ASHLEY
ThinkForward CEO
Welcome This book brings together a collection of unique artworks created by you, our amazing young people. Your art and words harness the passion, activism, pain and anger you feel about race and identity, tell us in raw detail how racism affects your daily lives and show what it means to be Young and Black in the UK today. Artwork from white young people demonstrates your understanding of racism and explores allyship and what it means to be actively anti-racist. Together you also speak of your hope for a future without discrimination and pledge to be changemakers in your communities. Everyone who has taken part should be very proud of this book, which is the culmination of a series of artistic workshops, held as part of ThinkForward’s Young and Black project. The Young and Black project was inspired by UK Youth’s Young and Black campaign, which was launched after the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and in solidarity with the global anti-racist movement that followed. As an organisation that exists to improve the lives of young people, we felt compelled to act when that shocking event occurred. We were determined that our response shouldn’t be tokenistic or short-term but had a genuine impact across our organisation and on the lives of our young people. The Young and Black project, and a commitment to begin a wider equalities journey, were born out of those sentiments. 6
