“BLING BLING” A DATE AT THE PALACE WITH THE QUEEN

“Bling Bling”

A Date at The Palace with The Queen

“I am half way through my fourth decade as a civil servant and I have enjoyed a wide range of truly memorable experiences.So, after getting over the utter shock of being nominatedandawardedanOBEintheQueen’s 2018 NewYear’s Honours List for services to Race Equality across the civil Service and in the Community,I thought I had a handle on the pomp and ceremony one could expect at the investiture thereof.I was wrong.

Followingaseriesofposhlettersandmy confirmation by reply,I was summoned to Buckingham Place on Friday 4th May 2018. I was accompanied by my mum Sislyn,my wife Donna and my daughter Rhianne,who was even more excited than I was.We had decidedtodrivetothePalace,well,threepairs of high heels was always going to be a BIG ask.Upon arrival at the gates we were met by a large crowd of sightseers,all of whom seemed excited just to observe cars rolling onto the grounds of Buckingham Place.My mumrespondedwitharegalwaveofherown and a funny comment about whether or not they thought she was Meghan’s mum! Anyhow,after the obligatory checks we wereinformedbyoneof theofficersonduty that we“have the Queen today”.Our smiles only grew wider.

Iwasusheredintoapalatialwaitingroom, alongwithDameDarceyBussellandSirPaul McCartney,both of whom were extremely talkative,if not a tad nervous,like the rest of us.All sixty six of us were then prepped to receive our awards.Where to stand,how to stand,when to bow/curtsey and,of course, how to address Her Majesty.It was all very slick and super disciplined,yet still quite surreal.Meanwhile,myfamilyof‘guests’,were led to their seats in the exquisite Palace Ballroom,completewithliveorchestra,where the award ceremony took place.

Thehandingoutofgongsitselftookabout one hour.The Queen looked wonderful and whenmyturntoreceivearrivedhersmilewas everybitasinfectious.HerMajestyasked“how are we were doing on Race Equality at the MoJ?” I replied “Well Ma’am, we are turning a few corners, but we do still have a long way to go”. At that,my OBE was pinned to my lapel,wesharedawarmhandshakeand,with a bow,I was on my way all blinged up. The additional and unforgettable bonus formeonwhatwasalreadyatrulymemorable day,wastothenhavemymotherjoinmeback atMoJ102PettyFrance.Thiswastheveryfirst time my mum had ever been to my place of work since I began in 1983!!! My mum met myentireteamatProjectRace,avarietyofmy MoJcolleaguesandourPermanentSecretary alsopoppedalongforacuppaandsomecake.

The entire experience was one I shall never forget.Not simply because I met the Queen,aslovelyasthatwas.Notonlybecause I now know that a group of determined colleagues nominated me to receive such a prestigious award,though that does fill my heart with deep joy.No,I shall never forget this experience because the entire day has left an indelible mark pinned to my heart. Myinvestiturewillserveasaneternalreminder that my career as a civil servant,together with my work in the community viaThe Reach Society and Relate as aTrustee,has beendecoratedwitharichnetworkoffriends all of whom have enabled me to do what I do and now inspire me to do more.I shall enjoy the BLING of that realisation for the rest of my life!”

InOctober2018 Robwillbecelebrating his 35th year as a Civil Servant.Rob’s effortsviatheMinistryofJusticeremain dedicated to culture change and a transformationin thewayservicesare delivered.Rob believes that the UK’s CivilServiceisonacommittedjourney in becoming a brilliant employer.Rob is currently working with the Civil Service Race Forum and the Cabinet Office to help deliver a step change across theCivilService tobecomeone oftheUK’smostinclusiveemployersby 2020.Robhasrecentlybeenshortlisted fortheInvesting In Ethnicity Workplace Hero Award and the ceremony takes place on 1st November at the Hilton Waldorf Hotel.

Rob Neil OBE, Head of Project Race Rob.Neil@justice.gov.uk OnTwitter:@ProjectRaceUK and @ReachSociety10and@CSRaceForum

The Black Community and The Business Sector: The contribution of Len Dyke and Tony Wade

BY RUDI PAGE AND DR DWAIN A. NEIL

BlackHistoryMonthisatimelyoccasion toreflectontherelationshipbetween theBlackcommunityandthebusiness and commercial sector over the last seven decades,since the arrival of the 492

Windrush pioneers in June 1948.

Recordsshowthatinthefirsttwodecades, between1948and1968,manypeoplein the

Blackcommunityfocusedon theacquisition of property for dwelling and for rental.In so doing,the community overcame barriers to decent accommodation.Black landlords offeredachoiceofhousingtothecommunity, and these property entrepreneurs were the first wave of wealth generators in the

Black community. Overthenext30plusyears,between1965 and1998,acommercialrevolutionoccurred.

The Dyke and Dryden business enterprise in

Afrohairandbeautyproductsbecameareality.

GuidedbyTonyWade’svisionformeetingthe needsoftheBlackcommunityforhairand beauty products,Dyke and Dryden became a multi-million pound enterprise that manufacturedarangeofnewproducts that were made available across the UK,and in manyWest and East African countries.Their annual Afro Hair and Beauty Exhibition &

Showcase,rolled out in Alexandra Palace,

North London became a focus for hundreds ofhairdressersfromacross theUKwhobuilt viable business relationships with Dyke and

DrydenLtd(orD&D)thathelpedtotransform and enhance their business offerings to their clients.

LenDyke,DudleyDrydenandTonyWade, the directors of Dyke & Dryden Ltd,were men of vision and action.They saw a gap in thehaircaremarket andchose tofillit.These three Black men were “social entrepreneurs” longbeforeitbecameapopulartermintheUK.

Theirbusinessmodelwasdesignedtomeet thesocialneedsoftheCaribbeancommunity.

Insodoing,D&Dquicklybecame thelargest providerof tradecredit toalargesegment of theBlackbusinesssector,whichencompassed thehairandbeautysalons,retailers,wholesalers, beauticians and self-employed stylists. LordBillMorrisobservedthat:“Thespin-offs from the Dyke & Dryden experience are many-notleastofwhichisthemessage of trust.FortoolongBlackpeoplein Britainhavebeenheldback throughlackof trust in each other.TheDyke&Drydenmodel demonstratedapositiverecyclingofeffort andresources within the community.The community supported the company and purchased its products.Inreturn,Dyke& Drydenpromoted theirsocial,equalitiesand economicneedssuchastheopportunityfor peopletostartandgrowbusinesses(intheAfro hairandbeautysector).Thebiggestgainsof all were in the field of employment and skills developmentwheremanyopportunitieswere createdwithintheBlackbusinesscommunity.” Beyond the D&D business,TonyWade helped toembedandexpand theenterprise cultureintheBlackcommunityasthechairman ofthe North London Business Development Agency (or NLBDA) which he led for roughly 12 years.

The Dyke and Dryden experience and legacy are a template for self-reliance,and many entrepreneurs in the next generation (the so called children of theWindrush generation) have done their best to apply these lessons,and in so doing,are makinga significant contribution to meeting the needs of the Black community.There is also evidence of Black entrepreneurs applying theirexpertise,fromtheirchosenprofessions and employment,to providing coaching, mentoring,career advice and community development programmes. RudiPage,aformerDykeandDrydensales andmarketingmanager,whowasresponsible for co-ordinating the very first Afro Hair & BeautyExhibitionand Showcase(inGrosvenor House,London,March1983) playedaleadingrole in

‘Len Dyke, Dudley Dryden and Tony Wade, the directors of Dyke & Dryden Ltd, were men of vision and action. They saw a gap in the hair care market and chose to fill it.’

organisingtheDyke&Dryden50thAnniversary Service in June 2015;and in partnership with Derek DeCutter Clement launched “The Afro Hair & Beauty 1983 Legends,”as a tribute to Len Dyke,Dudley Dryden,Tony Wade,WinstanIssacs(Splinters International) andCarmenEngland(Carmen’s Rollers).Other recognitioneventshavetakenplace for other pioneers in this sector such as Enoch Williams (Sahara Oil),BedfordThompson (HopesBeautyProducts),MartynSquires (Martyn’s of Brixton),Lorna and GeorgeSt Clair(Salon&HairdressingSchool),and Joan Sam(SupremeHairdressingSchool&Salons). The 21st century is presenting Black entrepreneurswithmanynewopportunities for wealth generation via the Internet.It is hoped that the Dyke and Dryden legacy will also inspire some of them to become the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

Rudi Page is the Chief Executive of Making Connections Work. He has extensive and accomplished cross-sectoral expertise in change management and policy implementation. He has an excellent track record of achievement in executive coaching and mentoring for developing leadership and organisational capability.

Dr Dwain A. Neil is the chairman of Reach Society, an award winning social enterprise that was founded in 2010 to inspire young people. He runs Leriko & Associates, a management consultancy; and he is a father of four, all of whom are working graduates.