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We are now in November! Black History Month has flexed Black issues for a whole month, and we have exercised and, in some cases, exorcised the Blackness. The Colourism Exhibition has given us an opportunity to reflect on our Black identity and consider how far our degree of Blackness is an issue we had not considered…..

Previously published on August 13, 2022.....and is Reclaiming the Narrative a distraction from addressing the real issues! Now you may very well think that I am the last person who should be writing a...

What happened in the euphemistically labelled “UK Riots” recently was a wakeup call for those who believed that the struggle to achieve race equality was over. There have been Race riots as far back as 1190 when the Jews of York were herded into a castle and killed and in 1290 the entire...

Have you noticed how unfashionable it is to talk about Race these days. You are either perceived as an over sensitive legacy from the past, someone who has got the proverbial chip on your shoulder or someone who is a self-declared victim and...

Some say I live in the past….and perhaps I do! Nonetheless I grew up in a time when the expression of unadulterated Black culture was at its height. Black was Beautiful and so were we. I grew up as a teenager when the civil rights movement in America was showcasing its...

I have long been intrigued by the idea of Colour-Blind casting. For those not familiar with the term, it is the practice of casting without considering the actor’s ethnicity or race. It somehow feels as if it is a throwback to a time when society purposefully chose to ignore the ethnicity of a Black person as if...

What is Racism….The dictionary definition is: “Discrimination and prejudice against people based on their race or ethnicity. Racism can be present in social actions, practices, or political systems that support the expression of prejudice or...

Rosa Parkes once said that there is only one Race…..The Human Race. Nonetheless as Human beings we have always found interesting ways to accentuate our differences and attach a value to that difference. Our exposure to western influences added another dimension to how we, as Black people, valued the differences we...

Why the History we are not taught is more significant than the History we are exposed to! As a Black person born raised in the West the truth has very often been a mystery to me. The truths of my origins, the truths about my worth and the truths of my identity. The cultures...

Back in the day , we used to call it “Shadism” but in the more recent times it has become known as “Colourism”. For those who do not know Shadism/Colourism” is the value we attach to people of different complexions and for what it’s worth “Shadism” seems to be a more accurate description of this issue...

As the year draws to a close it seems a good moment to reflect on the condition of the Souls of Black Folk.; in the words of W.E.B Dubois. The great man reminds us that Black people need to be aware of this thing called “Double Consciousness”. Essentially...

Does Racism make Black people “Mad”…. and is this madness internalised or acted out or both….that is the question!....

As someone who grew up influenced by the Civil Rights movement of the 60s ,70s in America and the equivalent movement in the UK, it is with some regret that we now witness a time where right wing politicians are invoking Martin Luther King in defence of their racist rhetoric and adopting language that we assumed was a thing of the past....

The theme for Black History Month this year is “Heritage”,  and how we interpret that can tell us something about ourselves and something about the society we live in.....

I recently watched a documentary about the condition of Black people, in the 60s/70s when they first came to the UK, the underlying narrative was to take control of our own destiny but the popular narrative consisted of gangs of racist Teddy Boys, the first “recognised” racist...

Diversity has become one of those words that no one is really sure about anymore. Some say it is a superficial sprinkling of one interpretation of what is supposed to be good, others say it’s a distortion of reality that is...

We now live in times when many, both Black & White, question whether calling out racism is the right thing to do. Is calling out racism a subversive activity or have we lost the will to challenge racism by either not acknowledging it or not responding to it. Newly arrived BME communities are less...

How do we find ourselves in a time where empathy, sympathy and accepting of difference are qualities that are derided as being WOKE!....and those advocating on behalf of the disadvantaged are...

Stephen Lawrence was murdered 30 years ago and the question that we should ask ourselves is what has changed and is it enough. We recognise Stephen Lawrence as a symbol for young Black men who are still perceived as dangers to society. We are still...

In 1936, Victor Hugo Green, a black postal worker, created a guide that would allow African Americans to embrace the adventure of road trips enjoyed by their white counterparts. The result was The Negro...

22 June 2023 will mark the 75^th anniversary of The Windrush; a ship that brought hundreds of migrants or Immigrants as they used to be called to the UK. Windrush Day has become a key symbolic moment in the story of the Black British contribution to this country and the broader post-war...

The recent murder of Tyre Nichols by five Black police officers in Memphis Tennessee raises a number of issues that many of us in the Black communities have been aware of; but felt uncomfortable about bringing it to the fore. From the..

As the last year fades away and the chanting of Black Lives Matter become just a distant memory and seemingly “small” acts of racism are converted into micro aggressions, our will to protest are reduced to a symbolic disagreement and diminished by the empty carnival of virtue signalling. Do we need to consider how far we wish to collaborate with this slightly perverted version of anti-racism…. and is...

Kwame Braithwaite was a Black photographer and community activist and in the 1960s, in his small darkroom in Harlem, he developed an imaging technique that made black skin stand out in photographs, showing off its inherent life and energy. He spent thousands of hours in his darkroom to ensure that his images could demonstrate the beauty of Black ...

At its core, Pan-Africanism was a belief that African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, shared not merely a common history, but a common destiny. The necessity of survival has somewhat blurred this vision and as Black History Month comes to a close….there are many Black & White who breathe a sigh of ...

Multiculturalism is defined as a state's capacity to deal with cultural plurality effectively and efficiently within its sovereign borders.  In simple words it tests the ability of the state to integrate other cultures and ways of life into systems and lifestyles that have developed over hundreds of years. The reality is that many ...

The closer we get to Black History Month, the more we appreciate how little the world has changed regarding how Black people are perceived by the wider population. The arrival of Black History Month should make all of us Black & White consider where we have come ...

Now you may very well think that i am the last person who should be writing a piece like this…but here we go! Black History Month was started in 1926 in the USA by Carter G Woodson as a way to respond to the view that the Black Americans and others of African descent had made no significant contribution to ...

Once upon a time there was a Race Equality Service, and it was called the Southampton Council for Race Equality and was based initially in Northbrook Rd and later Palmerston Rd. The aim of the organisation was to provide a service where individuals and organisations ...

I was brought up on a notorious council estate in Harlesden Northwest London called Curzon Crescent, and when we were there in the 1960s the estate was known for poverty and became a vandalism hotspot. As it happens, we were the only Black family….and as you can..

A quote inspired by Honore De Balzac  “Behind Every Great Fortune There is a Crime” epitomises the theme for the May Blog. When I was a youth I was taught in school about “Great Britain”  and the wonderful exploits of people like Winston Churchill, Sir Francis Drake, Horatio Nelson and..

Now that Black History Month is over, there will be some who breathe a sigh of relief in the hope that they can relax for another year. However, these people are very often those who fail to realise that Black History Month is simply a reminder of what they should be concerned about all year round.