Don John has been working in the field of Race & Diversity for over 40 years. Having spent 10 years in HM Treasury in Whitehall he then moved to Southampton to work as a Youth and Education officer for the Southampton Council for Race Equality; working with Black and Asian youth with specific reference to the criminal justice system and racism in the education services.He then advanced to the position of the Director of the SCRE and oversaw the foundation of race policies that underpinned the city’s policies on race discrimination and racial harassment. He later secured a position as the lead Race & Diversity officer for Southampton City Council and was involved in developing the city’s diversity policies.  Don is particularly proud to have been a founder of the Rainbow project, initially designed to house young homeless Black men and The James Wiltshire Trust which campaigned to secure better services for Black people in mental health services in the regionDon was also the founder of Black History Month in Southampton which has now been established as a core event in the city’s calendar and is seen as one of the most progressive in the UK.  He is also co-author of a book called “The Black History of Southampton 16th Century to 21st Century which is a significant reference book charting the presence of Black people in the city for over 500 years and the follow up book “Black Stories”.  He is now leading on a Black Archives programme in the city in collaboration with other organisations. Don is also the Director of Don John Consultants for over 30 years and has provided consulting services for other local authorities, police services, the army and navy throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. He has also been a consultant for ITV, BBC and independent film companies.Don is also a filmmaker and has made several short documentaries all with a “race” dimension. He was also a producer for a film about Ebony Rockers which was recently awarded Best Music Film at the Portobello Film Festival.  He has also been involved in the music industry having secured a contract with EMI for a group of Southampton young black people in the 80s called “Ebony Rockers” that included the father of Craig David. Don also presents local shows on Voice FM “Soul Train” & "Night Moves" Reggae show which is a mixture of music and social comment.  He has curated exhibitions on subject matters of "Afro-Futurism" and "The History of Blues Parties in Southampton”, and “Black: The Graphic Novel”. Don also has a special interest in Cultural Diversity in the Arts and has been the creator of photo exhibitions relating to Black communities and has worked with several Art galleries in the region. He was also a Southampton ambassador for Southampton’s bid to win City of Culture 2025 and was recently awarded Honorary Doctor of Arts at Solent University.