The Voice Newspaper August 2020

AUGUST 2020 • ISSUE NO. 1909

CARNIVAL NEWSPAPER

It’s virtually here but a little different this year SEE INSIDE

£4 BILLION £2.50

WWW.VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK

Estimated amount black-owned businesses contribute to the UK economy

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LACK ENTREPRENEURS could be responsible for contributing an estimated £4 billion to the UK economy according to The Voice’s analysis of figures from the Federation of Small Businesses. African Caribbean

business owners create innovative products and services plus thousands of new jobs.

It’s estimated that 95 per cent of us spend our money outside of our community.

This must change.

Supporting black businesses generates wealth that will strengthen our community, empower our young people and finance projects that challenge racial inequality.

See inside for full story

Inside

ROUNDUP

THIS MONTH

NEWSPAPER

Spotlight

News, views, stories & videos

£1 million campaign launched to support young black talent p4

THE 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK 1. DJ Steve Sutherland has died

he i ot re ithin the de e o ent o c ritish sic co ined his re t tion s c ith eer ess i it s ro dc ster

Swiss: ‘Why I decided to create Black Pound Day’

2. Shukri Abdi’s death is proof that racism still prevails in schools

p8

h ri di et s not or et her n nd o in o n ir ho in o i to the UK

e sh ind o ed ro

3. Sir Keir Starmer hosts virtual roundtable with BAME business owners on COVID-19 impact

Sadiq Khan says ‘now’s the time to challenge racism’

he e ent s the test in cons t tion sessions or i ct o on

p12

Doctor Rochelle Pierre says: ‘Don’t rule out a career in medicine’ p30

series o o r s re ie into the co nities

4. Windrush Day 2020: ways to celebrate at home here is sti indr sh

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5. How the present day land-grabbing in Africa is forcing thousands to migrate to Europe dis

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estern in estors re r shin in nd cin h ndreds o tho s nds o ric ns

6. So Solid’s Swiss launches Black Pound Day

Meet Rose Adkins Hulse, rising star of TV streaming p36

he e ent s ins ired i es tter rotests

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7. Rihanna donates 4,000 tablets to children in Barbados

Riki and Glyn, the duo behind Since '93 p38

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8. The Real McCoy returns he re onn h e to o The Real McCoy on

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9. Dawn Butler closes office after escalation in death threats and abuse he rent entr s id the thre t to herse her te h d dr stic esc ted

Campaign to honour a hero p46

Lewis-Jae Harrison, school pupil

nd

10. ‘Why I’m not calling for black history to be included on the national curriculum’ e cher nd se

dec red cti ist s e

This issue is 48 pages. The normal 72-page issue will resume soon.

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IN THE news lately there has been a lot of controversy over the tearing down of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol.

The recent world events have lead me to feel disappointed and upset from the killing of George Floyd, the reaction of our UK Prime Minister and the Home Secretary labelling protesters as thugs and threatening to prosecute.

My dad is a news addict and at times I tune in myself. Lately, my mum has been having many more conversations with me on how to stay safe and be aware of what is going on.

Earlier this year, I was taught that Edward Colston was a wealthy entrepreneur and MP who made his money by taking part in the slave trade. He was a deputy governor and senior partner in the Royal African Company (RAC) and this is how he acquired most of his wealth. Colston’s company brutally kidnapped over 100,000 African men, women and children who were shipped across the Atlantic and exchanged for sugar and tobacco.

But firstly, I learned that Edward Colston was a wealthy entrepreneur who gave generously to charities, churches and schools in Bristol.

I was also asked if I believed a statue of Edward Colston should be left to stand or be removed. At the time, I said: ‘‘It should stay up as a reminder of Britain’s vile history.”

But now I have learnt about the many campaigns and the passion that has driven these protesters who wanted to remove it.

I can see that it would be better for it to have been put in a museum, so we do not forget his contributions to history. It must have been an insult to the people negatively affected having to walk past it. I know I see it as an insult.

It was fantastic seeing Ms Paulette Simpson, someone I know, discussing this topic on BBC Breakfast. This helped me to re-think my original view and I hope it helps others see it the same way I do now. Knowing this man’s history, wouldn’t you want it down?

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

NEWSPAPER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paulette Simpson ette si son the oice edi ro co CORPORATE AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS Paula Dyke the oice edi ro co

ACTING MANAGING DIRECTOR George Ruddock eor e r ddoc the oice edi ro co NEWS DESK ne sdes the oice edi ro co

NEWS EDITOR Vic Motune ic ot ne the oice ro co

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ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Joel Campbell oe c e the oice ro co

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SPORTS EDITOR Rodney Hinds rodne hinds the oice ro co ADVERTISING AND SALES d ertisin ro co

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CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS s scri tions the oice ro co The Voice Newspaper Unit ric ers r s nde ondon

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T: 020 7510 0340 Fax: 020 7510 0341 e www.voice-online.co.uk U

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 3

News

Black businesses could be boosting the UK economy by £4 billion Entrepreneurs from African and Caribbean backgrounds have vital role to play in prosperity

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USINESSES RUN by entrepreneurs from African and Caribbean backgrounds could be contributing as much as £4 billion to the UK economy, according to an analysis by The Voice of new statistics from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

A report, Unlocking Opportunity, from the FSB and Aston University’s Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME), found that in 2018, black amd minority ethnic (BAME)led businesses contributed £25 billion to the UK’s Gross Value Added, the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy.

INNOVATION

The report estimated that the figure is the economic equivalent of Greater Manchester.

Unlocking Opportunity based its analysis on a range of different data sets and the Small Business Survey produced by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which found that in 2018, around 250,000 firms were BAME-led.

Most of these businesses were operating with a self-employed business structure either as a sole trader or in a partnership.

The breakdown of the figures is as follows: l Asian/Asian British (54 per cent)

We must note the role they play in contributing to communities l Black/African/Caribbean/ black British (16 per cent) l Mixed/multiple ethnic group (18 per cent) l Other ethnic group (12 per cent) According to this breakdown, The Voice estimates that approximately 40,000 African Caribbean-led businesses are responsible for contributing £4 billion to the UK’s Gross Value Added.

The FSB said that these businesses were found to be more innovative than non-ethnic minority-led firms, with 30 per cent engaging in recent product or service innovation, some 11 percentage points higher than their white counterparts.

FSB national chairman Mike Cherry, pictured below, said: “This new research highlights the staggering contribution ethnic minority businesses already make to the UK economy, which i n

2018 was worth £25 billion. Ethnic minority businesses are key drivers to the country’s wealth creation through innovation and international trade.

“If we harness this talent and resilience in future strategies for growth, it will benefit the UK economy as a whole.”

GROWTH

The report found that increasing numbers of BAME entrepreneurs are to be found in sectors such as information technology (IT) and construction, as well as the traditional strongholds of retail and hospitality.

London, the West Midlands and a number of the larger urban areas in the UK are hubs of ethnic minority business activity.

The report said: “The vital social contribution of these small businesses is evident too in the cafés, convenience stores, grocers and private hire taxi firms we see across the UK. Yet the value of this social or community contribution remains almost totally unmeasured.

“Nevertheless, through this combined economic and social contribution, the widely advocated policy of ‘inclusive growth’ is

FUTURE-PROOF: Black-led firms were found to engage more with product or service innovation being enacted in real time by the daily actions of ethnic minority business owners.”

The report added that “business owners from an ethnic minority background are more likely to be growth-focused, innovative and export-oriented than other firms.

“These features – combined with the powerful social connections generated by ethnic minority busi businesses in many localities – can help generate inclusive and creative strategies for economic recovery.”

However, the FSB said that many BAME entrepreneurs have struggled to access external finance to help their businesses survive and grow and that they are often detached

from mainstream business support. Over a 16-year period, nearly 30 per cent of people on average in the UK’s BAME population were typically involved in thinking about, setting up or operating a business venture, nearly twice the level of the non-ethnic population.

However, only three per cent of respondents over that time period have been reported as running a start-up, suggesting that a high number of wouldbe black entrepreneurs do not realise their potential.

DIVERSE

Unlocking Opportunity is calling for a comprehensive national study of ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the UK, so that business support agencies can better assess trends and target business support.

Cherry said: “We know from

this research that ethnic minority businesses are incredibly innovative and the government must harness this by ensuring they are not left out of national strategies and are able to play a vital role as part of a diverse public procurement framework.

“With a high proportion of ethnic minority businesses operating on the ‘metaphorical frontline’ in their communities, the government should look to target business support, especially as these businesses traditionally have had lower engagement with mainstream support.”

He added: “Alongside the economic contribution ethnic minority businesses make, we must also note the vital role they play in contributing to the social value in our communities, by creating jobs and wealth.”

Tributes to Windrush campaigner Wilson after death at 64

PRAISED: Paulette Wilson

PAULETTE WILSON, a vocal campaigner for the Windrush Generation, who herself was wrongly classified as an illegal immigrant by the Home Office, has died.

Wilson, 64, was found dead on Thursday July 23 by her daughter, The Guardian reported. Her death has been described as unexpected.

Wilson came to Britain from Jamaica when she was a child in 1968.

After spending 50 years living and working in Britain, she was told by the Home Office that she did not have the

right to remain in the UK. As a result, she spent time in immigration removal centre Yarl’s Wood and was almost deported to Jamaica in 2017.

SADNESS

The experience, which saw her denied benefits, left her homeless for a time.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2017 Wilson’s daughter Natalie said: “I am surprised we didn’t lose her from the stress. She is normally so bubbly and sociable. Since she came out of Yarl’s Wood, she has withdrawn.”

Windrush campaigners have expressed their sadness at the news of Wilson’s death and praised her pursuit of justice.

Jacqueline Mckenzie, a lawyer who represents many victims of the Windrush scandal, tweeted: “Saddened to hear of (the) death of Paulette Wilson who arrived in the UK in 1968, aged 10, but became a victim of the Windrush scandal – told she had no rights of residency, she was detained in an IRC. “Paulette took on the fight for justice for others. May she rest in peace.”

Desmond Jadoo, co-founder of the

Windrush Movement UK, tweeted: “My sincere condolences go out to the family of Windrush victim Paulette Wilson who sadly passed away overnight. May the Lord bless her family and may she rest in peace.”

Fellow Windrush Generation campaigner Glenda Caesar tweeted: “My thoughts & prayers go out to Paulette Wilson, may she rest in eternal peace.

“Yet again another victim passed away without even having access to her compensation.”

4 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News

CROWDFUNDING TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE AIM HIGH

Inspired by Black Lives Matter, entrepreneur Ric Lewis supports young people from diverse communities

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OLLOWING THE protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a growing number of companies have decided to speak out against race inequality.

Major brands from industries including finance, tech and retail have proclaimed their support for calls for race equality that have galvanised people all over the world.

Perhaps pressured by a fear of losing customers, companies are being forced to examine the roles they may have played in perpetuating racial inequality in hiring, pay and promotion.

ADVOCATE

However, there others in business, like Ric Lewis, pictured below, who have been quietly addressing these issues for several years.

Lewis, a passionate advocate for diversity and equality, is the founder and executive chairman of property investment giant Tristan Capital Partners, which has a near £11 billion real estate empire, including offices, warehouses and retail parks in the UK and Europe.

As well as being successful in business, he launched the charity Black Heart Foundation. In 2013, the foundation created the Black Heart Scholars Programme to provide gap-funding for young people who would otherwise not be able to achieve their ambitions or potential through further or higher education.

To date, the foundation has provided scholarships to 100 young people, 85 per cent of whom are BAME, and who have studied at 57 academic institutions in the UK, from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge,

We have been growing a group that wants to pay it forward Bristol and Loughborough, through to the commercial flight school at Aer Lingus and the Urdang Academy of performing arts in London.

Now, in the wake of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, Lewis has launched a £1 million crowdfunding campaign to double the number of young people from under-represented communities it has helped through its Black Heart Scholarship Programme.

The Each Day Every Day crowdfunding campaign aims to raise £500,000 from friends, supporters and the general public, which will be matched, pound for pound, by the board.

Lewis, who topped the 2019 Powerlist of Britain’s most influential black people and is the founder and chairman of the board of the Black Heart Foundation, says that the money will go towards doubling the number of Black Heart Foundation

scholars from 100 to 200.

Within a week of the campaign being launched in July, contributions from friends, supporters and the public had already reached £250,000.

Lewis said: “I’ve been asked by a lot of people what they can do to help tackle the issues raised by Black Lives Matter and by COVID-19, which has had a disproportionate effect on BAME communities.

INSPIRATION: The Black Lives Matter protests have shone a light on the issue of racial equality

WOKE

“A number of friends, some people in our community who felt they should do more, other friends in the majority white community who said ‘I’m woke, I want to learn more, what should I do, what should I read, who can I talk to?’

“After a lot of reflection and discussion with the board of trustees, we have decided to open up the work the foundation has been quietly and industriously doing each day, every day for the past two decades to the general public, supercharging our new efforts so that we can have an even greater impact on young lives.

“We felt that this was something concrete. We have a 20year track record of helping 50 community programmes, we’ve had the scholarship programme running since 2013 and have helped hundreds of people from minority communities achieve their dreams. We cover all the expenses of the young people involved and we will double your donation. What’s not to like?”

He added: “I said to some of my friends, the only good answer to not helping us is that you’re already committed to supporting something else. Not everyone will support it, but no one can say it’s a bad idea or that it’s not a concrete way to help.”

For Lewis, the foundation’s scholarship fund and the current fundraising campaign go to the heart of many of the issues that the recent Black Lives

@thevoicenewspaper

Matter protests have highlighted.

“Racism exists in any place where there is not equality of ideas, thoughts, outcomes and access,” he said.

“What we’re trying to do here is level the playing field peoand give access to young peo ple from under-resourced and under-represented communities on the pathway to ed-ucation.

“It’s a fairly fundamental belief that education is a pretty potent way to bigger and better things in life.

“But that’s only if everyone has equal access. And that not only means that you can apply, that you get accepted, that you don’t look like an outsider, but also that you can afford it and can stay in it. This is one of the great many things that we’ve been protesting about.”

Lewis continued: “What we feel like we’re doing with our scholars is building an army.

“It’s an army that going to make our communities better.

They’re armed with the best education, they’re armed with the motivation that people supported them, they’re armed with better access, better experiences, and we have been growing a group that wants to pay it forward. They recognise

@thevoicenews

that they are fortunate that someone outside of their immediate family said ‘I got you’.

“And they want to do that for somebody else. How can that not make the world a better place? That’s one of the strands of Black Lives Matter. There are people all over the world from goevery hue saying ‘I’m go difing to make this dif ferent, I’m changing the narrative and it starts with me’.”

The money raised will be used to financially support Black Heart Foundation scholars through their university or higher education studies.

“Every penny is going to be used for young talented and committed people from under-resourced communities,” Lewis explained.

“So if you’ve been working and you’ve got yourself a place at university, you may be in a position where you have to take out a personal and a maintenance loan, but you can’t afford the rest. If you know what the course is going to cost, you apply to us for a scholarship, you become a Black Heart scholar and we then fund that gap.

“You’re already co-invested in it, you’re already doing it yourself, you’re already taking out some of the loans, you just can’t solve the last piece for tu-

voicenews

ition, room and board, the clubs and societies you should be a member of.”

However, he stressed that the “scholarship is not just for universities”.

“We provide Black Heart scholarships for someone to go away on mentoring programme, we have people on vocational programmes, we provided funding for someone to go to theatre and dance school and she is now dancing in the West End. It could be a BTEC or a diploma,” he said.

CONFIDENCE

In June 2020, the Black Heart Foundation reached a huge milestone, awarding its 100th scholarship to Amina Abonde-Adigun, pictured inset left, who is studying for an MSc in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a course she had been trying to find a way to finance for four years.

Abonde-Adigun said: “Being a Black Heart scholar has provided me with an enormous boost. It has given me funding, but also confidence and mentoring.

“They believed in me and that invaluable support has allowed me to focus fully on my studies. I am now working towards a career as a global leader in healthcare management.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 5

Opinion

The making of a new history

A LONG TIME COMING: The statue of Edward Colston stood proud over Bristol – but why?

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It was only because of the colossal momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement that the statue of Edward Colston was eventually torn down, says David Olusoga

HE TRUTH is that what happened in Bristol in early June should never of happened.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors should never have had to tear down the statue of 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston from its plinth and throw it into Bristol’s harbour.

None of it should have happened because the statue should have been removed years ago.

When historians look back at the summer of 2020 what will shock them is not that young BLM protestors toppled the statue of a slave trader but that early 21st Century Britain was still memorialising a slave trader, 213 years after the abolition of the slave trade.

We cannot have it both ways.

Either Britain can boast – as many people endlessly do – of being the first major slave trading power to end the Atlantic trade, or we can uncritically celebrate the lives of the men who traded in human flesh.

To do both is an act of double think. Slavery was wrong or it

was not wrong. We can either celebrate its abolition or heroicise the slave traders, but not both.

And what is there about the life of Edward Colston that is worthy of celebration? He was an investor in the Royal African Company and later its Deputy Governor.

Bristol in the 300 years since Colston’s death.

Even if early 21st Century Britain was a nation with no black population, celebrating the life of Edward Colston and the other slave traders, slave owners and defenders of slavery whose memorials are scat-

PROLIFIC

The grandchildren of the Windrush Generation are demanding that statues of slave traders be taken down

During his period of involvement with the Royal African Company – the most prolific slave trading company in British history – it transported around 84,000 African men, women and children into slavery of whom around 19,000 died on their journey from Africa to the Americas.

These are the facts. They are so appalling that no matter how generous Colston was with the vast profits he gathered from the trade in human beings that his philanthropy cannot possibly atone for his crimes or be allowed to obscure them.

Yet that is exactly what has been permitted to happened in

tered across the nation, would be a national disgrace.

But to memorialise slave traders in a nation in which three per cent of the population is black is an act of acute insensitivity.

That community – our community – helped rebuild Britain after the Second World War. As COVID-19 has demonstrated, black British people have also played a key role in building and maintaining our

National Health Service and black culture has enormously enriched life in the United Kingdom. Yet the keepers of Britain’s memorial landscape, the forest of statues put up largely in the 19th Century, never felt they needed to make any concessions to these enor-

mous demographic and cultural changes.

OPPRESSED

They chose to ignore the fact that for millions of black people some of the statues they defend are those of men who oppressed, enslaved or murdered their ancestors.

Now the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the Windrush Generation are demanding that statues to slave traders

like Colston be taken down and placed in museums or contextualised in some other way.

For those who want the story of slavery and the slave trade kept brushed under the historical carpet statues like that of Colston are a nightmare.

RELIEVED

In their hearts many of those who defended Colston must have wished his statue had never been erected and now, I suspect, some must be secretly relieved that he has finally gone.

This is because the statue was an embarrassment, an open sore, a constant reminder, not of Colston’s philanthropy, as his Victorian supporters had intended, but of the over two thousand slave ships that set sail from Bristol’s docks from the end of the 17th to the beginning of the 19th Century.

The statue itself is destined to be preserved. It will most probably end up in a Bristol museum but in its now radically altered and far more interesting condition – damaged and covered in

graffiti. His removal is not the erasing of history, as has been claimed. It is the making of a new history.

What has been forgotten in all this is that the removal of statues is entirely normal.

They are taken down all the time and often for rather dull and reasons; because new buildings are being erected on the land they occupy, or because a city’s road plan is being redesigned and the planers cannot find space for some old statue.

The storage vaults of museums around the world are crowded with unwanted statues. Only now in the early 21stCentury, as black and brown people around the world, raise the issue of statues and question who they memorialise, are they suddenly regarded as permanent and unalterable.

Suddenly the perfectly normal act of reassessing men from the past, and asking if they should be memorialised and celebrated in marble or bronze is unacceptable.

6 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

In partnership with UK Government

ADVERTORIAL

By Rianna Raymond-Williams

M

oses Odong and Bianca Whiskey are the founders of Taxi Spirit Co, London’s first ever White Rum Distillery, based in Mile End, East London.

Together, they provide premium quality spirits nationally and internationally, much of which has granted them 19 prestigious awards, some of which include an Outstanding Gold and Silver and Bronze awards at the Oscars of spirit industry – International Wine and Spirits Competition, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The Spirit Business and The Great Taste Award for their popular range of Rum and Gin. During the pandemic, Moses and Bianca managed to repurpose their products to support the country’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

An inspired Spirit Moses Odong Co founder of Taxi Spirit Co

Taxi Spirit Co Taxi Spirit Co launched in 2018, providing Cabby’s Rum as their rst rod ct oses e ins “I’m a taxi driver by trade, but I also sell spirits. Years ago, I went to a London Brewery to ask for an internship and all now I’m still waiting for a call back.

Thankfully, I was proactive and reached out to a lecturer from Scotland who agreed to teach me brewing and distilling. He would travel down to London on a monthly basis to show me the ropes and that’s what helped me to start my business.”

SUPPORT THE COUNTRY

“When the pubs, clubs and restaurants shut down, it was a virtual nightmare. Although we have an online website for our products, we usually stock a majority of venues with our spirits, so when the country went into lockdown at the end of March, our business took a huge hit.”

“We applied to HMRC to repurpose our products to make hand sanitisers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We already had the main ingredients to make it happen, so it just made sense. Much of this work is off of our own back, we just wanted to help support the country and contribute to the pandemic in some way.”

The hand sanitisers made by Taxi Spirit Co have been created using the approved World Health Organisation (WHO) version Formula 1 guidance.

This guidance was launched worldwide to support countries and healthcare facilities and businesses to improve hand hygiene through adopting an alcohol-based hand rub as the gold standard for protection against the highly contagious

We feel proud that we’ve been able to contribute, but we are looking forward to 4th July, and hope that things will get back to normal.”

From 4th July, the UK Government has set out plans for many aspects of retail industry and businesses to open, with consumers and businesses adhering to the required safety guidelines. This is welcomed news for many, particularly as businesses like Taxi Spirit Co and others are keen to get back to work.

AMAZING

virus.

The company has also committed a percentage from the sales of the hand santisers to a number of NHS charities, and will also be donating free batches to local hospitals, charities, businesses and other key workers in need of urgent supplies.

DIFFERENT

“Although we have all the ingredients and facilities to make this happen, making hand sanitisers is a very different business to what we

are used to. It’s been challenging, but thankfully our com-

pany has gone from strength to strength in the last 2 years.

Over a period of 6 years Moses worked hard and used his passion to develop and perfect the craft of rum distillation. “My wanting to have my own brewery and learn the trade was a key factor in creating the company. The process is a long one, but the feeling you get from someone enjoying your product is amazing.”

Taxi Spirit Co continues to sell and stock their online shop consisting of White Rum, Spiced Rum and Gin, whilst working towards developing new products, such as Black Rum and Rum Punch, both of which they hope to launch later this year.

The company also provide Taxi Experience tours, that allow the public to gain an insight into the true craftsmanship required to make each bottle of their delicious Rum and Gin. www.taxispirit.com/

AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE| 7

In partnership with UK Government

Enrich-ed Learning

By Rianna Raymond-Williams

E

nrich Learning founded by Onyinye Udokporo in 2019, is an online educational platform that provides tuition to young children. Since the coronavirus pandemic, Onyinye and her team have been working hard to provide affordable, high quality education to some of the most disadvantaged children, many of whom may have been out of school for over 12 weeks.

“Everyone saw that we were going to go into a lockdown, and through our business I knew that I was dealing with some of the most disadvantaged kids. So, I put together a coronavirus school, for 25 students, giving them access to the best tutors at the most affordable rates to give them the best education.”

means they don’t have as much guidance.”

OPPORTUNITIES

Onyinye is living proof of how much a good education is paramount to accessing opportunities in life. Although she is dyslexic, she has been able to optimize her learning using the skills and tools she has acquired through her private school education to build her business and pursue postgraduate education - she is currently studying for her master’s degree at King’s College London.

“I know that education changes lives and I am proof of that. I often work with children who have a rose tinted view of life, f o r

UPLIFTING

“We teach kids english, maths and science, Monday to Saturday. As much as I employ tutors to teach, I also teach. I want to be visible and don’t want the kids to ever feel they can’t get in touch with me. It’s not just about teaching them, but also uplifting them to let them know that their education is important and so are they.”

“The children have been out of education for over 12 weeks, which can easily set a student back by one academic year. Some students have access to online learning from their schools, but the lack of contact

Onyinye Udokporo Founder of Enrich Learning

example they may be from families who have insecure accommodation, inadequate n nces the so e fected by gangs, inner-city violence or domestic violence, but my aim is to bring high quality education at the most affordable rates to these c h i l dren.

“

the education I was receiving was different to my friends I grew up with in Edmonton, which told me very quickly that we were going to have very different lives.

“When I came back to London, I wanted to do the usual teenage things with my friends, like go

It’s not just about teaching them, but also uplifting them We

charge £30 a week to deliver tuition for Key Stage 2 and £40 a week to deliver tuition for Key Stage 3.”

“From a very early age, my mum knew that I was clever and although she didn’t have a lot of money, she invested in my education. So, at age 11, I got a scholarship to go to a boarding school in Sussex. Which was great, but when I came home, I noticed that

”

t o t h e cinema, but money was tight at home. So, I thought about tutoring kids locally which would allow me to pass on my learning, but also earn some pocket money.

ENCOURAGE

I was really good at English, so I told my mum to tell her friends that I could tutor their children for £5 and that’s how it started.”

“I began tutoring at the age of 12, one child for £5 a week from my parents’ living room in North London. Eventually, he passed his exams, which was an indication that I was pretty good at tutoring which encouraged me to do more of it.”

“So, 1-2-1 sessions, turned into large group sessions to a point where I was tutoring an average of 30 - 40 students a week across Friday and Saturday from my parents’ living room. It was great to see the impact I was having, a large number of students that I tutored were able to get into some of the best grammar schools and private schools across the country.”

ENRICH LEARNING

“I then had the opportunity to go to Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, for a semester whilst at University, when I was studying for my undergraduate degree at King’s College London. It was one of the toughest things I ever did, because I was studying at a completely different level. But what I noticed very quickly, was all of their tuition was online. It got me thinking about developing a similar model.”

This is how Enrich Learning was born, going forward Onyinye is keen for Enrich Learning to be rolled out across the country. “We are currently in talks with senior leaders about creating a partnership with schools. We see the bene ts nd i ct o the ed cation we are providing to the students. We would love to have the same impact on a national level.” www.enrichlearning.co.uk/

8 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Interview

LET’S USE THE POWER OF OUR BLACK POUND

TURNING THINGS AROUND: So Solid Crew star Swiss says he wanted to harness the energy of Black Lives Matter protests to help black businesses; inset below left, BLM protests swept the globe following the death of George Floyd

There’s no doubt that support of black-owned businesses has soared – and Black Pound Day founder Swiss is on ission to he the o rish

“

By Vic Motune

W

HO MADE this product? What materials were used? Who is profiting from it?”

These are just a few of the questions often asked by conscientious consumers mindful of a company’s impact on the environment or the way it treats its staff.

However, for an increasing number of buyers who are thinking about these wider issues, another important question is also being asked: “Is this a black-owned business?”

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests across the world that followed the death of George Floyd in May many have been thinking about new, effective ways to challenge racial inequality in all areas of life.

PROMINENT

One of the most prominent people to do is So Solid Crew’s Swiss.

He is the founder of Black Pound Day, an event aimed at celebrating black-owned businesses and giving the black community a financial and

I wanted to do my part to create something positive emotional boost, after the anger at racial inequality in the UK evident at the protests which followed Floyd’s death.

The inaugural Black Pound Day attracted support from high profile figures such as chart-topping singer Jess Glynne among others.

And #BlackPoundDay became the number one trending topic on Twitter in the UK. Several businesses also shared on social media how they had experienced their biggest growth in sales this year following the day.

Black Pound Day is now set to become a regular event in a bid to encourage more Britons to buy products or services from black-owned busi-

nesses and invest in them.

The idea of supporting black businesses is a form of economic activism that has long been discussed in the black community.

For Swiss, pictured inset right, however, now is the right time for the black community to take action on it.

“I first conceived the idea about 12 years ago,” he says.

“I had a passing thought about us galvanising ourour pourselves and pour ing back into our community economically.

It was a strong inspirational thought I shared with my friend’s older brother and that’s where it stayed. linger“It had always been linger ing and I’m still surprised that no one actually came up with the idea of having a day where we’re all thinking about going to support our own businesses and using that as a way to galvanise our community in thought and action.

“So when George Floyd’s murder happened it struck every corner of the world and people in many countries were protesting.

“But when I saw these protests and how the world reactreact ed I thought, ‘This is the same thing that happens every time’.

There’s an outpouring of emoemo tion but I don’t see any solution based practical actions that come out of that.”

He continues: “I could see that this was a very strong, emotive signal that was com coming from various communities, especially the black community and I thought this was really a good time to redirect that ener energy. I wanted to do my part to create something positive out of this. I followed the inspira inspira-

@thevoicenewspaper

tion I as given and here we are, many people getting behind this movement. I’m just so happy that people have been open to it. Black Pound Day does

thinking of my community in that way.

“Many of my peers in the industry and celebrities such as Jess Glynne got behind it. Jess

It’s a day where we unify all cultures, not just black – we utilise the emotional energy of recent months what it says on the tin, it’s a very simple concept to understand.

REACTION

“It’s a day where we unify all cultures, not just black – we utilise the emotional energy of recent months and turn that into an economic power as opposed to allowing those emotions to come and go as we know emotions do and nothing comes of it.”

But was he surprised at the positive reaction to the first Black Pound Day? “I was very surprised. Anyone would be after putting their own brainchild out there and seeing it stir up so much interest in the community. Apart from songs I don’t think I’ve had an idea that has stirred up the emotions and the forward

@thevoicenews

shared her love for our community and despite a bit of backlash she stood firm in what she was doing.”

Swiss continues: “She understood that while it’s important to support all businesses as equally as you can, not just those from your own ethnic background, who you’re shopping with and how you’re distributing your money is important in the multicultural society. From celebrities to people on the ground we all feel the same.”

As much as Black Pound Day highlights issues of systemic inequality in the UK, it also holds up a mirror to the black

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community. Data compiled by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) revealed that the spending power of Britain’s black community is worth an estimated £300 billion.

However, according to experts such as Daniel Lister, founder of My Black Market, African Caribbeans spend as much as 95 per cent of their income outside the community.

Black businesses are becoming an increasingly important part of the economy.

According to government figures, more than 55,000 businesses have been helped to launch businesses with the support governof govern m e n t - b a c ke d Start Up loans cresince 2012, cre ating more than 66,000 jobs.

An impressive one enterprisin five of these enterpris es are black owned. And a Voice analysis of recently published figures from the Federation of Small Businesses show that African Caribbean owned businesses contribute as much as £4 billion to the UK economy.

Continued on page 29

www.voice-online.co.uk

9 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

ADVERTORIAL

www.carib-export.com

Important role that Caribbean Export plays in private sector development

By Veron Graham

W

hile the international business community appears to hold its collective breath in anticipation of the undoubted financial damage COVID-19 has done, Ecofarms, an ambitious Jamaican-based social enterprise, looks set to demonstrate the value of the support its receiving from Caribbean Export Development Agency. Caribbean Export sources finance from the European Union to help Caribbean businesses trade in Europe and is the only regional trade and investment promotion agency in the African, Caribbean and Pacific group. Established in 1996, it serves 15 Caribbean states - Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname plus Trinidad and Tobago.

NATURAL Caribbean Export is supporting Ecofarms’ quest to identify routes to the international market for its new immunityboosting Cold & Flu HoneyStix.

Infused with natural products – including ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, tamarind, cinnamon and honey – the HoneyStix are poised to make a timely entry on the world stage as health authorities champion the merits of healthy immune systems while grappling with the mysterious deadly virus. Headquartered in rural Mandeville in central Jamaica, Ecofarms’ honey blend has been found by university researchers to be more effective than the more expensive Manuka honey in breaking down drug-resistant bacteria.

Currently retailing in 50 stores across Jamaica, including coffee chain Starbucks since autumn 2018, the HoneyStix are produced by vulnerable local people – its entire staff are all single parents and/ or have disabilities that would limit their opportunities to secure alternative employment. Ecofarms’ investment in its workforce of six seemed to have been returned with interest, as its founder Grace Foster-Reid explained: “While COVID-19 began to spread and employers looked to furlough workers or let them go altogether, we kept ours on, paid them a full salary and even took on two new beekeepers.

BUMPER

“To continue doing business during this time, it seemed likely that we would have to use up our reserves of honey. That looked to be a certainty when Jamaica experienced a drought in April

and honey production fell. Amazingly, we had a bumper crop – we didn’t need to use any of the reserves.

“It was an act of faith to keep with our workers. I am a woman of faith and I believe the bumper crop was a blessing from God. It is easy to feel sorry

“

immediate targets: to boost its income through online selling and, in keeping with its societal mission, to continue creating employment for people from at risk and disabled communities while paying attention to the wellness of the planet and its workers. It will expand operations to the Jamaica Deaf Village, where they will mostly employ the hearing impaired - two deaf youths are currently training as beekeepers.

Ecofarms will also strive to make its operations carbon neutral.

”

I am a woman of faith and I believe the bumper crop was a blessing from God

for ourselves when we hit trouble, but the important thing is to get back up from a fall and believe that in every crisis, there is opportunity.

Personally, I am convinced that the bigger the crisis, the bigger the opportunity.”

Ecofarms itself emerged from a crisis, when Grace, an engineer and MIT graduate, found herself out of work after the closure of the two bauxite factories in Mandeville. Recognising the economic potential that lay in Jamaica’s rich natural resource, honey, before long, the seeds that grew into her progressive social enterprise were sown, taking on and overcoming the numerous obstacles in its path, including staffing issues, lack of capital and funding, plus low profit margins.

The HoneyStix now form part of Ecofarm’s

BUSINESS WOMEN

Tracing Ecofarms’ success back to Caribbean Export’s early input, Grace added: “I was fortunate to be one of 19 Caribbean businesswomen in its inaugural programme in 2018. We gained business insight to help us develop our products and services but also a sisterhood that gave us mutual support. Ecofarms is about people, which are among our KPIs – profit is secondary.

“We appreciate what Caribbean Export has done for us, and we will carry this ethos as we progress to trading overseas. We look forward to its support during our next phase – with our intellectual property, expert coaching from an export specialist and with marketing.”

Anthony Bradshaw, Officer in Charge at Car-

ibbean Export, said: “We embarked upon the Women Empowered through Export (WE-Xport) programme with the specific purpose of supporting women-owned businesses that had the potential, to commence exporting or increase their exports.

“To see this come to fruition for Ecofarms is indeed a rewarding experience for both Ecofarms and the Agency. Mrs Foster-Reid and the other businesses in the programme worked diligently and whilst this period of uncertainty has left many exposed, it’s encouraging to know that some of the tools learnt during the programme have been leveraged to maximise opportunities.

Her success has demonstrated the important role that Caribbean Export plays in private sector development in partnership with the European Union.

“We will continue to assist SMEs such as Ecofarms to increase their competitiveness and leverage available opportunities to increase their exports.”

For more on Caribbean Export, find it on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter and by visiting their website: carib-export.com

Cold & Flu HoneyStix, Boosting Immunity Through COVID-19

For more information on Ecofarms visit: www.ecofarmsjamaica.com

10 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Dotun Adebayo

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

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

THE ECONOMIC FUTURE IS BLACK AND WHITE

In these challenging times, standing around and skylarking just isn’t the answer

B

LACK POUND DAY couldn’t have come at a better time. Is that not what we’ve been saying at The Voice newspaper under lockdown?

Now that the economy is tanking, Black Pound Day is the economic glue to keep us together, but it needs the weight of the white pound behind it.

For real. You only have to ask the founder of this year’s inaugural Black Pound Day, the rapper Swiss of the legendary lyrics collective that is the So Solid Crew.

He was always the most conscious member of the crew and has been saying ‘black lives matter’ long before it became a slogan on a T-shirt.

PRAGMATIC

But Swiss, pictured below, is also a realist. He was still buzzing from the event’s success when I spoke to him a few days back and was pragmatic enough to acknowledge that the black pound needs the white pound.

And we have to accept that, too. As we go forward in an economic climate that will also have a massive impact on white folks, we must understand that macro government policy will always favour the majority.

That’s not how the government will pose any economic decisions it makes between now and goodness knows

For some reason, when times get tough we’re the first out when, but we know, don’t we, that when Boots sheds 4,000 jobs and John Lewis sheds 1,800 jobs and the airlines shed thousands, the demographic that will be most impacted by this is us.

I’ll go further – it will be young black boys/men. Doesn’t matter if we were first in.

For some reason, when times get tough we’re the first out. That’s what history has taught us. And if we were last in... well, that’s all she wrote.

Maybe it’s because of the kind of jobs we are tasked to do.

They are nearly always the jobs most vulnerable to government policy when, as we have experienced recently, businesses are forced to close their doors.

It would be great to be proved wrong this time around, but then I’d be a fool to bank on the sun rising in the West tomorrow and setting in the East. It’s possible, but on the evidence of the last million years...

And what’s more, do you really trust a government that was slow to collate figures on the disproportionate numnum ber of people of colour dydy ing in front of their eyes in our health care system and generally from COVCOV ID, to keep tabs on how the downturn and govgov ernment decisions impact disproportionately on black folks?

Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for the brilliant journalism of this paper to expose the scandal of black deaths

from COVID-19, our loved ones might still be dying at disproportionate levels in plain sight.

But we don’t have time to be barking on about ‘woe is we’.

Furlough changes at the end of July and comes to an end in October. Only then will we in the community know what the government fails to keep tabs on, because our food shops that rely on the black pound will close down.

Our young men will be standing on street corners with nothing better to do than skylark as their fathers often did back in the 1970s and 80s.

HARD TIMES: Economic self-sufficiency is key, says Dotun Adebayo, because the widely predicted recession is likely to hit black communities the hardest

PREPARING

And those of us who have real estate will be selling up our much-desired inner-city homes in those traditional black areas – Brixton, Handsworth and Chapeltown – and moving out to the sticks. We won’t need the government stats, we’ll know.

And pretty soon.

Whenever the economic winds of change blow in our faces, we should be preparing for whatever it throws at us not wasting time ruing our lot.

We ain’t got time to be skylarking.

We cannot simply wring our hands and expect the Prime Minister to come riding on a white horse with the sword of justice waving in the air on our behalf.

We need to accept that it’s time to realise the equity in that the black pound that is our birth right. We do that by finally working for ourselves, as Marcus Garvey advised all those years ago.

Black Pound Day is fundamental in reminding us of Garvey and how much money there is in our community. Also a lot of originality.

You know what that means when we know already that

there is something about us that white folks love. And when it comes to a brilliant black product white folks will spend their pound just as fast as we do.

We’ve gotta be black. That’s our USP. Everybody wants a bit of it. Whether it’s our music, our fashion, our critical thinking in literature and the arts and even our joie de vivre. We can sell that too.

We can package it up and stick a saucy label on it. We can do whatever we want to do because the black pound is crying out to be spent, but it struggles to find the authenticity that it’s looking for – which is exactly what white folks are looking for, too.

For example, round my way, a young Trini dread has taken over a cafe that was patronised by the famous pop stars that live in the gated community across the road (this is where

Cheryl and Ashley Cole used to cotch). Pre-lockdown, the cafe was a pretty much all-white affair. My man’s taken it over with some help from the local council and turned it into an amazing community cafe called Allotments, sellsell ing a mix of CaribCarib bean and vegan food (which, let’s face it, the rasras taman has been cooking and telling you to eat since back in the day when food was ital and vital).

Yet we failed to market it and then it just became a white middle class thing.

I know that some of you Garveyite rastas will be screwfacing when I say that if you had bottled your cuisine and sold it to white folks and called it Rasta Rasta Roots, you would have slain every dragon in the den with it.

This little cafe has added a much-needed splash of colour to a local ‘desert’. I kid you

not. It’s like carnival every evening there now, with white folks standing in line, shoulder to shoulder with their black neighbours (some for the first time), and waiting patiently to be served – just like carnival.

But the food is too good not to wait for it.

PRAYING

All I’m trying to say, folks, is you’re mad if you’re praying that you won’t be laid-off.

You’re mad if you’re not creating your own livelihood.

And we are mad if we are not chasing that white pound in these rough, rough times ahead that Sugar Minott sang to us about years ago: Babylon a put on the pressure, oh yes Hard time pressure On this land, On this land Some can’t take it but they can’t leave it Some are forced to stay under it, oh yes Black Pound Day is every day. So step up, white folks – buy black as well.

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

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www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE |11

12 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News

‘NOW’S THE TIME TO Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has unveiled a series of measures aimed at tackling discrimination in the capital. Writing exclusively for The Voice, he says that a concerted effort is needed to create the equality that black people have been demanding for so long

T

HE DEATH of George Floyd has understandably sparked a wave of anger, frustration as well as an unprecedented desire for change worldwide.

No longer can the racism and discrimination – both overt and systemic – that black people face every day be ignored or left unchallenged.

Communities across the globe are coming together to say ‘enough’. Enough of generations of discrimination.

Enough of centuries of lack of opportunity. Enough of this never-ending injustice.

I don’t remember a time in my life when so many people have united with one voice to say that change must happen.

As a person of colour, I am only too aware of the racism that still exists in our society – even in a city as cosmopolitan as London. Even so, I could not presume to know what it is like to live as a black person in Britain, with the very particular ways that stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination continuously impact on lives.

ENDEMIC

Racism is endemic across our institutions and all aspects of our lives and society need to be reviewed – from the underrepresentation of black Brits in positions of power and influence, to their overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.

We must also look at economic struggles faced by our black communities – including the disproportionately high rates of poverty, low pay and poor housing they experience.

Our capital’s diversity is our greatest strength, yet our statues, road names and public spaces reflect a bygone era.

It is an uncomfortable truth that much of our capital’s and

There is so much more that needs to change in our city and our society nation’s wealth was derived from the slave trade – the barbaric trafficking of African men, women and children into lives of unimaginable violence, cruelty and hardship.

LEGACY

This harrowing legacy is one which still affects black communities today, yet slave-owners are celebrated in our public realm while the contributions of our black communities are absent from our history books and public spaces, having been erased or wilfully ignored.

It’s right we are now questioning whether these statues and other memorials should still stand and I’m pleased we have already seen action taken in London to remove the statues of the slaver Robert Milligan, Thomas Guy and Robert Clayton from London.

We must ensure that we celebrate the achievements and diversity of everyone in our city, and that we commemorate those who have made London the city it is today.

That’s why I am creating a Commission to look at diversity in London’s public realm, and why I have supported new memorials in our capital, including for Stephen Lawrence, the Windrush Generation and a National Slavery Memorial.

But there is so much more that needs to change in our city and our society. The COVID-19 crisis

has thrown the realities of racial injustice into stark relief and exposed vast inequalities within our society.

ONS figures have shown that black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than white men and women, after taking into account age and socio-demographic factors. This is an outrage and cannot simply be swept under the carpet.

The government’s review of COVID-19 inequalities was simply not good enough. It has a responsibility to do more than tell us what we already know.

After a delay, it has published the work of Public Health England in full, but it must not waste any more time. It must take immediate action to prevent the unfair and avoidable impacts of COVID-19 falling so heavily on BAME communities by implementing the recommendations of the report.

SYSTEMIC

I welcome the promise from the Prime Minister that the government will look at discrimination in our public institutions, but the truth is that we already know what action is needed from the race reviews of the recent past – the government should be taking action now..

I continue to call for an independent public inquiry into the inequalities experienced during this pandemic, just as I have called for ethnicity data to be added to death certificates and for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to undertake a statutory investigation into structural racial inequalities. I recently chaired the first meeting of London’s COVID-19 Recovery Board and as part of that I’m committed to addressing long-standing inequalities faced by too many Londoners

@thevoicenewspaper

as we emerge from this crisis.

I also continue to meet community representatives to provide support and I am pleased that we have introduced risk assessments across the GLA fami-

victim of homicide in London compared to white males, and made up 40 per cent of homicide victims in 2019. Even during this pandemic, black Londoners have received a dis-

It shouldn’t take a brutal death for the world to take notice, but take notice it has ly, including Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade, to consider the physical and mental wellbeing of all vulnerable staff. But there is still much more to be done, not least in policing.

The Met is home to some of the finest officers in the world who carry out their duties with diligence, respect and genuine care for their communities.

Yet the fact remains that if you are a black Londoner, you are more likely to be stopped and searched, more likely to be arrested and more likely to receive a longer sentence than a white Londoner.

Young black men are 8.5 times more likely to be the

@thevoicenews

proportionately high number of Fixed Penalty Notices for breaking lockdown rules.

This cannot be right and I am well aware from the engagement I have with black Londoners the strength of feeling arising from George Floyd’s death, the use of Tasers, excessive force and stop and search.

We must continue to build trust between the police and Black communities in particular so that every Londoner, regardless of background or postcode can feel safe, protected and served.

This is why I have commissioned my Deputy Mayors for Policing and Community Engagement to develop an action

voicenews

plan for improving confidence, transparency and accountability and why I am working with the Met Commissioner to improve representation and ensure a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination within the force.

POTENTIAL

As the Black Lives Matter movement is showing, there are no quick fixes for structural issues.

It is clear that another seismic shift is now under way. After centuries of discrimination and injustice, it should never have taken the brutal death of a black man, by police officers, for the world to take notice, but taken notice it has.

So let’s seize this moment – not only to remove the symbols of oppression that loom over us, but to begin tearing down the whole edifice of structural racism that does so much to limit the potential, and damage the life chances, of black Brits.

If we work together – black, white, Asian and people of every background – I’m convinced we can achieve the fairer and more equal future everyone deserves.

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 13

News

CHALLENGE RACISM’

ACTION NEEDED NOW: Clockwise, from far left, Boris Johnson has been urged to address inequality; a Black Lives Matter protester; BAME people have been hard-hit by COVID-19

Campaign group calls for public inquiry into COVID-19 inequalities

By Rianna Raymond-Williams INEQUALITIES for the BAME community in the UK are not new, and the government must be held accountable for its failure to address these inequalities, by committing to an independent public inquiry into health inequalities in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a campaign.

The Ubele Initiative, a social enterprise with a mission to contribute to the sustainability of the African Diaspora community, recently launched its We Need Answers (WNA) campaign to achieve this goal. Kelsea Sellars, who is one of the members of the campaign, said: “In theory, living in the UK, one of the richest and most ‘medically advanced’ countries in the world, should mean that the impact of a pandemic should be minimal.

But for me, as a black working-class woman, my chances of dying from contracting the virus is twice as much as my white counterparts in the UK.” Over the past three months, Kelsea,

tions, and most recently the impacts of COVID-19 on the African diaspora globally. At the start of the lockdown, Ubele launched a petition calling for an independent public inquiry into the BAME deaths during COVID-19, which has accumulated 33,000 signatures.

and the rest of the WNA campaign have been actively engaging and mobilising our community to hold the government to account. Data taken from Public Health England in June reveal BAME groups in the UK are at a higher risk of acquiring and dying from COVID-19, in comparison to their white counterparts.

FORGOTTEN

Past tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower Fire of 2017 and the most recently, The Windrush Scandal have shown the government’s indifference towards protecting the lives of BAME groups across the country, it said.

For far too long, our communities have been forgotten, ignored, and silenced, the campaign says.

Sam Ragunathan, another member of the We Need Answers campaign team says: “An independent public inquiry is important because it gives a platform to people in our communities to speak about how they were impacted by the pandemic.”

She continues: “We should not be reducing people’s actual lived expe-

FRONT LINE: BAME staff face risk rience to data sets on a spreadsheet, which is often what happens with a scientific approach. A public inquiry will give people, who might not otherwise have representation, the opportunity to have their voice heard, particularly those who don’t already have a forum to speak via a professional body.”

Throughout the pandemic, Ubele has been at the forefront of coordinating a response from the community by providing a range of tools and resources. Some of these have included monthly community conversations to discuss solutions to address the impact of BAME communities, BAME businesses, and organisa-

INADEQUATE

This was then followed by a letter to the government calling for an independent public inquiry that has attracted over 700 signatures from a range of prominent leaders and spokespeople from the BAME community across the country.

Ubele has also raised £43,000 for the Majonzi fund which aims to provide culturally sensitive bereavement support to those who have lost loved ones as a result of COVID-19.

Their most recent action was a pre-action letter to the government which has been received and responded to. Despite this, Michael Hamilton of The Ubele Initiative feels the response is inadequate. He said: “Ubele has now had a response from

the government to our pre-action letter. At this point, they are pointing us to a range of activities across the government and suggesting that they together satisfy the necessary impact assessment. This bamboozling of the issue is typical of the way in which this government has behaved. They throw a pile of paper and phrases in front of you to avoid you seeing what is going on. We continue to demand that the government put urgent, focused actions in place to ensure that BAME people are properly protected in anticipation of the second phase of the epidemic.”

Tessa Gregory, partner at Leigh Day law firm who are supporting Ubele’s legal claim said: “We are proud to represent the Ubele Initiative and be part of the We Need Answers campaign. The way in which BAME communities have been so severely and disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic demands urgent action from the government.”

For more information, log on to:

www.ubele. org/weneedanswers

14 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News

A CALL ON BUSINESSES TO ACT

T

c

o s o nder s

HE FOUNDER of social enterprise 1,000 Black Boys is calling on businesses to make good their pledge of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ademola Adeyeba believes that business, not government, could be the bastion of change for the black community in the UK. As the public outcry at the killing of George Floyd grew across the world, several high profile companies in a range of industries issued statements expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

However some campaigners have accused famous brands of hypocrisy, openly questioning whether they support the cause of anti-racism or are just trying to raise their profile.

Adeyeba launched 1,000 Black Boys in 2018, following a spate of young black boys being killed, high levels of school exclusion, and a rising black prison population.

s r

s

He was also concerned about the fact that expulsion rates for pupils from an African Caribbean background remain high which feeding the prison population keeping black aspiration at an all-time low.

FOCUS

Speaking about the importance of businesses supporting this goal Adeyaba, pictured below, said: “We know the focus will soon shift to another issue, and unfortunately, we know we cannot rely on this government to drive this agenda.

“Attempts at handling the Windrush Scandal, Grenfell and the lack of impact from the numerous reports and public enquiries on race, have been found wanting.

“There is a compel--

st ro e so id rit

ling business case for a more inclusive society and workforce. If half of the businesses that showed solidarity on #BlackOutTuesday delivered meaningful action through funding community programmes, providing mentorships, creating job opportunities to empower young black men and women, this would result in significant progress.”

With a post-COVID-19 recession widely predicted, 1,000 Black Boys claim that economic empowerment is a key feature of the Black Lives Matter movement, and provides a further reason why businesses are pivotal to ensuring progress.

The social enterprise recently held a free online webinar featuring speakers, coaches and mentors, w h o

ter

c

i es

tter

o e

ent s ee s the

CHALLENGE: 1,000 Black Boys founder Ademola Adeyeba says that economic empowerment is key to Black Lives Matter

are passionate about engaging young black boys and men and their parents.

Among the speakers were Tre Lowe of MOBO nominated Garage act The Architechs, who had a top three hit with the song Body Groove.

COACH

Having lost friends to youth violence, Lowe is now a property investor and coach, inspiring young entrepreneurs.

Also speaking at the event was Elaine Cunningham-Walker, CEO of education consultancy Everythings Education. She has helped more than 4,000 parents secure places for their children in top schools and universities, and advises schools on their anti-racism policies.

The workshops covered a range of current topics, including support for those about to be excluded, how to deal with police stop and search and racism in the workplace, and being entrepreneurial during

o e

challenging times. Adeyeba said: “We have an opportunity to impact a whole generation of young black men, who for too long have been negatively characterised.

“Through my experience of mentoring black boys, I have seen first-hand the reality of their potential to step into their power and succeed in business.

Just like the environmental protests of last year, recent tragic events have awoken a whole generation of young people standing for something new.

“Recent events have also re-

leased a lot of anger and grief, which the black community has felt for centuries.

“It is really important now to take that anger and convert it to clarity and power, which can bring about real transformation, not just for black people but for the entire world.”

He added: “We have seen the impact of the pandemic on black and minority ethnic communities, and so we want to empower as many people as possible now ahead of any second potential wave and looming recession.”

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 15

News

‘COVID-19 TRIALS NOT DIVERSE’

Medical researchers say more must be done to involve BAME people

M

EDICAL RESEARCHERS are being urged to make more efforts to ensure people of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups are not significantly under-represented in COVID-19 studies and trials despite being more likely to develop serious complications from the disease.

The plea was made by a team of scientists from the UK and the United States.

Previous studies show that people of BAME groups are under-represented in many research projects and clinical trials despite evidence that people from these groups are more likely to be affected by the medical conditions being studied.

Data has shown that people of BAME groups in the UK and black, Hispanic and Native American groups in the US are disproportionately affected by

severe COVID-19 complications and death.

A report published in April by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, thought to be the first of its kind in the world, found that 35 per cent of almost 2,000 patients with COVID-19 were from a BAME background, despite forming only 13 per cent of the UK population.

IMPACT

A later study from the Office of National Statistics found that black people are more the huge impact of the coronavirus pandemic on BAME communities in England and Wales.

The picture is similar within NHS staff, where 21 per cent of staff are from BAME backgrounds but account for 63 per cent of COVID-19related deaths But a paper published in The Lancet by researchers at the Universities of Aberdeen, Cam-

bridge and Leicester and Emory University in Atlanta in the USA highlights previous studies that show BAME individuals are under-represented in medical research.

We need to think about race as we do with age and sex The paper concludes by highlighting best practice toolkits that are available to researchers to enable them to engage, inform and recruit BAME participants to research.

Professor Shaun Treweek from the Health Services Research Unit at the University of Aberdeen said: “COVID-19 is shining a spotlight on a problem that has been with us

for a long time. Results from COVID-19 research must apply to everyone in the community who will be a candidate for treatment or prevention, and people of BAME groups – often over-represented in the toll of the disease – should be an integral part of that effort.

ROUTINE

“Omission has consequences – people could miss out on important benefits, or not be spared harms, if research fails to engage all those who could benefit: there is no guarantee that results will apply to populations not included in the research.

“Thinking about participants’ ethnicity when designing and reporting research needs to become as routine as thinking about their age and sex.

“Researchers have a duty to ensure that concerted action is taken for research studies to serve and represent the whole community, not just part of it.”

AT RISK: BAME people are being seriously affected by COVID-19

16 | THE VOICE

AUGUST 2020

Guest column

‘HOW DARE THEY STOP US?’ T

We’re mostly law-abiding citizens, but we’re falling victim to policing of poverty, argues Dr Floyd Millen

HE SUBSEQUENT apology from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, to Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams, pictured below, for the stop and search conducted on Ms Williams and her partner confirmed a number of things we always knew.

Firstly, in the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd, footage showing the police acting unreasonably or aggressively is now more likely to receive public scrutiny, support and media interest.

Secondly, where the initial encounter with the police is unsavoury, this incidence reaffirmed the notion of primus inter pares (‘first amongst equals’), which is that those who have a public profile and can muster some level of media attention, will, in the end, be treated ‘differently’.

APOLOGY

For example, although Ms Williams’ partner, Portuguese sprinter Ricardo dos Santos, fitted the description of the hundreds of black men disproportionately stopped and searched, the police on this occasion had to roll back and make an apology when they realised that Ms Williams was primus inter pares.

In the end, celebrities, people in the public eye and those with access to resources and proximity to power will invariably emerge with a swift response, sometimes an apology or even compensation.

However, for the thousands of black and ethnic minority people – like the banker Dale Semper – without these advantages, their situation is no less frightening and distressing b u t they have no obvious route to speedy or appropriate justice.

This leads to distrust and volatility in the relationship between the police and

Aggressive policing and seeking complete compliance is so entrenched that even black officers can fall foul of this community. Mr Semper, like many others, is still waiting to receive justice and fair treatment, let alone an apology.

Thirdly, this incident highlighted that, as a matter of routine, the police appear to undertake their stop and search for minor traffic violations insensitively, frequently using excessive force, confrontation and coercion to ensure the complete submission of the person of interest.

The predisposition to aggressive policing and seeking complete compliance is so entrenched that even black officers at times fall foul of this.

Surely these officers have family and friends, so how and why do some police officers act with impunity?

The truth of the matter is that the police are policing poverty.

The police are stopping and searching so many law-abiding members of the black community not because they are policing crime, but because they are policing poverty.

Those who are statistically and visibly the poorest in our society live in areas of high deprivation and overcrowding.

Invariably, the policing of these areas is informed by the deeply offensive, erroneous and socially debilitating link and belief that poverty, race and criminality are synonymous and indelibly linked.

The policing of poverty is having a pernicious and a corrosive effect on those individuals and communities who disproportionately experience both the ‘majesty, and the tyranny of the police’.

ADVERSE

Unintended and adverse consequences will always flow from insensitive operational delivery of strategic policies and objectives. If the police want to reduce crime, their make-up, their structure, their methods and the resources they throw at problems or issues require a systemic rethink.

The militaristic, and adversarial style of policing which sees certain citizens as mad, bad or dangerous is an anathema to the British way of life and has increased animus between the citizen and those who are there to serve and protect them.

The use of handcuffs, physical restraints, dragging people from their vehicles and discharging Tasers is now common place, and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s decision to launch a review into the use of handcuffs is overdue, because unless you believe that the whole black community are criminals, surely stopping someone for a minor traffic violation should not warrant the routine deployment of these tools.

The system of policing which evolved in England and Wales was based on the English ‘Tything’ and ‘Frankpledge’ system. This form of law en-

AN ALL-TOO-COMMON SIGHT: There needs to be a complete shift in attitude over the police’s stop and search policy, says Dr Floyd Millen forcement, known as kin police, was based on the principles of collective security and social obligation.

Despite the many challenges with the early system of kin policing, the principles of policing by consent were at its heart and it is a theme which Lord Scarman wrote about and which police chiefs and politicians continue to aspire to.

Some of the inherent and

profiled and are always guilty of something or other: guilt is always assumed. The black community know that it is being singled out and treated differently.

For example, the notion of ‘white collar crime’ is itself a reflection of an approach to crime which, if policed at all, uses tools, other than physical force.

I am not arguing that there is no crime, that the streets are safe, or that the police should

The black community know that it is being singled out and is treated differently unintentional consequences of adopting an aggressive form of policing include that for those law-abiding citizens who disproportionately find themselves at the sharp end of aggressive policing, animus against the police grows.

SHADOWS

In addition to this, without an effective intelligence-led approach to policing, the bad guys and girls continue moving in the shadows, doing bad stuff without any heightened fear of reprimand or being apprehended.

Finally, in over-policed areas, the police are seen as enforcers, not as a service, hence the prevailing negative view of the police in poorer, more densely populated areas.

At the heart of this is the injustice that poor people – black males in particular – are being

not do their job: what I am calling for is that Chief Constables and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police realise they have a problem which is getting worse, not better.

Whilst stop and search is an important tool in the vast armoury of the police, to whom much power is given, much responsibility is expected.

The Home Office and police chiefs need to follow the data.

Whilst in each individual case, it may be difficult to conclude that the officers’ behaviour was driven by racial prejudice and profiling per se, looking at aggregated data tells us something important about what is happening, to whom, when and where.

We know from the data that not only based on the number of stops which lead to no further action, but also as a percentage of the population, the stop and

search of thousands of black people, is disproportionate.

There is something wrong with what our police forces are doing.

Policing can only be truly effective if the police are the citizen and the citizen are the police – i.e., the police need to look like the communities it serves.

PROBLEMATIC

The police are socialised into a structure and culture with rules that only they comprehend: this is problematic because they have all the necessary protection/s so that they can do societies bidding, yet they are simultaneously immune from the criticisms and the contradictions of what they do, how they do it, and on whose behalf, it is being done.

The social contract between many citizens, the state and the police has long been eroded, and the inability of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the criminal justice system and the ability of unscrupulous and rogue police officers to remain immune from prosecution, along with the culture of loyalty to the oath of Omerta, risks the social contract being ripped asunder.

Dr Floyd Millen is a political scientist, a former adviser to the Metropolitan Police Authority and the author of Police Reform and Political Accountability: The ties that bind policing in England and Wales and the United States of America.

17 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

ADVERTORIAL

Produced in partnership with UK Government

Furlough Scheme leaves sweet taste for bakery owner

I

By Rianna Raymond-Williams

n an effort to support both organisations and employees, the UK Government launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in March. This initiative has enabled employees on PAYE schemes to become furloughed workers. The scheme has enabled businesses to protect their employees from redundancy, through accessing financial support from the UK Government to cover a percentage of salaries for staff who are furloughed.Rachel Hanretty, owner of Mademoiselle Macaron, the luxurious handmade macaron patisserie based in Edinburgh, reveals how her business has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet supported to continue and scale through the accessing the furlough scheme.

“It was really scary, all the weddings, all the wholesale customers, and the bulk of our production disappeared. And then, of course, you have phone calls from people wanting to cancel future orders and refunds.

We entered the cash flow situation whereby the wholesale customers stopped paying the invoices. And we’ve now got over £30,000 worth of overdue invoices.”

SAFETY

Despite the debt racked up by unpaid invoices, Mademoiselle Macaron has started to see an increase in sales online. “We still have that debt from the large companies, and they don’t seem to be interested in addressing it anytime soon, it’s 120 days overdue. But we have an increase in online sales.

It’s really interesting.”

The pandemic has shifted the way many businesses are operating now and intend to in the future. These new ways of working aim to ensure safety for both employees and customers, such as remote working and reducing staff and customers in physical retail

“

“We managed to recall stock that was sitting in hospitality client’s freezers. That is the only reason we survived. What you make, you keep in the freezer and you use when you need to. It’s not like it’s a cupcake, if we were perishable goods we would never have survived or scaled up to where we are.”

“The furlough scheme let us preserve the team, and the business. But now, for me, the big test is: how do we keep this level of orders online?”

”

The furlough scheme let us preserve the team, and the business

Photo Credit: Carolyn Henry

Rachel Hanretty, of Mademoiselle Macaron

stores and sites. Rachel is making similar adjustments.

She explains “We have a big kitchen, so the space isn’t the issue. It’s more that we wanted to keep the team safe. The furlough scheme has been a real lifeline in this time of crisis, I asked people to volunteer for furlough. So, the people who wanted to and were happy to, they were the first ones to go.

I cried.”

“I just felt like I was stuck in this moral

“I focused on taste-bud tourism, so when you eat these macarons you’re transported to the Champs-Élysées.”

GOING FORWARD

After nine months of trading from home and selling across the country at a range of food markets, she set up her first physical store.

“It was in the center of Edinburgh, it had a view of the castle. It was beautiful.

However, since launching the online store in 2015, she has realised that she and her team can send macarons across the country, in comparison to only selling locally. This coupled with the fact that the business started to receive even larger bookings from both wholesale and wedding customers was a clear indication the bricks and mortar physical store was unnecessary. “If lockdown has taught us anything, it’s that bricks and mortar make you vulnerable”.

Going forward Rachel would like to use the money that the business has earned through the boom in online sales to hire more staff on temporary contracts and help younger people, with the potential of developing a training program with a college.

“They’ve been so much more affected, and it’s just something close to my heart,” she says. “All the graduate positions I applied to when I finished university basically told us that because of the impact of the financial crash, they would never take on as many graduates than they used to.

“I feel that the business is now emerging from a different global crisis.”

www.mademoisellemacaron.co.uk quandary, do we keep going and safeguard the business, so there’s a business for everyone to come back to? Or do I shut down because I can see that this is causing people severe anguish?”

Understandably, many of Rachel’s staff were anxious about travelling into work, so being furloughed has really benefited their mental health and wellbeing. Through the scheme, she was able to furlough 6 out of the 8 staff for a period of six weeks. Although her team shrunk considerably in size, the fact that the macarons could be frozen really helped.

Rachel fell in love with macarons whilst living in Paris. She then made it her mission to learn the craft and bring the experience and beautiful delicacy to the UK and beyond. She enrolled at the Alain Ducasse Cooking School in Paris, to learn the art of making macarons. When Rachel returned to Edinburgh, she noticed a gap in the market, which motivated her to set up her very own macaron business.

“They’re just so pretty. They’re so delicate.

And they’re quite hard to make because there’s a lot that can go wrong. I wanted to have that little bit of Paris with me,” she says.

To check whether you are eligible for business support, visit: www.gov.uk/ business-coronavirus-support-finder This advertiser content was paid for by the UK Government.

All together is a UK Government backed initiative tasked with informing the UK about the Covid-19 pandemic.

For more information visit: gov.uk/coronavirus

18 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News

SISTERS ON THE BUSINESS ACT

Two entrepreneurs have high hopes that their crowdfunding platform will help black-owned businesses reach their full potential

By Vic Motune

T

WO BRITISHNigerian entrepreneurs have launched a crowdfunding platform for black-owned businesses in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Sisters Anita Egbune and Marian Arafiena have launched Rise Fund N Go – a crowdfunding website for African Caribbean commercial and philanthropic businesses.

The pair say the goal of the platform “is to spotlight remarkable black businesses and projects, and assist them in obtaining necessary funding”.

Arafiena said: “As black women and mothers, we are huge advocates for the Black Lives Matter movement. We were not able to go out and protest like many others, but 20 years from now when my son asks me what I did during this time to support black people, I

There is a moment to be captured. We can’t afford to lose it want to say that I, along with his aunt, created lasting economic opportunities for the advancement of black businesses”.

The platform works in a similar way to sites such as Go Fund Me.

ACHIEVE

If, for example, a potential investor is interested in investing in a black-owned technology business, they can search the site and filter the results until they identify those companies they are interested in.

A short biography will provide information about what that company is trying to

achieve. Potential investors will then offer a pledge to help the business achieve its goal.

That business will then offer something in return.

For example, it might be a commitment that for every £50 donated the company will sponsor a technology pro-gramme in Kenya or Ghana.

And the expectation would be that the business would regularly update the people who have donated and supported them.

Arafiena added: “The Black Lives Matter movement is about the demand for equality to redress the imbalance that has always existed.

“But in doing so it’s almost as though we’re asking for equality. This already creates a dynamic of someone being able to offer that. For me, the ability

to stand on our own two feet economically as black people means that respect and equality is given. It doesn’t have to be requested or asked for.

So when we launched this platform it was important that we took a two-fold approach.

“The first is about the ability to start encour encouraging each other to start investing in ourselves. Secondly, it’s about creating visibility.

There’s a documentary by Killer Mike where he tries to live on products made by black-owned businesses and he struggles to find any of them.

“So it’s important to be aware of the black businesses that are out there and to offer support where we can but also to close some of the gaps to make sure that we’re encouraging new businesses to spring to life.”

FOUNDERS: Anita Egbune, left, and Marian Arafiena Egbune said: “It was Jay Z who said without wealth there can be no freedom.

“One of the problems that we have as black people is that ability to stand and raise ourselves, because we don’t have that bedrock of wealth in our community.

“One thing is clear is that there is a moment to be captured and we do have to be careful we don’t lose it. As

people in our community are looking for black businesses to invest in, those avenues need to be there and we need to be able to grow them.

“It’s from that growth that we can really begin to tackle the inequalities that the Black Lives Matter protests were highlighting.”

For more information please visit risefundngo.org

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 19

News

EDUCATING THE WORLD Lecturer’s lockdown videos for De Montfort students have now been viewed and enjoyed by thousands

W

HEN DE MONTFORT University senior lecturer Dr Oluwasoye Mafimisebi set up a YouTube channel to help his business students through the lockdown, he never thought he would get hits from all over the world.

His channel, YouTube Professor, breaks down strategic management, crisis planning, resilience and other essential learning for business students, as well as sharing the latest work on how companies are adapting to the coronavirus pandemic.

IDEA

Thousands of people from across the world have watched the videos, including his own students at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s Leicester Castle Business School.

However, when he launched the channel, he had only been expecting a few hundred viewers at best.

Dr Mafimisebi, senior

lecturer in strategic management, said: “The idea came because I wanted to do something extra to support my students.

After everything moved online you lose that face to face interaction and I think it does make a difference to learning if you’re able to see someone.

management, got over 1,000 views – and audience numbers have continued to grow since.

Students can also find help with references, essay writing and explanations of academic theory. It’s proved popular with audiences, with his playlist clocking up nearly 5,000 views from people all over the world.

I had emails SURPRISE Dr Mafimisebi said: “I was not asking when expecting the views, to be honest, it has been a pleasant surthe next video prise to see so many people are would be finding them useful.”

“The first video was to address the students’ questions around the topics we were studying. The response was very touching. I think YouTube fills that gap and they do have that personal touch. I had emails saying thank you and asking when the next video would be done and could I talk about different topics.”

His first video, which covered essay and exam tips and explores concepts in strategic

The channel is aimed primarily at students, but Dr Mafimisebi said that business directors, managers and entrepreneurs could also find the videos helpful.

He is now working with business owners from black and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds to see determine how they can recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Dr Mafimisebi concluded: “Every crisis comes with opportunities.”

Education-key to breaking cycle BREAK THE CYCLE, a national organisation aimed at promoting black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) leadership across education and youth work in the UK, held its second national conference.

Entitled Time for Change: How a Racist Education Produces a Racist Culture, conference speakers included Lord Michael Hastings (Chancellor of Regent’s University London), Tessy Ojo (CEO of The Diana Award) and Professor Robert Beckford (a BAFTA award-winning documentary film maker, scholar at Canterbury Christ Church University and activist researching racial justice).

Keynote presentations covered topics such as Black Lives Matter: Implications for Education, Teacher Training and Recruitment and Black Leadership – Lessons from the Frontline, while Lord Michael Hastings gave will conclude with an inspirational account of his own experiences as a black business leader and public figure, entitled I Can’t Breathe.

Professor Robert Beckford, pictured inset, said: “We want all those who care about racial equity to understand the key role that education plays and to commit to being part of the national ‘Break the Cycle Movement’. We want to get the job done.”

Break the Cycle is a national grassroots movement aimed at tackling the current massive under-representation of BAME leaders in education by promoting African, Carib-

bean and Asian leadership across education.

The Break the Cycle Manifesto produced by the 2019 conference is an action plan for all schools – primary and secondary – committed to challenging and changing the cultures and systems that hold back the next generation of BAME leadership.

Since the first Break the Cycle confer conference, local groups have been meet meeting in schools tackling conscious and unconscious race inequal inequality in school infrastructures and practices - from recruit recruitment to leadership training.

CULTURES

Steve Chalke MBE, founder of Oasis, said: “We can only overover come the cultures that hold back African, Caribbean and Asian school leaders, by working together.

“That is the simple thinking behind Break the Cycle. For far too long, we have failed to challenge the under-representation of BAME leaders in education or recognise its negative impact on young people who don’t get to experience leadership role modelled by someone with the same colour skin as theirs.

“We all have to work for this – black, brown and white – if we’re going to get it done. So everyone is welcome.

“By bringing together activists, experts, and members of the education community who care about righting this wrong, we will share experience and best practice and contribute to making a lasting change.”

ON A ROLL: Dr Oluwasoye Mafimisebi’s videos have been popular with both his students and YouTube users from across the globe

20 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Midlands News NEWS IN BRIEF

Blackstory Partnership secures new contract

The collective that resurrected Birmingham’s Black History Month (BHM) in the second part of the last decade, has secured a three-year contract to host the Second City’s celebrations.

The Blackstory Partnership (BSP) will take the lead on the festivities this year through to 2022 and has expressed its delight in doing so.

Speaking on behalf of the group, BSP member Audrey Parkes, pictured above, also told The Voice: “We feel we have achieved a breakthrough of recognition after years of hard work and determination. We have delivered the BHM program between 2016-2019, and now we have the opportunity to fully develop a rigorous programme and legacy for the Partnership and Birmingham’s Black History Month. We thank Birmingham City Council Cultural Team for the opportunity and trust they have in BSP to deliver this.”

This year’s activities will be scaled back in response to the impact of Coronavirus – the launch will take place online on September 25 – but aims to be “innovative and creative for the launch that will Showcase Black Talent and consciousness during our Black History Month launch.

Blackstock takes new direction with PPE A former Nottingham Forest player is building a new career since retiring from football that is proving valuable as the East Midlands bids to recover from the ravages of coronavirus.

Dexter Blackstock, as CEO of MediConnect, provides certified PPE for the healthcare industry, has sourced and supplied personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge to the NHS and care homes across Derby and Nottingham.

He told the media: “I have built relationships with everyone along the supply chain from pharmacies, manufacturers, distributors and logistics companies – to bring it all together.”

Powell’s new team-up for diversity training Entrepreneur and activist Tru Powell has partnered with rising training providers AKD to offer exclusive diversity training.

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and international protests, the bespoke programme will seek to supply much needed knowledge around diversity and inclusion. It will help audiences understand race on a deeper level and equip them with greater confidence and competence to make a real difference in their communities, workplace and wider surroundings.

Powell, whose older cousin Mikey infamously died in police custody in Birmingham in 2003, believes his personal experiences alongside his ability to engage and challenge leaders to think differently will be the perfect fit for AKD solutions for this specially curated project.

On speaking on the partnership, Powell, pictured below, said: “I am super excited to have formed such a partnership with AKD Solutions. AKD have been doing so much great work and I feel together we can do so much more. It’s now not enough to post up a black square in solidarity for black lives, but then continue to do the same thing you’ve always done. The call for change is now and it first starts with learning and understanding. This is why this partnership is necessary.”

AKD Solutions, an international learning and development consultancy, designs and delivers innovative learning solutions that is underpinned by its ‘Stimulating Brilliance’ ethos, also the belief that people learn more when they are having fun.

Most famous for designing learning maps that explore difficult subjects in to engage and challenge clients, to create long lasting change, Akin Thomas, who leads AKD with colleague Melissa Shervington, said: “Tru’s personal experiences is one that needs to be heard to challenge thinking in a safe space.”

by Veron Graham

SHERINE’S HAIR FIRM GOES WILD IN LOCKDOWN

Birmingham entrepreneur’s business takes off online as thousands of salons across the country closed their doors GROWTH: Sherine Walrond, centre, with, from left, Ross McEwan and Lee Curner of NatWest; below, with the bank’s chief executive Alison Rose

A

BIRMINGHAM ENTREPRENEUR who launched her startup by beating 90 competitors to scoop £1,000 in a pitching competition judged

by NatWest chief executive Alison Rose has seen its online sales take off despite the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ironically, during lockdown when longer-established hair and beauty outfits have struggled as the Government forced ‘non-essential businesses’ to close as it grappled with the pandemic, Sherine Walrond’s Ivy Wild hair products range has grown, also benefitting from innovative online activity and growing interest in the business stimulated by Black Pound Day. The movement began in the US several years ago and spread to these shores in the wake of the protests following the mur-

@thevoicenewspaper

Within the next couple of months, we hope to start hosting our workshops again der of George Floyd and the international protests against racism and injustice recently.

Walrond told The Voice: “Black Pound Day has encouraged people to spend within the black community. This has enabled our online community to have a more meaningful and intimate relationship with us.”

Ivy Wild had already been

@thevoicenews

leveraging business opportunities online through Q&A sessions on Instagram Live and optimising its digital sales force by stocking a variety of online marketplaces to take advantage of clients’ increased searches for self-care solutions.

REWARDS

It had also reaped the rewards of producing an insightful video series on hair care issues while looking to inspire those consider-ing starting their own business.

However, it has not all been plain sailing for the business, but it is looking forward to further opportunities opening up as the na-

voicenews

tion emerges from lockdown, as Walrond added: “We had to postpone our Black Hair Education workshops and sales we would usually get from our salon stockists have also taken a hit.

“Within the next couple of months, we hope to begin hosting our workshops again and will be adjusting our classes to ensure that they are safe and aligned with COVID-19 regulations.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 21

Midlands News

MEL READY TO STEP UP TO NEW NOTTINGHAM ROLE He’s worked in councils across the UK, but now Mel Barrett is heading to the East Midlands to build strong foundations as it recovers from the plight of COVID-19

N

OTTINGHAM CITY Council has announced that Mel Barrett will become its new chief executive, making him the first black man to hold the role.

Barrett will assume the post in September having previously managed a series of large-scale customer-facing services, organisational change and transformation initiatives, and delivering substantial regeneration and development projects.

SECURE

PASTURES NEW: Mel Barrett will begin his new role with Nottingham City Council in September

Currently the outgoing chief executive of Basingstoke and Deane Council in the south west, Barrett was previously executive director of Housing and Regeneration at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, where he worked to secure the HS2

He brings with him a wealth of experience and his credentials will undoubtedly help us realise our ambitions Crossrail interchange station in the borough, bringing significant investment.

Before that, he was Oxford execuCity Council’s execu tive director for City Regeneration and director of the DeLondon De velopment Agency.

N o t tingham’s outgoing council

leader, Cllr David Mellen, pictured below left, said: “I am delighted with Mel’s appointment to the role of chief executive at the City Council.

“He brings with him a wealth of experience at other councils and elsewhere and his credentials will undoubtedly help us to realise our enduring ambitions for the city beyond the current coronavirus crisis.”

DELIGHTED

Barrett, who is married with two sons now at university, said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as chief executive and I look forward to working with Cllr Mellen, Leader of the Council, members, officers and partners to build on the strong foundations in place, and to continue the vital work underway to support residents and further improve the city into the future.”

Nottingham City Council is currently being led by Katherine Kerswell, as interim chief executive to help guide the authority through the current COVID-19 crisis.

BLM protesters thank city council leader and mayor after clean-up and show of solidarity

STANDING TOGETHER: The Lord Mayor of Nottingham and organisers of the city’s Black Lives Matter protest

THE ORGANISERS of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest were have been thanked by the outgoing leader of Nottingham City Council and its Lord Mayor after cleaning up graffiti left in the city.

The civic leaders’ gratitude was expressed in the Council House, which was lit up in green and emblazoned with a BLM banner erected in solidarity with the cause.

Cllr David Mellen, said: “Nottingham is a city where people from different back-

grounds overwhelmingly get along and we want to reflect that sentiment at this particular moment.

STRENGTH

“We want to express our solidarity with Nottingham communities who are rightly upset and want change to come, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in America. We recognise and share this strength of feeling and this banner shows clearly

that we stand with them and against systemic prejudice that unforgivably still places black and minority ethnic (BAME) people at a disadvantage in so many aspects of their lives.

Nottingham is a diverse and cohesive city, but we also know that racism and prejudice are not just issues in America, they are issues in our country and our city.

“We will not tolerate any form of racism, hate or prejudice and commit never to remain silent on these issues.

“The young people who tried to clean up graffiti after the earlier peaceful, well-organised Black Lives Matter protest are more representative of the young people in our city and give us all hope for the future.

“We invited them to the Council House so the Lord Mayor could thank them and show them that in putting up the banner we support them, but that this is only part of our response and our ongoing efforts to make our city more equal.”

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

22 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News Feature

‘UK universities are layered with racism’ Graduate and soon-to-be Cambridge PhD student Melz Owusu aims to change students’ experiences

By Zaina Alibhai

T

HE UNIVERSITY experience for a black student is incomparable to that of a white one.

Nobody knows this better than Melz Owusu, a University of Leeds alumni and soonto-be University of Cambridge PhD student.

“Universities are layered with racism and coloniality; it exists in the curriculum,” the 25-year-old told The Voice.

“Learning from that knowledge system, one that is based on subjugation, has an unspoken effect on mental health.”

OUTSIDERS

Added to this, Owusu says, the lack of diversity in staff and on campus leads many black students to feel like “outsiders occupying colonial space”.

Owusu is the founder of the Free Black University, a new initiative that aims to decolonise higher education and offer a creative hub for radical, transformative knowledge among black people.

Despite the initiative going public at the beginning of this year, the concept of the Free Black University is not a recent one.

Owusu has been shaping the idea over the past five years, whilst tirelessly campaigning against racism in higher educa-

STANDING FOR CHANGE: Melz Owusu says they wanted to bring back the idea of the transformational power of education; below left, black students are left to face the colonial history of universities across Britain

People want to hold on to inequalities in the system tion and pushing a decolonial agenda.

However it got to a point where they realised how little change was being implemented within institutions, and further action was needed.

Owusu said: “Institutions are inherently colonial, and the capacity in which they have for change is extremely limited.

“We wanted to bring back the idea of the transformational power of education, and how much it can transform the people and the world.”

And so Owusu gathered a group of people passionate about the cause, consisting of around seven people ranging from student activists, LGBT campaigners and education figures, all black individuals.

Together they launched a GoFundMe page which, at the time of writing, has raised over £100,000.

The Free Black University has been met with enthusiasm, for the most part.

Universities are keen to help make the vision a reality, and Owusu has been engaged in talks with a university director who is interested in supporting the project financially.

The only real challenge faced was from a handful of internet trolls who insisted on tweeting disparaging messages on social media.

“A few people believe anything that says the word ‘black’ is taking away their freedom,” Owusu said. “It shows the

inconsistency in the nation, and shows we can exist in a system where whiteness can be at the centre of everything, and as soon as you say ‘we’re going to de-centre whiteness’ it im-

that exists in the UK, people are so afraid of challenging it.”

The Free Black University will welcome conversations on colonialism, and offer a space in which people can challenge

So many are made to think we’re the only people who think this, and part of the system mediately becomes a problem.

People want to hold on to inequalities in the system.”

Black history has been erased from the curriculum, one that centres around colonialism.

According to Owusu, the issue of colonisation is washed over, and when it is addressed, it is often celebrated even though there is little to celebrate.

“Someone called it ‘collective amnesia’,” they said. “It’s the kind of cognitive dissonance

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it. Owusu said: “So many are made to think we’re the only people who think this, and part of the system. That’s why we need projects like this, allowing people to have these conversations and let them know not alone.”

The curriculum for the Free Black University is still being developed but rather than taking a disciplinary route it will be based around imagination.

The team is determined to

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avoid tedious lectures, and instead invite people to come together, and push the boundaries of their thoughts.

ETHIC

Owusu said: “The teachings could be anything – from philosophy to history to individuality – but the ethic of transforming society with radical black imagination essentially at heart.”

There will also be a healing aspect to the curriculum, with programmes that envelope ‘Western’ approaches to mental health with spiritual roots.

Everything will be done with an LGBT frame in mind.

Owusu added: “Sometimes when we talk about black liberation, different genders and sexual orientation are removed from conversation.

That further entrenches pain.”

The pain of the black com-

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munity is one that is being heard loud and clear through ongoing protests across the world following the death of George Floyd in May. While Owusu believes Black Lives Matter is an incredibly powerful concept and call to action, more needs to be done to tackle the issue of systemic racism.

They said: “Whilst it’s really important to look at statues and street names, it’s more than aesthetic things that need to change; it’s attitudes, laws and the whole system.

“England needs to take a long, hard look at itself.

It is incredibly culpable of crimes against black people throughout history and today. It has been a long-held struggle.

“I don’t think we know what a society that is free of racism and injustices looks like.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 23

Opinion

‘WE MUST ACT ON REVIEWS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE’ WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE: Significant disparities have been identified in the NHS; bottom left, Lord Leslie Scarman; below, the recommendations made in MP David Lammy’s review have not been acted upon

oo o ten now leaders have ignored recommendations – but we cannot wait any longer to tackle racial injustices, say Gifty Edila and Cordella Bart-Stewart

T

H E CORONAVIRUS pandemic and the sad death of George Floyd in the United States shone a light on the global scourge of racial inequality.

Here in Britain, the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people from black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and Black Lives Matter protesters pointed the finger at the lingering racism within our institutions and have demanded genuine and lasting change.

The government’s response has been to set up a commission to look at “all aspects of inequality”, including the criminal justice system, education, and wider inequalities and issues facing working class white boys in school.

There is a long history of such commissions being set up, recommendations being made and ignored. What is needed now is the implementation of these recommendations.

Beyond The Data:

NHS Trust boards do not reflect the diversity of the NHS workforce Understanding The Impact Of Covid-19 On BAME Communities, is Public Health England’s review of disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19.

It confirms the association between belonging to some ethnic groups and the likelihood of testing positive and dying with COVID-19.

It points to racism as a factor and makes seven recommendations.

The Race Disparity Audit (RDA) was set up by the government in August 2016.

It used the vast amount of data already held by the gov gov-

ernment and consultations from a range of ethnicities and demographics to examine how people of different backgrounds are treated across areas including health, education, employment, and the criminal justice system.

SUFFER

The RDA shows that black and ethnic minorities suffer from inequalities with stark differences in how black people experienced the economic, educational and justice systems compared to white people.

For example, the higher percentage of black children excluded from school compared to white children. This was confirmed in the Timpson Review of school exclusion

plinary procedures, especially in London.

NHS Trust Boards do not reflect the diversity of the NHS workforce. These findings from Baroness McGregor-Smith’s Independent Review on race in the workplace in 2017 are the same as in the private sector.

In health and NHS services,

Adequate resources must be allocated to right the wrongs and injustices we have suffered in May 2019. Disparities were identified in employment, no notably in the public sector where historically a higher percentage of ethnic minorities are em employed (43 per cent). Roles cov covered by black and ethnic mi minorities were at the lower levels of the hierarchy. There are also disparities in pay.

In the non-medical NHS workforce white applicants were more likely to be apap pointed into senior roles.

NHS staff from a nonwhite backgrounds were more likely to report exex periencing dis discrimination at work from a manager or colleague than white staff and more likely to face for formal disci disci-

significant disparities are identified.

Poorer health outcomes, less positive experiences, lower confidence in NHS services including access to GP appointments, treatment for mental health conditions and a disproportionate number of black Caribbean adults detained under the Mental Health Act. The criminal justice system has also come under repeated scru-

tiny. Lord Leslie Scarman’s Report in 1981 into the Brixton riots highlighted the problems of racial disadvantage. Recommendations were made on recruitment, training of police and law enforcement and the socio-economic factors at play.

The Macpherson Report, published in 1999 following the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence, found that the investigation into Stephen’s death highlighted institutional racism and among 70 recommendations designed to subject the police to greater control and accountability is a recommendation that the national curriculum be revised to prevent racism and to value cultural diversity.

CONCERN

The Lammy Review into the treatment of and outcomes for BAME individuals in the criminal justice system reported in 2017. There was a particular concern with the youth justice system. His recommendations are still not fully implemented.

Government rejected the rec recommendation to address the poor diversity of the judiciary.

There have been reports on the diversity of public and pri private boards, on income dispari disparities, the ethnic pay gap, hous housing and health.

The data goes back decades.

As senior black lawyers with decades of experience working in the community we are acutely aware of this and of a desperate need for

change. What is required is a task force and action plan to address these inequalities which the evidence clearly shows is underpinned by structural racism. As the Prime Minister says, “get it done”.

There are eminent respected individuals with the expertise who would have the necessary confidence of the black community to head such a body and demonstrate that this government is serious about tackling racism. Individuals like retired High Court Judge Dame Linda Dobbs, Lord Herman Ouseley, or Baroness Valerie Amos.

We need to heed Lord Scarman’s warning that urgent action was needed to prevent racial disadvantage becoming an “endemic, ineradicable disease threatening the very survival of our society” and “the attack on racial disadvantage must be direct and coordinated”.

It is not a quick fix. Adequate resources must be allocated to right the wrongs and injustices we have suffered over centuries.

Cordella Bart-Stewart is a solicitor, director and co-founder of Black Solicitors Network and Council Member of the Law Society of England and Wales. Gifty Edila is a retired barrister, SolicitorAdvocate and former Corporate Director of Law. Both are UK-qualified lawyers with over 70 years combined professional experience

24 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News

Striving for a better tomorrow T

RIGHTING THE WRONGS: The Windrush cross-government Working Group aims to honour and celebrate the Windrush Generation

Here, co-chair of the recently launched Windrush cross-government Working Group Bishop Dr Derek Webley explains what it hopes to achieve

HE HOME Secretary Priti Patel has launched a Windrush Cross-Gover n ment Working Group.

The Working Group brings together stakeholders and community leaders with senior representatives from a number of government departments and will be co-chaired by the Home Secretary and myself.

The Working Group will consider the action needed to support the Windrush Generation, particularly around the uptake of the Windrush Schemes (Windrush documentation Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme), while addressing the wider challenges that disproportionately affect people

For those who have gone on before us, they will never be forgotten from black and minority ethnic backgrounds across society in education, work and health.

The launch of the Working Group comes at a pivotal moment in supporting the Windrush Generation, their descendants and wider communities in this country.

I am deeply honoured to be able to serve members of the Windrush Generation. They are

a generation who, since they arrived over seven decades ago, have served this country with dignity and pride and helped to build this country over many years.

The country owes so much to this generation, but they have been let down by successive governments. I know that the government is resolved to ensure that nothing as terrible as the Windrush scandal should ever happen again.

That is why I’m proud to be joining the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group, so I can join others in taking forward their interest.

This Working Group recognises that the work it will do cannot be done without the

voices of the community. It is important the media keeps reporting on the Windrush Compensation Scheme and encouraging people to come forward, this will go a long way to ensuring all those affected come forward and claim.

AFFECTED

Members of the Working Group will include key stakeholders and community leaders representing the affected communities and include Bishop Dr Derek Webley (co-chair); Bishop Dr Joe Aldred; Duwayne Brooks; Blondel Cluff; Loanna Morrison; Arike Oke; Kunle Olulode; Tony Sewell; Paulette Simpson, and Independent Adviser to the Windrush Compen-

sation Scheme, Martin Forde QC. Members will also include representation at a senior level from a number of government departments.

We will work with the Windrush Generation and the government in finding ways that would meet the satisfaction of the Windrush community.

We give thanks to God for their indominable spirit that was not broken; in the midst of much adversity they shone the bright light of hope that has and continues to serve the respective generations.

From the Windrush Generation they have produced trades men and women, educationalists, social workers, counsellors, lawyers, doctors, politicians,

sports personalities, gifted musicians, talented singers and dedicated ministers of religion; the list is endless.

We have a story to tell; we need to celebrate and let others appreciate these contributions borne out of the spirit of a blessed Generation.

We are proud of them and we will ensure that we will not drop the baton. For those who have gone on before us, they will never be forgotten. And to those who are with us – we respect and honour you.

This is why we will ensure that the government must deliver for you the Windrush Generation and those who form a part of your heritage, outcomes that meet your satisfaction.

UK civil rights campaigner inspires new bursary THE UNIVERSITY of the West of England (UWE Bristol) has launched a new bursary named after the Bristol civil rights activist Paul Stephenson OBE to help students from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

The five successful recipients of the grant will each receive £1,000 in the first two years of their university studies. The funds will be provided

by UWE Bristol and will assist students with their living costs; helping to widen participation within higher education and supporting BAME students to further their ambitions.

It is one of two new bursaries launched by the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education (ACE) to help new undergraduate students from under-represented groups with

living costs. The other bursary, the Dean’s Bursary, is aimed at applicants from ‘low participating neighbourhoods’, which are areas where young people traditionally do not consider Higher Education.

RELATIONSHIP

UWE Bristol has a long-standing relationship with Stephenson and his family.

He was awarded an honorary degree of Master of Education in 2009 and has worked closely with the University for some time to launch this new initiative.

Stephenson’s daughter, Fumi, said: “Dad attended university in Birmingham in the 1950s, where after one of his first jobs was in teaching. He always promoted the importance of

REVERED CAMPAIGNER: Paul Stephenson, also pictured right during the Bristol bus boycott of 1963, has inspired a new bursary at UWE Bristol education in and outside the house.

He is very happy to know that there is a bursary to support the gap in the system whereby talent can be supported in a meaningful way for the local community.’’

Stephenson is a community work-

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er, activist and long-time campaigner for civil rights for the British African Caribbean community in Bristol.

As a young social worker in 1963 he led a boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company, protesting against its refusal to employ black or Asian

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drivers or conductors. After a 60-day boycott supported by thousands of Bristolians, the company revoked its colour bar.

Professor Jane Roscoe, pro vice chancellor and executive dean for the ACE Faculty, said: “Education is a vehicle for changing lives. We are committed to ensuring that all people get access to Higher Education at UWE Bristol.

“We recognise that for some people the challenges they have faced in their lives may mean that they may not have seen Higher Education as an option for them.

“We hope that with these two bursaries we can start to change those perceptions and enable more people to continue their learning and make a difference to their lives.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020

Find Grace Foods products in the World Foods aisles in supermarkets and in World Foods convenience stores nationwide For delicious Caribbean recipe ideas, visit: www.gracefoods.co.uk nhcarnival.org

*Source: IRI UK Caribbean Food & Drink - Retail Sales, Period: MAT 52w/e 22nd June 2020.

THE VOICE |25

26 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Feature

The network helping ambitious young black students aim higher

KEY SUPPORT: The Black Excellence Network is aimed at providing students with the advice and guidance to support their academic and career development

Black Excellence Network’s mentoring platform aims to empower those who are hoping to apply to university

By Oyinda Adeniyi

T

HE BLACK Excellence Network is a non-profit organisation, which aids the entry of Year 12, and Year 13 students into their preferred universities, courses and apprenticeships.

It is a mentorship platform that allocates mentees to mentors, to facilitate knowledgesharing, resource-provision, and support to be provided to mentees to ultimately help their progression.

The network was founded in April 2020 by black students Pobor Eruesegbefe, Oyinda Adeniyi, Amgad Salih, Ayomide Awosanmi and George Obolo, who are a combination of medical students, incoming Oxford and LSE undergraduates. It is a network designed by black students for black students. They additionally seek to ensure black students are empowered as a young community.

GUIDANCE

Research has shown that black students are less likely than their white counterparts to achieve three A grades or better at A-level. Black students also often lack the right advice and guidance on the subjects and qualifications that can support their academic and career development, which leads to lower levels of attainment.

The team behind Black Excellence Network have been able to amass a network consisting of more than 200 mentees and mentors, 18 subject ambassadors, and a combined social following of 1,400+ across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. The network enables students who may previously not have had the opportunity to receive tailored one to one encouragement and guidance for their aspirations.

Black Excellence Network believes that mentorship can help mentees’ confidence and their ability to excel and break

We as a community must satisfy our hunger for change by creating spaces for black students the barriers they encounter in society. The platform works via mentees selecting a mentor within their subject area, who is taking a degree or studying at the universities they aspire to.

The network’s unique self-selection process means mentees can pick out a mentor, who is most suited to their needs.

This is more likely to cultivate a better mentoring relationship between students. The menteementor pairings commence from the start of the academic year and last until the end.

The programme includes UCAS assistance, admissions test, and personal development workshops, designed by them throughout the year for members of the network.

As well as aiding progression within our mentee community, we have sought partnerships with external organisations, which will allow students access to virtual internships, work experience, career-specific advice, and exposure that will be of greater benefit to the older mentor network.

The Black Excellence Network currently has over five partnerships in progress with a combination of legal and finance organisations as well as technology companies.

In June the network launched a ‘GoFundMe’ campaign to raise £3,000, which will help to facilitate a technology-based mentor-

ship platform and online webinars, maintaining safeguarding, marketing and advertisement, enrichment activities and hosting their future networking events. This fundraiser is being promoted throughout the organisation’s social media platforms, as well as its mentorship and ambassadorial network.

RESPECTED

We as a community must take some steps to satisfy our hunger for change by creating such spaces for black students with dreams of going into university or apprenticeships.

It should be noted, however, that for the black community to be seen, respected and acknowledged, our humanity should be the greatest element above our educational institution, occupation or academic attainment.

Black Excellence is a sentiment in itself, which is not limited to higher education and the student community but encompasses the black community breaking into plains despite different barriers.

Oyinda Adeniyi is the co-founder of the Black Excellence Network

@thevoicenewspaper

Midwives union pledges to tackle discrimination in maternity services THE ROYAL College of Midwives (RCM) has launched a new campaign to tackle discrimination in maternity services and better support BAME pregnant women in their care.

According to the union, ethnic background continues to be the most common reason for discrimination in the NHS. And the results of the 2019 NHS Staff Survey support this claim.

The survey found that over 45 per cent of staff said they had experienced discrimination based on their ethnic background.

The RCM’s Race Matters campaign is based around five key pledges to its members: • Training for all RCM staff and activists to support and empower them to recognise and challenge racist behaviour.

• Listening and learning from all members to reflect their experiences accurately, and actively use what we have learnt to influence and promote positive change in the workplace.

• Using the RCM’s position, both as an organisation and through its reps, to challenge discriminatory behaviour in the workplace.

• Ensuring that the RCM at every level is representative of the membership we serve.

• Supporting research and championing positive change in outcomes for pregnant

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women from black, Asian and minority eth ethnic backgrounds.

RCM chief Gill Walton said: “We know we haven’t always got it right, but we are determined to change and be a positive force for our members and the women they care for.

“It is vital RCM workplace representatives are aware of the Workplace Race Equality Standard. This can help them support and protect our members in the workplace and make sure they are not discriminated against.

“This is crucial to delivering safe, high quality maternity care to women and their families. If we are to deliver an inclusive maternity service for all women, racism in our NHS must be stamped out and replaced with respect, dignity and compassion for everyone it serves.”

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www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020

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28 | THE VOICE

AUGUST 2020

Faith

‘WE’VE ALWAYS MATTERED – BUT NOW THE WORLD SEES IT’ STANDING TOGETHER: Black and white people have marched as one in recent months to stand against racism

W

In the first part a new series called Leading ideas Rev Joel Edwards discusses the response of Christian leaders to the global Black Lives Matter movement

HEN A white Minneapolis policeman killed George Floyd on the May 25 the world changed.

Floyd’s death was the flame that set a forest fire ablaze across the world.

Everyone was traumatised and Zoom calls went into overdrive.

We began to talk about institutional racism, micro-aggression, white fragility and cultural Marxism.

In addition, we were horrified by the overrepresentation of black and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the daily statistics of COVID-19 deaths and wondered who was telling the truth about COVID-19 and 5G signals.

Uniquely, black and white people marched together defying the pandemic and demanding that history be re-written.

Facebook overflowed with Black Brits whose trauma was palpable. One avid Facebook friend went offline to process his own feelings and Windrush grandkids asked critical questions of black leaders.

Now, as the new normal be-

gins to arrive we are left wondering what this all means for leaders who urgently want to see lasting change.

But it would be a mistake to panic.

Entrenched racism will delight in knee-jerk responses which do not have a plan. Injustice is powerful because it waits for the moment to pass.

The blackness we have been celebrating is more than skin-deep

REACTIONS

A critical appraisal is called for.

It’s true that black Christian leadership in Britain has fallen short of the full political engagement which has been so needed.

We have ignored the systemic issues of racial injustice and inoculated ourselves with insular events instead.

But against all the odds black men and women have done ordinary things extraordinarily well.

Windrush Christians have provided institutions in which black lives have always mattered.

Black lives have been nourished and sent off to universities, released into professional spheres, the world of sports and public life. They have cared for

Emotional reactions provide nothing more than entertainment for endemic racism.

Whilst impulsive activism may vindicate past inaction, it has nothing to offer the future.

If we rush, we should rush toward lasting action rather than sensational and fashionable short-term activism.

As a starting point however, we should all admit that decisive action against racial injustice is overdue.

When black millennials ask church leaders what we are doing about racism and the Black Lives Matter movement, they are also raising profound questions about what it means to be a black Christian in the world.

The two things are inseparable.

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the Windrush pioneers in old age and kept their homelands afloat through their remittances.

From the nursery of the black community, Windrush Christians have been redistributed across other Christian traditions.

Black Christian leadership is present in all liturgical locations: they are Baptists, Methodists or Anglican.

We should have done more, but as they say, ‘That ain’t nothing!’.

But as we set off to renew our struggle against racial injustice it’s really important to face down the critical question of what it means to be black leaders in the world emerging around us.

RELIVING

This is not a new question. For decades now we have been reliving the question of what it means to be a ‘black-led’ or ‘black majority’ church.

But the blackness we have been celebrating in recent weeks is more than skin-deep.

This has to be right because, as we have seen, white people on our streets cohabited the experience of blackness. Recent

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events demand a positive review of how we make further progress.

This is not an ideological battle; it’s a matter of intentionality.

White institutions no longer claim that black people are sub-human. White Christians totally believe that black people are made in the image of God.

EXPERIENCE

What stands in the way of progress is the universal experience of black suffering which white folk created, and which black people have struggled against for centuries.

But in our new normal, progress is plausible.

For the first time that I can recall, blackness became the universal virtue that exposed racial injustice on our streets and in every corner of society.

For now, to be a black person is to be on the right side of history, and the idea that Jesus was white is being relegated to a colonial past.

Having said that, social and cultural realities are still with us and black Christian leaders should feel free to lay down the heavy illusion of creating

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multi-racial churches in the foreseeable future.

The measure of success should not be in their ability to have white people joining black churches.

Instead, they should get on with being the best leader they can be to anyone God calls them to shepherd.

But if we must carry the good news of God’s love and respond to racial injustice, black Christian leaders should collaborate far more strategically, and partner more effectively with other Christians and civil society. That has been an unmissable lesson of the past three months.

Being a black Christian leader is not a call to a Pentecostal parochialism.

We must destroy that restricting myth.

Blackness empowers us to challenge racial injustices in alliance with other people without diminishing our distinctives.

Black Christians have always believed that black lives matter.

Now is the time for even more intentional strategies which ensure that this remains true when the slogan inevitably fades away.

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 29

Continued from page 8 But sadly many members of the black community do not know about them.

And even after being discovered black business owners often say they do not get the support they deserve.

It is perhaps for this reason that hundreds of black-owned businesses have warmly welcomed the impact that Black Pound Day has had.

Among those who have spoken of its impact is London-based company The Jerk Kitchen, incorporating sauce brand Lesley’s Sauces.

Run by Natalie Dinning, pictured below, the company was started by her father, Neil, in 2006. The family business ran a food stall situated near Arsenal’s Emirates stadium for over ten years.

The Jerk Kitchen won hundreds of dedicated repeat customers before moving into other areas of business including producing a range of sauces called Lesley’s, named after her mother.

“When I first heard about it I was in-trigued” s a y s

Black Pound Day is not a diss on other communities Dinning. “I did a little bit of research, read what Swiss was saying and I was really excited about it.

“But we didn’t really know what was going to happen as a result of the day.

“The night before I didn’t go to bed because I was creating some adverts to post on the actual day.

“But I also took the time to research other black businesses and I was amazed at about how many there are out there.”

Dinn i n g continues:

Interview

“Then, at quarter to five in the morning on Black Pound Day, we got our first order.

“I was amazed and to be honest, that day was a whirlwind for me.

“I was either answering a message on social media or replying to someone reposting us which was amazing.

“We had so many reposts, so many people putting us on their pages, so many people putting us on their stories, so many people sharing our ad with their followers.

BACKING: The Voice continues to support all black businesses, from small start-ups to larger companies

NUMBERS

“And this was ranging from just regular people to celebrities with big follower numbers.

It was overwhelming. That day we sold our biggest ever number of sauces.

“Even though we have a lot of dedicated customers it’s trafbeen hard to turn that into traf fic to our website. Black Pound Day did that for us which was incredible.”

However, says Dinning, the impact must not stop there.

“Swiss setting that up was amazing, his heart is so genuine and his focus is right,” she says.

“But I encourage people to not just stick to one day, we need to make sure that this

message gets across because it’s needed. One day is great but we need to make sure we are supporting each other 365 days of the year.

“It’s not a diss on other cultures. Our family is mixed and we respect all cultures but there’s something special about supporting your own.

“Black Pound Day is not a diss on other communities, it’s about empowering ourselves.

Everybody should really be fine with that.”

AGENDA

For Swiss, this economic empowerment is a key part of what he wants Black Pound Day to achieve in the future.

He says: “The day can help our community shape an economic agenda. When we have control of our economic agenda we can move from a position of

power, we can make decisions from a position of power and achieve effective outcomes.

“Economic unity means we can effect change politically.

This is really important. If we’re a community that’s not in a position of power we can’t effect change in a way that can have a positive outcome for us.”

For more information please visit blackpoundday.uk

30 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

News

Don’t rule out a career in medicine

DRIVING FORCE: Rochelle Pierre, the chair and founder of BCDN, says the group now has more than 50 members; below, some of the members of the British Caribbean Doctors Network featured in one of its recent posters

Network aims to boost representation of Caribbean doctors in the UK

M

EDICAL PROFESSIONALS of Caribbean heritage have launched an outreach programme to support young people from a similar cultural background to consider a career in medicine.

The British Caribbean Doctors Network (BCDN), a network of medical and dentistry students and professionals, is aiming to encourage the next generation of young Caribbean people who want to enter the medical profession but may not have the confidence or knowledge to do so.

The programme will involve working with schools and community projects across the UK, social media campaigns to boost the representation of Caribbeans in medicine and assist aspiring students with their applications to medical school.

Doctor Rochelle Pierre, the chair and founder of BCDN, said that it was the lack of vis-

Our work is about trying to increase our voice within medicine ible role models when she first decided to pursue a career in medicine that inspired her to launch the network.

She told The Voice: “I grew up in Hackney and I never dreamed of becoming a doctor but that was mainly because I never saw any doctors who looked like me, especially not young doctors of Caribbean heritage, so there was no one I could relate to.

“Also, as I was going through medical school, there wasn’t really anybody else that I could relate to. In my year at St Barts medical school, of 400 students

there were only three others from a Caribbean background.

But I realised there are quite a few of us out there but nobody really knew each other.

“So I thought it would be a nice idea to bring all the Caribbean doctors together so we could share our experiences and as a group push our agenda that Caribbeans exist in medicine, play an important role, and connect with a younger generation to let them know what we do. The network launched at the end of last year. It started off as a Facebook group and quickly got bigger so we now have about 54 members.”

Despite only being formed last year, BCDN has been active in local community events and nurturing links with organisations and fellow medical professionals as part of its efforts to provide role models and support for young people thinking about careers in medicine.

She said: “We’re focusing

on aspiring medical students and junior doctors and getting senior clinicians to mentor these young doctors into different specialities and support them throughout their training career.

EXPERIENCE

“We’re also developing links with consultants so that we can arrange work experience placements for young people in the 16 to 18 age range who are thinking about a career in medicine so that they can get that experience because it is quite difficult to come by.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on doctors from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

Recent figures from Health Service Journal found that de-

spite 44 per cent of medical staff coming from a BAME background, they formed 95 per cent of doctors who died from the disease.

Pierre says that these figures, although worrying, have only strengthened her resolve to see the BCDN make an important impact in the medical field.

She said: “It’s really provided a push to our agenda of trying to get more black people into medicine so that we can have a bigger influence on policies that affect black patients as well as doctors.

“Our work is about try-ing to increase our voice within medicine so that we can come together and raise and address issues of health inequality. We want to focus on

what can we do as doctors to change how black people are being perceived in medicine and increase the knowledge in the community about certain health conditions and how best to stay healthy and develop people’s ability to ask doctors the right questions if they are living with certain conditions so they can get the best care.”

Study questions effectiveness of lockdown on BAME communities NEW RESEARCH by University of Leicester academics reveals lockdown measures imposed in late March, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, may not have been as effective in black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

Data produced by the university’s academics show that cases in these groups continued to rise in the three weeks after the UK’s lockdown announcement was made.

The research, published in EClinicalMedicine by The Lancet, was conducted by a team led by Dr Manish Pareek, Associate Clinical Professor in Infectious Diseases at the Univer-

sity of Leicester. The team studied patients admitted to the University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust which provides secondary healthcare to a population of more than one million people in one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the UK. Findings from the study revealed that the proportion of BAME individuals testing positive continued to rise for a period of three weeks from March 23, peaking at 50.9 per cent.

By contrast, proportions of positive tests in people from white backgrounds remained consistent at between 24 to 26 per cent. The research

As the pandemic has spread reports have emerged that COVID-19 results in disproportionately serious adverse outcomes, including intensive care admission and mortality, in individuals from BAME communities.

MECHANISMS also found that those living in larger households had an increased likelihood of infection.

Dr Pareek said: “Our study has raised serious questions as to whether lockdown alone as an intervention is effective for a diverse population.

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“This emerging data underpins an urgent need to confirm an association between ethnicity and acquiring COVID-19 infection, and to discuss the underlying mechanisms driving such an association – and how best to protect these communities.

Dr Pareek continued: “Understanding this is highly relevant to

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the design of effective health policies worldwide, as it would have a significant impact on the clinical assessment and management of suspected COVID-19 and allow for targeted public health interventions aimed at specific BAME groups in advance of future pandemic waves.”

Some of the factors attributed to the rise in cases within BAME groups after lockdown included an increased likelihood of working in public facing jobs that cannot be performed from home and being overrepresented in professions that require close contact with others, leading to higher occupational exposure to COVID-19.

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 31

Opinion

‘ALL I EVER DID WAS BE BLACK’ We might be ‘safer’ in Britain than our US counterparts, but we’re still under attack, says Abigail Ogunjobi

T

HE BRIT in me is whispering, “Be quiet Abbie, be PC”, whilst the black in me retorts, “Speak up! If not now, then when?”

I wrote this piece and held on to it for weeks because honestly, I’ve been protective of it.

I’ve been guarded against those who are ‘bored’ of the topic, those who in their hearts and homes have the luxury of undermining struggles that they will never be subject to.

Just under three months ago, the world witnessed the cold-blooded murder of yet another black man, victim to an archaic yet ever-present regime of skin politics. For many

history lesson: upon the aboliIf an tion of slavery, black Americans found themselves at a severe individual like economic disadvantage.

Housing authorities and banks Derek Chauvin would not grant them the loans that they required to thrive and doesn’t maintain a quality standard of suffocate you, living. oppression will DISPARITY black people in America, the heart-breaking reality is, if an individual like Derek Chauvin doesn’t suffocate you, the weight of a four-pronged (institutional, structural, interpersonal and internalised) system of oppression will. Quick

This led to an increase of rundown neighbourhoods and a stark disparity between black and white communities as well as limited resources to build and sustain their businesses.

Redlining meant that government agencies defined cities that they deemed to be attractive for

DISCRIMINATION: For Abigail Ogunjobi, racism manifests itself in everyday interactions investment, usually categorising black neighbourhoods as undesirable.

Low property values and low tax contributions from black neighbourhoods meant that less money could be allocated to local black schools resulting in the recruitment of underqualified teachers, inadequate educational material and large student/ teacher ratios – the perfect set

prising that they end up in juvenile detention centres, gradually inducting themselves further into the criminal justice system, which we already know (as guided by negative media propagation) has its biases against With extra time on their hands black people?

Upon release, many of these and no obligation to be in school, is it any wonder that offenders struggle to find jobs. some of these kids get caught up in bad company? Is it sur- Continued on page 45

up for failure. Larger classes become harder to control, students disengage and become disruptive. The consequence? Suspension and expulsion.

OBLIGATION

32 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Lifestyle Liz Johnson Artur lands Tate bursary p34

Meet Riki Bleau and Glyn Aykins p38

IT’S VIRTUALLY CARNIVAL Your guide to this year’s online Notting Hill experience inside

Put this $ym in your phone p44

34 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Lifestyle

Art

‘The pressure is off’ Photographer Liz Johnson Artur speaks after scooping £10,000 Tate bursary

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

T

ATE BRITAIN announced the 10 artists who will each receive one-off £10,000 bursary in place of this year’s Turner Prize last month, and The Voice caught up with one of the lucky winners Liz Johnson Artur.

Artur, a photographer, was happy to have been recognised for her work and explained that the money would come in really handy at a time when all of her exhibitions and shows had been cancelled due to the coronavirus.

HAPPY CREATIVE: Liz Johnson Artur was one of 10 artists to receive a cash boost; right, her work Black Balloon Archive

REACTION

Keeping it all the way real, the Ghanaian-Russian based in London said: “When I got the email, my first reaction was,

‘Phew, some pressure is off’.”

She added: “I also have to say that I am happier to be a part of this bursary as opposed to just being involved with the Turner Prize. In these times it’s good to know that institutions like the Tate recognise that it isn’t about one winner it is about people being able to continue to work.

GRATEFUL

“For me, this bursary means I can, for the next few months, continue to do work and I am grateful.”

For over 30 years Artur has been photographing the lives of people from the African diaspora in an ongoing project titled the Black Balloon Archive.

The jury praised this body of work, in particular the exhibition at the South London Gallery If you know the beginning, the end is no trouble, which focused on her photographs of black Brit-

ish life including black-majority churches and non-binary club nights, presented in a series of installations.

Commenting on this year’s Turner bursaries, Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain, said: “From ceramics to film, performance to photography, they (the winners) represent the many exciting and interdisciplinary ways that artists work today.

“These bursaries represent a vote of confidence in that work and offer some much-deserved support in challenging times.

“We’re extremely grateful to John Booth, Catherine Petitgas and The Ampersand Foundation who generously stepped forward at such short notice to make these bursaries possible.”

Watch the full interview at voice-online.co.uk

Tates reopen

TATE MODERN, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives are all open for business again following the COVID-19-induced closure during the national lockdown.

Hundreds of artworks are being uncovered, reinstalled and switched back on, including Kara Walker’s urgent and timely Fons Americanus, Steve McQueen’s hugely ambitious Year 3, and major exhibitions of Andy Warhol, Aubrey Beardsley and Naum Gabo, all of which have been specially extended into the autumn.

Maria Balshaw, director, Tate said: “While you’ve been away, we have worked hard to ensure our spaces are safe and accessible for everybody.”

AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE |35

36 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Lifestyle

Enterprise

Now’s the time to streamline your streaming

GIVING YOU POWER: Rose Adkins Hulse’s ScreenHits TV app allows streaming lovers to control and condense their platforms (photo: Tatler magazine)

Rose Adkins Hulse has the solution for you to take control over your content subscriptions

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

H

AVING TOO many apps on your phone, television or tablet is a first world problem, right? But even those need solutions.

That’s where Rose Adkins Hulse come into the picture.

OPTIONS

Tired of sifting through the various app options which she had subscribed to in order to find the programme she was looking for, ScreenHits TV app was born.

With the central theme of providing a seamless stream-

es, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, BFI

Player, MUBI and many more, “With the ability to integrate their exhundreds of isting streaming platforms for free and watch Live premium TV streaming channels and 1,000s of shows and films with plans starting as services low as £1.99/month. new app is said to proavailable, the videTheconsumers with increased transparency and control over consumer how they manage their subscriptions all in one place. gets lost in the vast CHOICE ScreenHits TV launched in 2012 array of and have worked with some of the world’s leading studios and content” distribution/production coming experience all from a single interface, Hulse has developed a platform she says will ‘stream ‘streamline the viewing ex experience’.

The new Screen ScreenHits TV app will allow existing sub subscribers to the leading stream streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Dis Disney+, Starz, HBO Streaming Servic Servic-

panies to include Warner Media, eOne, Hasbro, IMG, BBC Worldwide and NBC Universal, to name a few.

“With hundreds of streaming services available, the consumer has too much choice and often gets lost in the vast array of content, creating subscription fatigue and content overload,” said Hulse.

She added: “The new app helps to streamline the viewing experience and unlike traditional cable solutions, customers can curate their channels and

subscriptions, thus only paying for channels they actually want to watch versus contributing monthly to the channels they never watch.”

Hulse isn’t new to the corporate world and has gleaned extensive knowledge from former roles working at The Hollywood

Reporter, NBC Universal, and The Sundance Institute.

The original scope of her business revolved around programming distribution for worldwide content creators and with the support of consistent investors, she says have supported her from the beginning, Hulse

has been lauded as a rising star of the business world and was recently featured in Forbes as a Black Female Business Owner To Watch.

Visit voice-online.co.uk for the full interview with Rose Adkins Hulse.

Naomi offers a ray of hope to those crumbling under pressure IN A climate of suffering, immense change, and uncertainty, comes a ray of hope for those who feel their financial security is crumbling beneath them.

Swiipe Wealth, created by Naomi Sesay, is an online wealth creation course dedicated to budding entrepreneurs aiming for financial freedom.

The course encourages clients to use their talent, skills, and expertise to create a system that will churn out passive income month after month.

“We are never taught how to become wealth creators as a way of life in school,” says Sesay who also explains that passive income is the name of the game because the ‘goal

is to obliterate personal debt and start the road to financial freedom’.

The focus of Swiipe Wealth is to strengthen the diverse wealth creator sector.

Sesay, below, believes that if more opdiverse wealth creators had the op portunity to create wealth for themselves, there wouldn’t be such disparities in social, housing and health sectors which could lead to death as we have seen with the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Having suffered from the corona-

virus and watched her children battle through it, Sesay knows first hand the impact on finances that can arise as a result of not being able to work.

INTENTIONS

Having spent 20 years in television, Sesay felt the call of social enterprise and set her intentions on creating tools and resources for underserved demographics.

She quickly became a successsuccess ful property investor, mentor and trainer within the wealth creacrea tion arena and attributes much of her business success to a new approach towards

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social enterprise. Following on from Sesay’s offline Billionaire Ladies Club, created back in 2010, the former On Screen Diversity Executive and Interim Head of Diversity & Inclusion of Channel 4, has revamped, updated and placed all her modules online with new videos, exercises and a weekly live wealth session for the duration of the course.

Her aim is to stimulate a movement of passive income wealth creators from all diversities.

“We are taught how to become employees. With everything changing so quickly these days, having only one income is dangerous,” she explained.

“To build a strong community and

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indeed a strong country, we have to build the wealth of every citizen. At the very least, everyone should have the option to learn to become wealthy, instead of leaving it to chance.”

Sesay believes increasing the number of financially free wealth creators even at the basic levels, increases life longevity, improves health, mental issues and social security.

Swiipe Wealth launches in November 2020 with a kick off session in late October. To find out more, sign up at swiipewealth.com/swiipe-wealthwaiting-list/ Visit voice-online.co.uk for the full interview with Sesay.

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE | 37

Lifestyle

Books

Maria brings Verity to life

bele i chosen ahead of more than candidates to be the central voice in oroth oomson s new novel All My Lies Are True – and the oung black British performer couldn t be feeling happier about it

BY CHEMAINE MYERS

H

EADLINE AND Dorothy Koomson have announced young black British performer Maria Gbeleyi as the voice of Verity Gillmare in the audio version of Koomson’s new novel All My Lies are True published in hardback, audio and eBook.

VOICES

Chosen from over 100 candidates, Gbeleyi, who suffers from sickle-cell anaemia, responded to an open casting call sent out in February 2020 designed to bring more black voices into the world of audiobooks.

The audio was recorded in June following virtual workshops where shortlisted candidates had one-to-one sessions

via video call with a producer from the Hachette Studios.

Hannah Cawse, Audio Editor at Headline, said: ‘Everyone involved in the audio production

“At every stage it was almost impossible to choose who to put forward because everyone was so good” of All My Lies Are True has been blown away by the number and quality of submissions received.

“It was incredibly hard to whittle down to a shortlist from over 100 samples and we couldn’t perfor be happier with the performance that Maria has delivered.”

Koomson said: “I came up with the idea of “Find My Verity” because I wanted to create an opportuniopportuni ty to bring young black

THE CHOSEN ONE: Dorothy Koomson, pictured by Niall McDiarmid, couldn’t be happier with the choice of Maria Gbeleyi, inset below left in the studio

voices into the audiobook world.

The response was so amazing and the quality of people who answered the casting call was so high.

“At every stage it was almost impossible to choose who to put forward because everyone was so good.

“Maria was a fantastic choice and I was so impressed with how she brought Verity to life. I really enjoyed speaking to her, which you can hear at the end of the audiobook of All My Lies Are True.”

All My Lies Are True is the sequel to Koomson’s best-selling The Ice Cream Girls.

PRIVILEGED

The audio is also narrated by actors Adjoa Andoh and Julie Maisey, who voiced the original novel in 2010. An exclusive interview between Dorothy and Maria will feature in the AMLAT audio version.

Gbeleyi says: “I’m so privileged to have been chosen by Dorothy to be the voice of Verity.

“Black women deserve their voices to be heard and I am grateful that I can join the chorus in a new and exciting way.

“Performing has always been my passion, from stage to web series to radio plays, I dabbled in it all.

“I studied drama, theatre and performance all the way to university, but reading has always

been my escape. I never considered combining the two.

“I have sickle-cell anaemia and this health condition prevented me from pursuing my dreams in the way I had envisaged as a child.

“Instead of performing I channelled my energies into the platform I co-run called Brown Sugar Movement which is built to

inspire, empower and celebrate Black British women.

“My cousin, Sade Lapite, sent me the casting call for All My Lies are True, but I never thought I’d actually get the role.

I’m blessed and happy beyond belief that I did.

“This experience has marked a new chapter in my life and I’m eager to keep moving forward.”

riest s book praised for tackling racism in the church

BY CHEMAINE MYERS

AUTHOR: A D A France-Williams

THE CHURCH is very good at saying all the right things about racial equality.

But A D A France-Williams, a priest in the Church of England in an urban parish which is a member of the HeartEdge church network, says the reality is that the institution has utterly failed to back up these good intentions with demonstrable efforts to reform.

It is a long way from being a place of black flourishing.

Through conversation with clergy, lay people and campaigners in the Church of England, his own personal

experience – from growing up in Chapeltown, an African-Caribbean suburb of Leeds, via his early involvement with his Parish and then his Priesthood, and the use of morality tales, philosophical observations and historical analysis all bound together by a poetic and elegant style – France-Williams issues a warning to the church, demonstrating how black ministers are left to drown in

a sea of complacency and collusion.

While sticking-plaster remedies abound, France-Williams argues that what is needed is a wholesale change in structure and mindset.

Unflinching in its critique of the church, Ghost Ship explores the harrowing stories of institutional racism experienced then and now, within the Church of England.

Commenting on the book, Rev Michael B Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church said: “Although the subtitle of France-Williams’ new book is ‘Institutional Racism and the Church of England,’ make no mistake, here is a powerful and provocative word to people on both sides of the ocean,

wherever racial injustice is found. It’s impossible to turn the pages of Ghost Ship and not find yourself challenged to turn the nightmare around us into God’s dream of a better world.”

The Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Loughborough added: “Through story, poetry and prose, with skill, imagination and humour, France-Williams throws a spotlight on the conscious and unconscious racism that persists in the great ship that is the Church of England.

“The text resonates with anger and deep pain. This book will make many squirm but is a must read for those who want to understand more and find a better way.”

38 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Lifestyle

Music

Meet Riki and Glyn he first virtual otting ill Carnival takes place this month and these two men have been integral to the street part s pla list

BY RIKI BLEAU AND GLYN AIKINS

I

N TODAY’S charts you’ll regularly find a number of black British artists in the UK Top 10, but this hasn’t always the case.

Black British music is the culture now, but when did it change?

From jungle to the UK garage era of the Noughties with the likes of So Solid Crew’s 21 Seconds and Artful Dodger and Craig David’s Re-Rewind, the landscape has constantly elevated.

DREAM

We also saw Tinie Tempah’s Pass Out usher in a whole new generation of artists in the early 2010s through to Stormzy’s ground-breaking album Gang Signs & Prayer in 2017.

Riki Bleau and Glyn Aikins are currently two of only three black presidents of UK record labels and The Voice caught up with the founders of Since ’93 to get their take on how black British music has shaped the culture and their involvement in it.

Aikins said: “My cousin, legendary drum ‘n’ bass MC Skibadee, introduced me to It Will Take A Nation Of Millions...

by Public Enemy. After listening to that record I never looked back. Rap music and hip hop culture became an obsession which led me to spend every spare hour I had at record

My first blac British music in uence was jungle. This was the beginning of the culture, this was ‘our sound’ and in it was our identity” shops, forging relationships that set me on the path to a career in the music business.

“The record store was much like the barber shop and the most recurring debate was the dominance of US music in the clubs, radio and the charts and if British music could ever replicate this. We thought this was just a dream.”

Bleau added: “Growing up on a council estate in Hackney, my earliest memories of music were a mixture of soca, reggae and Top Of The Pops, but it was reggae music’s younger and darker form ragga that largely shaped my teens.

“However, the first black British music influence for me was jungle music.

“I recall climbing to the top of the flats to see my older friends playing records on the pirate radio station they had set up with Arnie defying death to get the aerial on the roof. This was the beginning of the culture as I knew it, this was ‘our sound’ and in it was our identity.”

TEAMWORK: Riki Bleau and Glyn Aikins run Since ‘93 together

Fast forward 20 years and we are at the point where British black music influences almost every corner of mainstream popular culture in the UK. Dreams do come true.

Aikins’ career started out at Relentless Records, where he toured the country promoting activations for the Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style PlayStation game.

He later signed Artful Dodger and Craig David to Relentless Records following the success of Re-Rewind which set up his career as an A&R.

EXPLOSION

Aikins also signed UK garage classics such as Daniel Bedingfield’s, Gotta Get Thru This and DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies’ Do You Really Like It? before signing So Solid Crew in the early 2000s, spawning several hits, most notably 21 Seconds, all of which charted at No 1 in the UK. # In 2004 he signed grime classics including Lethal Bizzle’s genre-defining, riot-starting Pow and Roll Deep’s debut album In At The Deep End, which featured crossover hits Shake A Leg and The Avenue.

In 2002, while seeking promotion opportunities for his then-rap group, Bleau met people who were starting a music channel and wanted some help finding UK content. He obliged, and that channel became the culturally defining Channel U and as its head of music and promotions, Bleau found himself at the centre of the emerging grime and early UK rap

scene. The rise of the channel was in sync with the explosion of grime with classics like Wiley Wot Do U Call It?, Kano’s Ps & Qs & Lethal B’s Pow setting the tone for what was to come.

VENTURE

For the first time we saw British youth and its culture shaping an identity that was proudly black and British and while still influenced by the US. The generation of kids watching had new heroes and they looked and sounded just like them.

2008 saw Bleau venture into a music publishing and management partnership. His first signing was Labrinth who quickly developed into a world class talent, writing and producing for Tinie Tempah hit records Pass Out and Frisky, earning himself and Bleau an Ivor Novello award for best contemporary song

in 2010 as well has his own hit records in Earthquake and Beneath Your Beautiful.

Aikins’ time at Virgin/EMI is where paths aligned when he signed rising producer Naughty Boy, who was managed by Bleau, for the single Never Be Your Woman, which featured Wiley alongside vocals from a new artist Emeli Sande.

Sande was signed as a publishing client and Aikins signed her as an artist with her debut album Our Version Of Events largely produced and co-written

by Bleau’s clients Naughty Boy, Mojam, Craze & Hoax which went on to sell over five million copies worldwide winning three Brit awards on the way.

The duo also worked across Naughty Boy’s international hit and UK No 1 one record La La La featuring Sam, who was also a publishing client of Bleau’s via

Stellar Songs/Naughty Words. In 2018, Bleau and Aikins joined forces to launch Since ’93 Records, a joint venture with Sony Music, making them two of three black presidents of a UK record label.

AFTERPARTY

Combined, Bleau and Aikins are a force to be reckoned with.

With more than 20 years in the music industry, they’ve disrupted and helped shape some of the UK’s biggest artists to date.

Since ’93 has continued the trend, with early success and culture defining artists in Fredo, Loski and Aitch, to name a few.

The pair hold an exclusive Black Excellence Brits afterparty every year, which this year saw the likes of super model Winnie Harlow, chart-toppers Stormzy and D Block Europe, as well as Top Boy lead Michael Ward in attendance.

REASON TO CELEBRATE: From left, Bleau and Aikins with Amun; with Loski and Morrison, Aitch and Fredo; Bleau and Aikins formed Since ‘93 in 2008

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www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE |39

The FASHION meets PAGENTRY festival at the

Fonthill Road, Finsbury Park, N4 3JH

Sunday

27 09 2020

12pm - 7pm An “Out of Covid-19” fashion festival showcasing the creativity and entrepreneurship of the Fonthill Road Fashion Village in Finsbury Park combined with the pageantry of the Miss Caribbean UK 2020 Grand Finalé.

s t e k Tic

/

https:/

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ts-page

-mee fashion

o.uk

tbrite.c

l.even festiva

Adults rs) 12 yea o t £5.00 p ) en - (u r d l i ildren h h C c x 2 ults & d 0 a 0 . x 2 £ f 4 - (2 o y l i Fam £10.00

FOR MORE INFO: Vickie - 0207 263 0458 Jacqui – 07951308379 Clayton - 07946088553

40 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Lifestyle

Carnival

It’s a new kind of Carnival

London s biggest street part will be online in and it s going to be am packed

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

Y

OU’RE GOING to have to do all your Wok’ Up in your house for this year’s Notting Hill Carnival as the global pandemic puts paid to the time honoured tradition of trodding ‘di road’.

It’s not carnival as we know it, but the show must go on and this year’s organisers, with the support of Spotify, have taken the socially responsible decision to promote a safe and, for the first time ever, digital version of the biggest street party in Europe.

LEGACY

Notting Hill Carnival was founded to bring people together during trying times, and that legacy will continue.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced in May that the Carnival could not take its usual form this year but there will be an alternative – Notting Hill Carnival: Access All Areas.

It will be streamed for free over four separate channels from 6pm to midnight on August 29 and 9am to 11pm on August 30 and 31, with details

“Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep the spirit of Carnival alive”

Afrobeats playlists, including the flagship Who We Be. This three-day spectacle of music, dancing, food and drink will be brought to you by those that have made Notting Hill Carnival the breathtaking weekend we love today.

With more names to be announced, here is a snapshot of some of the performers you will be able to enjoy...

on how to register to be found at NHCarnival.org. Spotify will also be showing its support for Notting Hill Carnival as an official partner for 2020.

The collaboration will see a dedicated Spotify microsite launch later in August, highlighting the importance of carnival culture to the UK. Those who visit spotify.com/ carnival will see featured brand new playlists curated by each of the official sound systems and the DJs of Carnival.

There will be exclusive sets from legendary Sound systems of Notting Hill Carnival and includes Volcano, Arts-ALight, Disya Jeneration, Gaz’s Rockin Blues, Seduction City, KCC & The Rockin Crew, King Tubby’s, Love TKO, Mark Ross, Rampage, Rough But Sweet, G T Flex Roadshow, CMC Matrix and Solution Sound.

The magnificence of calypso and soca comes courtesy of Ms Desire, Brown Sugar, Rev B, Latoya, G-String, Triniboi Joocie, De Admiral, Clivus, Muffinman, Batch, Dansa, Alexander D Great, Helena B, DeeVine, Soca Kidd, Sunshine & Nadiva, D’Alberto, Masterlink, Nigel Isaacs and The Divettes, The incredible sound of the steelpan comes from Panash, Pan Nation, Panectar, St Michaels and All Angels, Reading

HISTORY

The site will also host podcast episodes covering everything from Notting Hill Carnival’s rich history to current issues facing the black community, as well as very special guest takeovers of some of the UK’s biggest dancehall, reggae, soca and

EXCLUSIVE

VARIETY: There will be plenty to dance and sing to in the comfort of your own home All Steel Percussion Orchestra, Stardust Arts, Steel Pan In Motion, UFO, Nostalgia, Ebony, Mangrove, Metronomes, Real Steel and Brazilian bands Baque De Axe and Tribo.

The colour and panache of

month-long period. This collaborative process brought together members and bands of the carnival community who make Carnival so amazing every year, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd in partnership with Let’s Go Do and

“We have a responsibility to protect the black community and our elders by taking Carnival away from the street this year” mas is brought to you by Notting Hill Carnival bands The Bride Outreach, Calabash, Flamboyan, Colours, Burrokeets, DUKA, Tempo Mas, Funatiks, Urban Touch, Island Mas, D Riddim Tribe, Karnival Mania, Soca Massive, Jamaica Twist, Vibrance, Cocoyea, Elimu, Mahogony, Elevate, Flagz, Gemz, Saga Boys, Hot Waxx, Genesis, CAPCA, Mangrove Mas, Tropical Fusion, IDF and Ebony Mas and Designers Tiffany Thompson and Edrahil Lucifer.

There will also be performances from other well-known UK and international artists.

This year’s unique Notting Hill Carnival has been filmed over a

with the support of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Westminster Council and the Greater London Authority.

Matthew Phillip, Executive Director of Notting Hill Carnival said: “This year we faced the ulti-mate challenge of being unable to gather on the streets to celebrate our Carnival.

“But, now, more than ever, it’s important to keep the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival alive, giving an outlet to the thousands of people that spend all year creating incredible costumes

and music for Europe’s largest event.

“Carnival is such an important part of people’s lives and key celebration of the multiculturalism of the UK, and we have a responsibility to our community and pioneers to honour that.

“We also have a responsibility to protect the black community and our elders by respecting social distancing and taking Carnival away from the streets for this year. So this is a fantastic solution for 2020.

“We may not be able to celebrate together on the streets as usual, but we can all come together to celebrate one of the UK’s great cultural events online.”

he Carnival e perience at home Carnival warm-up Steelpan Show & Calypso & Groovy Soca, Channel 1: Saturday, August 29, 6pm - midnight; Carnival Culture, Channel 1: Saturday, August 29 – 9am - midday

August 31 – 12pm - 8pm

Parade Channel Channel 2: Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31 – 12pm - 8pm

Watch at NHCarnival.org, follow on Twitter at @NHCarnivalLDN, Instagram @nhcarnivalldn, Facebook @NHCarnivalLDN, or download the official Notting Hill Carnival App on Apple and Android devices to get your Carnival fix!

Sound System Channel Channel 3: Sunday, August 30 and Monday,

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@thevoicenews

Main Stage Channel Channel 4: Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31 – 8pm - 11pm

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www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE | 41

Lifestyle

Carnival

‘It just won’t be the same’

espite organisers best efforts to create a weekend of fun one long time Carnival goer needs persuading

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

N

ANA ETIENNE wouldn’t come on the camera and certainly doesn’t want any pictures in the paper – but she was happy to talk to The Voice about how she won’t be going to carnival this year because of the ‘blasted virus’.

The 73-year-old grandmother can’t remember he last time she didn’t attend carnival, she has always gone, no matter what was going on in her life it was the one thing she would not be deterred from attending.

WORLD

“I like my carnival, oui,” she tells me over a very bad zoom connection courtesy of her nephew who is doing all he can to coax her on to screen.

She adds: “I like to see the young boys and girls dress up in their costume, representing their part of the world. I say world now, oui, but it used to be just us, Caribbean folk.

“Dominicans, Grenadians, St Lucians and the Jamaicans – all of us would make sure the party was right and we represent our country and region.”

Nana’s attention is distracted mid-conversation as she was just starting to wax lyrical about steel bands and the like.

This interview was her idea, kind of, as she wasn’t getting her head around the concept of a virtual carnival. Where does she meet everyone was her repeated question?

For the first time in its 54-year history, Notting Hill Carnival has moved entirely online. There will

“Carnival wasn’t something to sit and watch, it is something to participate in, something to make you feel good”

that everybody who lived in the area was familiar with. Last year I see toilets everywhere in the carnival for people to use.

“This virtual carnival they putting on, has anyone asked if they have enough toilets?”

By now it’s obvious Nana is pulling my leg at every opportunity. She’s well aware of the fact people will be at home this year, what she doesn’t understand is how people are still referring to it as carnival.

be no stomping around to Westbourne Park Station to try and get a glimpse of the Mas bands presenting themselves for judging, there will be no liming on Trini corner, no Powis Square, no squeezing down the narrow streets hosting Rampage, and no sound systems full stop.

Instead there are a couple of channels dedicated online to hosting a digital version of the best bits of carnival.

But can they be successfully accord replicated online? Not according to Nana. car “I remember one carnival we had to run a whole rabble of people out of the back garden because they wanted to use my flowerbed as a toilet.

“After that year, we made sure put a fence up to stop people from just coming in.

“While we joke about that up until now, and every year we remember it, that was something

“If you cannot hear a little Zouk, a little reggae, see people walking and dancing at the same time, eating their fried fish and chicken, then what is that? That is not a carnival.

“The internet is a place for young people. All of you like to look at the screen all of the time.

“Carnival wasn’t something to sit and watch, it is something to participate in, something to make you feel good, a time to forget everything.

“How am I going to forget everything when I am still at home?

“It’s not even like we can invite the whole family around and try car to make our own carnival. Even the years when it was raining the house would be full of people. drink “Eating, drinking, fete, party, all night. The young people have busy lives and so much separates the generations but not carnival, it brings all of us together.”

With all that

FUN FOR ALL AGES: Thousands of youngsters flock to Carnival every year – but it has a special place in older folks’ hearts; below, Carnival-goers in the 1960s

DANCING

has been written about carnival and the challenges faced as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic not much has been said about the older generation who might not be as tech-savvy as the rest of the world.

TRUTH

It’s almost as if the older you are the less likely you are to be interested in web-based activities.

None of the narrative seems geared towards them.

Truth is, carnival is here because of that generation and that should never be forgotten.

While not hosting a real Carnival is the sensible thing to do given all of the safety ram-

ifications, it’s worth sparing a thought for the swathes of people who have been invested in this event for years and will be sat at home reeling from not being able to engage in this time honoured street party.

Nana’s not even sure if she will ever get to go to one again, a sobering thought as the world gets used to this new normal.

“At my age you don’t take anything for granted,” Nana said.

“If someone had told me last year that we would be enjoying our last ever carnival as we know it,

then I would of said at least we had the weather. It was lovely.

“If this virtual, digital, online Carnival is what we have to look forward to then, God help us.

“I’m sure everyone wants it to go back to how it was. I’ll watch some of it, oui, but it won’t be the same.”

Remembering Kelso Cochrane 61 years on CHANGE OUT OF TRAGEDY: The murder of Kelso Cochrane prompted an effort to ease race relations

BY JEROME CONWAY KELSO COCHRANE was a 32-yearold, Antiguan-born carpenter, and aspiring lawyer, living in Notting Hill at a time when racial tensions were high.

He died after a racially motivated attack on Southam Street (off Golborne Road) Notting Hill on May 17, 1959 (today a blue plaque marks

the spot). His murder had a huge impact on race relations.

Reportedly, there were over 1,200 attendees at his funeral, many of whom came to demonstrate solidarity and a show of defiance against racism locally.

Activism was stepped up to Whitehall when it was felt the investigation into the murder was complacent, and allegations of a police cover up began to circulate.

The case is unsolved to date.

Rab Butler, the then Home Secretary, made an appeal for witnesses in Parliament and went on to launch a public inquiry into race relations.

FAYRE

Much activity to ease racial tension within the Notting Hill area preceded Cochrane’s murder, leading to a children’s street fayre organised my local resident and community activist, Rhaune Laslett. Laslett is reported to have said of her com-

munity and her event: “We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and many others nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us.

“If we can infect them with a desire to participate, then this can only have good results.”

It was this small community children’s street fayre back in the mid60s that would morph into what we now know as Notting Hill Carnival.

42 | THE VOICE

AUGUST 2020

This is Brukout!

by Seani B

The Queen of lockdown e all had to re ect during lockdown and eani B catches up with amaican artist ob a to find out how she has been impacted during the last few months

A

S WE head firmly into summer across the UK without the ability to have our annual look at the festival scene across Europe and further afield, or to cast a projecting eye at Reggae Sumfest over in Jamaica, It’s time to take stock and look back at the monumental period we have just been through as humanity.

The coronavirus pandemic is like nothing any of us has seen before (and hopefully will never see again) and, through the dark clouds of life, one of the rays of hope has been the ingenuity and determination of the entertainment industry to keep our spirits up.

It also allowed new talents to show their ability to a captive (quite literally sometimes) global audience.

SALUTES

This month, This Is BrukOut! salutes one of the names that made an impact on me personally through their music, and she is someone to look out for in the months and years to come.

Her name is Joby Jay, hailing from Ocho Rios.

Joby has a very distinct voice – powerful yet soothing, and with a wisdom within it that belies her age or experience.

She describes her sound as “rootsy, with jazz and soul”. With her star about to shine just before the pandemic, how did she deal with COVID-19?

“At first it was overwhelming – this was the year I was due to really make an impact with my music by doing more shows both in Jamaica and abroad.

“I just signed with a booking agent and I was looking forward to a big year on the live scene.

“Then COVID happened!” she tells me down the line from her new base in Kingston.

“It forced my creativity – I was in a space where I didn’t have all these distractions, it allowed me to think, be focused and strategic on what I wanted to achieve with my music and moving forward. It made me feel re-inspired.”

I first came across Joby during my own “Lockdown Ses-

“The track Big Girl Ting came through on the Insta Live and hit me ” sions”. The team and I ran a series called Spotlights which acknowledged the burgeoning talents in the dancehall and reggae worlds that were not getting the support and airplay that they deserved.

The track Big Girl Ting came through on the Insta Live and hit me immediately. It seems lockdown also allowed some of Jamaica’s producers to discover her.

“I have connected with a few producers and there will be more music coming,” she says expectantly.

The lifeline for many people during this period has been social media. Often a gift and a curse in equal measure, the likes of Twitter and Instagram were definitely a plus for Joby.

“I’ve always been very strategic with how I use social media. I look at is as if it is a resume for me and only put out what I want people to k n o w.

D u ring the

pandemic I got people involved in my posts, and every other Friday I put up an acoustic performance on my online show Jam with Joby Jay which I got really good feedback from.

“It’s so important to use social media correctly as it is the main way to connect with people across the world.”

The last few years have seen the rise of the new “creatives” coming out of Jamaica – young talent that seem to have broader influences when it comes to the creating of their sound.

Does she feel the expectation of what she should be is affected by wearing the Jamaican flag as an artist?

OPPORTUNITY

“Definitely – there are a lot of people who expect a certain sound once they know you are from Jamaica. I love where I am from and always represent the music, but I don’t want to feel limited or in a box because I come from here and people then think I should sound a certain way,” she says.

“I think the beauty of music is the opportunity to experiment and mix sounds, so I want to do that.

I feel the world is ready to hear a new sound from Jamaica to go with what they already know.”

As we (hopefully) move into a post-COVID existence, Joby has big plans. “I’m definitely looking forward to the live shows returning.

“I love the energy of the performances so much. I’ll be releasing some new material and I am in the process of shooting some visuals for them. I’m hoping to have a full project out next year. Plus, of course, I will still be active on social media!”

Her story is one that should be watched and admired. A talented, reflective and level-headed young lady who positively emits her energies into the world, and hopes to get the same in return.

Her latest single is Queen, produced by a Swiss producer, Res Staudenmann, which is on an all-female juggling.

The pandemic didn’t hold her down and it seems the sky is definitely the limit for this queen.

A STAR IS BORN: Joby Jay looks destined for great things in the music industry

AUGUST 2020 OCTOBER 2019

Call: 0800-328-1622 or Vist: www.jnmoneyonline.com

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44 | THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Lifestyle

Music

Threatening the status quo

FIGHTING TALK: $YM says she faces a battle on many levels to get to the top of her rap game (photos: Madiha Hersi)

As a black female Muslim rapper, $YM is powerfully breaking boundaries

BY JOSHUA SURTEES

“S

OME PEOPLE say I sound posh,” says $YM, midway through our interview in a park not far from her north London home.

On the evidence of her rap style, it’s a fair point. Posh might not be the precise adjective, but the lyrics she drops over murky hip-hop beats are delivered in tones that intersect ‘street’ and middle class.

“Somewhere between ratchet and non-ratchet,” her manager Angelise Karanja chips in.

“To hood people, I might sound posh,” says $YM (real name Imani Yusuf) continues, in a surprisingly husky voice.

AGGRESSIVE

The next day she sends a voice note sounding even more croaky – she’s been up all night in the Croydon recording studio owned by the Finesse Foreva label.

“With Threat, when I first recorded it, they said it’s aggressive, and my voice is the opposite of that. So they told me to sound more aggressive,” the Camden-born 21-year-old recalls, referring to the engineers she worked with on her last single. “I’m learning new things, how to rap certain words, because I rap so fast.

“When you’re working with a label, you have to make sure your music is going to bring something back, so I’m doing more drill music now, adding that to my catalogue. They’re a very London-based sound.

I’m trying to do my American trap. Mumble rap meets drill.”

Producer JB Made It, who has also worked with Drake, was responsible for $YM’s most notable track to date, Threat – a glowering stare-out of a tune, peppered with Americanisms, brags

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@thevoicenews

“We made rap music for black people in the UK, and now I’m not allowed to be part of that because I’m a girl” about her earning potential, Nwords, b-words, “hoes” and a gag about R Kelly’s bathroom habits.

“It’s a serious issue,” she says about the R Kelly situation. “But I turned it into humour. Nicki Minaj said about herself [on Up In Flames] ‘even R Kelly couldn’t touch the kid’. So I thought, if Nicki can say that and people love it then I want to do that too.

Nicki Minaj man, she’s my biggest influence.”

Their backgrounds are similar, too – both Minaj and $YM are the products of parents who migrated from overseas to megacities.

Minaj was born in Trinidad and moved to New York as a child. $YM’s parents are Somalis who arrived in London in 1991 seeking asylum from the civil war.

“My mum and dad came here from Mogadishu with two children who were literally babies.

All together there’s seven of us siblings,” she says. “We lived in cramped rooms with bunk beds.”

As a rare Muslim artist making rap music in the UK, does she identify with her Somali roots?

“I’m Somali. I don’t like the word British for some reason.

London is more what I identify with. I used to wear a headscarf, go to Quran school, Ara Arabic school, proper traditional. I was 16 when I stopped wearing the hijab. I wanted to start be being a bit more me, I wanted to show my hair, I liked dressing up girly.

I always wanted to be like that my whole life.”

voicenews

At first, she says, when she took off her hijab, her Somali peers at her all-girls’ school were shocked and confused. But soon, many followed her lead.

After her sister introduced her to Aaliyah and Destiny’s Child and her brother taught her about Tupac, Biggie. Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky, the young $YM began recording tracks using the voice recorder app on her mum’s phone, at the age of 11.

She describes her mum as her best friend. On one of her best tracks, the stark, minimalist, ironically titled Humble, $YM declares: “I don’t fold, I don’t fumble, I make mama proud.”

So, is her mama proud?

WOUNDS

“Not about me doing music, because she’s a religious Muslim woman. She’s happy I’m doing something I love, she finds it cute, but she’s like ‘do it, see how it goes, but always remember God and religion’.”

As for her father, she says old wounds have healed and they are getting on better than before – though she does hide her sexier photoshoots from him.

She also makes no bones about the fact she’s fighting on many levels to get to the top of the rap game. As a black woman and a Muslim, there are barriers that aren’t there for men.

As $YM and Karanja list US acts including Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat, they rank Lady Leshurr and Stefflon Don among the British female rap artists to have broken through.

“Compared to other countries, my experience as a young black woman might be better, but I feel like it’s hard,” she says. “We made UK rap music for the black people in the UK, and now I’m not allowed to be part of that thing we made because I’m a girl.”

Are there social issues she wants to address on record?

“Music is my escape,” she says. “Social topics are a big part of my life, I always speak about them on social media. Being a black girl is a social issue.

Music is to empower myself.” $YM’s next single IDGAF is out on August 2

www.voice-online.co.uk

AUGUST 2020 THE VOICE | 45

Opinion out of a restaurant by the manager wanting to ‘double check’ if we had covered the bill.

It’s me holding my groceries at almost arm’s length, so the security guard who is ‘keeping an eye on me’ can see that I’m not stealing.

It’s always getting a receipt at the self-service check out so that I have evidence that I have paid.

Continued from page 31 For those that do not enter into the criminal justice system, a large proportion remain in low income roles due to poor quality education and workplace discrimination.

Thus, the cycle of generational poverty and discrimination continues.

A pattern not too dissimilar to the UK. As a black woman, who has worked in the UK, USA and Nigeria, I am fortunate to have perspective.

TREATMENT

AWARE

I can honestly say that I have never felt so aware of my blackness as I did during my time in America.

Yet despite residing in the ‘land of the free’, I was still very much a ‘black British professional’, who could never truly understand the extent of the intrinsic fear that cripples my fellow African-American colleagues and friends when stopped by a police officer; the anxiety of not knowing if that will be the conversation that sends them to their grave.

The black experience is varied depending on the country you live in, your neighbourhood, education, social status, age and gender. But one thing

BOXED IN: Racism can cause an internal dialogue about what to tick on application forms is for sure - no matter who you are or how you were raised, there is no way of escaping the adversity that comes with having black skin; you are bound to experience it in some shape or form.

MISSION

I can only speak for myself as a woman raised in suburban London, born to immigrant parents who were dedicated to their life’s mission of ‘breaking the cycle’.

My personal experience of race does not have me worrying

about being gunned down by a police officer but affords me the “lessened blow” of humiliation through socially learnt

day interpersonal interactions.

Living black in Britain is having my petrol pump switched off at the petrol station and be-

Living black in Britain is having my petrol pump switched off at the station and being asked to pay first behaviours and unconscious (or at times very conscious) racial bias. Many of my experiences have manifested in my every-

ing asked to pay first when the other customers didn’t have to.

It’s having myself and my siblings accosted on our way

It had a group of older kids chanting, “urgh, she’s black” on my way home from school.

It had me planning my nights out based on the clubs/bars that are less likely to tell me they’re at full capacity, whilst minutes later welcoming a group of girls of fairer skin tones with VIP treatment.

It has me ruling myself out from job opportunities in certain European countries for safety reasons.

It’s an internal dialogue about whether to tick the black/ African box on a form but realising my surname alone is enough to incite discrimination.

It’s having a colleague snap at me but me choosing not to reciprocate in order not to be labelled the ‘aggressive or intimidating black woman’.

Being black in Britain is the understanding that you do not

only represent yourself but you are seen as a walking advertisement for an entire racial group and any negative behaviour is as a result of your blackness and not just you as a person.

Yet with all this said, life has been somewhat ‘easier’ for me than many in my community who are constantly stifled, rejected, overlooked, pre-judged, physically attacked and verbally abused. Imagine being born into an environment knowing from a young age that you do not stand a chance and neither do your children.

If the colour of your skin renders the peace of mind to live without having to think about these things, consider yourself privileged.

STATISTICS

Yes, racism in the UK may not be so blatant, but it is simply myopic and reductive to infer that this issue is unique to the US. Lean in, look at the statistics, ask questions; it exists here, too.

In the words of Maya Angelou, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now I know better, I do better”.

So, individuals and corporates alike, which steps are you taking? How do you plan to do better?

46 |

THE VOICE AUGUST 2020

Sport TOP SPORTS COVERAGE 24/7 VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK/SPORT

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HONOURING A HERO

Jack Leslie may not have got the recognition he deserved – but that could change

N

EARLY 100 years ago Jack Leslie should have been pulling on an England football shirt and making history. But he was denied because of his race.

Now a group of committed football fans say it’s time for us all to right that wrong and recognise this remarkable player’s achievements with a statue.

A memorial to someone who deserves a public monument.

STORY

The group say: “We are a group of committed football fans whose aim is to share their passion for Jack’s story in Plymouth and nationwide and create a fitting legacy at last.”

Leslie scored 137 goals in 401 appearances for Argyle from 1921-34 and became club captain, leading the team to a cup victory against Manchester United. There is no statue outside Home Park, Plymouth’s ground.

The fans say: “What better way to celebrate this pioneering sportsman and create a focal point for home and visiting fans alike? Please join us in building a statue that creates a legacy to Jack’s memory and reminds us that racism has no place in sport or society. We have been

TRAILBLAZER: Jack Leslie, far left, in action for Plymouth Argyle; below, Plymouth’s Home Park

“The club backs this monument to a legend who should have won national fame”

overwhelmed by the support of the footballing community led

by Plymouth Argyle; the club backs this monument to a true club legend who should also have won national fame.”

SUPPORT

They continued: “The FA has given its full support as an official sponsor, acknowledging the importance of recognising Jack Leslie’s story. Alongside them, members of the PFA (Professional Footballers Association) and FSA (Football Supporters Association) are key supporters and have been instrumental in pushing this forward.”

Leslie’s granddaughter, Lyn, said: “My sisters, Lesley, Jill and

I remember Jack as a wonderful granddad who looked after us and told us funny stories.

We and the wider family are delighted that he is now being recognised for the sporting achievements he was so modest about.”

The aim is for an imposing, landmark bronze full body stat-

ue of Jack in his prime on a stone plinth.

It will stand outside Home Park – the exact location will be decided in collaboration with Plymouth Argyle and in consultation with Plymouth City Council. The fans’ group have had initial discussions and will update once they are able to dis-

cuss it in person on site. They have already had discussions with some top sculptors in this field and the plan is to build a shortlist of designs to decide on the best and keep supporters updated throughout.

The target is £100,000 as they feel this is the minimum needed to create the monument

they aspire to build. Should they exceed it, they will enhance the project and add to the educational element of the campaign as expressed on their website.

Please support the campaign with a donation by visiting either jackleslie.co.uk or crowdfunder. co.uk/jack-leslie-campaign.

Lesotho’s Kick4Life FC offers equal budgets for men’s and women’s teams

By Rodney Hinds

CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION: Kick4Life’s women’s team

KICK4LIFE FC from Lesotho is the first top-flight football club in the world to announce equal budgets for its women’s and men’s football teams. The move will happen ahead of the 2020/2021 season.

Kick4Life’s men’s team currently compete in Lesotho’s Econet Premier League and the women’s team in the Lesotho Super League, the top divisions of the southern African nation’s Lesotho Football Association.

Steve Fleming, the British football enthusiast whose journey to co-founding the charity behind

the club started with a sponsored 250-mile football dribble across Africa in 2005, said: “As a club dedicated to social change we can no longer justify being complicit in a global sports industry that puts opportunities for men ahead of women.

“And we believe that by changing things on the football pitch, we can more effectively pursue gender equality in all areas of life – at home, in school, in rela-tionships and in the workplace.”

Kick4Life’s Women’s team

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manager Puky Ramokoatsi, inset, said: “I feel very proud to be part of the first top-flight club to have gender equal investment. We will be an inspiration to the football community in Lesotho and globally. But it is also a natural move for us to make after several years of using football to chal challenge gender discrimi discrimination and empower women and girls.”

Ramokoatsi added: “I know first-hand the positive role that football can play.

When I first came to Kick4Life as a participant I was a victim of gender-based violence. Ten years later and I am helping to change the lives of others and leading a top-flight women’s team.”

Kick4Life men’s team were promoted to the Lesotho Premier League in 2014, where they have remained since. The women’s team were founding members of the Lesotho Super League and picked up the club’s first major honour in 2018 winning the Women’s Super League Cup. The Lesotho Football Association has been affiliated with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football since 1964.

voicenews

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AUGUST 2020

THE VOICE | 47

Sport

A 2020 vision

CRICKET AIMS TO BE A SPORT FOR EVERYONE

LEADING FROM THE FRONT: Cricket chief Tom Harrison wants to see people from all backgrounds getting involved in the sport

The game’s chiefs are pledging to widen its appeal and attract more from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background

By Milton Boyce

T

HE ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a range of action in the first phase of work to strengthen its inclusion and diversity strategy and continue the change needed to make cricket a game for everyone.

These first steps have focused on three key areas of development: l Leadership and governance across the game: Improving representation across administrators and decision makers so the game embodies the modern and diverse society we live in. l Listening and education: Listen, learn and educate to broaden understanding and openness across cricket. l Opportunity and visibility: Create further opportunities and highlight role models for diverse communities within the sport.

The measures announced include a commitment to increased diversity in leadership across the game, in addition to

“We will continue to listen to diverse groups to develop further” a number of other measures.

The ECB Board currently meets the Sport England Code targets for gender diversity across Board members, but will seek to advance further in other areas, particularly black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation.

The Board will also work with First Class County and County Boards to support them reaching their own representation targets, notably, to have at least 30 per cent women and a BAME

target guided by the make-up of their local population – as quickly as possible.

A new coaching bursary will be introduced for future black coaches, cricket provision increased in primary schools, particularly those which are most ethnically-diverse, and a gamewide anti-discrimination charter and code will be launched to span players, coaches, fans, media and clubs across the professional and recreational game.

INFORM

The ECB will continue to work with the FCCs in recommending the adoption of the Rooney Rule for all coaching roles across the game.

The ECB will also deliver support to the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) on its consultation with BAME players to understand further the experiences of current and past players and inform what further action may be required.

To ensure ongoing collaboration and a dedicated approach to black communities, the ECB

will also work directly with black influencers and stakeholders recruited from across cricket, with chief executive officer Tom Harrison leading an initial set of meetings.

The announcement is designed to extend the ECB’s existing Inclusion & Diversity action plan.

The measures also build on the organisation’s five-year Inspiring Generations strategy, created in collaboration with the game, which aims to increase the reach and engagement with cricket through projects such as The Hundred, transforming women’s and girls’ cricket, and the South Asian Action Plan.

Cricket chief Harrison explained: “Alongside most of society, we have had to confront some uncomfortable truths in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“We have listened and will

continue to listen carefully to the experiences of black people in cricket and society, and we thank those who worked tirelessly and spoke bravely to open up conversations about the change our sport needs to create. We have made strong strides in many areas to become a more inclusive and di-

verse sport, but we realise there is a great deal more to do.

“This is the first phase of our new plans, and we know we can never stand still if we are to be truly inclusive and diverse.

“We will continue to listen to, consult and collaborate with diverse communities to develop further.”

Tennis is ready to serve up a treat by Playing Your Way

By Karen Palmer

GET INVOLVED: The LTA is urging tennis newcomers to pick up a racket and get on to a court

THE LAWN Tennis Association (LTA) has launched Play Your Way, its commitment to opening tennis up to the nation, with the ambition of inspiring people of all abilities, age and background to pick up a racket and play tennis on their terms.

Play Your Way is an invitation to anyone and everyone, creating a more inclusive world around tennis that celebrates individualism and welcomes all styles of playing.

The campaign will see the LTA build on the current boom in interest by promoting tennis across the country, further raising awareness

and the visibility of the sport with advertising on TV, online and in communities throughout Britain.

Following the events of the past few months, there couldn’t be a better time to remind people how accessible tennis is and that it is open for business this summer.

Play Your Way has organically started to come to life this summer as tennis in all its guises is being enjoyed across the country.

People are making their own rules, scoring as they please, playing in homes, gardens and parks up and down the country with makeshift rackets, balls and courts. Fans of other sports, and people just looking to socialise, are taking to parks to play, seeking a

safe space to exercise and spend time with friends.

Scott Lloyd, LTA chief executive said: “Tennis can be noisy and fun. It’s an engaging sport, but we know that not everyone always feels that it’s a sport for them.

“We want people to feel they can pick up a tennis racket and ball and have a go anywhere, no matter what their experience or understanding of the game.

“Together we’ll help support and encourage people to get involved in tennis in the way they want.”

Visit lta.org.uk/playyourway or by following @the_LTA on Twitter and @LTA on Instagram and @TheLTA1 on Facebook.

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AUGUST 2020 | THE VOICE

STEPHANIE TAKES THE STAND Lewis Hamilton hails engineer who becomes first-ever black woman to stand on top of an F1 podium

TRAILBLAZER: Ben Odeje, pictured main and above, was dropped from the England set up after being hailed as man of the match

EXCLUSIVE by Joel Campbell

I

T MAY have gone over your head or maybe you just didn’t catch the news that day but Stephanie Travers made history last month by becoming the first ever black woman to climb on top of a Formula One podium.

The amazing achievement either escaped the attention of the mainstream press or paled in significance to whatever else they focused on, but for the black community it was a

huge moment. The feat and the enormity of it wasn’t lost on Lewis Hamilton though – of course it wasn’t.

The Mercedes driver and current Formula One champion has been beating the drum for a more egalitarian world for as long as anyone can remember. Posting on social media in the aftermath of his win in Austria – his first victory of the season – he hailed Travers with all of the deserved reverence.

“I wanted to post this because it’s such an important moment,” he said. “This is Stephanie who is one of my teammates. She is one

of our trackside fluid engineers. On Sunday, she became the first black woman to stand on the podium in Formula One history.

PASSION

“This is an amazing achievement and I just wanted to acknowledge her for her hard work, positivity, and passion for her job.”

Talking to The Voice, Travers said she hoped her achievement would inspire others to shoot for their dreams.

She enthused: “I hope that I can

inspire young women that see me on the screen.

“I really enjoy what I do, and if there are future young engineers that would like to come into the sport, I would like to show them that it is possible.”

She added: “The advice I would give to them is to work hard, study hard and play hard. Know when the right time to socialise is and focus on your education when you are in school to get you to that ultimate goal that you have set for yourself.

“It’s very important to have a passion for what you are wanting to do

as well. So, all those things as a combination can get you to where you want to be and I hope that I continue to inspire a lot of young women wanting to come into Formula One and just into the STEM environment altogether.”