade union laws must be repealed. The rights to organise, strengthen and empower workers to collectively bargain and improve terms and conditions in the workplace, must be achieved.”

Unite addressed the rights of 1,800 NHS workers this year. The union struck a landmark agreement with one of the UK’s largest NHS trusts, bringing staff employed by the outsourcer Serco into NHS employment.

Cleaners, porters, security guards, and domestic staff working at the Barts Health group of hospitals, in London, will benefit from NHS pay, terms and conditions.

The offer ensures a 3% pay rise backdated to last April, plus a one-off payment of £400.

The deal was struck after Unite members CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

Paddy Lillis, Gen-Sec of Usdaw

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44 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

TUC Congress

Courtney Pitt staged a two-week strike. It will come into effect at the end of April 2023.

To address the issue of bullying, the Barts Health Trust and Serco have agreed that Serco managers will undergo training.

The PCS have similar goals in its drive to achieve greater equality of staff. Ebank said: “Staff working as security guards, cleaners and catering staff in urban areas are mostly black, but they are nearly all work for private contractors, hired by the civil service.

“They have greatly inferior terms and pay, compared to in-house staff, who are largely white. We regard unionising these workers, driving up their pay and conditions and campaigning for them to be insourced and become civil servants a key part of our antiracism work.”

WORKERS RIGHTS FOR FOOTBALLERS The PFA has lobbied football stakeholders to address the issue of under-representation of black members across the football industry and has been instrumental in developing the Player to Coach scheme.

The programme will increase the number of black players, both male and female, making the transition into full-time coaching roles in the professional game.

Courtney Pitt, the former Portsmouth player is enjoying a 23-month placement at the Academy of League One club Burton Albion.

Sharing the benefits of participating in the Player to Coach scheme Pitt explains on the website: “It is important, because we are under-represented in football clubs.

“A lot of minority groups should be or need to be involved, because they are able to relate to players from different backgrounds.

“Some coaches might not believe

Jennifer Moses

A lot of minority groups should be or need to be involved that the pathway is there, but these schemes are coming up and promoting that clubs really want to get involved and diversify the academies. There are a lot of ex-players and upcoming players who are willing and want to get into coaching.

“In previous years, I didn’t think the pathway was there, so the more people from minority backgrounds are seen to be getting these opportunities and jobs with academies the better placed we can be as role models, to show you can get a career although having stopped playing.”

Cambridge United, Charlton Athletic, Cheltenham Town, Fleetwood Town, Forest Green Rovers, Lincoln City and Newport County are the clubs participating in the player to coach scheme.

TRAINING FOR MEMBERS Diane Ebanks, head of equality at PCS, has noticed the benefits in-house courses are having on members.

She said: “ Rather than arranging courses before consulting members we ask our union delegates what subjects will be most beneficial to them.

“Surprisingly, we have noticed that courses on creative writing, English, maths and information technology have been both popular and helpful, by providing a springboard for members to further their formal education, through a university degree or the trade union education programme.

“This enables them to be in a better

position to start new roles at work.”

Within the teaching profession the number of trainees entering the sector in 2022 has dropped by 25,000, compared to 2021. To encourage the enrolment of black teachers as members of the NASUWT workshops are advertised, which focus on how Union support can assist progression within the profession.

Jennifer Moses, the National Official for Equality and Training at NASUWT, has been behind the development of workshops and training courses, designed to attract and support black members. Commenting on this, she said: “Workshops discuss progression within the union and professionally and there are courses only open to black members.

“For example, Continuous Professional Development activities, including How to Progress to Leadership Positions, is one of the most popular courses the NASUWT offers.

“Participants of the course have been able to enter leadership roles within the Union, while others have been empowered to tap into avenues of training outside the NASUWT remit,

How to progress to Leadership Positions is one of the most popular courses the NASUWT offers which has contributed to their professional development.”

The PFA is also reaping the benefits of its proactive approach to engagement with black members.

Simone Pound, the director of

equality diversity and inclusion at the PFA, commenting on its discussions with union members said: “The feedback from black players following well-being workshops has been 100 per cent positive, with many expressing the belief that support is essential across the profession.

“Players realise that the racial abuse experienced during games and online can be managed with the right support from the club they play for.

“They also need to be educated on how to report incidents of abuse to the police and to social media companies.”

(841 words)

RECRUITMENT AND PROGRESSION UNISON has a National Black Members Committee, which focuses on dealing with discrimination, during formal procedures and developing effective responses to deeply rooted patterns of discrimination.

The Union runs high profile advertising campaigns, ensuring that potential members are aware of the cover enjoyed. The benefits members receive include legal help, financial assistance, a helpline, accident and injury compensation and exclusive member discounts.

During a recent campaign, staff volunteers and activists were asked to spread the message “now is the time to join UNISON,” across the workplace.

As a result of the campaign there was a 44% increase in recruitment compared to the same period last year.

Gloria Mills, the national secretary for equalities at UNISON the Union, has seen the benefits of recruitment campaigns. She has noticed that advertising training courses often entices black members, to join the Union.

Mills said: “A lot of cleaners and domestic workers have taken advantage of UNISON’s training courses and

become very influential within the ranks.”

UNISON provides online courses on topics such as employment law and health & safety, because its members have family commitments and work long hours.

Gloria Mills believes it is important that UNISON continues training individuals who can skilfully negotiate on behalf of its members. She said: “We want to promote the training of members who can bargain for racial equality with employers. For example, UNISON has three black negotiators in sectors including higher education, the Environment Agency and National Health Service.

Mary Onafalajo leads on EDI at the Environment Agency, negotiating on behalf of members on key issues, including pay claims, in line with the union’s bargaining agenda. Onafalajo, recently, helped barter a 10 per cent consolidated pay increase for all staff, at the Environment Agency.

HOW ARE UNIONS DEVELOPING PUBLIC POLICY TO TACKLE SYSTEMIC RACISM? To address the issues of systemic racism unions are attempting to influence government policy, by addressing laws, regulations and funding priorities that affect major institutions.

Discussing how UNISON is attempting to influence public policy Gloria Mills said: “We have been petitioning parliament to address the ethnicity pay gap (EPG).

“Currently, companies with over 250 employees must publish their gender pay gap by law, but there is no mandatory requirement to publish information on the ethnicity pay gap.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

45 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

TUC Congress “In order to achieve a fairer workplace, publishing this data is one of the next steps to knowing how extensive the issues are from a race and ethnicity perspective and not just through the lens of gender.”

A petition with 130,000 signatories has been debated in parliament, but no government response followed. In May 2022, the government published a response to the Womepay gap and Equalities Committee’s report, stating that they would not bring ethnicity pay gap reporting into legislation, due to the difficulties they could foresee with collecting the data.

Wilf Sullivan, race equality officer at the Trades Union Congress, commenting in The Guardian newspaper, recently said: “The government is dragging its feet. Mandatory ethnicities pay gap reporting is one of those rare areas where there is universal agreement across trade unions and businesses.

If you do not have the facts about racial inequality in your workplace, it becomes much easier to dismiss “But the government still seems reluctant and has not said why they are not taking action on a consultation that happened two years ago. If you do not have the facts about racial inequality in your workplace, it becomes much easier to dismiss.”

A report by the #EthncityPayGap campaign has revealed that Black (of African and/or Caribbean heritage) and Brown (Black and mixed heritage) women could be deprived of £105,000 to £350,000 of earnings across a working lifetime spanning an average of 35 years.

The PCS regularly attends meetings with the Cabinet Office, on a range of issues affecting its members, including equality and diversity.

It is planning to run legal cases concerning promotion rates and unequal pay in the UK Civil Service. It believes the government is failing to adhere to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which came into force in April 2011.

The PSED calls for “due regard” in decision-making, to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity.

A spokesperson for the PCS commenting on its drive to shape public policy said: “We are pushing the Cabinet Office to carry out equal pay audits. We are also preparing to combat what is likely to be an attack on equalities started by the PM. Both Tory candidates have declared a war on ‘woke’, which will mean attacks on diversity policies and practices.”

This week the PFA attended the launch of the English Football League’s (EFL) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, ‘Together’.

The plan is a five-year vision for the EFL and its clubs to reflect and repre-

BLACK WORKERS MATTER: Unions members are part of the anti racism struggle (Pic: Elizabeth Cameron) sent the communities they serve.

The EFL’s Code of Practice is aiming to embed EDI at the core of its policies. To achieve its aim the EFL will undertake an equality impact assessment (EIA), against policies within the organisation to ensure equality is embedded.

The aim is that at least 50% of all policies within the EFL should have undertaken an EIA over the lifespan of the strategy.

Simone Pound added: “We’ve all seen players asking for change that is needed, and it’s timely the EFL has a strategy to display to its clubs how they can become more inclusive.”

The EFL will also support clubs attempts to improve the diversity or their relevant persons by providing education, awareness and increased opportunities for progression within the profession.

Clubs will be encouraged to input regular equality information regarding both staff and supporters.

EQUALITY FOR BLACK UNION STAFF The PCS is carrying out research to assess how its policies are aligned to the equality agenda, it is advocating.

As a result of gathered data from its members and wider population, the PCS is building a campaign, which will highlight the need to address inequality in areas such as race pay gaps.

Diane Ebanks commenting on the PCS’ internal monitoring programme said: “Our legal department is collecting data from members’ personal cases.

“We are focusing on discrimination cases, which includes race discrimina-

tion, to build a picture of what is happening across our membership in the various departments and among employers.”

UNISON recently introduced a revised workforce information report, highlighting the distribution of staff across the organisation, by ethnicity.

The Union is also reviewing its recruitment and selection processes, to improve representation.

Equality will always be a driving force behind what we do at PCS Gloria Mills commenting on the Seacole Development Programme (SDP) said: “The work and feedback from the initiative is being used to help develop better engagement with black staff and identify key priorities.

One proposal has been to establish a Black Staff Working Group which is currently being implemented.”

The follow up from the SDP includes individual coaching sessions with a trainer and providing the opportunity to have an inhouse mentor.

To ensure senior managers and all staff have an awareness of challenges facing staff, UNISON runs mandatory anti-racism training, as well as understanding inclusion training. In autumn, UNISON will be running Inclusion Skills training for managers.

The Big Conversation was launched

at the 2021 NASUWT Black Teachers’ Consultation Conference, with a view to wider engagement with members, on furthering the Union’s ongoing campaign for racial justice.

The NASUWT has a dedicated mailbox, Big Conversation, which black members can use to share their stories and raise their concerns. Members can also use this inbox to contact the NASUWT with stories or suggestions on securing racial justice for all.

Discussing the responsibilities of branches Jennifer Moses said: “They have been tasked with providing a safe space for black members to talk about their experience of racism within the workplace and union. Discussions have also been made on how courses are contributing to career development.

“The result has been an interest in leadership roles and interview techniques, amongst black members, which will inevitably improve chances of advancement within the workplace.”

Elizabeth Cameron is a Unison member and the equality and diversity and Inclusion leader at One Manchester One, a provider of housing and community services.

Elizabeth was motivated to become a member of UNISON, after being a victim of bullying and misogynistic behaviour at work.

Relating her experiences in the workplace Cameron said: “When I joined the union, I realised there were policies in place which taught me that I didn’t have to accept the behaviour I was experiencing and how a manager could exercise power in a beneficial way.

“By joining the Union it motivated me to provide support to others who

were experiencing abuse within the workplace. It motivated to seek the training available.

Before long I received training as an equalities officer, health and safety representative, as a steward, employment law. Before long I was in a position to teach other members.

From having an ordinary role as a support worker I found myself advancing and being taken seriously, because of the knowledge I acquired.

Taking advantage of the training offered at UNISON can change one’s perception and management.

“In my working life I have gone through periods of unemployment and zero hours contracts. I am now overseeing budgets worth millions of pounds, which effects the lives of thousands of workers. It has been an incredible experience.”

Elizabeth Cameron completed a degree in International Labour Studies and Trade Unions, at Oxford University.

The PCS has increased its online training and development programmes to address skills gaps, within the Civil Service. It has also encouraged mentoring and the filling of temporary roles by internal candidates, to encourage career advancement.

Discussing the benefits of this Ebanks said: “Of the 16 promotions extended to members of staff, five were black staff members, including myself.

“In three years I have moved up three grades, from officer manager to equalities manager. Equality will always be a driving force behind what we do at PCS.”

46 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

TUC Congress

More than six million workers in the UK are in a union - from nurses to pilots, actors to lorry drivers.

Black workers, find the right union for you, today.

A union is affordable and easy, and the benefits are huge.

Unions help workers come together, demand a better deal from their employers and raise standards for all of us.

Unions are the reason we all enjoy paid holidays, maternity leave and lunch breaks.

They’ll offer you free legal advice if you need it, training and learning opportunities and even discounts and offers.

Black workers - Together, we’re stronger. So join your union today

www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE | 47

News

Education

Celebrating student excellence

B

EING A student in higher education is no mean feat, but being a black student is an entirely different ball game.

Having to fight for survival like other students is stressful, but being exposed to societal disadvantages is worse.

Racism is a systemic issue that has taken its root deeply in society, including in higher education institutions.

Black students and young people face serious challenges and barriers to access within higher education, the labour market, and opportunities in the wider society.

These issues include academic attainment gaps, poverty, unemployment gaps, climate change, and institutionalised racism, among others.

It creates a cycle of unending struggles for black students.

A number of them seek solace and a sense of belonging within their African and Caribbean societies and other communities.

The Black Impact Awards highlights systemic racism in education, and the success of students who battle through However, these societies do not have a great deal of influence over policy.

The Black Impact Awards was established to celebrate and recognise those black students who have persevered in their pursuit of an education. Its aim is to motivate and inspire black students to chase their dreams through education, even in the face of obstacles like high dropout rates, low levels of aspiration and racism.

Working with Afro-Caribbean student societies and universities, the annual Black Impact graduation awards event has been celebrating black graduating students in the UK, and internationally, since 2020, to

give them reasons to be proud of their achievement and to acknowledge the struggles, celebrate the successes.

Ceewhy Ochoga, founder of Black Impact, said: “As an international student I had to face so many struggles alone.

I felt lonely, isolated and didn’t know many people that shared my experiences or background.

“The Black Impact Awards is creating a community of students that celebrates the black excellence contribution of students to the society.”

The finale of the Class of 2023 awards will be held in October 2023. Chief judge will be Lord Simon Woolley. l Visit blackimpact.co.uk

Aliceandra Olomola: my journey

“

I WAS one of 0.7 per cent of the black students within my university. Even though I was excited to start my journey, I was also frightened. I knew that if I did not feel the presence of the black community within my university, there would be a void that would impact my student life.

Thankfully, I was adopted by my academic mum who was British-Ethiopian.

She then led me to the African Caribbean Society, and that is where I finally felt at ease. In my first year I got involved in a lot of different things like a fashion show, and a production about the London riots where I acted as one of the

main characters. I saw this problem as an opportunity to create solutions that would not only positively impact black student participation within the university, but also could change how the university views its black students.

My journey with Black Impact has been one that leaves me excited to see what we have next to achieve.

I am so happy and proud to be amongst a fantastic group of people who are strongly dedicated to wanting to see black students excel in anything and everything.

Past Black Impact winners Abigael Bamgboye, winner of the Black Entrepreneur Award “It was a huge confidence boost for me, and it was a real pleasure to be able to reflect on and share my accomplishments in the process of campaigning for votes. Black Impact is doing phenomenal work.”

Promise Ahante, winner of both Leadership and All-rounder Awards “It is great to have my activities recognised which provides an additional motivation to do more. It is however more incredible to know someone out there will be inspired to take action towards impacting their community.”

”

Jaizzail Ofori, winner of both Academic Excellence and Resilience Awards “I am grateful to have been voted for these awards.

Recognition for your hard work gives one the motivation to persevere and break down subconscious barriers which impede us from reaching our full potential!”

STRUGGLES: Ceewhy Ochoga, founder of Black Impact

48 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Black History Month

AFRICANS CAPTURING AFRICANS WAS NOT SLAVERY The false equivalence between the European Transatlantic slave trade and pre-slavery servitude in Africa serves to minimise European guilt. By Lester Holloway

I

S IT really true that Africans capturing slaves from rival tribes before the Europeans arrived can be compared to the genocide of the Transatlantic slave trade?

Almost any discussion about chattel slavery that involves people who wish to minimise the horrors will include mention of ‘well, Africans sold each other into slavery’.

Sadly, this comment does not just come from white folk, but black contrarians, too. Yet the reality is a huge gulf between the kind of ‘slavery’ that existed within Africa and the bloody horrors inflicted by Europeans.

Black historians believe there is simply no comparison between the Transatlantic slave ships and plantations, with all its torture, humiliation, and servitude within African societies.

Some commentators, such as Daily Mail writer Melanie Phillips, have actively sought to put the Maafa and African ‘slavery’ on the same footing.

Yet, while Europeans whipped, raped and boiled captives, stripping them of their names and history, many African ‘slaves’ were often indistinguishable from the wider community.

Generally, they were well clothed and fed, and had decent living quarters. In fact, many

Africans came to be ‘slaves’ not just as a result of tribal wars, but sometimes as a punishment for heinous crimes like murder.

Anyone convicted of killing a child, for example, was handed over to a life of servitude to the village of the victim. Other ‘slaves’ were simply widows or people who had left their village of birth, perhaps out of shame or disgrace, and settled in a new society.

The Fulani and Kerebe people were known to adopt orphaned children from other

based African studies expert, said these types of social order were world’s apart from the raw brutality of chattel slavery and the Middle Passage.

“What we were subjected to was a war of enslavement by the Europeans with the enslaved person not having any human value.

“Other forms of slavery did not seek to dehumanise. Actually, I don’t even consider other kinds of slavery to be slavery.”

Some Pan-Africans believe the problem begins with English

While whites nurtured race hatred towards their captives, in Africa, masters valued their servants as equal humans tribes and the children obliged to fill a servitude role.

In the Malinke Empire, covering present-day Gambia and Guinea, slavery was sometimes a means to connect individuals where no biological or marriage bond existed.

And while African ‘slaves’ were frequently at the bottom of the social order, they had rights and could refuse to be sold to an owner they objected to, or complain to elders if they were beaten by their master.

Omowale Za, an Atlanta-

words like ‘slavery’, which don’t reflect the concept of servitude in African society, which is not dehumanising.

They say we need to look at African servitude not through a European lens, but an African one, and unlearn the lies and half-truths we’ve been told.

Unlike African servitude, European Transatlantic slavery reduced the slave as existing only for the purpose of physical labour. And while white enslavers nurtured race hatred towards their captives, in Africa, masters

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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49

Black History Month REVERED: King Jaja was head of a powerful kingdom, before the British shipped him off to St Vincent, left; Kongolese regional capital Loango, published in 1668 in Description de l’Afrique, right (main photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

valued their servants as equal human beings.

It was also not uncommon for ‘slaves’ to marry into the village and shake off their former lowly status, not least in the KanemBornu Empire, covering Chad and Nigeria.

The ability to marry nonslaves shows that these ‘slaves’ were part of the fabric of the society they lived in. Such social mobility was completely absent in chattel slavery.

In Africa, there are several notable examples of how ‘slaves’ within society rose to become great kings and army chiefs.

The revered 19th-century King Jaja of Opobo, who ruled over Igboland in modern-day Nigeria, was sold to a chief as a 12-year-old boy, but later ruled a breakaway kingdom that became a rich trading powerhouse.

At the height of his reign, King Jaja was captured by the British, who were desperate to get their hands on his land and wealth as the colonial scramble for Africa followed the ending of Transatlantic slavery.

The British lured him to a meeting and shipped him to St Vincent in the Caribbean.

Another towering figure was Mansa Sakura, who was born as a ‘slave’ into the royal household of Sundiata Keita in 13th-century Mali.

He became an army general and seized power amid a succession squabble. Such slaves have little, if anything, in common with slaves seized by traders from Britain and Europe, who perpetrated the African Holocaust, taking between 20 and 50 million lives. As white plantation owners inflicted violence on chained Africans in

ADMIRED: King Jaja of Opobo came from modest beginnings, but ruled over modern-day Nigeria, where a memorial is located order to subjugate them, Africans who were ‘slaves’ to other Africans were free to go as they pleased.

Slaves in the 15th-century Songhai Empire, which superseded the Mali Empire, used to pay a share of their harvest to their master, but were able to eat and trade with the rest.

Many were paid wages and were able to accumulate prop-

erty. They often bought their own freedom and could then achieve social promotion. African slavery was more akin to an arranged marriage; whereas chattel slavery was part of an organised economic machine with no benefit for the slave.

The late Pennsylvanian historian, professor Igor Kopytoff, in his book African “slavery” as an Institution of Marginality,

argues that there was very little difference between the free workers and slaves.

He wrote: “There were many types of involuntary servitude, which varied from tribe to tribe, but the common feature was respect for life and dignity.”

In many respects, what we saw in Africa was similar to the feudal systems that existed in Europe, with peasants and landowners — and in lots of ways was worse.

With the British media continuing to perpetrate the line that African-against-African ‘slavery’ was equal to the Transatlantic slave trade and Middle Passage, we need to be setting our own parameters for debate regardless of what is happening in the mainstream.

Western African ‘slavery’ may have been related to agriculture, but in Ethiopia it was essentially domestic, yet both forms allowed the slave to keep their own religion and culture. Not all African servitude was benign, though.

Arabs brought a new dimension of servitude. A new Islamic ideology saw all nonMuslims as “kufir”, or infidels, whose non-belief made them “without honour”.

Some commentators argue that this philosophy continues today, most notably in the Darfur region of Sudan, where the Janjaweed are accused of genocide against other tribes.

Arabs made slave labourers called Zanj suffer terrible conditions working in East African salt marshes between the seventh and ninth centuries.

Most famously Tippu Tip, real name Ahmed bin Mohamed bin Juma el Marijibi, was a notorious slaver of African

people in 19th-century Zanzibar. Aside from these harsh examples of enslavement, the majority of ‘slaves’ within African society were respected as people and often lived comfortably and embraced the role of serving others.

Others were free to leave, while some went on to achieve great feats as rulers and army warriors.

Today, the very thought of Africans selling each other into the hands of evil European slave traders is enough to cause acute embarrassment.

It is often an aspect of Transatlantic slavery which deters people of African descent today studying this period of our collective history. Yet the dynamics of how, and why, Africans sold each other is often given scant attention.

Not least the way the white Europeans exploited tensions between the patchwork of African Empires and societies.

This included giving guns to a favoured tribe in wars with a rival tribe.

The superior firepower of Europeans also held the threat of enslavement if Africans refused to help them, which raises the question about whether the ‘traitors’ were also victims.

European slave traders were known for enslaving Africans who were helping them capture others whenever the mood took them, or if the helpers became disabled or weak.

There is also evidence that African societies which strongly resisted white oppression, such as the Ashanti, sold their own prisoners of war and criminals to slave traders even as they fought for their own survival.

50 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Lyndon Mukasa

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Eye on the Diaspora

Youth-led organisations driving progressive movements in Africa Radical leaders have a long history on the continent but political education is key to the future

D

O AFRICAN countries have significant progressive political movements?

Progressivism is often defined as a belief that political action can shape and change societies over time.

It generally focuses on changes that improve the human condition through social reform that is facilitated by economic development, social organisation, science and technology.

The reality is that for much of the 20th century, some of the most progressive ideas on race, gender, economic development, democracy and environmental conservation came from the Global South.

Movements across the African continent have played a huge role in shaping progressive activist discourse. However, within Africa, progressive movements are needed more than ever. But how influential are they in the 21st century?

And are we at a crossroads where African progressivism will finally have its moment?

Progressive movements across the African continent have a long history. Prior to independence in the 1960s, one the best known leaders of such political movements was Kwame Nkrumah, who advocated for Pan-Africanism to fight against colonialism.

Prior to becoming the first president of an independent Ghana, Nkrumah had established the Convention People’s

Party (CPP) that mobilised workers and the poor against exploitation and imperialism.

In 1950, the CPP and the Ghana TUC successfully weakened British colonial rule through a general strike known as “Positive Action”.

Other leaders such as Patrice Lumumba would rise to prominence under a progressive nationalist platform that sought full control over Congolese natural resources.

Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso led a movement against corrupt elites and enacted policies that for a short period of time improved women’s rights and moved the country away from dependence on foreign aid.

On the ground, activists such as Steve Biko led a grassroots movement in South Africa against Apartheid known as the Black Consciousness Movement in the 1960s and 1970s that emphasised independence and self sufficiency. Despite this legacy, much of the progressivism of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s have largely died.

PRESSURE Nkrumah, while successful in achieving independence for Ghana, struggled to hold on to progressive economic policies due to increased economic pressure from the West.

Nkrumah eroded his support base by banning the Ghana TUC from striking in 1961. By 1966, Nkrumah was overthrown in a CIA-backed coup with little

GRASSROOTS SUPPORT: Steve Biko emphasised self sufficiency in South Africa; inset Kwame Nkrumah and Patrice Lumumba rose to prominence in the 1960s (main photo: Getty Images)

support from his base. Lumumba and Sankara were assassinated in Western supported interventions and Biko was killed in police custody in 1977.

These examples repeated themselves across the continent where political movements aimed at increasing the sovereignty and economic independence of Africans were systematically destroyed, often with backing from the West.

This paved the way in the 1980s and 1990s for neoliberal economic reforms to sweep across the continent. Many leaders and policymakers in Africa had abandoned social programs in favour of Western-backed privatisation which hollowed out state institutions in favour of private enterprises and a market orientated approach to development.

However, in recent years many African countries have seen a resurgence in social and political movements. Much of this has been driven by youthled organisations calling for governments to reform in accordance with the challenges

that many African countries face. Many are tired of what they see as a predominantly older, detached and corrupt elite and are pushing for a transfer of power to a new generation.

Part of this change has been driven by demographic shifts in populations across Africa, with 60 per cent of the continent’s population under the age of 25.

Another aspect to this is that activism in Africa is much more digital and difficult for governments to control. Many groups utilise social media to build networks and share information.

In the last decade alone, many social movements challenging the status quo have erupted across the continent.

In Nigeria, the #EndSARs campaign of 2020 developed out of the frustration of young people against the Special AntiRobbery Squad division of the police that had a reputation for violence against citizens.

Despite protesting peacefully, the Nigerian government reacted with severe force, opening fire on protesters in October of that year. Perhaps one of

the longest sustained youth-led progressive movements is the #FeesMustFall student protests in South Africa. It has operated since 1994 to push the government to fulfil its post-Aparthied promise to deliver free and accessible higher education.

Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola argues one of the things lacking in radical activist movements across Africa is the role of educating people into political causes.

ACTIVISM Nyabola contends that without long-term political education, much of the activism across Africa will remain reactionary rather than radical and runs the risk of falling into the neoliberal capitalist trap of co-option and hyper individualism.

This has been a critique levelled at Ugandan singer and musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine. Wine has captured the imagination of huge sections of Uganda’s youth who want change from the repression of current president Yoweri

Museveni. However, on specific policies Wine remains vague and without clear indication of how to respond to challenges such as the climate crisis.

This could be also due to his lack of opportunity to be in power, but as Nyabola argues, political education is needed in order for a progressive movement to avoid co-option or death if the leader is removed.

It is important to be aware that African activists are largely operating under difficult conditions. Apart from the obvious acts of repression and imprisonment that have occurred in many African countries, activists are also operating in often socially conservative societies that have largely bought in to Western ideas of neoliberalism.

With that said, there is a demographic shift taking place that cannot be prevented, and the pressure for change from Uganda to Nigeria will have to be answered in the near future.

How this will happen will likely be one of the defining political stories of Africa in the 21st century.

Lyndon Mukasa is a writer and researcher. He studied International Development at the London School of Economics.

@thevoicenewspaper

@thevoicenews

voicenews

www.voice-online.co.uk

“Caribbean shipping experts JP Ram Shipping advise Book Early to Avoid Disappointment & Delays” “With the traditional busy season rush just around the corner, JP Ram Shipping are issuing a request and advice to customers.”

their customers to overcome them. This year’s challenges will be no different to last years, but shipping earlier will certainly ease some of the initial concerns.

“Ship early to avoid disappointment and delays”.

NEW SAILING SCHEDULES ANNOUNCED

D

espite COVID 19 being mainly behind us, the shipping industry is still experiencing delays and capacity issues resulting in many issues for people shipping personal effects and commercial cargo.

For customers looking to ship product from the UK to the Caribbean, there is an on-going risk to the service levels due to shipping and container shortages.

These shortages are already effecting the service levels during what is a comparatively quiet period.

JP Ram Shipping want to make their customers aware of these issues and try to encourage them to ship earlier this year. In that way if any delays occur, hopefully the extra time will mean goods and gifts will arrive in plenty of time for the festive season.

SHIPPING AND CONTAINER CAPACITY SHORTAGES

The interrupted rhythm of container ship movement experienced last year has continued in 2022, causing disruption. We are all connected. So an issue or shortage in one part of the world impacts the rest of the world.

This has created a shortage of sea container capacity needed to move goods and has sent shipping costs soaring as container freight rates continue to rise to historic levels.

The number of containers being delayed or missing their booking, known as the rollover rate, continues too. Despite all of the above, JP Ram Shipping are best placed to manage this difficult period and work with their customers to ensure their goods are despatched and arrive on time.

JP Ram Shipping have the volumes, capacity and access to see their customers through this rocky period again this year. As owners of Geestline Shipping, the operation is long standing, has enormous back up resources and infrastructure and has experienced many similar challenges in the past, and have always worked with

THE WEEKLY GLEANER

The new sailing schedules covering the busy period between August 2022 and March 2023 have been released and are now available on the new and improved JP RAM Shipping website www.jpshipping.co.uk These schedules allow customers to pre-plan their despatches with ease, and allow them to hopefully ship slightly earlier this year to avoid any delays and reduce the potential of missing any key arrival dates.

NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE

JP Ram Shipping have just launched their new and improved website. The new user-friendly site offers increased functionality, improved guidance on services and shipping schedules, as well as a new on-line ordering process for barrels and personal effects collections and deliveries.

Why not check it out now at www.jpshipping.co.uk

VEHICLE FLEET

In a similar vein, due to the issues relating to driver shortages and vehicle haulage availability, JP Ram Shipping have doubled their fleet, and have taken more container work back in house. This not only improves collection and delivery times, but provides greater control and an improved service level.

The new vehicles are branded in a new, improved JP Ram Shipping livery, and have become a regular and visible fixture on the streets and motorways around London and the South East, as well as the main ports.

SERVICE EXPANSION

With nearly 100 years shipping experience, JP Ram Shipping are the longest serving specialist shipper to the Caribbean, and their breadth of service continues to expand with improved service offerings to the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Tortola and Turks & Caicos, as well as providing freight forwarding services on imports (especially from South America and China) and road freight into and out of the European mainland.

Another growth area is in the competitive airfreight market. Recent months have seen significant growth in airfreight consignments, and this is anticipated to continue to grow.

As JP Ram Shipping are the longest serving experts in shipping to and from the Caribbean, they can be relied upon to manage your shipments reliably and cost effectively. More importantly, if there are any issues along the way, they can be trusted to keep you informed and work hard to resolve any issues to ensure a successful delivery.

AUGUST 18-24, 2022 • 5

52 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2022

ITL CAREER FAIR Open to Black girls of African or Caribbean heritage age 13-18

Saturday, 12th November 2022 10:30AM - 4PM

FEATURING:

Wimbledon High School

Directions

Mansel Rd, London SW19 4AB

Served by District line, South Western Rail and Tramlink

Auditing

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WORKSHOPS by:

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AND MORE!

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THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF BLACK SURGEONS INAUGURAL CONFERENCE n the 15th November 2022, the British Association of Black Surgeons will hold their inaugural conference at The Royal College of Surgeons of England, in the heart of London.

The association’s vision is to enrich patient care through diverse and inclusive leadership within the surgical landscape.

This one-day in-person event will help bolster the association’s mission to widen participation in surgical leadership, foster longterm career development and increase representation across the profession.

The association is delighted to have Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, who will deliver the Patron’s welcome, and Lord Simon Woolley Kt, who will give a keynote address.

They will also be joined by Professor Michael Griffin OBE, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and Mr Tim Mitchell, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons

O

of England.

OTHER SPEAKERS DURING THE DAY WILL INCLUDE: • Professor Frank Chinegwundoh MBE MS MML FRCS(Urol) • Ms Yvonne Coghill CBE • Mr Martin Griffiths CBE DL FRCS FRSA • Miss Deepa Bose FRCS (Orth) • Mr Graham Watson MD FRCS (Urol) The event is open to all doctors and allied health professionals interested in supporting the association’s vision and mission.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided, and all attendees will receive a certificate of attendance.

The association is delighted to have the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh as the platinum sponsor for this event.

To book your ticket: https://babs.eventbrite.com

AUGUST 2022

THE VOICE| 53

Haematology Celebrating our heritage

Code Red ambassadors from left to right: Philip, Laurel, Dunstan, Zainab

This Black History Month, Novartis is proud to share the Code Red campaign which aims to shine a light on the impact of sickle cell disorder (sickle cell) in the UK by putting those with the condition at centre stage.

What is sickle cell?

Sickle cell is a complex, genetic blood disorder which is inherited from both parents. It is estimated that there are 15,000 people with sickle cell in the UK.1

Sickle cell mainly affects people of African or African-Caribbean origin, however, the sickle gene is found in all ethnic groups.

Prevalence is increasing in the UK because of immigration into the country and new births. 2 Sickle cell is a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells. Haemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that is responsible for the colour of the cell and for carrying oxygen around the body. Individuals with sickle cell have sickleshaped red blood cells instead of round. 1

Sickle cell comes with significant challenges for both physical and mental health and can impact everyday living, as well as educational and career prospects.3 The most

common symptoms of sickle cell include painful episodes (also called sickle cell crisis or vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs)), anaemia, fatigue, and increased risk of serious infections. 4

The Code Red website provides useful resources to support people living with sickle cell, as well as information for those interested in learning about the condition:

�MANAGING�YOUR� MANAGING�YOUR� �SICKLE�CELL� Build a discussion guide for your next healthcare consultation Download an ‘in-crisis’ eCard for emergency situations

�BECOME�A�SICKLE�CELL� �SUPPORTER� Test your sickle cell knowledge with the quiz Learn about sickle cell symptoms and play the Sickle Invaders game

SwitchUpOnSickle.co.uk

Code Red has been created by Novartis to raise awareness about sickle cell disorder (SCD) and features people living with SCD. Participating patients were identified by the Sickle Cell Society (SCS). SCS also reviewed and endorsed the campaign concept and associated materials which have been created by Novartis.

References: 1. Sickle Cell Society. About Sickle Cell Disease. Available at: https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/about-sickle-cell/ [Accessed: September 2022]. 2. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2012). Sickle cell disease: managing acute painful episodes in hospital Clinical guideline [CG143] [Online] Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg143/chapter/Introduction [Accessed: September 2022]. 3. Osunkwo I, et al. Impact of sickle cell disease on patientsʼ daily lives, symptoms reported, and disease management strategies: Results from the international Sickle Cell World Assessment Survey (SWAY). Am J Hematol. 2021;96:404–417. 4. National Health Service (2019). Overview – Sickle cell disease.

Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sickle-cell-disease/ [Accessed: September 2022].

UK | September 2022 | 240300

54 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Muyiwa Olarewaju

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Nothing But Truth and Light

Regain control over your life L ET ME ask you this question: how many times have you seen something going on, either on your street as you’ve been driving or something near your workplace, and your first thoughts were: “I better stay out of it and mind my own business?”

The writings of the Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verses 31 to 32 says: “Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander, and any and all malicious thoughts… these are poison. Instead, be kind and compassionate. Graciously forgive one another just as God has forgiven you through the anointed liberating king Jesus.”

Looking at these words in these times for most of us is hard. The message is difficult to take on. The challenge for us comes from things like the news of the black storekeeper killed on the streets of Italy to the shooting of a young man in south London.

All this while we are still trying to make sense of the death of a monarch beloved by many, yet with a heritage that cannot be ignored for the damage done to so many by the system she represented.

It’s worth taking note that we all have history we are not proud of. I don’t think anyone reading this would be happy for all of their past to be broadcast unedited to the whole world.

There are things we have done, said, left not said which we are not proud of. Every single human being has those. Our

We are not powerless – we hold influence in our circles and finding yours will have a profound impact families are full of stories of an uncle and auntie, a dad and mum whose actions have left members of the family feeling broken, embarrassed and hurt.

This is the world we live in.

One of the interesting things that we live by in my family is an idea of living in circles and you may wonder what on earth Muyiwa is talking about now!

It’s something we call “circles of concern”. These are things we have no control over.

Then there are “circles of influence” – things we have control over.

We have decided as a family to live in a circle of influence and pour our energies into things we have control over.

The world is full of concerns, the crisis we see around the world, which for some of us is nothing new because of the countries we come from.

There is so much to be concerned about, so much to be afraid of. I was recently listening to a conversation between two members of my family. One party explained why she felt she had no control over anything. She felt she was at the bottom of the food chain and the people in Government were at the top of the tree.

As far as she was concerned, the people at the top dictated

everything. They decided what happened with all of us and there was nothing we could do.

On the other hand, the young lady they were having the discussion with vehemently disagreed, arguing that we all had a say in what happened to us and our world, that we couldn’t just leave it to the people at the top.

Whatever side of the argument you were on, one thing we can all agree on is that everybody hurts sometimes. I believe we all have in our hands the power to make the change in our own world and so I started with a quote that gives us instructions of what we should be doing right now.

The text is clear for you and me. We ought to get rid of all the bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour.

We are asked to be kind to each other… forgiving one another just as Christ forgave us.

It’s not easy, but it’s possible.

These are the things you and I must do.

Does that mean we don’t hold to account the people we need to? People must be accountable for their actions, but first you do what you must to deal with what you have control over. Deal with what’s in your control and I’ll do the same.

INNER POWER: There is much that we can shape if we believe (photo: Getty Images)

Spice up your life with a sprinkling of gospel THINK ABOUT your favourite dish whether it’s jerk chicken, curry goat, jollof rice, plantain or ackee and saltfish. Imagine if these dishes used no salt. Safe to say, as fast as we got them, we would throw them back at whoever gave them to us.

This is how powerful and integral to our everyday life salt is and the same is true of you and what you bring to this world. A brother of mine, Patrick Campbell, is a genius in the creative space. Recently when working together, he came up with a

stream of thought that was profoundly accurate. He shared that at the heart of popular culture is black culture… at the heart of black culture is black music… at the heart of black music is gospel music.

It only takes you a moment to survey the world of music and culture and you realise this to be true. How many times have you seen our best rappers, R&B singers, even rock groups have the greatest gospel singers and musicians spice up their work?

The flavour the gospel practitioners give is undeniable and makes the musical serving irresistible.

I have over the years seen how many Christian churches, gospel musicians’ singers and artistes have sought to turn down the volume of their brilliance.

They’ve tried to blend in so much they’ve stamped out their own saltiness.

Put another way, salt losing its saltiness, light hiding itself under a bowl.

Imagine a world where James Brown decided he needed to be more Bob Dylan, where Janet Jackson felt it was better to be more Sinéad O’Connor.

So here it is: are you willing to embrace the fact that you are beautiful and that you are not a mistake? Are you

willing to accept the fact that the flavour of the world will be better with the best you sprinkled across it?

My encouragement to us all today is that without you this wonderful experiment we call society will not be complete without your particular flavour.

Our world would be bland.

Remember, salt that’s lost its taste is no longer good for anything but to be thrown away. A candle that’s lit is not to be hidden under a bowl! Go ahead and shine your light.

Be proud of your face… be proud of your race… be proud of your heritage!

Muyiwa Olarewaju OBE is Station Director at Premier Gospel Radio, a TV & Radio Broadcaster, and Principal of gospel group Muyiwa & Riversongz

@thevoicenewspaper

@thevoicenews

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www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

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Finance

NOW MIGHT BE THE TIME TO TALK TO CREDITORS With the rising cost of living and the increase in energy bills, it’s understandable why many of us have become more worried or anxious, says Abiola Olanipekun

W

E’VE ALL seen the news and felt the price rises in our energy bills and other living expenses. For many, this may become a bigger worry, especially if you feel that you’re already financially vulnerable. However, there are steps you can take to help you navigate these uncertain times.

TALKING TO YOUR CREDITOR If you’ve been caught off guard by higher bills and you’re worried about missing a payment, letting your creditor know is the first step to take.

A creditor is any organisation you owe money to, for example, this could be your utilities provider, mortgage company or local council.

Creditors have a responsibility to support you and treat you fairly by offering affordable options to help pay off what you owe. While it might feel daunting to speak to your creditor and admit you are struggling, understand that you are not alone and reach-

Creditors have a responsibility to support you and treat you fairly ing out for help and having conversations early could make a big difference to your situation. Think it’s not worth it? We sort the fact from the fiction to give you a better understanding about talking to your creditor if you are struggling with making or keeping up with your payments.

MYTH: They just want my money FACT: While they’re interested in the money you owe them, it is more expensive for your creditor to take drastic action, such as taking you to court if you really can’t pay. They want to sort things out at an early stage because it’s better for both of you.

WAYS TO HELP YOURSELF WITH YOUR BILLS AND COSTS l Talking to your creditor: If you are having problems making payments, it is always best to contact your creditor straight away to see how things can be resolved. l Prioritising your bills: MoneyHelper’s Bill Prioritiser can be a good first start in sorting through your repayments. l Getting further help: If you need free impartial money guidance, visit our website to access additional information.

HELP IS AT HAND: It can be challenging to manage all the different bills and expenses in our lives (photo: Getty Images) MYTH: What if they cut off my service?

FACT: Ultimately, your provider has the power to terminate the service it provides to you, but only if you do not engage with them and continuously fail to make any payments towards your bill. This is why speaking to your creditor early is important as this is a last resort that no one wants.

MYTH: I haven’t got any money to offer them FACT: Providers you owe money to can’t make you pay something you don’t have.

Telling them about your situation and showing you don’t have the money means they have to work around this.

For more help on talking to your creditor, look at Money-

@thevoicenewspaper

Helper’s Talking To Your Creditor guide to help you know where to start.

HELP IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH PRIORITISING BILLS It’s also a good idea to seek guidance if you’re having challenges prioritising your bills and sorting your payments out in the right order, as the consequences of not paying off some bills before others can be more serious. It can be challenging to manage all the different bills and expenses in our lives, and no one should have to struggle alone.

MoneyHelper’s Bill Prioritiser tool can help you sort your bills and payments in the right order — and tell you what you need to do if you’re struggling — before you miss a payment.

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OBTAINING FREE DEBT ADVICE If you find that things have become too much, then speaking to a trained and experienced debt advisor can really be a great help.

They can talk you through your situation and help you find the best solution. MoneyHelper’s Debt Advice Locator tool can help you find free advice and get you started on an easier path to dealing with any debt.

A debt adviser can tell you how to deal with debts that are open to you and give you advice on better ways of managing your money. They may also be able to check to see if there are any benefits or entitlements you might be able to claim.

voicenews

TAKEAWAYS Many of us are dealing with increasing energy prices, rising bills, and some are also having to deal with debt.

There are ways in which those who need help can seek the guidance they need.

Managing your money in uncertain times is really important, so never be afraid to ask for help when you need it the most.

It’s also essential, and even crucial, to seek help when you feel dealing with your bills and regular payments is becoming too much.

For free, confidential and impartial money and pensions guidance, visit moneyhelper.org.uk or call 0800 138 7777

www.voice-online.co.uk

56 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Museum

ADVERTORIAL

Igniting Ideas and Action A landmark in co-production

PHOTO CREDIT: © Ant Clausen Photography

Liverpool’s iconic waterfront is changing.

N

ATIONAL MUSEUMS Liverpool’s Waterfront Transformation Project spans the area between the Royal Albert Dock and Mann Island and will transform the historic industrial landscape into a stunning leisure and cultural destination, with a powerful heritage narrative.

The £70m+ 10-year masterplan includes the reconfiguration of Canning Dock and Museum of Liverpool, as well as smaller buildings around Albert Dock. But the cornerstone is the transformation of the International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum, which has been awarded funding from the The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Horizon Awards.

Laura Pye, director of National Museums Liverpool, said: “The project is going to allow us to regenerate all the buildings that we currently own, and make a more cohesive visitor experience that links storytelling, heritage, community, and connectivity. The International Slavery Museum will be transformed from a collection of galleries into a museum with its own dedicated, prominent entrance via the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Building.”

Race Equality Programme, saw Migrant Artists Mutual Aid present Meet me at the River. The exhibition was an artistic response to Liverpool and its role in historic slavery through an immersive soundscape of music and spoken word augmented by visual elements taken from the International Slavery Museum’s rich archival material and newly created artistic works.

Current exhibition – Jupiter’s Song by Khaleb Brooks – investigates how we can commemorate those who died in slavery through music, sculpture and dance.

INFLUENCE Adjaye Associates will lead the architectural design while Ralph Appelbaum Associates will lead the exhibition design, both informed by a brief with co-production at its foundation.

For National Museums Liverpool, coproduction is an exercise in democracy – it works to reconfigure established power relationships, challenge inequality and improve society. It is only when individuals and groups influence public services from

FUNDING

Make a more cohesive visitor experience that links storytelling, heritage, community, and connectivity

Work has already begun to position the Dr Martin Luther King Jr building as a new cultural hub as part of the International Slavery Museum. Formerly the Dock Traffic Office and known locally as the former Granada TV building, the Dr Martin Luther King Jr building has hosted a series of pop-up exhibitions over the past year, inviting contemporary artists to share their reflections on the legacies of transatlantic slavery through art and installation. The first exhibition, made possible thanks to Liverpool City Region Combined Authority who provided funding as part of the

conception through to governance, delivery and evaluation, that we build equitable and reciprocal relationships which generate mutual benefits.

Dr Ranmalie Jayawardana, Community Participation Lead at National Museums Liverpool, says that the importance of this kind of collaboration cannot be undersold.

“We know that the story of Liverpool and the trafficking of enslaved African people cannot be told just within the walls of the International Slavery Museum.

Moreover, we know we cannot tell this

PHOTOS CREDIT: © Mina Bihi Adjustment Bureau

OCTOBER 2022

Museum

PHOTOS CREDIT: © Pete Carr

ADVERTORIAL

story alone. That is why the Waterfront Transformation Project is being co-produced; so that this pivotal and complex history can be understood across our sites, and the project’s vision can be shaped by communities locally, nationally, and globally.

“My role is to facilitate this process, disrupting the long-standing and unequal power relations which mean that only a small section of society visit our museums and an even smaller number of people get to shape them. I am honoured to work with a team of Black and South Asian women who support and critique each other. Together, we bring people with different lived experiences into the project by creating pathways that resonate strongly for each individual.

“We’re doing this with communities on transatlantic and modern slavery narratives but the whole project is being co-produced to reflect the full history and heritage of the site.”

In addition to developing new galleries and community spaces for the International Slavery Museum, National Museums Liverpool will refurbish, reconfigure and reinterpret existing galleries in the Maritime Museum.

DECOLONISING A pivotal part of the project will be the inception of a National Centre for Teaching Black History, which is set to influence change across the UK in decolonising curriculums across all subject areas.

The centre will become a physical and online safe space for dialogue that is often difficult and challenging around racism and discrimination, decolonisation, and historical and contemporary slavery.

International Slavery Museum collections will underpin the centre’s activity, and artists, designers, musicians, broadcasters, and historians will be commissioned to co-produce and co-create museum resources, inviting a more diverse range of people to access history and heritage and learn the stories of those impacted by colonial practices.

Paul Reid, Head of International Slavery Museum, is optimistic about the future of the museum and the role that co-production will play in creating a museum that speaks for the community.

International Slavery Museum and Britain, in the create a wave of new opportunities for public engagement. It’s vital that modern era, the museum reflects not only history, but the relevant issues of today.” is built on the Complementing the transformation of International Slavery Muenslavement of seum and Maritime Museum will be Africans and the the redevelopment of Canning Dock, which will be taken forward by Asif exploitation of Khan Studio, and artist Theaster Africa. Liverpool Gates.

UNIQUE was its primary Laura added: “The story of Liverpool’s role in the transatlanport, and in tic slave and maritime history collaboration with trade doesn’t end with our museums galleries. Canning Dock is an inother European and tegral part of the story and it’s our to safeguard this heritage. countries, slavery job“Our vision is to respond to the waterfront’s history and bring and colonialism that historyunique into the public realm, ensuring the voices of those whose transformed lives have been most affected by the legacies of historic or modern slavthe world. The ery are heard. legacies are all “We have done community projects before and we are great at around us today working with our community, but “As a result of this project, what we’re involved in really is the retelling of history – to truly understand British history is to understand Transatlantic Slavery and its legacy.

LEGACIES Through the wide scope of this waterfront transformation, we’re able to get a range of people around the table to rethink what we want from the

THE VOICE| 57

this is going a step beyond that, as people now have their own voice and are able to shape how our waterfront will eventually be.”

If you want to get involved in shaping the future of International Slavery Museum, email waterfront.transformation@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk For more information, visit www. liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/waterfronttransformation-project

58 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Spotlight

Keeping London safe MAJOR OPERATION: London Fire Brigade were kept busy as the public waited to file past the Queen’s coffin (photos: Getty Images)

Patrick Goulbourne, the most senior black firefighter, on looking after ‘The Queue’

T

HERE WERE many stars of ‘The Queue’ as loyal subjects queued up to 24 hours to file past the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth.

One of them was Patrick Goulbourne, below, who was interviewed by TV crews as he and his colleagues looked after the thousands who had come to pay their respects.

Goulbourne, 52, an Assistant Commissioner at the London Fire Brigade, is the most senior black officer in the fire brigade and was the ‘gold commander’ during The Queue. But he also had to ensure the rest of

London was covered whenever a fire engine was called out.

He told The Voice: “It was a very long operation but everyone across the London Fire Brigade volunteered because it was such an important event to the country in the world, that we want to play our role. And we have always had a close relationship with the Queen who has opened many fire stations.”

Reflecting on the 12-day operation during the mourning period, Goulbourne said he was pleased to see how people

were looking out for each other in the queue. “That’s just a really lovely thing to see.”

Goulbourne, who was born in Whitechapel and grew up in Hackney, always wanted to be a firefighter, and has now celebrated 25 years in service.

“It’s important to me being a firefighter in London because the

town I grew up in, so it’s an honour to try and protect everyone.

“My mum was a nurse in a hospital and I always want to do something that helps people, as cliched as that sounds! I’ve joined and not looked back.”

Goulbourne is keen for people to follow in his footsteps. “I would always encourage people to con-

sider fire service because it’s a really honourable occupation.”

He is proud of the way that his colleagues look out for one another. He was in one of the 40 fire engines that attended on the terrible night of Grenfell and can remember seeing the fire from a long way off when he was on his way. He said colleagues were

shocked but their professionalism kicked in and they did their best to save lives from the burning tower. He added: “I’m really passionate about recruiting people from underrepresented groups in the fire service and to make sure that people will see it as a career for them.”

LESTER HOLLOWAY

Lifestyle Dr Christine Checinska is proud to deliver Africa Fashion at the V&A p66

Valerie Robinson aka Lady V — beyond the amps, wires, dubs and speakers p67

EMBODYING THE SPIRIT OF TINA TURNER Elesha Paul Moses

p62 Jimi Famurewa reveals motivation for new book on black African London p68

60 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Lifestyle

A life-changing journey

ROM CAMEROON to Dagenham and back, Dickson Mbi returns to Sadler’s Wells Theatre during Black History Month with a compelling show drawing on elements of popping and contemporary dance.

Mbi tells Lifestyle that the London premiere of Enowate, part of the Well Seasoned programme to celebrate black dance makers, is his most personal work to date.

A renowned hip-hop and popping artist, Mbi learnt and danced with choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Russell Maliphant for eight years after being spotted performing at Sadler’s Wells.

In 2019, he was commissioned by BBC Young Dancer to create the winning choreography Unstrung and since then has taken part in devising the choreography for the award.

For this year’s final, the BBC Young Dancer performance included premieres of new duets and trios choreographed by himself and others. Enowate is Mbi’s first full length work, craft-

F

Dickson Mbi’s new show Enowate is his most personal work to date. By Joel Campbell ed through a collaboration with a world renowned creative team.

Allying power and grace, Mbi summons multiple identities in this solo performance inspired by a life-changing journey to his ancestral home in Cameroon, where he reconnected with his animistic spiritual practice.

Enowate, meaning ‘truth stands’, is an introspective reflection touching on universal questions around identity.

MEMORIES It features otherworldly animation

by Yeast Culture, which allows us to experience the multiple worlds Mbi discovers within himself.

An original score, created

by Mbi and his long-time collaborator Roger Goula, takes inspiration from Mbi’s visceral experience of returning home, his ancestral memories, and in-

fluences from his East London upbringing.

“Enowate is my most personal show yet – through the creative process I am reflecting on my experience of being lost between cultures and finding my authentic self,” he enthused.

“An exploration that requires me to expose myself to the fragility of what it means to be a person of colour in today’s world. I created the show to connect with people and to share my history with them.

“I am hoping the show acts as a cathartic ritual – ultimately exploring what it means to be human.

“Today, while important conversations around identity occupy our minds, it feels timely and relevant to consider what it means to be African in the West, and to be seen as a Westerner in Africa – I have the privilege

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to be connected to my ancestry and my family’s traditions, but I realise it is not the case for many.

With this is mind, I am humbled and honoured to be able to share this work in London for the first time during Black History Month.”

The Well Seasoned programme was designed by Sadler’s Wells’ Artistic Director and Chief Executive Alistair Spalding and Breakin’ Convention’s Director Michelle Norton and Artistic Director Jonzi D, to platform work by both UK-based and international black dance makers.

Well Seasoned also features on Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage including a short dance film of last year’s successful Speak Volumes by NYDC. There is also a six-part podcast Kiss My Black Side, Cool Conversations with Black Creatives led by Brenda Emmanus OBE. Dickson Mbi / Enowate, October 14-15, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, EC1R 4TN www.sadlerswells.com

@thevoicenews

RCS concert pays tribute to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor AS PART of their 150th anniversary, the Royal Choral Society (RCS) is celebrating its long and illustrious history with a series of concerts which reflect its special composer associations.

The major highlight of this autumn is The World of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a special concert at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, on October 9.

Born in Holborn and raised in Croydon, Coleridge-Taylor, pictured, was regarded, by Edward Elgar no less, as the most talented composer in Britain.

He was a household name in the early 20th century thanks to the popularity of his biggest hit Hiawatha; he conducted the premiere of his work with the RCS

voicenews

at the Royal Albert Hall in 1900. Today, the music of Coleridge-Taylor is being rediscovered, but the RCS has a long-standing association with him In this special concert, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast is reimagined for a modern audience, surrounding it in music from ColeridgeTaylor’s contemporaries — Elgar’s The Spirit of the Lord and Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.

www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

| 61

Lifestyle

The very best in African fashion T THE LARGEST annual African fashion event in Europe, Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL2022), is back for Black History Month 2022.

After two years of Covid lockdowns, AFWL2022 returns with a full scale show and is set to feature new practices, recycling and sustainability ethics and a return to heritage fabrics and textiles.

Under the spotlight will be the likes of Hertunba, a sustainable fashion and lifestyle brand delivering classy, readyto-wear clothes for ambitious women.

London-based brand Toomey & Koko will showcase their impactful easy-to-wear outfits brought to life in vivid Adire fabrics, which use a resistdyeing technique involving indigo and other natural dyes to create bold, eye-catching patterns.

One of Africa’s most celebrated designers, Ade Bakare, is showcasing his latest collection at AFWL2022. The Ayinla

Africa Fashion Week London is back and promises to be bigger and better than ever.

By Joel Campbell collection has been inspired

by Adire cloth and the film Ayinla.

Adire originated in Abeokuta in the southwestern part of Nigeria and is unique for its water which has a high alkaline content

and is ideal for adire production.

Adire means tie-and-dye in the Yoruba dialect and has been produced there for decades.

Historically, people came from different parts of Africa to buy this beautiful cloth which uses indigo dye to give it its rich navy blue patina to trade in rich fabrics but gradually due to colonialism and borders that sprang up dividing these regions the trade declined. However, it was still being used and gradually became a staple textile used — especially for funerals.

Ade Bakare Couture started using adire in 2006, after being captivated by the cloth and started experimenting with the process on silks

to give it a richer feel and look. It is now a mainstay of annual collections.

This year’s event will see catwalk showcases featuring designer collections from all over the continent and visitors will get the chance to browse for exclusive afro-centric designs in the exhibition marketplace and sample African food in the foodhall.

Inspiring panel talks, offering guidance and advice to aspiring designers, curated talks, and panels from leading experts in fashion and sustainability take place throughout.

AFWL2022 is also dedicated to heritage textiles. Ecobank, the Pan African bank, is sponsoring The Adire Pavilion which will feature different Adire designers from Nigeria exhibiting various handmade authentic Adire heritage textiles.

Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL2022), October 8-9, Freemasons’ Hall, 60 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5AZ General Admission: 12-6pm

SHOWCASE: Designer collections feature from across the continent

Volunteer now to support COVID-19 vaccinations Rhythm & Views Saturday Night at the Movies 15 October - 5 November 2022, 7pm Picturehouse Cinema & Library, 1-7 Norwood High Street, London SE27 9JU Book at box office or Eventbrite: http://saturdaynightmovies.eventbrite.co.uk

scan me

Help keep people safe this autumn and winter The time needed is flexible, on your own terms, and easy to manage using an app. Find out more and sign up to become a Steward Volunteer. (England only)

nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk

62 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Lifestyle

Elesha’s Simply the Blessed Playing Tina Turner in hit West End show is a dream come true for star. By Joel Campbell T’S BEEN a tough road up until this point but Elesha Paul Moses, the latest to play the lead role in Tina – The Tina Turner Musical in London’s West End, told Lifestyle that since landing the role she feels ‘Simply the Blessed’.

The history of Tina Turner is a remarkable one of talent, resilience and self-determination, facets Moses connects with strongly.

Self-taught in ‘every’ aspect of her life, Moses said it still doesn’t feel real to identify herself as the person playing Tina in a West End musical, but it is sinking in, slowly.

The critically acclaimed production, which is based on the life of legendary artist Tina Turner and produced in association with Tina Turner herself, received its world premiere in April 2018 in London and subsequently broke all box office records at the Aldwych Theatre.

Moses, who shares the lead role with Aisha Jawando, said after 26 years in the business, landing the part was a manifestation come to fruition.

I

SELF-BELIEF: Elesha Paul Moses, below, had never auditioned for the West End before she landed the title role in Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (main photo: Manuel Harlan)

AUDITION “The audition came up on one of the main sites on Spotlight,” Moses explained.

“My friend Joey, who is actually in the show with us now, we were on a flight up to Glasgow and he actually pressed the nudge in response and I was like, ‘no, no, I’m not sure if I want to do it’. Then I got the audition and went to that and there were five in total.

“I got through the first one.

Then I got through the second one and I was like, okay. Got through the third one and every time I got through, I was like, this is crazy.

“It was a pretty mad process to get the job in the first place.

“I was actually touring as well with another show so it was all done literally in between while I was doing that other show. It was mad.

“To finally get the role, there are no words really, because this show is amazing, in every way. To be told that I was going to be Tina was just incredible.

The show is massive, especially in London’s West End history.”

It’s a known fact that Tina Turner’s debut solo album, Private Dancer, won three Grammys and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. That project came out almost a quarter of a century after the world cottoned onto her talent in the 1960s. Staying the course and

being unwavered in your determination to succeed no matter what the odds is a trait Moses says she’s had to embody along her own personal journey.

No stranger to the limelight, the mother-of-two has been mentored by Matthew Knowles, as well as Will.i.am and Tom Jones while appearing on The Voice talent show.

She has written and performed with the likes of house production duo Ku De Ta, superstar Lionel Richie and industry steadfast Nicky Graham and has backed Andy Abraham on his Eurovision performance.

It’s taken her a quarter of a century to get here and she says it’s down to her self-belief.

“This is my first musical. I’ve never auditioned for West End, I auditioned for this show and I got this show.

For me, I’m still in a dream.

“I’m self taught.

That’s with everything I’ve done. When I was eight years-old, I started singing in my bedroom. I taught myself to sing, I

taught myself to dance, everything I have taught myself.

“It’s through my determination and willing and knowing and drive that I got this role.

“For me, the director, MD and the choreographer and producers behind it, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity because it’s hard out there and the show I was in before was a touring show, it wasn’t anything like this, it was literally singing 24 songs as a concert.

“This is a completely different set up. I’m in one place and it’s a totally different vibe and I’m working with a lot of people on stage. It’s great, it’s a perfect mixture of singing, dancing and acting.”

She added: “It’s been a long time, 26 years I think, where I’ve carried on, I’ve not stopped working.

I’ve had my kids and with my youngest, who is five-years-old, I was singing up until a week before giving birth to her and

then I went back to work three weeks later. I’ve been grinding.

“From doing tribute acts for myself, driving myself up north, here, there, everywhere, loading speakers in pubs and clubs, all of that, I did it.”

In 2021, Tina Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo performer, 60 years after her career took off. It’s testament to longevity but further supports Moses’s underpinning message to anyone who has a dream they want to pursue. Simply, don’t stop.

“You’ve just got to keep pushing it out there and keep going,” she enthused. “I think when people say they’ve been doing something for a year and they haven’t got anywhere, they have to keep going. They have to keep going because maybe that time wasn’t for you, but maybe in five years time that’s when your time is.

“My time is 26 years. Even though I’ve done brilliant things throughout my life, going to XFactor, doing The Voice, there are lots of things where I have been told, no, no, no and you think, ahhh, come on.

“But then you think, no, come on. I know I’m worth it, I know I’m good, I know I can do it.

You just have to keep going because one day it will pay off.

“You’ve just got to keep pushing it out there and keep going” And look, self-taught and I’m in the West End and I’m Tina.”

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Pulitzer Prizewinner Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical features Caleb Roberts who plays Ike. Paula Kay plays Tina’s mother Zelma Bullock and Charis Alexandra plays Tina’s sister Alline Bullock.

Moses says having come from an unconventional background, adjusting to the role has had its challenges, but all have shaped her for the better.

“Every single person on that stage is incredible and I love it,” Moses said. “These guys, eight shows a week, they are hardcore and they work it, they’re amazing. Backstage, the wigs, the costumes, everyone is working so hard and it shows as well.”

She added: “The whole show is a rollercoaster, it really is.

When I first watched it, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t

know how it was going to be but I was blown away.

“The whole story, it’s quite harsh and there are parts of it that are like, ooohhhh and the audience are like, ooohhhh.

There are certain words that are used, and it’s fantastic how it’s so cutting but it’s gripping, every part of it is gripping.

“Yeah, there are parts of it that I’ve been through and you can get that emotion across quite easily because as a method actor that’s where you go to.

“You have to be careful too because these things bring up different emotions. It’s not just a turn up, do your job and go home, you’re very invested in there with the emotional side of it as well.

“But that’s what makes it so much more and so special because it is true and these people are real. You’re playing real people and what happened. I think that’s where the magic is.”

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical Theatre: Aldwych Theatre, Aldwych, London WC2B 4DF Dates: Currently playing to January 15, 2023 Performances: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm and Sunday at 3pm

TICKETS FROM £20 To book, visit TinaTheMusical.com Group rates also available

Aldwych Theatre, London, WC2B 4DF

THE VOICE| 63

Photo by Pari Dukovic of the Broadway cast

AUGUST 2022

64 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Lifestyle

BHM What’s On Guide

ENSLAVED: Enough of Him explores the life of Joseph Knight (photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan)

Events for your BHM diary October up and down the UK provides the perfect chance to get your Black History up to speed. Lifestyle have highlighted a few events. By Joel Campbell

Becoming Fowokan book reading and Q&A THE book provides an insightful history of Jamaica in the 1940s and 1950s and ‘Swinging’ London in the late 1950s and 1960s through the life of young George.

It explores his journey from East Queen Street Baptist Elementary School in downtown Kingston to Brixton, London; becoming a musician, touring the US with Cymande and Nigeria with Jimmy Cliff, teaching himself to sculpt, exhibiting nationally and internationally including with Ronald Moody in the 1980s and at the Royal Academy of Arts in the 2000s.

What would inspire George to become ‘Fowokan’, meaning in Yoruba, ‘one who works with his hands’, is visually captured in this lavishly illustrated book.

October 18, 2022, 6.30-8.30pm, Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, Brixton, SW2 1EF National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre presents: Enough of Him BASED on a true story, Enough of Him explores the life of Joseph Knight, an African man enslaved by plantation owner Sir John Wedderburn and brought to Scotland to serve in his Perthshire

mansion. In a first-time collaboration between the National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, May Sumbwanyambe’s historical domestic drama, directed by Orla O’Loughlin, opens in Pitlochry before touring Scotland in October and November 2022.

At Pitlochry Festival Theatre from October 20 to 29 and touring to CatStrand, Castle Douglas; Platform, Glasgow; Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld; The Brunton, Musselburgh and Perth Theatre from November 1-19, 2022.

From Britain To The Caribbean And Back THIS month, classical music lovers will be treated to an amazing one-off concert that fuses traditional orchestral sounds with rhythms of the Caribbean.

Conceived in the quiet of the first lockdown, From Britain To The Caribbean And Back is the brainchild of Serge Sainte Rose,

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pictured, a multi-talented pianist and composer.

Performed by the Covent Garden Sinfonia at the historic St John’s Smith Square in London, this vibrant musical odyssey is a bridge between diverse cultures and a reflection of Sainte Rose’s powerful personal journey – from growing up on the tiny island of Martinique to living in the big cities of Europe.

Serge was first trained in Cuba and then Paris. His compositions have featured in several adverts and hit TV programmes.

Featuring songs in English, Creole, French and Spanish, and incorporating many musical genres from across the region (including Gwoka, Reggae, Salsa, Zouk), these stunning compositions effortlessly merge the classical with the Caribbean to beautiful effect.

Alongside more traditional classical audiences, Sainte Rose is particularly keen to attract African-Caribbean people to the performance.

He says: “I’ve been living away from home for a long time now. This concert was a way to connect with my roots, do something for my people and create something unique.”

From Britain To The Caribbean And Back premieres on October 7, 2022 at the St John Smith’s Square

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Black History Month and The Halo Code celebrated at Contact To celebrate and mark Black History Month 2022, Contact is delighted to announce that its Artistic Director Keisha Thompson is teaming up with the acclaimed Contact Young Company to direct their brand new show, Halo, from October 24-26.

This will mark Thompson’s directorial debut at Contact since taking over the leadership reigns in June of this year.

Inspired by The Halo Code, a campaign signed by schools and businesses that promises members of the black community that they have the “freedom and security to wear all afro-hairstyles without restriction or judgment”, this brand new show explores young people’s personal experiences in schools and workplaces in regards to their hair.

Thompson said: “As Artistic Director and CEO of Contact, my priority is to ensure that all staff, participants and artists are protected and celebrated for who they are.

“The Halo Code is closely aligned with my mission, and I’m personally invested in protecting the rights of our community to wear culturally specific hairstyles, such as the afro, without restriction or judgement.

“I’m calling on all arts organisations to adopt The Halo Code, just as Contact will be doing so,

voicenews

www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2022

THE VOICE | 65

Lifestyle

BHM What’s On Guide

Salford woman’s Windrush tale is brought back to life for BHM

TRIBUTE: Grandad Anansi is on tour in October

and to end discrimination in schools and workplaces across the UK.” Halo runs at Contact, Oxford Rd, Manchester M15 6JA, October 24-26 The Coast is Queer, Brighton & Hove’s festival of LGBTQ+ writing is back The Coast is Queer is the only literary festival dedicated to LGBTQ+ writing in the UK. Running from October 7-9 and produced by New Writing South and Marlborough Productions, it has a new home at Brighton’s Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. Guests include Leone Ross, whose recent novel, This One Sky Day (“bitterly envied” by Marlon James), is published

by Faber, multifaceted talent Travis Alabanza, whose debut None of the Above published by Canongate questions the very framework in which we live and the ways we treat each other.

Manchester-based rising star Okechukwu Nzelu, pictured, whose second novel is called Here Again Now, is also on board. Oluwaseun Olayiwola will discuss writing for performance while Topher Campbell joins The Coast is Queer’s annual Queers In The Library event. For more information go to coastisqueer.com/ The Colour of Transformation The Colour of Transformation is a large-scale film project by artist Bryony Benge-Abbott.

Through the metaphor of butterfly metamorphosis, a documentary shares new perspectives on nature from seven Global Majority women pioneers in land justice and biodiversity conservation. It is accompanied by an abstract artist’s film directed by Bryony Benge-Abbott.

Location for screenings: Meanwhile Gardens, 156-158 Kensal Road, London, W10 5BN, meanwhile-gardens.org.uk/ October 27-29, 2022, 6-9pm, tickets free

Exhibition: Painting Our Past Painting Our Past: The African Diaspora in England is an English Heritage commissioned series of portraits depicting six historic figures from the African diaspora whose stories have contributed to history. Hosted at the The Africa Centre, 66 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0BL, the six individuals from the past include Septimius Severus, an African-born Roman emperor who strengthened Hadrian’s Wall, and James Chappell, a black 17th-century servant.

Painting our Past: The African Diaspora in England runs until October 28. Entry is free.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Screening & Seminar The Visionary Arts Foundation in conjunction with HS Consultancy present The Impact of Racism – featuring a screening of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom + Q&A. An immersive seminar on racialised trauma, featuring a viewing of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and seminar on research and application of racial trauma in the UK in 2022.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a portrayal of racial trauma and the narrative is analogous to the experience of people in the UK for whom the impact of racial trauma has been made invisible and social inequalities attributed to factors other than racism or racism in an abstracted way.

October 27, 5.30-9.30pm, Curzon Victoria, 58 Victoria St, London SW1E 6QW Fountain: Exploring the intersection and significance of water with Black histories Inspirational dance company Yewande 103’s new production and screendance, Fountain, is a compelling, first of its kind new work created by contemporary dance visionary, choreographer, educator, writer and activist Alexandrina Hemsley.

Fountain builds on Hemsley’s body of work around embodied advocacy and blends dance and digital watery environments to explore tidal cycles of repair, bereavement, joy and intimacy.

Screenings: Oct 2: Picturehouse Finsbury Park, Oct 8: Picturehouse Brighton, Oct 8: Picturehouse Norwich, Oct 15: Picturehouse Edinburgh, Oct 22: Picturehouse @ FACT Liverpool, Oct 30: Picturehouse Ritzy Brixton

WHEN Elayne Ogbeta wrote a story based on her Windrush generation father, little did she know it would end up touring the country for Black History Month.

Elayne Ogbeta, 52, from Salford, Greater Manchester, initially penned Grandad Anansi a decade ago while she was working as a tutor at a local college. It was written as a tribute to her 89-year-old dad Ashley Malcolm, who moved to the UK from Jamaica.

But when she showed it to the team at Manchester’s children’s theatre Z-Arts, they could instantly see its potential as a stage show, and asked if Elayne would like to work with them to develop it together. London-based theatre company Half Moon was brought on board as co-producer and a black-led creative team was set up, including director Chris Yarnell.

Three years later, Grandad Anansi is set to premiere at Z-arts in Manchester on September 30, ahead of a 25-date nationwide tour, which includes London’s Lyric Hammersmith theatre.

Suitable for children aged 4-9, it stars Manchester actor Marcus Hercules as Grandad Anansi, while Jazmine Wilkinson takes on the role of his pre-teen grandchild Abi. For Ogbeta, a former ESOL tutor at Salford

City College, who is now a full-time writer, the tour is a dream come true. She said: “I grew up listening to lots of wonderful stories about the roguish spider Anansi told by my dad. He is still a great storyteller to this day and has continued to delight all nine of his grandchildren with gripping versions of the classic Jamaican tales.

“Grandad Anansi takes these oral stories, which have been passed down through generations, and places them on the stage, in front of new audiences. The stories are framed within a wider narrative about intergenerational love, growing up, growing older and the meaning of home.”

Grandad Anansi tour dates 2022: Sep 30-Oct 1: Z-Arts, Manchester, Oct 4: Montgomery Theatre, Sheffield, Oct 7-8: Half Moon Theatre, London, Oct 9: Hat Factory, Luton, Oct 11: The Met, Bury, Oct 12: Oldham Library, Oct 13: Eccleston Library, St Helens, Oct 14-15: Chester Lane Library, St Helens, Oct 16: Astley Cheetham Gallery, Stalybridge, Oct 17: Worksop Library & Mansfield Central Library, Oct 18: The Grand, Clitheroe, Oct 19: Sutton in Ashfield Library, Oct 20 & 22: Theatre Hullabaloo, Darlington, Oct 23: Beeston Library & West Bridgford Library, Oct 25-29: Lyric Hammersmith, London, Oct 30: Cambridge Junction

66 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Exhibition

Fashion history in the making Africa Fashion curator-in-chief Dr Christine reveals how fashion played a key role in the continent’s cultural renaissance. By Joel Campbell T’S TAKEN the best part of two-and-a half-years to bring the Africa Fashion exhibition to life and if you haven’t taken a trip down to the V&A in South Kensington yet, what are you waiting for?

The Africa Fashion exhibition is the museum’s largest ever exhibition on African fashion, featuring over 250 exhibits from more than 40 African designers and some 20 countries.

Lifestyle sat down with curatorin-chief Dr Christine Checinska to talk about where the motivation came from to deliver such a significant exhibit.

Starting with the African independence and liberation years that sparked a radical political and social reordering across the continent, the exhibition explores how fashion, alongside music and the visual arts, formed a key part of Africa’s cultural renaissance, laying the foundation for today’s fashion revolution.

“There is no right starting point and there are so many different stories that could be told about the African fashion scene and ours is just one of dozens if not hundreds that could be told,” Checinska enthused.

“We knew it had to give a glimpse of what we would describe as an unbounded creativity that we see swelling up time and again on the continent and the diaspora actually.

“We had to start in the independence era.

“It’s that moment of visible pride in being black, pride in being African on a global scale and it’s a moment when we presented ourselves to the world as modern, cosmopolitan, going places, and independent.”

Africa Fashion explores the vitality and global impact of a fashion scene as dynamic and varied as the continent itself.

Having worked her way into being in a position to expose so many facets of Africa’s fashion history, while creating history in doing so, Checinska says she has been blown away with how well the exhibition has been received. “It’s been really incred-

I

ible. We opened three months ago, it’s taken over two years to prepare the exhibition and it’s been remarkably well received, so much more than we ever anticipated.”

She continued: “We recognised, as a museum and as a team of curators here, we could see the impact that the designers, the filmmakers, and the photographers from the continent are really shifting the landscape of global fashion, so can’t be ignored any longer.

“So that’s why we felt that now was the time to focus on creativity from the continent.

“In a way you see it happening across the board whether it’s fashion, art or music, we really can see that it’s young fashion creators on the continent that are really being innovative, awe-inspiring, doing wonderful work.”

Speaking on the importance of the Victoria and Albert Museum showcasing African history to this fulsome degree, Checinska said: “We’ve never really had that.” She added: “I think it’s the largest exhibition of its kind and it’s certainly our first exhibition that’s focused purely on creativity from the African continent.

“There have been smaller exhibitions and maybe exhibitions in the past elsewhere that have looked at three or four African cities or taken West Africa and looked at textiles.

“But this idea, an ambitious one, of trying to take a coreness of the continent approach to give people a glimpse of the glamour and politics of the African fashion scene, showing some history, because we start in the independence era, in the

PRIDE: Dr Christine Checinska says she has been blown awaywith how well the exhibition has been received (photo: Philippa Gedge Photography

mid-20th century, so we’re also looking at agency and we’re not shying away from colonisation, we’re looking at independence, that moment, that swell of creativity and how that zest for life and that energy is being echoed in todays contemporary world.

“I don’t think anyone has tried to do anything as ambitious as this.”

Born in Bristol to parents of Jamaican descent, Checinska’s ambition has often led her down a path where she was the only

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bition is that its bringing together many of the different hats, the different strands that I have experienced over nearly 35 years since I left art school “So my first degree was fashion and textile design. I studied in Bristol and came straight to London to find work.

“I worked for a number of different brands designing up to a senior level.

“For example, at Laura Ashley, which hopefully people remember, when I was 30 I was principle designer which was quite an unusual thing at the time and I remember someone saying to me, ‘it’s so great that you are head of design, because you’re not exactly an English Rose’. It was meant as a compliment.

“This rattled around in the back of my mind GLOBAL and obviously APPEAL: troubled me and The exhibition then I found myfeatures self taking that the work comment and of fashion all of the effort designer it would take Imane Ayissi to get angry at that and I did a PhD in Cultural

black woman in the room. An artist, designer, curator and storyteller, a quick look on her website gives you a sense of the dedication she has poured into mastering her areas of expertise.

“Living is the ultimate act of creativity. Who we are, how we live and what we leave behind are all creative choices,” she writes.

Those words are even better understood when she details just a snippet of her journey to this point.

“One of the real joys about leading the Africa Fashion exhi-

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Studies. That was my journey into academia and it was while I was doing the PhD that I started curating small shows and I was still working as a designer in the industry, in fact I carried on doing that part-time, freelance, right up until entering the V&A. “But this is what I mean when I say leading the Africa Fashion exhibition for me has been a joy and it’s also been a balm, it’s been inspiring but it’s also been a balm.

“Going from working hard, creating collections that sell but sometimes feeling invisible, I’ve been able to put all of that energy and all of that lived experience with the research, because my research practice is my writing, my teaching is all around fashion, culture and race, so all of that has somehow fed into the foundations of Africa Fashion.”

“So that’s really my journey.

Art school, working in the industry, having that troubling moment that then became a kind of eureka moment because it catapulted me into this world of academia and the visual arts where I’ve ended up doing the work that I do, drawing on all of that.”

Watch the full interview on our website.

Africa Fashion Exhibition, V&A On now until April 16, 2023 Gallery 40, £16 Discount for under 26s

www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2022

This is Brukout!

THE VOICE | 67

by Seani B

V. Rocket ready for lift off A new documentary tells the story of how the legendary reggae sound system became a powerhouse USIC HAS always been the heartbeat of our community, and for the Windrush Generation, this was their connection back to the Caribbean lifestyles that they had left behind for a brighter future in the cold and often hostile new home of Great Britain.

What started out as a requirement to help entertain small Caribbean groups around the UK has grown into an industry that fuelled hit records when the radio stations were not supporting the music that came from the West Indies.

But running a sound system is no easy job and not one for the faint-hearted! Many times, sound system operators “play” sounds as an enthusiast or hobby, because many can testify like myself to spending m o r t g a g e money that can never be earned back.

But as a former “soundman”, I can tell you the addiction is real, especially when you see the “machine” in its full glory with speakers stacked rattling the hell outta a venue. It’s like having a proud dad moment.

Starting in Kingston, Jamaica in the 1940s with Tom the Sebastian, this musical phenomenon has spread worldwide with sound systems in Japan, Africa and India.

Armed with this knowledge, I always found it strange that with so many streaming platforms available to us nowadays, we don’t see a David Attenboroughstyle doc (lol) about sounds, or just the richness that the music from the underground has brought to the world This was until I got the invite to the screening of V. Rocket International: A Sound System Dynasty.

V. Rocket is a sound that I have been very close to over the

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past 20 years mainly due to my friendship with manager/owner Valerie Robinson, aka Lady V. Hailing from Nottingham, they have served their town and the UK with reggae music for 60 years and this documentary shows the history that I genuinely didn’t know about.

I had known some of the entertainers like Penny Irie that used to work on the sound during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but I didn’t know how they arrived from the island of Jamaica to the UK. I had seen the chief operator (technician) of the sound parliament tweak knobs and move faders for years, but didn’t know the tutoring he had gone through as a young man to have the skills he possesses today.

All those questions and more are answered.

But this documentary is more than a story of amps, wires, dubs and speakers!

It’s a story of family, friendships and a dream that Valerie’s parents Mr Dougie and Ms Imogen had 60 years ago. This documentary shows hard work and dedication.

Valerie tells me: “I saw my parents work hard to put food on the table. My late parents were tremendous when it comes to principles.

“Little things like not buying food on road and eating it, having food around a table as a family and saying grace.”

Sounds far detached from sound system, but these are the principles needed to run a successful team! Valerie tells me that this was important to show in the doc.

The other side that this documentary shows is how much of a forward thinker and risk taker Valerie has been.

Many would know of her in recent times for the highly rated World Clash Series in the UK, but she masterminded taking

LEGENDS: Valerie Robinson, aka Lady V, and her team have served home town Nottingham and the UK with reggae music for 60 years

V. Rocket’s Physical Sound System to Jamaica during the 1980s and also importing

from Saxon Sound all agree with their own tales of facing V. Rocket in a hall somewhere in the UK.

“Running a sound system is no easy job and not one for the faint-hearted” Jamaican artists to work the sound back in the UK. Impressive stuff, and the many featured guests like King Jammys, David Rodigan and Muscle Head

There was one question I did want to hear Valerie answer that wasn’t mentioned in the doc: “Even with all this great history, do you think V. Rocket would have been

even bigger if they came from London?”

“I was asked that question yesterday…yes I do, yes I do, yes I do,” she says repeatedly!

“They get easily recognised, not saying they are the best, but maybe cos it’s the capital.

From way back in the day when cutting dubs, I used to have to stop artists and say the sound is from Nottingham.”

Valerie and her V. Rocket team have continuously shown they are a force to reckoned with. The team is still going strong in 2022, and with this doc

they have shown the class they are. “My dad would be super proud,” Valerie says.

“To know that something he started from a 50watt sound system, that his children and children from another mother (Parliament, Reuben) their children, grandchildren and friends of the family have been a part of the journey that he started and cherished and looked after the name V. Rocket.”

V Rocket: A Sound System Dynasty is available to rent/buy from Amazon

68 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Lifestyle

A tidal wave of creativity unleashed Jimi Famurewa journeys into the vibrant world of African London. By Joel Campbell XPLORING LONDON’S black History and ‘amplifying the voices we don’t always get to hear,’ was the motivation for Jimi Famurewa’s new book.

Hitting the shelves this month, Settlers: Journeys Through the Food, Faith and Culture of Black African London, is a story that begins not with the Windrush Generation of Caribbean immigrants to Britain, but with post1950s arrivals from African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Somalia.

Some came from former British colonies in the wake of newfound independence; others seeking prosperity and an English education for their children.

Now, in the 2020s, their descendants have unleashed a tidal wave of creativity and cultural production stretching from Lambeth to Lagos, Islington to the Ivory Coast. Daniel Kaluuya and Skepta; John Boyega and Little Simz; Bukayo Saka and Edward Enninful – everywhere you look, across the fields of sport, business, fashion, the arts and beyond, there are the descendants of black African families largely governed by many of the same shared, immutable traditions.

So, what makes a Londoner?

What is it to be black, African

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and British? And how can we understand the many tangled roots of our modern nation without knowing the story of how it came to be?

In this book, Famurewa, a British-Nigerian journalist, journeys into the vibrant world of African London.

Seeking to understand the ties that bind black African Londoners together and link them with their home countries, Famurewa visits their places of worship, roams around markets and restaurants, attends a traditional Nigerian engagement ceremony, shadows them on their morning journeys to far-flung grammar schools and listens to stories from shopkeepers and activists, to artists and politicians.

Speaking to Lifestyle, he enthused: “The idea for Settlers grew from a desire to better understand the African diaspora culture that has shaped me and so many others.

“The post-war practice of privately fostering African children with white English families; the growing influence of black majority churches and mosques; the African supermarkets, restaurants and function halls that signal a broader demographic shift in London’s orbital suburbs.

All of these, to me, seemed like connected phenomena.

“My hope is that this book illuminates and explores a somewhat neglected chapter of modern black British history. And that it also amplifies the voices we don’t always get to hear.”

Famurewa’s work also uncovers a darker side, of racial discrimination between white and black communities and between black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans.

He investigates the troublesome practice of ‘farming’ in which young black Nigerians were sent to live with white British foster parents, examines historic interaction with the police, and reveals the friction between traditional black African customs and the stresses of modern life in diaspora.

TANGLED ROOTS: Jimi Famurewa’s new book seeks to understand the ties that bind black African Londoners together (photo: Natasha Pszenicki)

Lerato Africana by Lerato Umah-Shaylor A CULINARY expedition celebrating cooking from across Africa, Africana travels the continent showcasing its vibrant and varied cuisines that are rich in flavour, diverse in culture and steeped in tradition.

Combining recipes passed down the generations with her own modern and inventive style, food writer and cook Lerato Umah-Shaylor shares her own stories of Africa with a delectable sense of adventure.

Looking ahead to the book hitting the shelves and an impending promotional tour, Umah-Shaylor wrote recently: “Every milestone reached with Africana is a dream come true, but

also a result of a lot of hard work from a great team that I feel so blessed to have in my corner.”

She added: “We have an exciting

line-up from bookstore demos and live cooking to book launch events, virtual talks and supper clubs.

“A little birdie told me that Africana is making its way to South Africa. And so I hope to be able to visit soon.

“If you would like to see Africana in your country or in your local bookstores, please ask them for it. Your requests are powerful and your support means so much to the success of this book. If you will like to support me and most importantly if you will love to explore and enjoy the magic of African cooking, please consider pre-ordering your copy today.”

JOEL CAMPBELL

Dyslexia & Me: How To Survive And Thrive If You’re Neurodivergent

by Onyinye Udokporo RISING star, entrepreneur and speaker Onyinye Udokporo shares her story of growing up dyslexic in a society where neurodivergence was always presented as a white male issue.

The north-Londoner discusses her experience of being diagnosed at 11 years-old, starting a business the following year, gaining a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school and going on to complete two degrees by the age of 22, while

also being honest about the difficulties she faced throughout with bullying and anxiety. Udokporo shares the tips she picked up over the years for thriving with dyslexia and the strategies she used to overcome her difficulties in reading and writing.

Illuminating wider issues of systemic racism in the educational sector, this is an empowering story of surviving and thriving in the face of adversity.

JOEL CAMPBELL

OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE | 69

TOP SPORTS COVERAGE 24/7 VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK/SPORT

NEWSPAPER

OF SPORT

Cricket’s forgotten talent The ACE Programme is opening pathways for young black players. By Matthew Chadder

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RICKET HAS been bowled over by the innovative ACE Programme.

It was set up in January 2020

by Surrey County Cricket Club with the aim of engaging young people of African and Caribbean heritage into the sport.

Following significant investment from Sport England, the programme became an independent charity in October 2020.

ACE is all about talent pathways, workforce development and re-engaging the black community into a sport they have traditionally loved.

Director of Programmes, Chevy Green, spoke to the Voice of Sport’s Matthew Chadder.

MC: Explain the need for the ACE programme?

CG: I think in recent years within cricket, in terms of the racism that’s been identified, it’s an ongoing issue which has been neglected and not actioned in terms of engagement for the black British playing cricket and community.

There’s been a massive drop off for a long time and ACE is trying to get more talented players from the black British community to play cricket.

Cricket also has a massive class divide. The communities that we go into, whether you’re white, black, or brown, if you live in those areas, your access to playing the game in terms of fa-

SPREADING THE MESSAGE: Chevy Green, ACE director of programmes (photo: Vincent Bell)

cilities, green spaces, there’s not many around, not many cricket clubs in some of those areas.

We’re just trying to give everyone the best opportunity to play cricket.

We’re a talent ID programme, however for us it is also about how we can inspire the young people that you can still be involved in professional sport if you don’t make it as a player, there are opportunities that for a lot of them weren’t known.

MC: Why do you think there has been a 75 per cent decline in black British professional cricketers?

CG: I think there’s definitely blame on two sides. There is definitely blame on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) because if you see that decline happening year on year, and at no point over 25 years, you stepped in to try and initiate a programme or anything to stop that, then there’s clearly a massive problem.

Why was that decision made not to support a lot of areas where a lot of the black British playing community needed support?

Also, you have to look into the community itself, there’s people that still work within cricket, who have had children, but their children have never played cricket.

However, for me, the number one factor would be, a governing body and the county board that didn’t care to intervene and put

measures in place to stop that decline happening.

You hear over the years, the West Indies aren’t doing well so that’s why people don’t want to play. That has nothing to do with the kids over in this country. A lot of kids now they’re black British kids, their influences are English.

A lot of them have never been to the Caribbean, a lot of their parents have never been to the Caribbean. West Indies cricket can’t inspire people from the West Indies back home to play, let alone people in England. To use that as an excuse is silly.

I’ve never heard that in any other sport, so to use that as an excuse is pretty lazy.

MC: What are the ambitions going forward with the programme?

CG: Recruitment to go into new areas and spread the message of ACE and provide more opportunities for young people to play the game, and then develop further into the game.

We’re always going to be focusing on talent, it’s a talent ID programme, but we’re not going to neglect that we just want peo-

ple to enjoy the game and have fun. The big ambition would be one day to see one of our kids that came from our programme playing for England, but those are big ambitions that will take time.

As for the immediate future, just continue to spread the joy of ACE. Can we get into more schools and more community areas and support that class divide within cricket, get more young black kids playing but also young South Asian kids, young white working-class kids, Eastern European kids?

We’ve got a massive Portuguese and South American community as well.

I’d love one of those kids from the Portuguese community to turn to cricket rather than football, and maybe be inspired by, Jason Roy, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo, who knows!

If you’re on our workforce, you’re with us on this journey, and it is about how best can we empower you to be better and keep motivated and keep doing what you need to do to get to the next steps of what you want to achieve.

Young racing sensations Lewis and Reuben given a hero’s welcome

By Rodney Hinds TWO MOTORSPORT stars of the future met their hero recently.

Lewis Appiagyei and his teammate Ruben Stanislaus met up with seventimes Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes HQ at Brackley.

They were invited by the F1 team to meet their racing hero Hamilton after he heard about the duo’s racing exploits. They were given VIP access to Mercedes’ state-of-the-art facilities.

Young racing sensations Appiagyei and Stanislaus caused a stir at their Praga Cup debut race at Donington

Park Circuit. The two 18 year-olds first raced each other back at Buckmore Park in Kent when they were just six and seven respectively, taking their first karting lessons.

Fast forward 11 years, countless race meets, podium wins, trophies galore and lap record setting and they are getting together again, this time not as track rivals, but as teammates taking on the professional drivers such as Ben Collins (the original Stig in Top Gear) in the Praga Cup Championship.

Having completed just a couple of tests in the stunning Praga R1 car at Silverstone, they attracted a lot of attention when they were able to more

CAUSING A STIR: Sir Lewis Hamilton with Lewis Appiagyei, left, and Ruben Stanislaus, right than keep up with the rest of the field at Donnington, which included very experienced and professional drivers.

The young men had been preparing for their transition from karts into cars

for some time, but financial constraints meant they had to come up with alternative ways of making a name for themselves and getting noticed.

With a buzz surrounding them, they

were able to pick up their first two sponsors who saw the potential of these rising stars — Adrian Flux Motor Insurance, a major sponsor in motoring racing, and Esport Africa News, which is a hub for everything esports In Africa.

A spokesperson for the dynamic duo told the Voice of Sport: “Any brand or individual out there who has the foresight and vision to see their potential should not miss this opportunity to become a sponsor at this early stage.

“Both drivers are solely managed by their parents for now, so any interested parties should get in touch directly with Lewis and Ruben through their social media channels.”

70

| THE VOICE OCTOBER 2022

Sport

Meet the best referee in Africa RESPECTED: Bamlak Tesema Weyesa qualified as a FIFA referee in 2009; below, with Sadio Mane and Naby Keita as Senegal play Guinea

By Anshu Taneja

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AMLAK TESSEMA WEYESA is an Ethiopian football referee, who has been a integral part of the African game for almost 20 years, and qualified as an international FIFA referee in 2009. He talks to the Voice of Sport about the dream of officiating in the Premier League, Sadio Mane and the World Cup next month…

AT: You are regarded as one of the best referees in Africa. Do you like being famous?

BTW: I don’t think I am famous! I like to be ordinary. But because I officiate the top games in Africa, I am well known. I have never worked to become famous – I have worked hard as a referee because it is my big passion.

Ever since my first international match between Djibouti and Senegal in 2010, it has been an honour and privilege to be considered a top official in Africa.

When I started in this profession, I was always dreaming of becoming an elite referee. I believe God has looked after me well as I have worked my way up to the top panel of African referees.

AT: Why did you decide to become a referee?

BTW: The real truth is that I became a referee because I couldn’t make it as a player! I loved playing football and represented my schools and college but I didn’t get the chance to play in the top Ethiopian leagues.

I had trials at the renowned ELPA (Ethiopia Electrical Power Authority) teams but the coach didn’t give me a chance to play because the guys who came were unbelievable and I didn’t get the ball much!

So many teams came to play competitions near where I lived and I started refereeing there. I soon built up a good reputation and many teams preferred me officiating in their games.

Then I took a course and became a licensed referee. Following the recommended pathway in Ethiopia, I became a FIFA referee in 2009. Now I get to meet top level players and teams from around the world on the pitch and it’s amazing for me.

AT: Have any players given you a tough time?

BTW: I am very lucky that I have refereed so many matches over the years and no player has really given me a hard time. Others are very pleasant to me, for example Sadio Mane. His professionalism, mentality and kind approach to referees is fantastic. It was so nice to work with him.

AT: Would you like to work in the Premier League?

BTW: I would love to be in the Premier League, that is the benchmark for referees. The speed, the flow, the professionalism of the game, it is global.

Everything is happening in that league and it is a blessing to be part of that. I have heard of a few foreign referees joining the league but at the moment I still think it is a dream for me coming from Africa.

We have friends working there and they share their knowledge of the games and competitions when we meet them for referee training conferences. It’s an amazing opportunity

to referee in front of top professional players from around the world and develop our refereeing skills.

AT: You have been praised worldwide for using VAR technology correctly in the recent AFCON semi-final between Senegal and Burkino Faso. Has VAR helped or ruined the game?

BTW: VAR is a great modern technology which if used in the right way will help us make better decisions and we will also keep improving.

In my opinion, VAR is like a parachute on a plane to save a person’s life – we get a second chance to see important decisions which can

change the outcome of a game. I definitely think it’s good for football.

AT: What is the hardest part of being a referee?

BTW: It’s mostly an amateur profession in many countries, so we have a full-time job and referee part time.

There is not much time for family as we have to train, read, and travel a lot – especially in Africa. There is a huge difference between amateurs and professional referees.

AT: What advice can you give others who want to be a referee?

BTW: You have to be passionate about the game. You won’t get rich, but you will travel to a lot of countries and you can enhance your reputation in your country and be as famous as some football stars if you succeed.

There is an amazing satisfaction when you are controlling games in a peaceful way and the responsibility which comes with it. It gives you great pleasure if conducted in the right way.

If you can control your emotions, it’s a good profession for you.

AT: Finally, will you be going to the World Cup? BTW: This is the dream of dreams and maybe God will be kind to me and I will go!

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OCTOBER 2022 THE VOICE

| 71

Sport

Statue pays tribute to pioneering footballer I

N 1925, Jack Leslie was denied an England cap simply due to the colour of his skin – a century later, and he will be immortalised in bronze.

Greg Foxsmith, co-founder of the campaign in the footballer’s name, spoke to the Voice of Sport’s Matthew Chadder about Jack Leslie’s story and the campaign’s ambitions.

MC: Can you outline the Jack Leslie campaign?

GF: Jack played for Plymouth Argyle for 14 years, clocked up 400 games, 137 goals and finished as club captain.

He got selected to play for England, and then his name was removed from the team sheets, and he didn’t play, and it was 50 years before the first black football player played for England, Viv Anderson. He should have been the first black footballer to play.

So, we researched it a bit more, and we were outraged, why is it not recognised?

We decided to set up the campaign to highlight the story and tell it in a positive way. The best way we could think of would be to raise money for a statue of Jack because that would show that even though he was overlooked, we want to demonstrate that a century later, things were different. It is a crowdfunded campaign

with donations coming from people in football and outside of football. During the Black Lives Matter protests, the Colston statue came tumbling down and I thought, this is an amazing coincidence, at a time when a racist slave trader has his statue toppled, we’re successfully in the process of campaigning for a statue to go up. What a beautiful ying and yang.

It will be the first statue of a black person or person of diverse background in Plymouth, or indeed, anywhere west of Exeter, this is going to be significant.

Our aims and ambitions are to build a statue, to tell Jack’s story, and to use that story to campaign against prejudice, discrimination, and, in fact, to celebrate diversity.

This is a positive story, it’s brought together people to celebrate the life of Jack Leslie. He got knocked back in 1925 but in 2022, he’s going to get a lifesize statue with the story told on the side panelling and that’s only there because people have backed and supported it. That’s massive.

MC: You have had support from former players such as Viv Anderson and Carlton Cole, how invaluable has their support been?

INJUSTICE: Jack Leslie made over 400 appearances for Plymouth Argyle and should have been the first black footballer to play for England (photos: both black and white images courtesy of the Jack Leslie Campaign)

GF: Having the support of Viv Anderson and Carlton Cole was massive and meant a lot. It also meant a lot to Jack’s family, he has three surviving granddaughters.

There is still people we would love to reach, I’d love to get a tweet of endorsement from Marcus Rashford or Raheem Sterling.

MC: How have you found responses to the campaign?

Has there been any resistance or any issues?

GF: Generally, responses have been universally supportive and welcoming, it’s been incredibly empowering and uplifting to see how well supported the campaign is. We expected a lot more negativity and kickback than we actually got.

I can’t say that there has been none, there’s going to be a few people who raise questions, but we’re always happy to have these conversations. We’ve created a space where, if people want to express their opinions, we will tackle them head on.

MC: How have preparations gone for the unveiling?

GF: It’s very exciting. I have to pinch myself to the fact that it is going to happen. Locally, I think people are excited.

We are totally independent of

the football club (Plymouth Argyle) but the club is very supportive. The unveiling is Friday October 7 and there’s a home game at Argyle on the next day and the club will be dedicating the game to Jack Leslie, his granddaughters will be there as guests of honour, and it is going to be a real celebratory affair.

The statue remains, it’s permanent. That’s the beauty of it.

It’s no longer a website that people won’t access or news cutting that’s dropped down the agenda.

It’s there in bronze.

MC: Do you hope the statue can have a positive impact in changing negative stereotypes?

GF: Absolutely, we want to use the statue and the campaign to challenge viewpoints that are negative on race and to explore issues. If you’re supporting an England team, and you’re supporting players who play for Eng-

TALENT: Jack Leslie scores in a 6-2 victory against Southend United in August 1925; right, a statue will be unveiled in Jack’s honour at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park ground on October 7

land who have a different skin colour, why are you not supporting people with a different skin colour, in education, or health care, or in the justice system, or in school?

We asked people, particularly children, how do you think they might feel looking different?

What can you do to be inclusive? Already we’re seeing that responses are positive and the feedback from schoolteachers, and the kids themselves has been amazing.

We might challenge them to write a poem about Jack Leslie or how would you feel if you went somewhere where you were the only person with your skin colour?

There’s loads of ways that you can engage, and we find that once people examine the issues from that inward look, that immediately makes for a more diverse and inclusive society because it’s expressing empathy and understanding of people from different backgrounds.

MC: What are future plans for the campaign?

GF: We don’t propose to stop with objectives two and three, tell Jack Leslie’s story, and use the story positively to challenge discrimination and celebrate diversity.

I’m thinking perhaps of converting the campaign to get some sort of charitable status, so that we can then fundraise to get materials, or maybe do a publication that can be circulated to school libraries.

What we’d actually like to do is empower particularly young people to present the story themselves, I’d like to have a young person running our Instagram account, I’d like to have people from different backgrounds being able to take the story out, empowering them to tell the story.

You can find out more about the Jack Leslie campaign at https://jackleslie.co.uk/

72 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2022

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Island Delight have reduced their energy costs with our support by installing solar panels and switching to LED lighting, allowing them to make their sustainably-produced patties more profitable.

By the side of business