Bristol Black History Month Magazine 2020

• B HM • BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

B L ACK HI S TORY MONT H

@BristolBlackHM

IS S U E 5 • 2 0 2 0

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EDUCATORS

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

INT R ODUC T ION

S herrie Eugene -Hart W hile I enthuse about writing this for ward for B lac k history month, I remind my self that our ex istenc e is not c ontained in a month nor s hould it be remembered as that. I do rec ognise though that there is enric hment in refueling. W hen we are running low, or on empty, O c tober c an help us to re -energise, rejuvenate, inv igorate and educ ate . I am B lac k all y ear round and not just in O c tober.

I c an hardly be gin to reflec t on this y ear without remembering my parents , in particular my Dad w ho we lost in Dominic a at the start of 20 20. I pay homage to my dad Hec tor for his strength, his values and his cry ptic story telling. T he value of this has allowed me to pas s on these v irtues to my own c hildren. I believe this is the beauty and es senc e of his le gac y, pas sed down from his father and c onsequently my anc estors . How bles sed I am to rec ognise that power and to allow it to breathe energy into me every day.

I’m aware that many reading this may not k now me .

My Media journey be gan in 1981 starting at HT V as the S ign L anguage Interpreter and bec oming the main News A nc hor Woman. Us ing this platform I aimed to harnes s even more Divers ity in the work plac e by ac tively promoting the inc lus ion of underrepresented groups to our screen. It was a private mis s ion on a public platform.

“ W E G O T T H I S .”

@BristolBlackHM

Today I proudly see blac k creatives on a national sc ale .

It ’s brilliant. T hese day s we have eac h other to draw from, bac k in my day I was lonely but I’d like to think I helped to pave the way. K eep going B ristol.

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POSE CHALLENGE WINNER A isha T homas In August we launched a Pose Challenge, asking persons of Afro-Caribbean descent to submit portraits of themselves to be featured on the BHM Instagram account. This was a dedicated campaign aimed at recognising the millions of Black activists who have been involved in the Black Live Matter movement. People submitted their selection of heroic gestures, in the stand for affirmative action, reparations, economic, criminal, health and educational equalities.

MEET THE TEAM Managing Director Sibusiso Tshabalala director@cognitivepaths.co.uk

Magazine Designers Beth Hine & Beth Knapp &Marta Celio intern@cognitivepaths.co.uk

Creative Director Gary Thompson director@cognitivepaths.co.uk

Cultural Journalist Kabbo Hue Ferdinand Magazine@cognitivepaths.co.uk

Social Media Team Oliver Samways & Jordan Young magazine@cognitivepaths.co.uk

BHM Administrator / Copy Editor Tasha Williams magazine@cognitivepaths.co.uk

Magazine Coordinators Azelie Bourassa & Millie Wood-Downie Email: support@cognitivepaths.co.uk

Cover photo Pierre Niyongira, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ iam _ niyon/ Website: https://www. pierreniyongira.com

THANK YOU T hroughout the creation of the magaz ine we relied heav ily on the c ontent c ontributions from the people .

T he photographers , poets , event managers , writers and loc al bus ines ses . T heir input is invaluable, and we want to take a moment to thank them and rec ogniz e them for all of their hard work and c ommunity spirit. In addition to the indiv iduals listed above, there are many additional people we’d like to thank w ho helped us to sourc e inter v iews , des ign artic les or rev iew materials . We give an ex tra spec ial thank s to B eth Hine, our des ign intern from UW E , w ho has gone above and bey ond to make this happen. Her c ontribution to the 20 20 B HM A rc hive is well apprec iated. A lso a big thank y ou to the B HM Team, y our dedic ation and c ommitment s hine through this edition. T hank y ou : )

ADVERTISE WI TH US

OUR TERMS Cognitive Paths is not responsible for the cancellations of any events or listings. We endeavour to supply full and accurate information on the magazine based on all the submissions we receive, however we cannot be held responsible for an inaccuracies and any inconvenience this may cause.

For further information please visit the host provider directly. The views and opinions presented by the different organisations and individuals do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine.

W e prov ide a s pac e to c o -de s ign and c o -c re ate mate rial that is innovative , re pre s e ntative and app e aling to the A fric an and C aribb e an c ommunitie s of diff e re nt ag e s in the W e s t of E ngland . W e b e lieve that our home grow n ob s e r vations and ins ights are far ric he r in pro duc ing re levant marketing c ommunic ations that adve r tis e and build our c lie nts ’ brand re putation.

W ith on-the -ground ey e s and e ars into the diff e re nt c ons umer c ulture s , our s trate gis ts and c re ative s have ac c e s s to the s e de e p ins ights ab out the c ons ume r and from this p e rs p e c tive we pro duc e re levant s olutions that are founde d on s trong c ultural and c omme rc ial s trate gie s .

CONTACT US Ye s , B lac k His tor y M onth s hould b e more than a month and we c an do this . If y ou s tay in touc h and b e gin to s ubmit c onte nt all y e ar round , we c an. S o s tay c onne c t w ith us on magaz ine @ c ognitive paths .c o .uk

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

Pho t o by SÅ‚ aw e k Rze w us k i

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CONTENTS @BristolBlackHM

EDUCATORS

CHANGE MAK ERS

COMMUNI T Y

Recognizing the outstanding contributions of our teachers is the first step of improving young people’s morals in the classroom and beyond. This section looks at the Beyond the 26 initiative, redeveloping the Black Bristolian Project and the One Bristol Curriculum. Collectively these initiatives aim to improve students’ academic attainment and build a sense of identity in the educational setting.

Everyday people are our unsung heroes and she-roes that have devoted their lives to a just cause. Such sacrifice, determination, enthusiasm and agency is the foundation which liberates the people to move and act as one in the face of systemic and institutional discrimination.

Our social interactions model our character and how we are perceived or received by others. In South Africa this is called Ubuntu meaning “ A person is a person through others”. We have seen many communities uniting towards a common objective and it’s clear a new consciousness is rising.

Mayibuye - iAfrika. Amanadla!!!

BLM

EVENTS

Life is a gift which offers us the privilege, opportunity and responsibility to give back in return by maximizing our human potential. No human being should have their opportunities at utilizing this gift limited by factors rooted in superficial differences. This year, we have seen the world unite in unprecedented solidarity and action towards the continued injustice of Black persons, a collective voice shouting that yes, Black lives do matter.

Things have changed and society is adapting to modern ways of delivering services and activities. This year’s events offer a platter of thought provoking discussions ranging from education, politics, legacy, reparations, equity and knowledge sharing. With over 33 listings available online or in a socially distanced environment there’s something for all ages and backgrounds.

Share your comments on #BristolBlackHM

“ THERE IS NO PAYCHECK THAT CAN EQUAL THE FEELING OF CONTENTMENT THAT COMES FROM BEING THE PERSON YOU ARE MEANT TO BE.” - OPRAH WINFREY

Hyac inth Hall became Bristol’s first black headteacher in 1985 at S t Paul’s’ S t B arnabas primary school She dedicated her lif e to f ighting inequalit y and trans f ormed the lives of many s tudent s and f amilies in the cit y ’ s black communit y.

Recognizing the out s tanding contributions of our teacher s is the f ir s t s tep of improving young people’ s morals in the clas s room and beyond. This s ection look s at the Beyond the 26 initiative, redeveloping the Black Bris tolian Project and the One Bris tol Curriculum.

Collectively thes e initiatives aim to improve s tudent s ’ academic at tainment and build a s ens e of identit y in the educational s et ting.

E D U C AT O R S

EDUCATORS

BEYOND T HE 2 6

Words by A isha T homas In 2018, I partnered with the B B C to highlight the lac k of awarenes s around B lac k educ ators in the c ity of B ristol. T he projec t was based on the Runny mede Trust report (2017), w hic h c ited that B ristol is a div ided c ity. It spec ific ally highlighted the staggering low numbers of diverse educ ators .

We took it one step further and found that the population of B lac k sec ondary sc hool teac hers in B ristol was 1.9%.

S inc e then, I have had the priv ile ge of travelling up and down the c ountry, to talk about w hy I believe representation in educ ation is important. It has been a longstanding c ampaign. T he # is s imple : S o , w h a t is B 2 6 a k a B e y o n d t h e 2 6 ?

A fter the B B C documentary, I made a personal c ommitment to try and c hange the fac e of educ ation in B ristol. We need to divers if y the work forc e, we need to c hallenge the narrative, we need to add ric hnes s and v ibranc y to the curriculum.

It is a self-funded pas s ion projec t and my gift to the c ity of B ristol. Here is an ex ample of an ex trac t from a partic ipant questionnaire : Ha s y o ur ra c e aff e c te d y our e duc atio na l ex p e rie nc e?

A s a s tude nt up until Unive rs it y I don’ t b e lieve it did . I had pare nts w ho we re on my c as e and wante d to s e e me do we ll

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ac ade mic ally. S o, I c ould not us e my rac e as an ex c us e to not do we ll in s c hool. I als o had re ally g oo d te ac he rs . T he re we re a few le s s ons w he re the re we re not as many blac k fac e s and in thos e le s s ons , I s or t of s hrunk but I c an’ t s ay it impac te d my grade s but may b e it impac te d how I fe lt ab out b e ing in that c las s room .

I c an re c all a time w he re I we nt up a s et in maths to a c las s room that was pre dominantly w hite B ritis h. T he c las s I had move d up from was ve r y dive rs e . I move d my s e lf bac k dow n to that c las s b e c aus e I was n’ t c omfor table in the s et they put me in.

A s a unive rs it y s tude nt, I would s ay a s imilar thing . I had to c omplete Unive rs it y b e c aus e my pare nts had put s o muc h e ff or t into pus hing me ac ade mic ally, I wante d to reward the m . A nd , my unive rs it y re ally made an e ff or t s upp or ting blac k s tude nts and othe r B A M E s tude nts , mos t notably in bus ine s s and law.

I w ill add , mos t blac k p e ople (b oy s e s p e c ially) that I grew up w ith didn’ t have the pare nts that I had . T hat ’s w hy I b e lieve re pre s e ntation is s o imp or tant. T hey ne e d s ome one w ho look s like the m to give the m hop e for the future . E ve n now in te ac hing ,I don’ t s e e many blac k fac e s .

O ne he adte ac he r in a s c hool and anothe r c las s te ac he r gave me hop e . C hildre n follow p e ople b efore they follow rule s and re gulations . R e pre s e ntation in s c hool mat te rs b e c aus e thos e c hildre n w ill as pire to b e profe s s ionals and not jus t on the

“ THERE WERE A FEW

S inc e 20 18, I hav e ha d the s a m e thre e q ue s tio ns p o s e d to m e :

THOSE LESSONS,

“ S o, what now ? How do we get more black teachers? How many have you managed to recruit? ” I wis h it was that s imple . It would be great if I could wave a magic wand. However, there are a variety of fac tors which are aff ec ting recruitment and retention within the educ ation sy s tem.

I now want to s hare the voices of as many of the amaz ing black /B M E (I hate all the labels!!!) educ ators in the city.

LESSONS WHERE THERE WERE NOT AS MANY BLACK FACES AND IN I SORT OF SHRUNK”

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

roads ide wande ring as the p e ople in the ir neighbourhoods . C hildren need to s ee diff erent avenues of succes s .

W E NE E D black teachers! E ngineers!

S cientis ts! Doc tors! L aw yers! Politicians!

A nd we need them in abundance .

W hy now ?

#REPRESENTATIONMAT TERS Why Representation Mat ters, TEDX Talk (2019) BBC Inside Out West Black Teachers Documentar y

@BristolBlackHM 11

EDUCATORS

Black Girl Convention

is a movement to ensure that ALL womxn of African and Caribbean heritage have a sense of home, by sharing, shaping and owning the Black Girl Experience.

Since 2016, we have

been building our community. We offer

skills workshops, inspiring retreats and the largest events for Black Womxn* in the South West.

In light of Covid, we’ve gone virtual for 2020, offering a season of paid opportunities for artists and creatives, building up to our end of season virtual convention running from November 2nd-8th.

Photo taken by Angela Dennis

Keep an eye on our website and socials for ways to get involved

www.blackgirlconvention.com @blackgirlcon

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*Self identifying and non binary people

AI SHA THOMAS

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

“

A fter the 2018 B B C documentary, w hen it bec ame apparent that we have only 26 B lac k sec ondary sc hool teac hers in B ristol, I made a personal c ommitment to try and c hange the fac e of loc al educ ation. We need to divers if y the work forc e, we need to c hallenge the narrative, and we need to add ric hnes s and v ibranc y to the curriculum. We need to be seen, be heard and be inc luded.”

However, w hat this made me realise, is that we are not c elebrating these amaz ing educ ators from B lac k and minority c ommunities w hic h are here now. A s a result, I dec ided to self-fund a projec t c alled B ey ond the 26, w here I c ould c elebrate some of the B lac k and minority educ ators in B ristol that I have had the pleasure of work ing with.

A variety of job roles and a variety of phases .

C hec k out how amaz ing they are!

@BristolBlackHM

WATCH OUT THOUGH, THIS IS JUST PHASE ONE!”

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ADRI AN

AARON

EDUCATORS

“

“

What we learn with pleasure we never forget.

- Marc Rowland

DEREK

BEN

- Alfred Mercier

“

“

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

You are never too old to learn, learning is for everyone.

~ Unknown

BRI DGET

DARLENE

~ Malcolm X

“

Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

~Harriet Tubman

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At the heart of every successful school, strong leadership of the Pupil Premium underpins that success.

“

Those who understand the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be.

~Rita Pierson

DONNA

AMBER

“

~ Frederick Douglass

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

“

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

CASHAN

CHANTELLE

~ Marcus Garvey

“

“

I am trying to give you the key to unlock your educational future. The book is mightier than the sword.

~ Unknown

TRACY

DOM

~ Unknown ~MISSING REFERENCE

Experts say that children should be taught through mirrors and windows. By doing so, they learn respect for themselves and others.

~ Kofi Annan

“

There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.

@BristolBlackHM

“

Knowledge is power.

Information is liberating.

Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.

~ Malcolm X

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“

ADRI AN

AARON

EDUCATORS

I’ ve been in education most of my life and was only ever educated by one person from a BAME background. Since becoming an educator this has not improved.

Students have their views of the world shaped while in school yet the people doing this do not represent them.

Children are the future, and the future has to have strong, fair and ethical foundations rooted in the past. Students need to see, hear and feel difference and uniqueness. Staff rooms need to chime with conversations of cultural diversity to spread understanding and sensitivity!

“

What we learn with pleasure we never forget.

- Marc Rowland

“

DREK

BEN

- Alfred Mercier

All children are entitled to access a good quality of education.

Investing in the children of today builds a better world for us all. It’s the way that I contribute to society and give children the power they need to make positive change.

You are never too old to learn, learning is for everyone.

~ Unknown

BRI DGET

DARLENE

~ Malcolm X

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Education is the stability needed to reach all students within all communities. It impacts the next generation’s attitude and diminishes negative historical perceptions that have contributed to racist stereotypes and limited the opportunities for black educators to succeed.

“

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

Why is representation not important? Many black children have never been educated by someone who looks like them. Our children need to see themselves in positive roles in society, or they may think that jobs such as teachers, engineers, or scientists are out of reach when in reality they are not..

At the heart of every successful school, strong leadership of the Pupil Premium underpins that success.

You can’ t become what you can’ t see, and this is why it is important that children see people like them in different roles in their lives. Young people need to have positive role models that can help to shape their lives.

AMBER

DONNA

“

Because of the vast amount of knowledge and information that is to be learnt, teaching needs to come from a variety of sources for real enrichment and understanding across the board.

“

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

Representation is vital because if you do not see it, you do not always believe it is possible, especially in society today where young people are so visual. Representation is such a strong and meaningful mantra in education because it is truly reflective of society, nationally I am trying to give you the key and globally.

“

~ Marcus Garvey

CHANTELLE

CASHAN

~ Frederick Douglass

~ Unknown ~MISSING REFERENCE

Experts say that children should be taught through mirrors and windows. By doing so, they learn respect for themselves and others. ~ Unknown

TRACY

DOM

Having worked in spaces where there is no representation and places where it is in abundance, it is clear to see the difference it makes for children. I have seen examples of children who never speak or engage come alive because there are resources that are familiar to them in the room.

“

to unlock your educational future. The book is mightier than the sword.

Every person of colour knows that there is an inbuilt disadvantage at school. The research is clear about representation being essential, the curriculum shows it needs to be essential, the outcomes for underrepresented students, the same. How could representation in schools NOT be important.

@BristolBlackHM

Young people need to see themselves in the successful people around them, including teachers and spiritual leaders.

They need to have people who understand where they are coming from, as well as the strengths and the challenges they face.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

I have always believed in nurturing young people who are confident about all that they are and for black people to know of their enduring history and contributions to the world in all areas of human activity. Whilst qualifications are important an empty sack cannot stand!

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FATI MA

EVELYN

EDUCATORS

“

“

I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.

~Malcolm X

JASON

JADE

~Maya Angelou

“

“

You will either step forward into growth, or backwards into safety.”

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. ~Albert Einstein

KWABENA

K EENA

~Abraham Maslow

“

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

~ Aristotle

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Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

“

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

~Nelson Mandela

TI NA

HARDEEP

“

~The Guru Granth Sahib

- Malcolm X

K AS SI M

JEVAUGHN

‘Nirbhau, Nirvair’ meaning ‘Without fear, without hate’

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

“

There is no better than adversity.

Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.

“

“

Money is a means to wealth, not the wealth itself.

~ Paulo Friere

SABRI NA

SYLVESTER

- Akala

No-one is born fullyformed: it is through selfexperience in the world that we become what we are.

~ Nelson Mandela

“

My mission in life is not merely to strive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou

@BristolBlackHM

“

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

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“

FATI MA

EVELYN

EDUCATORS

I had no black teacher growing up and went to school in a predominantly white area. I was often misunderstood, whereas with a black teacher they may have understood my culture or views, my hair and may have inspired me to want to be a teacher.

Representation in education is important because you can’ t be what you can’ t see.

“

I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

For young people to be able to fulfil their potential they must believe that they can. In order for this belief to self-manifest it is imperative that young people to see adults that represent them, working and thriving in sectors and roles they may have never imagined.

“

~Malcolm X

JASON

JADE

~Maya Angelou

Representation is important to help build a young person’s identity and a proud sense of belonging. There is comfort in a familiar face or having a conversation where someone understands your culture. I have had students that are not on my caseload come to see me Everybody is a genius.what But if “because I understand” they you judge a fish by its ability mean when they are trying to to climb a tree, it will live its explain wholethemselves. life believing that it is

“

You will either step forward into growth, or backwards into safety.”

I only recall one black teacher in my school. It really was a shock, no one I could identify with! No one who looked like me, my parents or any of my family members. Now I’m happy to be someone in education that the younger generation can look up to. They can see we can achieve, if roots of education are weThe believe.

“

bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

~ Aristotle

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stupid.

~Albert Einstein

KWABENA

K EENA

~Abraham Maslow

Representation in education empowers an entire school community to thrive as together we stand, divided we fall. There is never a better time to work together than to ensure that every school community has equity in the team, and this is fed to the community to make a difference.

“

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

~Nelson Mandela

HARDEEP

TI NA

“

In Bristol, the Black and Asian community is underrepresented in the education sector meaning that there has been a lack of support with helping children who may be EAL or from various cultural backgrounds. It’s important to ensure that children have role models to base themselves on.

“

There is no better than adversity.

Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.

~The Guru Granth Sahib

“

K AS SI M

JEVAUGHN

- Malcolm X

It reflects the world we live in and changes the narrative that ‘white is right’.

Education is a fundamental human and equal right. The education system in any country is an intrinsic link to opportunity but can only be effective if those who are powerless in society gain access to an education that recognises their social needs.

“

Money is a means to wealth, not the wealth itself.

~ Nelson Mandela

Representation is vital in all levels of education. For many people, seeing is believing and by being able to see visual representation of diversity within all fields, it becomes easier to foresee yourself potentially fulfilling a variety of roles in the future.

“

My mission in life is not merely to strive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou

@BristolBlackHM

“

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

No-one is born fullyformed: it is through selfexperience in the world that we become what we are. ~ Paulo Friere

SABRI NA

SYLVESTER

- Akala

Good representation helps to guide, motivate, inspire, and challenge the students to achieve and to empower them. Good representation in education will shape how minorities view themselves and how they are viewed by the society at large.

‘Nirbhau, Nirvair’ meaning ‘Without fear, without hate’

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

As an educator I aspire to uplift, empower and support young people to reach their goals and dreams despite challenges that arise, something I felt I never had growing up as a child. I always say to my students “It is not where you start, it is where you finish”.

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SHERELL

MODUPE

EDUCATORS

“

“

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.

~ Maya Angelou.

TANZI L

L ANA

~Edward Everett

“

Do not decrease the goal, increase the effort!

~Unknown

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“If you are always trying to be normal. You will never know how amazing you can be.

“

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. ~ Malcolm X

NAFEESA

RODEANE

“

~Unknown

FOLUK E

MENI ZE

~Unknown

Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognise your power – not because they do not see it, but because they see it

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

“

There is no better than adversity.

Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.

“

If you do not like something change it, and if you can’t change it, change your attitude. ~ Maya Angelou

“

There is no such thing as a neutral educational process...

~ Paulo Freire

@BristolBlackHM 23

“

SHERELL

MODUPE

EDUCATORS

We are often inspired by those we can relate to or have a similar story to, so if we want to inspire the minds of more of our young people from BAME backgrounds, they need to see more teachers and leaders representative of different races, and then their own goals will seem achievable too.

I find a lot of ethnic children are misunderstood and need a voice.

They need positive reinforcement to know that they are fully capable to achieve and succeed and not fall into the system and be recognised as a criminal or failure due to their skin colour.

“

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.

~ Maya Angelou.

“

For parents as well, it’s nice for them to see that they’re ~Unknown represented in the school. My best teacher and probably the teacher my mum knew the most and had the best relationship with was a black teacher. That may not always be the case but for me it had a huge impact. Years later I was able to send that same teacher an email that I was doing my training and her reply really elicited some strong emotions.

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L ANA

TANZI L

~Edward Everett

When I was growing up, I did not see many black men in professional positions. I really thought I was going to be a professional football player or a music artist. Those seemed to be the only two viable options to me.

Representation in education gives children hope that they could be Do not decrease themedia goal, says more than what the increase the effort! they could be.

“If you are always trying to be normal. You will never know how amazing you can be.

You cannot be what you cannot see. In my school history I could count one hand minus three fingers how many ‘black educators’ I had. I saw poverty, deprivation, and struggle; never was I ever introduced to a different possible future until I had a black headteacher in primary school. I Education passport felt the veils is fallthe from my eyes and to the future, for tomorrow I began to see that my belongs to those whoplace, my prepare for today. narrative, the it possibilities, they were waiting for me to write, by me, not predestined, not as part ~ Malcolm X of the ‘way things were’. She drove me, powered me, fuelled me to realise and surpass the potential she could see in me, and others.

She educated me on so much more than the curriculum, she related to me, understood me and more importantly built capacity in all her teaching staff, who were predominantly white to do the same. Her impact on me went far beyond the classroom.Young people (early years all through to later education) need connection, communication, validation, at times. Meaningful representation can provide the platform for this, without question.

“

RODEANE

NAFEESA

“

I wish I had someone who looked like me at school. All I knew was our British Military upbringing, but not much about our roots in Mandeville Jamaica.

It is essential to be able to see yourself represented at school to find your own identity.

“

representation is indispensable. every loss, contains its own seed,

its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.

“

.... Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes ‘ the practice of freedom’, the means by which men and women deal critically There is no such as and a and creatively withthing reality neutral educational process... discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

Paulo Freire, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed 1968 ~ Paulo Freire

“

Representation in education is a question of justice.

@BristolBlackHM

Although from an inner-city school, growing up there were few teachers who looked like me. I am reminded of a particular teacher who had no faith in me, publicly shaming me by stating if I got a U in my exam, I would be lucky. Although having inspirational family members If you do not like something they were the faces I saw change it, and if you can’t in school. Until, in walks Mrs change it, change your Whitcliffe attitude. Smart and Mrs Howell.

Teachers who looked like me and took no nonsense likeAngelou my mum. ~ Maya They believed in me and would pull me up on so many things like dress appearance but also providing educational advice.

They showed me that what the teacher said was only valid if I made it happen! So why does representation matter in schools?

Because when I saw my dreams were not impossible I did them.

Not just having someone already in the role, but someone who gets the culture and understands the slang made school more achievable.

~Unknown

FOLUK E

MENI ZE

~Unknown

Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognise your power – not because they do not see it, but because they see it

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

Are BAME educators only to seek out settings where they are represented in the student cohort? There may be incredibly good reasons for doing this but should not be a given. Whether it is students who express angst that their skin tone is ‘too dark’ or those that unfortunately There is no better than adversity. engrave swastika’s on desks, Every defeat, every heartbreak,

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EDUCATORS

THE BLACK BRISTOLIANS TEACHING PACK UPDATED FOR KEY STAGE 3

Lois Franc is and C arol R enton

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The pack is designed to enable teachers to address a range of race equality issues with confidence, and to provide a sense of Black history and role models for children and young people. It includes biographies and teachers’ notes on 25 Black Bristolians who have made a difference to the city. There are lesson plans relevant to all ages, and a DVD in which young people interview some of the key figures. The original teaching pack was sent to schools in 2007/8.

It must be remembered that the Black Bristolians teaching pack focuses on local history through using the biographies of Black people who have lived in Bristol. It addresses issues such as racism in the workplace, the Bristol Bus Boycott and explores the ways in which people of colour have made a difference in Bristol.

It celebrates the achievements and contributions that they have made in all areas of life.

The Black Bristolians teaching pack has had a profound impact on local education.

Black Bristolians have talked to children and young people about their experiences in and outside of school settings. It has been used during Black History month, in school assemblies, English and cross-curricula lessons, supported project work and supplementary schools. For these reasons and many more there was a need for the pack to be brought up to date.

New biographies are going to be added to the pack . They will be featured in a Black Bristolians calendar alongside the original Black Bristolians. This calendar will be available online and as a hard copy.

The updated pack contains:

On the left: Catherine Waithe, Educator

Many revised biographies; Some fresh photographs; Renewed lesson plans and resources; New lesson plans for: Roy Hackett, Ray Sefia, Owen Henry, Henry Parker, James W illiams, St. Claire family, Professor Kenneth Ogugua Iwugo

“ WE PROVIDED WEEKLY FOOD FOR FREE OF CHARGES. “

It has been an exciting journey updating the pack for Key Stage 3. We hope to continue this journey by updating other aspects of the pack that relate to the Foundation Stage as well as Key Stages 1 and 2.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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Ever yday people are our unsung heroes and s heroes that have devoted their lives to a jus t caus e . Such s acrif ice, determination, enthus ias m and agency is the f oundation which liberates the people to move and act as one in the f ace of sys temic and ins titutional dis crimination.

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EDUCATORS

BACKING BRISTOL’S BLACK BUSINESS COMMUNITY Mix ed-use developer, F irst B ase, is investing £175 million to bring B ristol’s former G ardiner Hask ins s ite bac k to life, with a landmark development for people to work , live and soc ialise .

P lans for the historic S oapwork s building aim to c elebrate the c ity ’s ric h heritage and divers ity ; building a more sustainable and inc lus ive loc al ec onomy that brings genuine benefits to loc al people’s lives and bus ines ses .

T he development is ex pec ted to generate over £200million in soc ial value, from loc al jobs and training opportunities , support for small bus ines ses , health, wellbeing and env ironmental improvements .

A s part of this approac h to delivering genuine long-term benefits , F irst B ase has partnered with B lac k S outh West and C ognitive Paths , to support blac k loc al enterprises with a range of bus ines s development opportunities .

T he c ollaboration will promote more inc lus ive and ac c es s ible supply c hains , max imis ing opportunities for blac k-owned organis ations – from the c onstruc tion of S oapwork s , to its operation.

We believe our industry is enhanc ed by c elebrating divers ity, w hic h is w hy we are proud to be a founding s ignatory of the B ristol Property Inc lus ion C harter.

W ith over 240 blac k-owned organis ations within the immediate v ic inity of S oapwork s , we hope our partnership with B lac k S outh West and C ognitive Paths is an important step towards building an inc lus ive and sustainable economy in Bristol.

Fo r m o r e i nf o r mat i o n, pl e a s e v i s i t f i r s t b a s e . c o m

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BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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CHANGE MAKERS

BRISTOL B A M Ee d BAMEed BRISTOL AND SOUTH WEST IS A GRASSROOTS NETWORK THAT IS PASSIONATE ABOUT ENSURING THAT OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION ARE REPRESENTED We are also a gras sroots network c ommitted to addres s ing the full range of is sues of rac ial inequality in the educ ation sec tor, suc h as tac k ling the prevalenc e of an ethnoc entric , c olonial curriculum, and addres s ing the s y stemic problems within the educ ation sec tor that lead B A M E y oung people to be disproportionately ne gatively represented in high level s anc tions and ex c lus ion figures .

Diff iculties in recruiting diversely is not a new is sue ; it is not something that has never been talked about. T here have been programmes aimed at c hanging the v is ible fac e of educ ation and there have been marginal gains . C hange is happening but needs ac c eleration. T his is never more apparent than in the S outh West re gion as ex emplified by the 2017 report that stated that B ristol is the worst c ity in the UK for rac ial equality (Runny mede Trust, 2017) and the B B C Ins ide Out West documentary that highlighted that there were only 26 blac k teac hers out of 1346 sec ondary sc hool teac hers in B ristol (B B C , 2018).

T his network is an open inv itation to A LL for ac tion to divers if y all aspec ts of educ ation in the S outh West re gion.

T he support is for the graduate seek ing to make the step into teac hing as muc h

36

as the Deputy stepping up to Heads hip.

T here are a few diff erent gras sroots organis ations in the S outh West re gion seek ing to work on some of these is sues ; for ex ample, on divers if y ing curriculum c ontent. We intend to work with these organis ations but also to focus our attention primarily on strate gic c hange at the level of governanc e, recruitment prac tic es and polic y-mak ing in educ ational institutions in the re gion.

T his is an open network . We seek to learn from eac h other and ac tively inc lude all ethnic ities . O ur mix of culture and identity in the network engenders the ideal that we seek to develop in educ ation acros s the U K .

WE HAVE FOUR CLEAR OBJECTIVES: To recruit and retain more B A M E staff and governors in educ ation in the S outh West, creating ‘profes s ional’ standards that are culturally aware and supporting B A M E staff on their journey into senior leaders hip To ensure a culturally diverse, anti-rac ist curriculum in educ ational institutions acros s the S outh West To ensure that sc hools adopt an inc lus ive and restorative approac h to disc ipline that does not dis advantage B A M E students and

for sc hools and other educ ational institutions /organis ations , as well as c ommunity-based work to attrac t more c andidates into the sec tor and into educ ational governanc e .

We are still in the early day s of launc hing our network and, in the first few months , are focused on building our network , publishing thought-provok ing artic les and useful resourc es inc luding some v irtual work shops , supporting educ ational establishments to freely advertise to attrac t more c andidates from B A M E c ommunities , off ering free c oac hing or mentoring to educ ators at all stages of their c areers , showc as ing re gional speakers on is sues of rac e equality. In the future we intend to off er a broader range of training opportunities

We are alway s keen to welc ome more c ontributions from B A M E educ ators w ho have something to s ay ! T his c ould be s haring y our personal narrative, an opinion-piec e about is sues of rac ial inequality, s haring of a resourc e, a researc h-based think-piec e .

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

result in them being over-represented in behav iour s anc tions . To empower students and staff to able to have a voic e against rac ism in their educ ational setting.

Contact us on bamebristolsw@gmail. com if you’ re interested in writing for us .

Follow us on the following plat forms: @BAMEedBristol BAMEedBristol+SW www.bameedbristolsw.co.uk

@BristolBlackHM 37

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CHANGE MAKERS

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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CHANGE MAKERS

CLEO LAKE RUNNER UP I N THE GREEN PART Y NATI ONAL CAMPAI GN

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BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

I DIDN’ T COME INTO POLITICS TO TOPPLE STATUES BUT TO COLLABORATE IN THE TOPPLING OF ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE, INEQUALIT Y AND A SYSTEM THAT BY AND LARGE DOESN’ T SERVE THE MAJORITY. E x ecutive C ommittee (G P E X ), and I am enthused that K efentse Dennis was elec ted Trade Union R epresentative . If I have the c apac ity, I would like to support him in the role bec ause if we don’ t do more to bring work ing c las s c ommunities into the party and have them vote for us , then we c annot be a feas ible party with elec tion suc c es s .

C ongratulations to all those elec ted; the incumbent A melia Womac k retains her pos ition as Deputy and will go on to ser ve her fourth term in off ic e . S he is a solid Deputy, and strong c ompetition, but I am sure I have a good c hanc e at winning s hould I dec ide to stand in two y ears’ time . I’d like to thank every one w ho voted for me and supported me in other way s . I really enjoy ed mak ing my c ampaign v ideo with R yan Franc is from L atent Produc tions and we will be work ing together again soon I’m sure . I am also particularly enc ouraged by those w ho ac tually s igned up to bec ome G reen Party members bec ause they agreed with many of our polic ies and ethos , and also wanted to support my c ampaign by voting for me .

I would have brought unity and a new energy to the role, but that isn’ t to be at this time . I have plenty to keep me bus y in the meantime, particularly my role as a loc al c ounc illor, ac tiv ist, Avon F ire A uthority member, and with my fellows hip at B ristol + B ath C reative R & D.

Two members of the G reens of C olour group were elec ted onto the G reen Party

I am also ver y energised by the many y oung ac tiv ists I have met mainly through the A ll B lac k L ives Matter (A B LM ) B ristol protests , and I hope I c an pas s on enough to enc ourage and work with them to forc e c hange by all means . I didn’ t c ome into politic s to topple statues but to c ollaborate in the toppling of absolute priv ile ge, inequality and a s y stem that by and large doesn’ t ser ve the majority.

Protest photo cre dit : @ s iow _cc

@BristolBlackHM

I am partially dis appointed, of c ourse, with not bec oming the Deputy Leader of the G reen Party of E ngland & Wales , but I’ve c ome a very good sec ond plac e, ac hiev ing over 30% of the vote . In doing so, I’ve s hown that I am a serious c ontender. B ig thank s to my amaz ing c ampaign team and also my boy friend enc ouraging me all the way from G hana.

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CHANGE MAKERS

“I DON’ T WANT TO LABEL THEM, BECAUSE THEY’RE ALREADY LABELLED IN LIFE”

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INTERVIEW WITH ANTON BROWN, OPERATIONS MANAGER

A n amaz ing initiative has b e e n running in B ris tol for the las t 6 y e ars , in orde r to c re ate ac c e s s to opp or tunitie s for y oung p e ople . T his initiative prov ide s guidanc e , s upp or t and the dire c tor de s c rib e d it as “eve r y thing a pare nt would do”.

A nton B row n, 29 , is the brains b e hind the E c o S he e n c le aning bus ine s s , s et up by him in orde r to hire y oung p e ople and prov ide the m w ith a s e ns e of routine w hile giv ing the m the c ourag e to apply the ms e lve s c ons is te ntly. H av ing s p e nt his c hildhoo d liv ing in the E as ton and S t P aul’s c ommunitie s , A nton deve lop e d his e ntre pre neurial v is ion from a y oung ag e , in c onjunc tion w ith his s trong de s ire to he lp othe rs . “ I fe e l it ’s imp or tant to he lp y oung p e ople , b e c aus e I c ome from this c ommunit y and I’ve s e e n s o muc h and w is h the re had b e e n more p e ople doing s tuff w he n I was y oung er. I fe e l like if we had b e e n give n opp or tunitie s the n we might have re ac he d out for the m , and not ex p e rie nc e d a lot of the thing s we we nt through.”

G oo d me ntal he alth is the foundation on w hic h y oung p e ople c an build the ir c onfide nc e and s k ills , and E c o S he e n aims to do jus t that by prov iding a s table opp or tunit y to c omplete an e duc ation, gain re levant s k ills and pre pare for a

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

ECO SHEEN

me aningful c are e r. A nton is c urre ntly c aring for 9 y oung p e ople unde r the E c o S he e n program , and has alre ady s uc c e s s fully e nrolle d 3 p e rs ons in c olle g e . “ I fe e l like my ag e and life ex p e rie nc e make s me re latable as a le ade r, and b e ing k now n in my c ommunit y puts me in a g oo d p os ition to prov ide this s e r v ic e for the s e y oung p e ople . S ay ing this g e nuine ly from my he ar t, I fe e l like I’m the b e s t p e rs on to le ad the m , and that ’s w hy I took on this role .” “ Young p e ople are finding the ms e lve s in hard s ituations w ith limite d opp or tunitie s , s ometime s a c le aning job is the b e s t they c an do . N ot k no c k ing c le aning b e c aus e that ’s w hat my bus ine s s is ab out, but wouldn’ t it b e b et te r if a c le aning job was n’ t y our main foo d , but jus t for ex tra c as h, or a s te p on the way to s omething b et te r? W e ne e d to make s ure we ’re fe e ding the s e y oung p e ople w ith gre at ide as and le ading by ex ample . M y 9 -y e arold s on has alre ady s aid he wants to run his ow n bus ine s s jus t from s e e ing his pare nts run the ir ow n.”

T he c ataly s t for the c re ation of the E c o S he e n c ompany was G row ing F uture s U K , a group that c onne c ts p e ople w ith nature through hor tic ulture , and prov iding e duc ation on othe r topic s s uc h as de s ign, @BristolBlackHM 43

CHANGE MAKERS

c ook ing s k ills , and the b e nefits of a balanc e d nutrition.

T he t wo programs joine d forc e s , w ith G row ing F uture s founde r D e s mond B row n work ing c los e ly w ith A nton to find y oung re c ruits for E c o S he e n and prov ide the m w ith me ntoring s upp or t through inte rns hips and deve loping a w ide rang e of s k ill s ets .

“A lot of y oung p e ople are in unfor tunate c irc ums tanc e s b e c aus e of the ir pare nts , but the pare nts might b e failing b e c aus e they didn’ t g et w hat they ne e de d w he n they were y oung . It ’s a g e ne rational thing ,” A nton ex plains , “ but at s ome p oint, y ou have to put y our foot dow n and bre ak the c y c le .”

H e als o touc he s on the diff ic ultie s of fighting the influe nc e s of the s urrounding e nv ironme nt and ne gative p e e r

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as s o c iations . “ T he p e ople I work w ith are all jus t y oung p e ople w ho have found the ms e lve s in le s s for tunate plac e s in the ir live s . I don’ t want to lab e l the m , b e c aus e they ’ve alre ady b e e n lab e lle d in life .”

D e s pite at time s not b e ing the e as ie s t job, A nton als o finds the work he do e s ve r y fulfilling and rewarding on a p e rs onal leve l as he lping y oung p e ople w ith the ir me ntal he alth in turn he lps him w ith his . “ H av ing my ow n c le aning bus ine s s , I fe e l c re dible . I fe e l like I have s uc c e e de d in s omething in my life . I run my ow n bus ine s s . I am the dire c tor. I c an prov ide for my family. W ork ing w ith the s e y oung p e ople is a reward I’ve neve r fe lt. B e ing able to he lp s hap e the ir future s , that ’s an

BristolBRISTOL Black History BLACK Months HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

@bristolblackhistory45

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CHANGE MAKERS

WE SHOULD ALL BE HEEDING TO THE WORDS OF MARCUS GARVEY FOR THE UNIFICATION OF THE AFRICAN RACE AND THE STRUGGLE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF ALL HUMANITY, SO THAT THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE SHOULD LIVE IN HARMONY

FADA CASS A MARCUS GARVEY PHI LOSOPHER A Marcus G ar vey P hilosopher B y Patric k Weir Fada C as s is a staunc h advoc ate of the teac hings , princ iples and philosophy of Marcus G ar vey. He has performed his speec hes to audienc es for over 20 y ears , and has now put them to mus ic w hic h he has created and produc ed; mus ic that is dy namic and v ibrant. Fada C as s believes that we should all be heeding to the words of Marcus G ar vey for the unific ation of the A fric an R ac e and the struggle for the betterment of all humanity, so that the w hole human rac e should live in harmony.

F inding inspiration in persons like Marcus G ar vey and B ob Marley, his aim is to enlighten the minds of those w ho abuse us , ac cuse us and are not with us .

B orn in C larendon, Jamaic a, he c ame to E ngland w hen he was 9 y ears old. He grew up in Wolverhampton in an era w hen rac ism was rife, and he fac ed this throughout his formative y ears . At 17 he c ame to London, w here he still fac ed rac ism, institutionalised and blatant, despite it being more c osmopolitan. It was here that his quest for answers c ame in

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the form of reading Marcus G ar vey book s .

His speec hes gave him hope, glor y and faith in the fac t that if we follow the words of Marcus G ar vey, we will onc e again return to w hat we were in the be ginning.

T hrough reading his book s , Fada C as s was so inspired he was able to rec ite them word for word, with the pas s ion of Marcus G ar vey, in front of audienc es and at several major events .

In 2011 he had the idea of speak ing Marcus G ar vey ’s words to mus ic . He be gan creating and produc ing mus ic with various mus ic ians for his first ever trac k entitled “Marcus G ar vey ” w hic h has been released on the L ion F orc e rec ording label. He then went on to create “B eautiful People”, another track that was released in 2019.

His singles “Marcus G arvey ” and “B eautiful People” are now on YouTube and have received thousands of hits and are also being played on a few radio stations .

His new song , “Dem C aan Pay We” was inspired by talk s from the G overnment

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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CHANGE MAKERS

on slavery and funds to as s ist with reparations . His response to this was “ they c an’ t pay us enough for all the y ears of s lavery ”. From this he went on to create a song that has bec ome an anthem for blac k liberty. Fada C as s feels that we are still downtrodden and still undermined bec ause of the power of the Western government.

T he blac k man onc e ruled the world in peac e, fairnes s and tranquillity. A s it was , so shall it be in the end. T he P hilosopher is currently work ing on his album, to be released in 20 21. C hec k out the Fada C as s YouTube c hannel for all his mus ic and spoken words .

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“ THE BLACK MAN ONCE RULED THE WORLD IN PEACE, FAIRNESS AND TRANQUILLITY. AS IT WAS, SO SHALL IT BE IN THE END.”

Originating in Bristol, Amschela is an affordable, luxury, handbag business, focused on capturing the individuality and character of the contemporary woman. The brand seeks to empower women to be fearless in all that they do, through innovating and charming designs.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

BEHIND THE BRAND

FEATURED in British Vogue, Vanity Fair, Tatler and British GQ. Cited by British Vogue in 2018 as the ‘handbag brand to watch.’

Amschela is currently transitioning to become a full vegan brand as part of its pledge to Peta UK. www.amschela.co.uk

amschela

KERI ANDRIANA

Keri Andriana is a multi-award winning handbag designer, CEO and founder of Amschela. Promoting ‘affordable, luxury and within reach’ to its demographic of mid-tier fashion conscious women with a focus on healthy living and vegan products.

“In essence, Amschela strives to ensure that our handbags are individually sourced, manufactured and created with our clientele’s personality central to our vision, encapsulated as ‘the fusion of luxury fashion within reach’.

All women are our women.”

@BristolBlackHM

Keri has a keen passion for helping young women realise their entrepreneurial goals and aspirations. Keri is available for speaking engagements and start up consultancy projects. You can reach Keri at keri@amschela.co.uk.

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CHANGE MAKERS

REPARATI ONS BRISTOL

C leo L ake T he firs t c ampaign I g ot inte re s te d in as a y oung ac tiv is t was “Jubile e 20 0 0 D rop the D e bt ” he ld in 19 9 9 and w hic h Inow re c ognis e as b e ing re late d to the ide a of re parations . T his was als o the y e ar I was a galle r y as s is tant for the landmark ex hibition “A R e s p e c table Trade? B ris tol and Trans atlantic S lave r y ”.

It was through v is iting that ex hibition that many B ris tolians we re made more aware ab out the ex te nt of c hat te l e ns lave me nt; how A fric an p e ople we re de humanis e d , robb e d of ide ntitie s and brutally tor ture d w ith an e nd g oal of money mak ing and W e s te rn e mpire building , re s ulting in the s ubjugation of a p e ople for c e nturie s .

G e netic dis p os itions c annot alway s b e undone , but p ove r t y c an, and w hils t re parations goes b ey ond financ ial c omp e ns ation, money and e quit y are a big par t of it. T he motion that I have brought for ward to B ris tol C it y C ounc il c alls for a lobby towards an all-par t y parliame ntar y c ommis s ion of inquir y into truth and re parator y jus tic e as a s tar ting p oint to dete rmine how re parations would b e imple me nte d . T his is one of the main de mands made by long s tanding c ampaigne rs from the “ S top the M aangamiz i C ampaign” w ho have c o authore d the motion, along w ith my s e lf and forme r G re e n M E P and c urre nt c ounc illor L amb eth S c ot t. T he motion als o has lo c al tangible c alls that inc lude the imple me ntation of the O ne B ris tol C urric ulum into all s c hools , public and private , and more s upp or t for blac k le d ins titutions in the c it y. S adly, the motion

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was blo c ke d from b e ing he ard at the F ull C ounc il me eting he ld on the 8 th of S e pte mb e r, but it was ve r y e nc ouraging to have b e e n able to mobilis e . A lmos t 20 0 que s tions and s tate me nts of s upp or t we re re c e ive d from organis ations s uc h as the A frik an C onnex ions C ons or tium , re pre s e nte d by S is te r Je nday i S e r wah w ho s aid of the me eting: “ Regret tably the motion did not get passed.

What people need to understand is the Bristol elements are impor tant but there was a missed oppor tunit y to star t a National dialogue by suppor ting the call for the All Par t y Parliamentar y Commission of Inquir y.

Unfor tunately, Bristol goes down in histor y for the wrong reasons on this occasion.”

R e parations are s p e c ific and s hould b e name d . T he pro c e s s of re pair s tar ts w ith a formal ac k now le dg e me nt of the harm done . T his c annot b e hidde n among s t e qualitie s , inc lus ion or dive rs it y jarg on.

I am dete rmine d to bring it bac k to the c ounc il as s oon as p os s ible and w ill ne e d s upp or t onc e it do e s c ome bac k as this is a c olle c tive e ff or t. It ne e ds to b e public; it ne e ds to b e pas s e d s o that B ris tol c an join the othe r authoritie s of Is lington and L amb eth, w ho made his tor y and took us fur the r dow n the road of re c onc iliation w he n they pas s e d re parations motions in July. In the me antime , I’m als o par t of a c haritable organis ation c alle d R eparations B ris tol, and our firs t mis s ion is to s upp or t our y oung p e ople to ac hieve the ir G C S E s .

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

T he motion c an be v iewed here : https ://www.bristol.gov.uk /moderngov

P lease email C leo at c llr.c leo.lake@ bristol.gov.uk to give y our v iews and to stay updated on the is sue .

@BristolBlackHM

F or more information on R eparations B ristol, c hec k out our Fac ebook page : www.fac ebook .c om/B ristolR eparations

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EDUCATORS

BUY SOCIAL WEST OF ENGLAND The best way to work with social enterprises is to buy from them!

What we offer:

Diagnostics

Tier 1 strategic engagement

Running partner vendor lists through SEUK’s database to baseline spend and make reccommendations across priority spend categories.

Working directly with large sub-contractors to support them to buy social.

Training and workshops

Social enterprise introductions

Half day knowledge exchange workshops sharing best practices, upskilling procurement teams and business leaders on social enterprise

Both individual recommendations and also collective Meet The Buyer events within specific categories.

This programme aims to boost the amount of public and private sector trading with social enterprises.

The Buy Social Regional Programme will support social enterprises by helping them find customers and access new markets.

#BuySocialWofEng To find out more: www.cognitivepaths.co.uk/business-development/buy-social-west-of-england/ 52

or contact us via buysocial@cognitivepaths.co.uk

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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Our s ocial interactions model our character and how we are perceived or received by other s . In South Af rica this is called Ubuntu meaning “ A per s on is a per s on through other s ” . We have s een many communities uniting towards a common objective and it ’ s clear a new cons cious nes s is ris ing. Mayibuye - iAf rik a. Amanadla!!!

Pho t o by Sł aw e k Rze w us k i

COMMUNIT Y

COMMUNITY

AFRIKAN DANCE I S LI FE!

K abbo Hue F erdinand Norman Mic hael S tephenson, aff ec tionately k nown as Rubba (elastic band), is an A frik an/global danc e ex traordinaire, c elebrated performer and teac her. Rubba pic ked up his nic k name as a 16-y ear-old danc ing in the streets of B ristol. His fluid tec hnique, rubber-like flex ibility, supple movements and grac eful sty le of danc ing have endeared him to audienc es , fellow danc ers & students all over the world.

Rubba : “My mother named me after one of the former Jamaic an Prime Minister ’s , Norman Manly. I’m more than just an A frik an danc er and teac her, y ou k now.

A fric an danc e s aved my life, at a time w hen I had little hope and very few options . I am forever grateful to the elders w ho taught me . T hey took me off the streets . A ll I want to do now is give bac k . I love teac hing the y oung people in sc hools , in the c ommunity, for this has imbued me with an amaz ing , culturally enric hed life .

Today, I’m managing my soc ial enterprise, A fidanc e, launc hed in 1996. We off er traditional A fric an drumming , story telling and danc e . I’m projec t leader, teac her, performer and work shop fac ilitator. I am ably supported by an ec lec tic c ollec tive of creative artists from all over the world.

We intend to c ontinue off ering holistic and traditional forms of cultural ex pres s ion.

Our des ire is to keep on enhanc ing the soc ial c ohes ion and cultural sens itiv ity of indiv iduals and c ollec tives we share our programs with.

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A fidanc e in partners hip with DM A C UK , independent artists , researc hers and the A rts C ounc il of E ngland have brought online our Mama A fric a Webs ite, a historic al and cultural online researc h resourc e . It c ame about bec ause of the suc c es s we had in initiating our Mama A fric a S c hools Projec t during B lac k Histor y month in 2013 & ’14.

50% of our work is with y oung people and adults from a wide variety of soc io -ec onomic , ethnic , and cultural bac k grounds . We give them new ex perienc es that c an inform their understanding of A fric an culture and way of life . W hen work ing with us we enc ourage them to take respons ibility for their pos ition in the group w hic h helps to build their c onfidenc e, fuel their aspirations , w hilst witnes s ing their general behav iour, attitude and sc hool work improv ing.

Partic ipants rec eive the danc e and how it relates to nature . We off er lec ture demonstrations with an in-depth look at A fric an traditions , c eremony and ex plore the many way s the drum instruc ts the danc er on how to move .”

T he streets of S t Pauls’ play ed a major role in his formative y ears and is w here he disc overed his innate des ire to danc e .

He instinc tively k new that even if he had nothing else going for him, at least he c ould danc e his troubles away. A nd in this

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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way, he started c ar v ing his le gac y into the memory and cultural tapestry of S t Paul’s c ommunity of B ristol.

Rubba : “O ne night w hilst danc ing I was approac hed by B arry A nderson. He inv ited me to help form a new group c alled ‘E kome A rts’. I was not interested in A fric an danc e at the time and dec lined.

T he nex t day however I was curious though and went to go see w hat they did.

W hat intrigued me was watc hing how the danc ers were responding to the drum. I duly joined, for this ex perienc e c hanged my life for the better.

W ithin 3 y ears E kome A rts bec ame the first and best group of our k ind in E ngland.

We were the standard bearers and opened the doors for A fric an danc e groups to be established all over the United K ingdom.

E kome performed and ran educ ational programs in sc hools loc ally, re gional, nationally and internationally. I stay ed with the c ompany from 1974-1983.

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B y 198 4 my time with E kome ran its c ourse and I was ready for a fres h c hallenge . I uprooted and moved to London. T here I joined a new ly formed group c alled ‘A dz ido Pan-A fric an Danc e E nsemble .’ My respons ibilities inc luded performing , c horeography and teac hing.

We performed to muc h ac c laim in many prestigious venues all over the U K and world. ‘I want to instill in my c hildren and all beings a sense of pride and feeling of belonging in themselves and to eac h other. We are all one, all human beings and for me, the healthiest way to ex pres s this is through danc e and self-educ ation.

A ll I want to do is s hare this truth with my family, c ommunity and the world.

I would like to end off by s haring a sense of in-depth gratitude to B arr y A nderson, G eorge Dz ikunu, B en B adoo, E mmanuel Tagao and numerous others for guiding me on this profound journey in ex ploring the wonders of A frik an Danc e . O ne Love!”

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

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MAMA AFRICA ONLI NE!

K abbo Hue F erdinand Why African Dance?

R ubba: A fric an danc e s ave d me and gave me a purp os e in life . It has ins pire d me in s o many way s and c hang e d my way of s e e ing the world . I have trave lle d and danc e d all ove r the world . I s tar te d my ow n c ompany A F IDA N C E and now at this s tag e of my c are e r I am work ing w ith c olle ague s managing D M AC U K (Danc e M us ic A r ts C olle c tive U K ). M y ex p e rie nc e as a danc e r has b e e n ve r y s p e c ial. I’m drive n to do as muc h as I c an to ke e p the dw indling A fric an danc e traditions alive .

T his de s ire is fue lling the nex t phas e of my journey w ith this b e autiful he aling ar t form . M ore details c an b e found at ht tps :/ afidanc e .c om . ​​​​ What ’ s your inspiration?

R ubba: I alway s fe lt B lac k His tor y M onth was a bit toke nis tic and s hould b e op e n for s tudy all y e ar round . T hus , hav ing this pag e give s te ac he rs the c hoic e to p ote ntially te ac h outs ide of the b ox . I’m not c omfor table w ith the te rm B lac k His tor y M onth, as it c ould le ad p e ople to think ing that the re ’s no c onne c tion b et we e n us . O ur re s ourc e is an A fric an global c ulture s tudy approac h, b e c aus e of the impac t that we have had on the world .

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R ubba: In 20 14 , w ith fantas tic s upp or t from AC E and B ris tol C it y C ounc il, I was able to fulfil a burning v is ion to c re ate the M ama A fric a O nline we b re s ourc e .

T his c ame ab out through my many y e ars ’ ex p e rie nc e of te ac hing in s c hools and par tic ularly during B lac k His tor y M onth. I was not happy w ith the limite d mate rials c hos e n; it was alway s the s ame p e ople b e ing c e le brate d . I fe lt we ne e de d to appre c iate A fric a’s role in pav ing the way for the world we are now b e nefiting from . W he n the financ ial s upp or t from funde rs e nde d , my c o -dire c tors at D M AC U K agre e d to s upp or t financ ially, and als o made tre me ndous e ff or ts to deve lop the s ite and g et it online . O ur initiating c onte nt fo c us e s on A fric an c ulture , but we aim to deve lop the s ite to inc lude othe r c ultuO ur guide line re s as we are all linke d . I c hos e to c all it M ama A fric a as this is the c ommon refe re nc e mos t p e ople in dias p ora us e w he n refe rring to the c ontine nt. O ur we b s ite is now live , it ’s in its infanc y s tag e s o ple as e take a look as we w ill b e happy for any s ug g e s tions that c an he lp us improve the re s ourc e at ht tps ://mama -afric a .net/.

M ama A fric a O nline is a we b re s ourc e that ex amine s the hug e impac t that A fric a has had on the evolution of mo de rn life globally. A fric a’s he ritag e aff e c ts us all but

What is the One Bristol Curriculum?

R ubba: D M AC U K is as s is ting O B C w ho have link s w ith s c hools in B ris tol and

have inv ite d us to intro duc e the M ama A fric a re s ourc e pag e to s c hools . W he re pupils c an ex p e rie nc e c las s room s tudie s and re s e arc h along s ide le arning to danc e and drum . O ne B ris tol C urric ulum is an initiative organis e d by c ommunit y ac tiv is ts , ar tis ts , e duc ators , te ac he rs and N G O s that are c ompiling a dive rs e , multic ultural e duc ation pac k ag e that c an b e taught in s c hools along s ide the formal c urric ulum . It ’s bas ic ally a new c it y -w ide c urric ulum for s c hools c re ate d to highlight B ris tol’s dive rs e c ulture s , the ir his tor y and ac hieve me nts . H op efully it w ill b e ac c e pte d and tie d into the O ne C it y P lan. C he c k out more information he re at ht tps ://c ognitive paths .c o .uk /one bris tol/.”

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

is s trang e ly ab s e nt from mos t s tudie s of his tor y. T he re s ourc e is fille d w ith proje c ts fe aturing A fric a , it ’s s uitable for various ag e s and the re s e arc h c an le ad to a de e p e r unde rs tanding of y ours e lf. T he re ’s a fo c us on His tor y, A r ts , G e olog y and Ins pirational L e ade rs bas e d around s mall re s e arc h tas k s in e ac h topic . T he key to the re s ourc e is that the re are no right or w rong ans we rs . You re s p ond to a tas k ; we ’ll give y ou s ome re s e arc h p ointe rs and w hat y ou pro duc e is op e n-e nde d . It c ould b e a painting or a p o e m , an ar tic le or a v ide o, a danc e or de mons tration, a mo de l or an e s s ay, y ou de c ide . Tas k s c an b e tailore d to diff e re nt ag e rang e s and the re s ult c an b e as big or as lit tle as y ou w is h. M ama A fric a is de s igne d for us ag e w ithin s c hools , s o we ’ve prov ide d link s to the N ational C urric ulum throughout the re s ourc e . T he tas k s c ove r lots of are as , from the E nglis h c urric ulum to His tor y, G e ography, P S H E , P E , A r ts and M us ic .

T he re s ourc e c an jus t as e as ily b e us e d at home though, and in many way s is an ide al H ome E duc ation re s ourc e . It ’s a ve r y c olour ful, us e r-frie ndly we b s ite , the tas k s are op e n-e nde d , the re ’s an ar tis tic re s p ons e to almos t eve r y s ubje c t and y ou als o have thos e link s to the N ational C urric ulum . Your c hildre n and y outh c an work on proje c ts that ke e p the m in s te p w ith s c hool or y ou c an work tog ethe r as a family and dev is e s ome c re ative re s p ons e s .

Do you want to end off with telling us about what ’ s happening with DMAC? R ubba: It ’s a bit of bit te rs we et new s ab out D M AC U K . W e have b e e n bas e d at H amilton H ous e for t we lve y e ars but are now look ing to re lo c ate to new pre mis e s .

T he unc e r taint y that C ov id -19 c re ate d has forc e d the is s ue . S tay ing at the c urre nt lo c ation was not a v iable option for us .

B ut to b e c le ar we are s till in ex is te nc e; our inte ntion is to find a new lo c ation and re c re ate the magic that make s us unique .

O ur s tudio was the only one in B ris tol that re pre s e nte d the c ommunit y w ith a varie d mix of tutors from various bac kgrounds and c ulture s inc luding A fric an traditional danc e , A frofus ion, Tribal B e lly danc e , S als a , C onte mp orar y danc e and B allet.

T his is w hat we are look ing to re c re ate . I c an’ t wait!

Check out Mama Africa Online

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COMMUNITY

BRISTOL BLACK HORROR CLUB LAUNCHING OCTOBER NOVEMBER 2020

A dam Murray W hy A B la c k Ho rro r C lub?

E ver s inc e I was a k id I was a fan of ghost stories , UF O s , monsters and tales of the unex plained. T hey would be a great way for me to esc ape the real fears that would haunt my daily life as a k id in the 80s ; fear of ‘Maggie T hatc her Milk-S natc her ,’ potential C old-War nuc lear annihilation, s k inheads on the street and in adverts on T V and break fast c ereal box es . T he c asual, c overt and overt rac ism I would ex perienc e as a mix ed-rac e boy, on the play ground and in c las srooms and loc al park s of my c hildhood. Horror c omic s and films helped me to c ope and make sense of real life fears through esc apism and bec ame a form of c athars is ; a therapeutic outlet for my own anger and frustrations as a k id. In my teenage y ears , watc hing horror mov ies on V HS and then DV D was a very empowering ex perienc e, along with an obses s ion for Hip Hop. A ny thing break-beat and b -line oriented, these were the ideas and c onc epts , the soundtrac k that shaped and influenc ed me . E ventually I believe this helped me on my path to study ing an undergraduate c ourse in F ilm S tudies as an adult-learner and then bec oming a film-curator/programmer and writer. My enc y c lopedic k now ledge of horror mov ies opened my horiz ons to

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wanting to learn more about the histor y of film and c inema globally, and only helped to broaden my opportunities and outlook .

A good horror film has something to tell us about the human c ondition, about w ho we really are and our indiv idual and c ollec tive strengths and weak nes ses .

Horror c an tap into the repres sed and ex pose and highlight the troubles and struggles of the oppres sed. Horror by definition is an awakening… It c an be s atiric al, educ ative, and also a sc ar y rollerc oaster-thrill-ride at the s ame time .

W hy B la c k Ho rro r Ma tte rs ?

Film scholar and author Tananarive Due’s UCL A class “ The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival And The Black Horror Aesthetic ”, is revelatory, and very much worth ex ploring for those interested in a more nuanced understanding of Black Horror. Due’s assertion that, “Black History is Black Horror ”, (Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror Neal-Bergin, US A , 2019) really ex presses why horror as a genre and then ‘our ’ horror stories, ‘diasporic horror stories’, are so very important. S o much of Horror C inema is about the gaze, who has control of the gaze, to look and be looked at, both on screen, behind the camera, for the audience, and represented by our absence

A B la c k Ho rro r R e na is s a nc e : G e t Out a nd Lov e c ra ft C o untr y W ith the success of Jordan Peele’s Monkey Paw production company, releasing films

like Get Out (2017,US A ), US (2019,US A ) and Nia DaC osta’s remake of Candyman (rescheduled for nex t year), plus Lovecraft C ountry currently on our screens, there has been a bubbling interest in Black Horror on both sides of the Atlantic . Bristol Black Horror Club is an events and online platform created by myself and my older brother to ex plore, cover and celebrate the burgeoning genre. The website will include a podcast and a blog showcasing writing talent, horror themed merchandise, news on all things Horror and Black Horror related as well as online screenings (once things become safer Horror screenings in venues and Live events with Q&A s and DJs fingers crossed for 2021). More announcements and details will follow as we launch towards the end of October into November 2020.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

and presence in those three locales . Our fears and stories of triumph over adversity matter as well. To know your own stories, to share with others, and to listen to the terror arising from within the tales of your own culture as diaspora is vitally important for one’s identity and sense of self. Failing to share these tales, or worse yet, to lose these tales across generations would be a tragedy, a horror in and of itself. Horror and Black Horror are about visualising trauma and struggle; about seeing ourselves, on screen, in y/our stories . An empowering and vital act.

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CALIFORNIA DREAMI N’ KENYA, CALIFORNIA & BECOMING A MOVIE MAKER V igo Wright T here are a thous and stories to tell within the last y ear and a half. T he sc ale of my projec ts has been ever increas ing , leading to a real sense of value within my v is ion and my self. I’m currently liv ing in B ristol, U K w hic h is a great c ity, but I feel as though no c ity c an c ontain my energy, I have to get out there and bey ond!

A lthough I’d had a few ex curs ions prev iously within E ast A fric a, this was the first time I had a full-blown projec t sc heduled in. T he mad thing about it was so muc h of the K enya trip fell so sweetly into plac e . A s a teenager, I had v is ions of performing in an A fric an c ountry, and this was genuinely a v is ion c ome true . I dec ided to write the ly ric s w hilst there to add to the authentic ity of the mus ic .

T his is how I c ame up the title “S awa” for

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the mus ic v ideo, a S wahili word w hic h trans lates to “c ool” or a general response of rec ognition. A fter wrapping up the v ideo shoot, I was s hort of c as h so dec ided to walk some of the way to the airport. It was around 11pm, and I was stopped by K enyan polic e w ho initially questioned my movements . T he mad thing is they ac tually off ered me a ride to the airport, and ended up c hec k ing out my mus ic and c hatting with me about my ex perienc es in the c ountr y. T his is another ex ample of how something seemed to have bles sed my journey. T here was suc h a v ibe in K enya.

At my A irbnb I met an A fric an A meric an from C alifornia named Terr y. We had a mad c onnec tion. Hanging out with him at a craz y Tony Montana-esque mans ion with some K enyans play ing pool and watc hing E nglis h football, he turned to me

S o now I’m heading to C alifornia with my c ameraman/editor Mic hael B rumby, my creative direc tor V inc ent B aidoo Lowe and the rest of my film crew. A fter suc c es s ful s hooting in S an Franc isc o, we get a ride to Los A ngeles , pas s ing E lon Musk ’s Tesla headquarters on the way. In between filming we get to hear mad stories from loc als , see the famous Holly wood s ign, hit Venic e B eac h, and got inv ited to some ex c lus ive pas sword-only rooftop parties .

It was also the wake of K obe B ryant ’s tragic death, and the entire c ity of L A was honouring him.We suc c es s fully shot three

mus ic v ideos then made our way bac k to E ngland. I’ve alway s been interested in ac ting and writing stories , so reinv igorated after my trip to C alifornia and suc c es s of my rec ent projec ts , I dec ided to branc h out into mak ing mov ies . I bumped into an as soc iate involved in filming s horts and documentaries . From there, a c onvers ation blos somed, and by June I’d written my first off ic ial script, w hic h I’m sc heduled to start shooting later in the y ear. W hilst in that proc es s , many other avenues be gan to open up and I found my self on a c lear path to aligning even more film projec ts . It will only be getting better from there, trust me!

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

and s aid “ Yo, c ome to C ali homie! I’m out in S acramento but y ou c an c hec k out L A , S an Fran and all that w hile there .” In that moment, I dec ided that after I wrapped up my upc oming UK shoots , I’d take my film crew to C alifornia to shoot a large -sc ale mus ic v ideo!

In c los ing , I want to s ay “as ante s ana” to ever y one involved in my v is ion, and glas ses raised to more prosperous and ambitious projec ts in the near future .

S awa my brothers and s isters !

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I’ VE GOT TO CLEAN HOUSE

A mena K ofi I’ve got to c lean house bec ause y ou’ve been tak ing liberties lay ing spread eagle on all my furniture not leav ing me a seat y ou’re alway s in the bathroom w hen I wake up w hen I told y ou there’s a c ertain time by w hic h I need to be ready y ou fling my windows wide open in the winter don’ t y ou think I need heat ? then y ou get on y our high horse w hen I dare s hiver talk ing to me about morals really ?

I c an’ t believe the audac ity y ou feast on all my food don’ t y ou think I need to eat ? us ing up all my elec tric ity is it any wonder I’m feeling off currently ? y ou waste all my gas it ’s alway s s ay ing z ero on the meter y ou slam my doors , scrape my floors wear and tear on the infrastruc ture the funny thing is , from the outs ide look ing in it look s fine but the ins ide is a mes s I c an’ t be gin to describe that ’s w hy I’m c leaning house for the home I deser ve bec ause c onfrontation isn’ t eas y but liv ing in limbo is worse .

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BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

T he poem ‘I’ve got to c lean house’ is about mak ing the dec is ion to get rid of tox ic thought patterns that pers ist in y our brain, in order to have a more enjoyable life . It also c overs the fac t that sometimes , even w hen we c ons ider how our current thought proc es ses are hurting us and dec ide to make a c hange, there is still a part of our brain that tells us that we should leave things the way they are, or even that we are wrong for wanting to c hange things .

A uthor ’s Note . @BristolBlackHM 67

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I T HURT S BECAUSE. . .

S herrie Eugene -Hart It hurts bec ause I feel T he pain that they endured 500 y ears ago was real I’m intrins ic ally linked to the billion perished souls I k now this bec ause DNA told me so

I talk about ‘ T hey ’ and I mean ‘ T hem’. I’m not talk ing about y ou, or y ou, or y ou.

It c ould be true T hey are related to y ou, but I’m not talk ing about y ou.

I’m talk ing about T HE M T hose Merc hant men

Not just the DNA , it ’s more than that y ou see T he pain that ’s deep ins ide my soul is deeper than the sea It ’s also in the fabric of the c lothes I c hoose to wear It ’s flowing in the open spac e we c all the open air It ’s higher than the highest destination k nown to man A nd stronger than the strongest stone that rests upon the land

Histor y tells us that they are heroes .

S tatues and reminders w herever we go A nd the truth was staring us in the fac e T hat ’s w hy C olston the S lave Trader was removed from this plac e Look him up and read w hat they ’ve s aid.

I think y ou really s hould, y ou’d think it was all good G ave money to sc hools and fed the poor, educ ated the ric h and so muc h more But one c ould argue, as muc h as he gave, the crux of his ric hes c ame from the enslaved W ith one hand he gave, but with the other, made me a s lave

It hurts bec ause my people were not born to be that way We were K ings and Queens and re gal beings , it should resonate today To think that we were stolen from our anc estral land.

We were w hipped and shac k led, raped and robbed, Just bec ause of rac e, all bec ause they didn’ t like the c olour of our fac e .

500 y ears have pas sed and they ex pec t me to forget.

T hey tell me to move on, those day s are gone and things have c hanged.

In truth it ’s an ex c hange, rac ism y ou see has just been rearranged.

Now if y ou haven’ t listened this verse may resonate for y ears . P lease lend me y our ears .

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I think about my parents how they struggled to sur v ive I think about their parents , the protec tion and the lies I pus h bac k to T HE IR parents in the C aribbean, new T hen I take it bac k to the plac e w here A frik a was all they k new.

S o w hen I ex pres s my self, don’ t judge me too hard. I was born here and c hoose to live in this here yard.

My blood is entwined in C lftons’ bric k s and mortar.

My anc estral souls flow in B ristols’ water.

B elieve me B ristol, this story is real.

It hurts bec ause I feel.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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K RUST ‘ THE EDGE OF EVERYTHING’ VINYL / CD / DOWNLOAD / STREAM CROSSTOWN REBELS 6TH NOVEMBER O n 6th November the free -think ing B ristolian master K rust takes us on a powerful and profound ride with ‘ T he E dge of E very thing’ – his first long play er in 14 y ears . T he pre -eminent elec tronic ic on, w ho c ontinuously blew minds throughout the 90s and 00s , has fully returned from his hiatus , rejuvenated and artistic ally liberated, with a v iv idly transportive and trans formative work unlike any thing else .

A round 2008, K rust left behind major suc c es s , tak ing time out to re -think and rearrange v ia philosophic al, mental and creative proc es ses . He now applies this to rec ording , with an approac h he describes as “80% ps y c hology and 20% mec hanic s , to strive for authentic ally unique and original mus ic ”. A nd the results really s how ; this is K rust as futurist rev is ionist, on his best ever form, mak ing ex hilarating standout trac k s of depth and substanc e, that ’re light y ears ahead.

T he sound is identifiably K rust, but now wider, deeper, freer, more intense and more fully-realised; beamed-in from the edge of the universe, from a transc endental c erebral nether world. If past anthems like ‘ Warhead’ and ‘S oul in Motion’ gave y ou a peek through the

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creator ’s doors of perc eption, here they are flung wide open, pulling y ou acros s into awe -inspiring new dimens ions .

Inspired by ever y thing from C hristopher Nolan to He gel, Martin S c orsese to T he K abbalah, K rust is ready to s hake things up with his wildly engros s ing new sonic stor y. O n this multi-lay ered masterpiec e entwined threads run s imultaneous ly, operating as a gripping fantas y tale, a profound trip into E go death, personal ex pres s ion and obser vation on oppres s ion. ‘ T he E dge of E very thing’ is as muc h a mov ie as it is an album, with a c ombination of adventure and brains that s hares k ins hip with the metaphy s ic al bloc k buster ‘Inc eption.’ In turns ps y c hologic al thriller, ac tion romp and sc i fi spac e opus , the LP has a narrative arc w hic h c harts a rec ondite journey to far bey ond and bac k , full of detours and levels .

A lthough primarily an esc apist fable, ‘ T he E dge of E ver y thing’ also has a prac tic al mes s age for aiding both creativ ity and global soc iety. A n unnamed protagonist fac es the prec ipic e, with no c hoic e but to take a leap of faith, embrac ing the unk nown and tac k ling the unc omfortably

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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unfamiliar. A profound and perilous quest of self-disc overy is undertaken:

“ THIS IS SOMETHING EVERYONE ON EARTH IS FACED WITH NOW” “A s we go further into the aby s s of unprec edented times , unc ertainty and turmoil, we have to fac e the reality of our future and adapt ”, c omments K rust. “E ven if we’re dragged k ic k ing and screaming , we’re going into a new world, w hether we like it or not. S ome people are reluc tant to do something diff erent, but I’m pushing for ward to show our c apabilities . We don’ t need to be afraid. We have to embrac e c hange, deal with life in a new way, and find diff erent approac hes . We’re at a fork in the road and there’s no way bac k .”

“It ’s the s ame with c ertain sc enes and sty les , w hic h mus ic ians shouldn’ t feel handcuff ed to”, adds K rust. “ We shouldn’ t tr y and maintain the status quo; it ’s gone now any way ! We need to take risk s . Do we want new and wonderful, or more of the s ame? ” A lthough a univers al hero/heroine, it ’s pos s ible this c harac ter is in fac t an avatar of K rust himself w ho, following a breakdown, left his re gular life as DJ/ produc er and entered unc harted territory.

“I walked away ; took a step bac k to disc over new things . I went on retreats and work shops , meditated, studied beliefs and neuro -linguistic programming , and thought a lot about creativ ity and c onsc iousnes s . I also had to really c ons ider, ‘ W ho is K irk T hompson’? ” Jumping straight into this high-oc tane adventure with intense, awakening eff ec t, ‘He gel Dialec tic ’ embark s with s ignposts to familiar genre motifs , but c hanged and unusual, like a dream world of fantastic al

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events , w here identifiable landmark s are warped and morphed. A lready deep into new patterns with a disre gard for struc ture tropes , ‘C onstruc tive A mbiguity ’ is an engros s ing and unpredic table speed through various atmospheres and env ironments . A spac e -s huttle -bas s line bounc es through an asteroid s hower at high veloc ity, s lowing at inter vals w hen the c osmos bec omes temporarily c lear.

Us ing Nas a terminology for the pointof-no -return, the g-forc e heav y ‘Ne gative R eturns’ hurtles further into the future, fuelled by w hat K rust describes as “c ognitive dis sonanc e”, w here sty les c ollide in a new reality.

‘A ntigrav ity Love’ is a c ollaboration with direc tor M ic hael W illiams , w ho wrote the monologue to w hic h K rust c omposed around. Part A fro Futurist love poem, part current aff airs tirade and part ‘12 Monkey s’ sty le mad rambling , it c aptures the c onfused frustration of someone untethered and lost, searc hing to find their way.

“ LIKE DREAMS WITHIN - DREAMS,

BY THE FRANTIC PSYCHEDELIC POWER OF ‘ SEVEN KNOWN TRUTHS ’ WE’ VE GONE DEEPER INTO A DANGEROUS BUT NECESSARY EXPERIENCE.” O ne from w hic h we may never return –

R eferenc ing the K abballah’s highest emanation, by ‘K eter T he Heavenly ’ the mov ie’s star has gone through “7 truths and 7 lay ers” – now headed towards enlightenment. T he mood lightens , with buoyant rhy thms that float through this

elevated plac e en route to somew here c elestial, only to find on ‘S pac e O ddity ’ that we’re far from the summit, and are plunged into a s k ittering industrial dy stopia. B y the story ’s end, spiralling other worldly forms , dramatic s y nth c asc ades and bas s waves swell in mas s ive way s , and the profundity of this epic ex perienc e really bec omes ev ident.

‘O nly G od C an Tell’ indeed.

K een to seek new paths and subvert the norm, K rust opted to release v ia C ros stown R ebels following the fer v id advanc es of Damian L az arus . T he pair have a longstanding histor y, w hic h be gan w hen the label owner play ed drum & bas s in his former DJ duo, P M S c ientists .

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

but must be undertaken, in order to reac h for awakening. A distant alien c ous in of the c las s ic V sound, ‘Deep F ield of L iars’ evokes the ps y c hoanaly tic al peelingbac k of lay ers , ac c es s ing long buried memories . W hen mak ing the rec ord, K rust dec onstruc ted his perc eption of self. “I s hattered my usual prec onc eptions , life patterns and work ing methods , sc attered them acros s the galax y, ex plored the unk nown guided by stars , gathered the s hards , and returned – reas sembling them into brand new shapes”, he rec alls .

For more details contact duncan@9pr.co.uk and james@9pr.co.uk DJ Krust Twitter : https://twitter.com/DJ KRUST Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj_krust/

Constructive Ambiguity: https://youtu.be/D25nvlS3-a0

@BristolBlackHM

Facebook : https://www.facebook .com/Dj.Krust

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BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

RES PECT

Pearl K ofi

Respect is a very important word Probably the most important word ever to be heard Just imagine what a different world this would be If respect was given equally.

So many injustices that take place today Would never be given the light of day People would hold back and completely rethink the treatment of others, they would make that link.

Regardless of whether people liked you or not They would disregard the feelings of hatred they've got.

They would understand the only thing that they should do Is to see the humanity of me and you.

And with this respect, it would spread and grow It would reach every single person we know It would transform the shape of society And then there would be a better world for us to see.

@BristolBlackHM

Pearl Kofi Urban Collective pharonight@hotmail.co.uk 01179021819

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THE SHIP THAT RET URNED THE SHIP THAT RETURNED WILL LIFT THE BLACK COMMUNITY ALL OVER THE WORLD!

E ric O hene -A djei & C ory G ale T he S hip T hat R eturne d is an up c oming nove l that follow s the journey of a group of dive rs e me mb e rs of the blac k dias p ora as they return home to the mothe rland of A fric a . A y oung man s tumble s up on a p owe r ful ins trume nt, and inadver te ntly s ummons T he S hip T hat R eturne d , an anc ie nt s pirit ve s s e l us e d to return his

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p e ople to the mothe rland . T he main c harac te rs are indiv iduals re pre s e nting diff e re nt c ommunitie s w ithin the blac k dias p ora – Yaw, a G hanian; Tunde , a Nig e rian; D re ad , a Jamaic an b e lieve r in H aile S e las s ie and A fric a as the promis e d land; and Ve rit y, a H aitian warrior and wors hipp e r of Vo dou .

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

Accomodating the world of diverse & poetic talent ...

What is Urban Word Collective?

ORDER AT: www.urbanwordcollective.co.uk / www.waterstones.com

@BristolBlackHM

Urban Word Collective is a UK based company with a strong social arm, specialising in publishing eclectic poets and related live performance, with scope to work other forms of writing and transcend traditional boxes.

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TURNING POI NT

Tony T In A utumn 20 21 we plan to s how a brand -new v ide o ins tallation at B ris tol M us eum & A r t G alle r y, that allow s his tor y ’s ne gle c te d voic e s to take c e ntre s tag e . Turning P oint is s et in the B ritis h W e s t Indie s c irc a 19 20 and bring s tog ethe r dramatic p er formanc e s , v ide o proje c tions , s ound de s ign, and montag e d imag e r y. T he re s ulting work promis e s to b e a p owe r ful and de e ply imme rs ive ex p e rie nc e of fie rc e b e aut y.

V iew traile r he re: w w w.y outub e .c om/ watc h? v =JIO m X 4 hvYg 0 & fe ature= y outu . be P ride of plac e in the v ide o’s s tunning 3D s te re o s ounds c ap e , w ill b e our inte rpretation of the s o -c alle d B arbados ‘S lave s S ong ’ dating from the late 170 0 s (of world s ignific anc e as the only k now n mus ic al trans c ript of an A fric an work s ong from the B ritis h s lave c olonie s).

A s eve r w ith the work of ar tis ts Tony T and R e b e c c a G olds tone , this ex hibition is unde rpinne d by the b e lief that p e ople from all bac kgrounds have s torie s that de s e r ve to b e he ard . T he proje c t is ins pire d by the re al-life s torie s of B lac k

B ritis h C aribb e an wome n and W W 1 vete rans .

To s upp or t Turning P oint, par tne rs ac ros s B ris tol are planning to hold a s e rie s of work s hops linke d to the ex hibition. To b e the firs t to he ar ab out the s e s p e c ial eve nts , follow @ S P atoote e on Tw it te r and Ins tagram . A b out S we et P atoote e A r ts A f te r 20 y e ars work ing tog ethe r, Turning P oint mark s Tony T and R e b e c c a G olds tone ’s firs t major proje c t as S we et P atoote e A r ts , a new non-profit roote d in the ir pas s ion for s tor y te lling and C aribb e an he ritag e . In the ir ow n words : “ W e have an awe s ome c re ative te am for Turning P oint, a c as t of p e r forme rs made up of ris ing s tars and e s tablis he d name s . B ut b e s t of all, we ’ve s tay e d true to our value s w ith a national proje c t that allow s B lac k volunte e rs to take par t - by re c ording off -s tag e voic e s for our s ound de s ign.”

If y ou’d like to b e par t of Turning P oint, the re are s till a s mall numb e r of volunte e r role s available .

So if you express yourself well in a Jamaican or Barbados dialect, get in touch:

contact@sweetpatootee.co.uk

+ 0207 686 5101

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FENCING IS FOR EVERYBODY. K abbo Hue F erdinand Youth worker S tephen Findlay has been tutoring young people in the art of Fencing.

For this nex t report, I’ve interviewed two of the young people who are engaged in this discipline, Ms Ayah Yaqub and Mr A shley Brown.

Introduce yourself and tell us why do you like Fencing?

Ayah: “ Hi. My name is Ayah Yaqub and I am 7 years old. I like fencing cause it ’s fun and exciting, plus I’m learning skills .

And if somebody tries to hurt me, I will be able to defend myself. I enjoy going to the tournaments because if you do well you can win medals and at the end, they sometimes give us sweets . I’ve won two medals and a golden shield. I remember the first tournament I competed in, I came first; my dad did not film it because we did not know that I was going to be first. And that ’s where I won my golden shield.”

A shley : “I am A shley Brown and I’m 11 years old. I like fencing because we get to use sword things and I can become good at it. The thing I enjoyed most is beating my friends . I enjoy tournaments, but my age group is really tough. I don’t win that much and am sometimes saddened by it, but I want to get better.”

If you were to invite more children to join Fencing, what would you tell them?

Ayah: “I invited some of my friends to join and told them that it was fun and told them that they could use swords, because they love using swords . And they came and we

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had a lot of fun. I would say the same to other girls too. Fencing is my number one sport and my second favourite is Tennis .

I love Fencing and want to keep doing it forever.”

A shley : “I would tell them if they could beat me or compete with S tephen then they could win medals and treats at tournaments . And then say, (in a deep voice) It ’s Wednesday my dudes!” as he and Ayah walk off giggling, reading themselves for their nex t sparring session.”

Introduce yourself and tell us about Fencing.

S tephen: “My name is S tephen Findlay.

My colleague, Jimmy Taylor and I started teaching at the club about three years ago after receiving some lessons from a Fencing coach, John Rhodes . He came to teach us some tactics and general practice so that we could pass it on to other people in the community and broader area. We are known as Inner C ity Fencing and are doing our sessions in Docklands Youth Project.

The main club we are aff iliated to is W hite E agle Fencing Club in S hirehampton. The club has been supportive and we are always welcome to attend and practice techniques .

We’ve had some success in the short time they have been doing it. Our fencers have done well in internal competitions and an international competition in Wales last year.

One of our fencers won gold and another won bronze. They ’ve been doing really well in terms of improving their technique and progressing well in competitions . The good thing is that it is a discipline just like any

What is representation and diversit y like in fencing locally, nationally and internationally?

S tephen: “It has become better, but it has been a very elitist sport in the past. It is a very ex pensive sport to maintain, but has become more accessible over recent years .

The equipment and travelling can be quite ex pense, but we looking at ways to keep growing our sport and supporting our youth.

Diversity is better than what it used to be, as there are people of colour on the British team. At the last Olympics, a Muslim woman was representing the American team and

they have a few Black fencers on their team. There are also fencing associations in Africa and the Caribbean now who are very competitive on the international front.

International judging panels have also become more representative. We got to just carry it on, get the word out and get more people involved. We must get more people to try and who knows they might even like it.”

So when and how can people join?

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

other martial art with rules, conventions and guidelines you have to abide by. It also lends itself to being creative because it is not just a black and white thing where one thing follows another and you get a result. It takes thinking, tactics, and movement, looking at what the other person is doing, nuance, counteracting when they are hesitating and judging when to attack and strike. It ’s a good discipline to help you develop your cognitive and lateral thinking abilities and to be able to apply that to your life. It will help you work towards goals and to encourage you to keep working at improving in different aspects of your life.”

S tephen: “ We had to take an enforced break because of C ovid and summer holidays, but we are hoping to restart the club early October 2020. Our normal sessions are Wednesdays 4:30pm - 6pm and we hope to maintain this slot back at Docklands Youth Project in Brigstocke Road, S t Paul’s .”

S tephen heads back over to the young fencers under his tutelage and continues instructing them on the finer details of the art form. This has been quite an ex hausting and enlightening day as I am left with great admiration and appreciation for these youth workers and young and enthusiastic people I’ve met. We need all the good vibrations we can encourage and generate.

@BristolBlackHM 81

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A LONG JOURNEY AHEAD Jada Johnson Dutfield We all have a long journey ahead, a lot of work to do and by we I mean all of us .

Your neighbour at number 22 , y our bos s w ho does the hiring and firing , y our loc al s hop worker, the teac hers at y our c hild’s sc hool, the plac es y ou spend y our money and seek entertainment, y our family and friends . A ll of us are nec es s ary, inte gral, in mak ing this c hange that ’s been a long time c oming.

I’m tired of people think ing rac ism doesn’ t apply to them bec ause “I’m not a rac ist ” or “I have blac k friends” or better still “I’m not a rac ist but ...”

R ac ism is institutional and it aff ec ts all of us , not just those with melanin. How c an we live in a world that ’s not equal, live in a world turning a blind ey e, stay ing s ilent, cros s ing to the oppos ite s ide of the street as fellow humans c ontinue to fight for equality. We may not have the s igns “no blac k s allowed” display ed in shop windows but s ilently we are still battling the quiet, unseen restric tions set up and established by the soc iety we have been raised in.

T he k illing of G eorge F loy d lit a matc h and we s aw c ities ignite . T he world c aught fire, as y ears of pain, anger and despair bubbled to the surfac e . It was awoken in many w ho had buried it deep, or lived nurturing the lie that the world was a fair and just plac e for all.

Watc hing a man k illed before our very ey es as a w hite off ic er k nelt on his nec k

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for 3,5,10 sec onds , as though his life was nothing , and therefore as though our lives were nothing , threatened to break something in me that day, or may be just weakened those crac k s glued together and plastered over. T his however was not k intsugi, k nown as golden joinery in Japan, w here broken pottery is mended with gold, thus mak ing that broken a thing of beauty.

No, these fis sures and fault lines were ugly and raw, threatening to make the entire body crumble and crac k . T hey weakened more as justific ation of the k illing was voic ed by some, as we were told “ if y ou just s how some respec t,” or “ if y ou aren’ t mouthy ”. B ut this time it was ever y sk in shade that felt some measure of pain, fres h ey es c ould see our s ilent trauma resurfac ing and new voic es rose up to s ay enough is enough.

S inc e the matc h was lit I have read more, written more, taken a stand more and spoken out to a wider group. I realised w hat I really alway s k new, that I would c ensor my self, sc ared, sc ared of the delic atenes s of others , gagging my self and stifling my voic e for fear of others fragility. B ut no longer lest I too bec ome part of the problem. T his moment, this renewed movement, bec ame something that establis hments had to ac k now ledge, rec ognise and y es take owners hip of their part to play. Institutional and s y stemic rac ism is there at the very foundations of soc iety.

I started a new job at S ec ond S tep, a leading mental health c harity, during loc kdown. T heir ethos is something

You see, w hat y our c ompany does nex t is just as important as w hat the world does nex t. O rganis ations need to take stoc k , to look at themselves and be honest as to w hether they measure up. E stablishments look ing inward and rec ognis ing their own failings , look ing to restruc ture their

organis ations and to advanc e rac ial justic e are tak ing the first nec es s ar y steps along a ver y long road. T he work plac e is a microc osm of the wider world we live in and although it may seem a drop in the oc ean this is how c hange be gins and w here the c hange makers c an often be found. It is nec es s ar y to addres s the s y stemic rac ism in our soc ieties and it ’s a s ign of strength to do so. However I would not c all it brave, for braver y lies in those that take to the streets to marc h in the fac e of hostility and bloc k ades , those that have seen their mother, brother, c hild’s life snuff ed out due to hatred y et get up ever y day and still speak out and still hold their plac ard high. T hat is the true fac e of bravery.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

that I’m proud to be a part of. However w hen I asked to join the internal ethnic minority group during the tumultuous period of protests , I found out that it had disbanded. W ith the right support, the right pos itioning and rec ognition within the organis ation this might have been preventable . A s a mental health c harity, wellbeing is at our very c ore and so to realise that some of y our own staff , c olleagues and teams’ wellbeing and mental health is suff ering is a hard pill to swallow. Yet it ’s w hat y ou do nex t that matters and it bolstered me to see the steps being taken, the reports being written, proc es ses and proc edures being looked at and ac tion being taken. Words only go so far but ac tions speak volumes and to see them set up a steering group spec ific ally to addres s rac ism, ready to do the work that will at times prove “unc omfortable” and c hallenging felt like ally ship.

Now is the time to hold up the wear y and join in the fight, take a stand by y our c olleagues and create the c hange in y our sphere of influenc e . It has to start at the top, it has to start in the educ ational s y stems , it has to start in the home . It ’s a mammoth task but all the more reason we all have to c hip away at it together. T his needs to be done so not one more person think s they c an wield hatred as the world watc hes - for the world is watc hing and no longer will it stay s ilent.

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HALF-CASTE, MIXED RACE, DUAL HERI TAGE: HOW ACCEPTABLE ETHNIC LANGUAGE HAS EVOLVED K atie Donovan-A dek anmbi T here is only one rac e, the human rac e . W hen we c ate goriz e, we create hierarc hic al struc tures , as history has proven, so the c onc ept of “rac e” has been tainted for me . During my y outh, the words “mongrel” and “ half-breed”, both derogatory terms , were used more c asually to describe people of dual heritage . Dehumaniz ation in language is nothing new. I referred to my self as halfc aste until my early teens , and allowed other people to, not understanding w hat it meant. G iven my work ing-c las s roots , the term half-c aste was double -edged, being rooted in c las s more than ethnic ity. I’ve been asked by an older W hite relative, would it have been eas ier to as s ign the “mix es” to one group to preser ve a sense of self ? “K atie if we were invaded by aliens , y ou’d be c oming with us”, s ay s my B lac k c ous in. “O h, I didn’ t mean it like that, our K ate’s one of us”, s ay s my W hite elder.

T he c onc lus ion I alway s arrive at is “ hell no!” B est of both worlds right here .

Here’s my truth: after a lifetime of nav igating two worlds , I’ve earned the right to c laim my dual heritage with c onfidenc e . It ’s been aw kward and unc omfortable, required a lot of eff ort and incredible res ilienc e . It takes some “minerals”, a B ristolian measure of

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strength. Your “mix ed” family and friends have a wealth of k now-how and ins ight that we c an all learn from. O ut of the aw kward and unc omfortable emerges grow th and development. I want to s hout from the roof-tops “ it ’s ok !” It ’s going to be unc omfortable ; dive in, stic k y our head above the parapet, it ’s time . B ec ause it has the potential to be beautiful, to be wonderful.

S ome v iew multicultural B ritain as a failure, something w hic h I find off ens ive .

We are ric h in cultural c apital with 14% of the c ountr y made up of B A M E (B lac k , A s ian and M inority E thnic) persons .

G rowing up in a W hite family, c ommunity, and attending a predominantly W hite sc hool influenc ed me greatly. O n reflec tion, I c an now ac k now ledge that this was tough. B eing y oung , I did not have the voc abular y to describe the impac t on the formation of my identity.

It was hard to understand and make sense of, let alone ex pres s .

Don’ t get me wrong , I had a wonderful upbringing in a lovely and c aring home, with two hard-work ing parents and a holiday ever y y ear. We were plugged into our c ommunity and we looked out for eac h other; c off ee mornings at mum

E ac h s ide of my self c omes with their own magnific ent diff erenc e ; food, mus ic , danc e, fashion, politic al v iews , and culture . But despite these diff erenc es the fundamentals between us are the s ame . We’re all try ing to sur v ive, we all need love and we all like a good foot stomping , tear induc ing , belly wrenc hing laugh. T he humanity that underpins our daily lives is so interc onnec ted; we have more in c ommon then we don’ t. W hic h is w hy I was alway s intrigued by the fear of the “other ”. O f c ourse, there are

indiv iduals w ho totally break this norm, cros s boundaries and embrac e diff erenc e with ease . It ’s this quality in a person that I admire greatly.

I was born with diff erenc es written into my story, in a v isual way. You c an’ t see my beliefs , my neurodivers ity, my sex ual orientation, any more than I c an see y ours , unles s I c hoose to ex pres s it.

V isual ethnic ity c an’ t be brought out at one’s discretion. It is fix ed, it is permanent, and I have the right to be treated fairly, re gardles s , though that ’s not alway s the reality. T here is alway s another way to ex ist together without blame or resentment, and we must reimagine it for all. W ith the brutaliz ation of 20 20 so far and B rex it still approac hing , we need to c ar ve out a new identity, a better identity. A s a dual heritage B ristolian, I founded B c ohC o, a bus ines s based on rais ing awarenes s in embedding Divers ity, Inc lus ion, C ohes ion and E quality (DIC E ), in our daily prac tic e . F or more information please v is it w w w.B C ohC o.c om and or look out for us on soc ial media.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

friends’ houses , and family and friends on every street within a mile radius . My teen y ears were c onsumed by identity and an inherent need to understand both s ides of my family ; my B lac k B ritish father and W hite B ritish mother with cultural influenc es from E ngland, Ireland and Jamaic a. I went on to marry a B ritish Nigerian bec ause three birth-right heritages just weren’ t enough to nav igate!

A s I got older, I started to see the ric hnes s of being part of and understanding these cultures . A priv ile ge and respons ibility had been bestowed upon me .

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Co mr i e ’ s Car i bbe an Cui s i ne 12 4 Gr os ve no r Ro ad, BS2 8YA 078 47 9 50 016

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Pho t o s B y Be t h Hi ne BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS @BristolBlackHM

The Lab Br is t ol

128 As hley Ro ad, St Paul’ s , BS6 5PA 0117 336 2167 t he l abbr i s t o l @gmai l . c o m

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The Li o n o f Judah Pr evai l - Uni t y Ras t af ar i Cul t ur e Ce nt r e 136 Gr os ve no r Ro ad, BS2 8YA 078 9 9 9 13811 r as t af ar i anc ul t ur e c e nt r e @y aho o . c o . uk 88

Ras K i ng Ahbba

136 Gr os ve no r Ro ad, BS2 8YA 079 8 30 8 40 45 pur e l ove uni t y @gmai l . c o m

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Ex c l us i ve c l o t hi ng & Pr o mo t i o ns

@BristolBlackHM Pho t o s B y Be t h Hi ne 89

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ST. PAUL’ S CARNIVAL

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@BristolBlackHM

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ST PAULS AFRICAN CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL 2020: GOI NG DI GI TAL

K abbo Hue F erdinand Due to the C OV ID-19 global pandemic , S t Pauls A fric an C aribbean C arnival 20 20 went digital. Yes , C arnival was c elebrated online, mad idea, I k now! I was ac tively a part of the proc es s as an A frik an G riot S tory teller, C eremonial Drummer, and loved every moment of it. S trangest of times indeed. I hope in 20 21 every body gets and stay s healthy so we c an get bac k onto the streets to danc e, s ing , tell stories and c elebrate, true C arnival sty lie!

I c ontac ted L aToya McA llister-Jones , E x ecutive Direc tor of S t Pauls C arnival C IC B ristol, to enquire about the nex t steps . T his is w hat she had to s ay : W hat prompted the board to t a k e C a r n iv a l d ig it a l a n d w h a t w a s it s im p a c t ?

We c anc elled C arnival on 24th Marc h, the day after loc kdown. It was a diff icult dec is ion, but the right one . We still wanted to off er something. I dec ided to do more researc h and started watc hing Fac ebook watc h parties of my favourite DJs . W hat made it all c lic k was watc hing an amaz ing Z oom party that R ampage of Nottingham C arnival did. It was so visual.

People were wearing their carnival outfits , it was magic al; I felt like I was in the room.

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It felt like the perfec t way to rec onnec t with people and keep our spirits up as we worked our way through the pandemic .

E ver y body ’s been work ing hard to make sure we reac h out to our most vulnerable and isolated c ommunity members . We dec ided to use C arnival as a means to reac h out and rec onnec t. We also wanted to work with our artists w ho had all their summer gigs c anc elled. We wanted to create a platform for our c ommunity artists to s howc ase their talent and spread a bit of joy w hile prov iding work ing opportunities . T hat ’s how the ‘S pirit Up! United at Home’ c onc ept for S t Pauls C arnival 20 20 c ame to life . It ’s about the c ommunity c oming together in a diff icult time and lifting ever y body ’s spirit, even if we were forc ed to c elebrate from home .

W a s it a s u c c e s s ?

We’ve never done any thing like this before . If y ou as ked me a y ear ago, “How do y ou put c arnival online? ”, I wouldn’ t have been able to env is ion that. C arnival for me, and ever y body else, is suc h a live and direc t ex perienc e . It ’s about walk ing around, the sounds , the smells and being with y our people . It was a real creative c hallenge to attempt to recreate this v ibe, but I think we did. T he feedbac k ’s been

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truly pos itive . We were able to take it out of that one day and trans form it into a two -week cultural program that led up to the day.

CARNIVAL FOR ME IS SUCH A LIVE AND DIRECT EXPERIENCE. IT’S ABOUT THE

T he s tor y te lling y ou did was gre at for familie s w ith c hildre n w ho we re at home , and the talk that E ds on and N ay o did on J ’ouve r t was e nlighte ning for many as it is a C aribb e an c arnival c ultural prac tic e that is not done in B ris tol. O ve r 25 0 ,0 0 0 p e ople tune d in to watc h, from as far afie ld as U S A , U k raine and C y pre s s .

W e want to ke e p e le me nts of the digital plat form alive nex t y e ar, eve n w he n we are bac k on the s tre et, as we we re able to s hare more of the c ultural as p e c t and s ignific anc e of C arnival that might othe r w is e have b e e n mis s e d .

SOUNDS, THE SMELLS AND BEING WITH YOUR PEOPLE.

A n y c lo s in g c o m m e n t s ?

We want to thank all our c ommunity members , sponsors , c ollaborators and donors that make C arnival w hat it is .

We are alway s needing ambas s adors , volunteers and fundraisers . We’ll be running a B lac k History Month C arnival program in O c tober, details of w hic h will be posted on our soc ial media s ites . T hank y ou all, get involved and let ’s get ready to c elebrate on the streets of S t Pauls and digitally to the world in 20 21.

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Tony T S miths Travel and S hipping has been operating for 12 Years going , we prov ide the ser v ic es of airline travel, spec ialises in destinations to the C aribbean, US A , and G ambia. We also prov ide the ser v ic e of S ea and air freight S hipping to Jamaic a, the other C aribbean islands , G ambia and G hana. A nd the ser v ic es of World wide money trans fer c ompletes the range of ser v ic es we prov ide .

It has been diff icult to keep the bus ines s operating for all these y ears espec ially during the rec ent on going pandemic , we had to cut the day s and hours we operate to enable us to c ontinue operating and ser ve the c ommunity. We were happy that we were one of the bus ines ses that c ontinue to trade during the loc kdown, this enabled people to send and rec eived money to and from love ones with was es sential at suc h a diff icult time, A lso relatives was able to send food and c lothing to families in Jamaic a, the rest of the C aribbean and A fric a w hic h was most v ital then.

O ne Love Jam “ T he C arnival eff ec t street event ” the fast growing B ristol event,

T his idea and ethos c ame about by “ S mithy ” T he ex ecutive organiser and promoter of O ne Love Jam .. but has been supported by O ther bus ines ses and res idents on W ilder st. S t. Paul’s B ristol.

Understandably this y ear we were restric ted a lot from the c ounc il and Avon and S omerset polic e but we were thank ful it G et the go ahead E ven though we had to follow loc al government guidelines and introduc e soc ial distanc ing rules and crown management re gulations . but for the first time it took plac e over two day s , this we plan to c ontinue .

O ne Love Jam welc omes talent for all bac k ground and rac e, its fly er eac h y ear des ign with flags from a number of c ountries s ignifies the representation

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We hope that we can continue to provide these services to the S t. Paul’s and surrounding community but this can only be achieved with the support and understanding of the local community that supporting small blac k bus ines ses is es sential for the suc c es s and sustainment of these bus ines ses to prov ide ser v ic es to the B A M E c ommunity, B lac k bus ines ses seems to fac e the most c hallenges , and hopefully through teac hing and adopting we c an see a more suc c es s ful c ommunity and nation in the future .

has been going for 4 y ears at it ’s re gular loc ation on wilder S t. S t. Paul’s and 20 20 even through this unprec edented time due to C OV ID -19, and we had to follow soc ial distanc es guidelines , has been the most suc c es s ful so far, the attendanc e this y ear has been great, and as the event is all about multicultural, it was great to see this in the attendees . “ T hank s to O ut of Hand“ our main sponsor w ho pus h the event on a wider platform this y ear. However so far all funding has been solely dependent on S miths Travel and S hipping and owner Josc ely n “smithy ” S mith. We A re hoping to get other sponsor and investors for our 5 y ears annivers ar y in 20 21 and bey ond.

O ne Love Jam is about promoting loc al talents giv ing them a platform to showc ase themselves and giv ing bac k to the c ommunity by supporting two loc al c harities by donating part proc eeds from profits .

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ONE L OV E J A M

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of the event. However most of the performers and DJ’s from C aribbean and A fric an dec ent will be the focus of inv itees to c ontribute there ser v ic e and get the c hanc e to be seen, is will help these y ouths to have a sense of identity and purpose, to boost their c onfidenc e and hope to get a c hanc e to make it to mainstream, to pursue their c areer in this field. T he blac k y ouths of today needs to feel they have a c hanc e to be equal in this soc iety, evolv ing through platforms of a c ommon purpose for all and teac hings to make them S uc c es s fully ac hieve w hats needed.

O ne Love Jam is about Peac e, Love, R espec t, Unity, E quality and fun and being a B ristol born event c ouldn’ t have been more ideal for it to fulfil its purposes in the most diverse C ity in the Uk . We all are O ne, we are B ristol, we Unite and as the best c ity in the Uk we ex pec t O ne Love Jam to lead as it ’s idol event, support and look for ward to it on 28 and 29 A ug 20 21.

“ONE LOVE JAM IS ABOUT PROMOTING LOCAL TALENTS GIVING THEM A PLATFORM TO SHOWCASE THEMSELVES AND GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNIT Y ” 102

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Barbara Dettering

“ WE NEED TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO TELL OUR HISTORY, OUR STORIES, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE.” 104

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SHOWCASI NG AFRI CAN E XCELLENCE FOR REPRESENTATION

C hristelle Pellec eur T he world has been shaken up in the last few day s with the pas s ing of C hadwic k B oseman. I am not one to bow down to c elebrity, but wak ing to this news had a profound eff ec t on me . S eeing the amount of tributes pouring in from around the world, I am not the only one . He was an inspiration for both his talent and the way he lived his life .

T he UK release of the film in F ebruar y 2018 was also ver y spec ial for me as a few months earlier my A fric an Queen projec t had launc hed for B lac k History month in O c tober. I started the projec t to share a pos itive v is ion of A fric a outs ide of ens lavement, and wanted to s howc ase the ac hievements of powerful A fric an women w ho have c ontributed to the histor y of A fric a. I believe it is important to focus on a narrative about our own histor y, and I wanted to show B lac k women as pos itive role models . B lac k Panther (2018) s howed a v is ion of an A fric an k ingdom untouc hed by c oloniz ation and s howed women as beautiful, strong and powerful. I s aw the film as a gift, as a validation of my projec t.

I s aw the world of Wak anda as the world that I would like the nex t generation to be inspired by.

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I first c ame acros s C hadwic k ’s talent through his portrayal of James B rown in G et O n Up (2014), but I will never forget the first time I s aw his portrayal of K ing T-C halla in B lac k Panther (2018). T here were so many things that spoke to me in the mov ie . It was a display of ‘ y oung , gifted and blac k ’ creatives , as B oseman himself has put it, with the majority of the c ast being blac k , unc ommon in the mainstream media. I worked as a makeup artist for many y ears in the fashion, T V and film sec tors , and seeing the treatment given to models , ac tors and creatives of c olour made me retreat more and more from the industry. T he lac k of divers ity and representation in these industries is appalling , and there is also the is sue of c liques , w hic h leaves many talented creatives on the outs ide . T he runway s hows that I worked on or attended were full of w hite models w ho all looked alike,

with the s ame going for print magaz ines , T V s hows and mus ic v ideos . I got tired of seeing the stereoty pic al standard of beauty as w hite . It was diff icult for B lac k artists to be c ast in the industr y, and if one was c ast it was usually a light-sk inned model or ac tor. S o w hen B lac k Panther (2018) c ame out at the c inema, it was something that many of us had been waiting for a long time .

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O f course, there is no denying that Hollywood benefited more from the financial gain of the film’s success than the black creatives involved, but I still believe that we should be pushing for projects such as this .

It is important to tell the nex t generation what Africa could have looked like before colonialism, and without the interference of the West; to show a world where science and spirituality could live in harmony, and where Black excellence presides .

T he film had an impac t on so many generations bec ause we c ould relate and we felt represented. A lso, as someone w ho has a huge interest in fashion, des ign and c ostumes , it was a feast for my ey es as there were so many referenc es to many traditional ty pes of A fric an c lothing.

Projec ts suc h as B lac k Panther (2018) don’ t c ome around very often in the mainstream media, as the industry is not ready to put B lac k ex c ellenc e to the forefront. A nother projec t I got very ex c ited about rec ently is B ey onc e’s B lac k is K ing (20 20). T here have been a lot of critic isms out there about her romantic ised vers ion of A fric an history, with some ac cus ations of promoting B lac k superiority with her statement “Let B lac k be s y nony mous with G lory.” But, for s imilar reasons as B lac k Panther (2018), I loved B lac k is K ing (20 20).

I praised the c inematography, c ostume des ign, and the anc estral, spiritual and cultural referenc es suc h as K anaga mask s , c owrie shells and Mangbetu hairsty les . I praised the story line of the journey of self-identity and rec laiming one’s roots . I praised how talented B lac k des igners were showc ased alongs ide big mainstream brands . I rec ognised A dama Paris , L a Falaise Dion and Tongoro, des igners that I have been following , among the many other A fric an des igners s howc ased. I also praised B ey onc e for us ing A fric an ac tors , danc ers and creatives . B ey onc e showed the power of representation, and a quote of hers summarises my feelings : “ We need to c hange the narrative, we need to c ontinue

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to tell our history, our stories , from our perspec tive .”

A s we progres s in this unc ertain time, I will c ontinue to look up to and be inspired by people suc h as B ey onc e and C hadwic k B oseman for their work ethic , determination, perseveranc e, and for the pas s ion they put into their work . I am grateful for people like them to s how B lac k creatives the way for ward. O n a ver y small sc ale, I will c ontinue to develop the work I have done through the A fric an Queen projec t. A s some may k now, the A fric an K ings ex hibition is in the pipeline, as well as other ex c iting projec ts along the way.

F or now, we have restruc tured into a new organis ation c alled R az ana A frik a, raz ana meaning “anc estors” in my Malagas y language . I am truly grateful for the support of all the amaz ing women and photographers w ho c ontributed to the A fric an Queen projec t, as well as to ever y one else w ho has supported the projec t in one way or another. I am also ver y grateful to Dr Marie -A nnic k G ournet and Dr S hawn S obers for supporting me in mov ing R az ana A frik a for ward. Watc h this spac e, there is more to c ome .

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“ I GOT TIRED OF SEEING THE STEREOT YPICAL STANDARD OF BEAUT Y AS WHITE. IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR BLACK ARTISTS TO BE CAST IN THE INDUSTRY.” [...] @BristolBlackHM

“ THE FILM HAD AN IMPACT ON SO MANY GENERATIONS BECAUSE WE COULD RELATE AND WE FELT REPRESENTED. “

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THE POWER OF NYANYARA Naa A djeley G borjorr “Naa-A djeley, let me teac h y ou something s imple . If y ou want to do spiritual c leans ing , just put Nyanyara in water and wash it. W hen y ou are done, pray and use the water to bathe . Nyanyara is powerful.”

T his was the c hief priest of L a w ho I was inter v iewing with a friend to understand more about L ak pa, the deity of L a town.

A s I have spent many y ears learning about my heritage, Nyanyara (Momordic a C harantia) has bec ome a favourite of mine as it features every w here in G a culture and s y mbolism. Our R oyals c hoose this plant over gold and s ilver as their adornment of c hoic e . It is a part of many purific ation rituals - w hether it be c eremonial washes for the heads of the town or bathing rituals for mothers . It was even used historic ally to help stop the spread of smallpox into Nungua (a town in A c cra, G hana). It drives away ev il,

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c leanses and brings increased levels of fabulousnes s to all w ho wear it.

Our cultural understanding of the spiritual world and our plac e within it have informed and s haped many of our traditions . T he ability to phy s ic ally and spiritually c leanse features heav ily in all we do. S o, in our modern lives do not forget to take time to look after y our phy s ic al, mental and spiritual health, all of w hic h have an impac t on y our life ex perienc es . If Nyanyara is not on hand, c hoose a herb that y ou c onnec t with, and if y our c hosen herb c an’ t be used as a bath, make a tea, set y our intentions and drink ; those 5 minutes c an c hange the tone of y our w hole day.

Yo u c a n f in d o u t m o r e b y v is it in g : Ins t a : tsofany e for all things herbal ww w.T heG aDangme .c om to learn about my amaz ing culture

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AFRIKAN ARTIVIST: COVI D-TED TI MES K abbo Hue F erdinand Love and G reetings to all melanated beings during this B lac k History Month of 20 20! I hope y ou and y our loved ones are well in these strangest of C ov id times .

My name is //K abbo Hue F erdinand.

I am a S outhern A frik an, B ristol based A rtiv ist and S tory teller loc ated in S t Pauls . I’m eager to learn how people are c oping s inc e we emerged from loc kdown, c ons idering we fac e the threat of a sec ond being imposed. Many, y oung and old, have suff ered alienation and lonelines s and this c ould only lead to an increase in emotional and mental vulnerability. At this moment any and all pos itiv ity we c an c o create is needed.

I dec ided to nourish my curios ity and went searc hing for ac tive c ommunity heroes . T he following series of writings are ac c ounts of the c onvers ations and obser vations I had, all of them united in their des ire to create platforms and s afe spac es for pos itive indiv idual, cultural and c ollec tive ex pres s ion. We are fac ing the most unc ertain time, I believe, s inc e World War II. Meeting these people is inspiring; their c ommitment and tenac ity is truly c ommendable .

E very industry, every culture has been ne gatively impac ted by the pandemic .

G enerally trauma and suff ering c an never be c ompared, but the B A M E c ommunity has suff ered the highest mortality rate numbers in the UK , with 255 deaths per 100,000 people from Marc h to mid-May. Highest among blac k meI have c aptured their words as ac curately as pos s ible .

I des ired to allow them to ex pres s

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themselves as freely and ex pres s ively as they wanted. T he topic s c overed range from arts and culture, to sport and financ ial and as set literac y in the B A M E c ommunity.

No c laim is made that the w hole perspec tive of the B A M E c ommunity is being c overed. I’m merely presenting the perspec tives , opinions , obser vations and, w here appropriate, fac ts of people inter v iewed and topic s c overed, and weav ing these stories together into a c oherent, hopeful narrative . T his ex perienc e has brought some light into my life, and I hope that it does the s ame for y ou. T here is not muc h good news c irculating in mainstream media today.

E vents around the world indic ate that there is a definite, majorly c haotic trans formation happening in the world, w here life as we k now it is no more . In and amongst all this c hange I beseec h y ou to trust that we c an overc ome and evolve .

Don’ t give in to the fear a cure is near and I’m not talk ing about the vac c ines they ’re rus hing through.

E njoy !

“ All that matters is kindness and the capacity to recognise the existence of people other than you.”

- Zadie Smith ( Author)

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EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD INDICATE THAT THERE IS A DEFINITE, MAJORLY CHAOTIC TRANSFORMATION HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, WHERE LIFE AS WE KNOW IT IS NO MORE. IN AND AMONGST ALL THIS CHANGE I BESEECH YOU TO TRUST THAT WE CAN OVERCOME AND EVOLVE.

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BEYOND COVI D PURSUING AN INCLUSIVE RECOVERY

Poku O sei A s we b e gin to re build our live s , it is c le ar that the C OV ID -19 pande mic w ill re s hap e the nation’s e c onomy, indus trie s , and our s o c iet y in a fundame ntal way. T he dis e as e has had an impac t on all live s – blac k , w hite , ric h and p oor. B ut it has par tic ularly re minde d us that ine qualit y k ills . A s one do c tor put it, ‘pande mic s are like guide d mis s ile s , at tac k ing thos e w ho are p oor, dis e nfranc his e d and have unde rly ing he alth proble ms ’. C OV ID -19 has c er tainly not b e e n diff e re nt.

A s I w rite , the dis e as e c ontinue s to de c imate the live s of p e ople liv ing in p oore r c ommunitie s , s imply b e c aus e they are ove r-re pre s e nte d in frontline job s , liv ing in ove rc rowde d hous ing or holding a le s s s e c ure e mploy me nt c ontrac t.

R e gardle s s of the ir w ill, the ir work ing and liv ing c onditions make it harde r to abide by s o c ial dis tanc ing guide line s . In the U K , the s e p e ople have dis prop or tionate ly b e e n from ethnic minorit y bac kgrounds , as the O ff ic e for N ational S tatis tic s re p or t reve ale d las t T hurs day. It is a s tark re minde r that the p oor inde e d die y oung!

O n the othe r hand , eve n though y oung p e ople are c ons ide re d le s s phy s ic ally at ris k from c oronav irus , it is imp or tant to note that they are s ome of the mos t

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v ulne rable to its financ ial af te rs ho c k s . T he O N S s howe d that 4 0 8 ,0 0 0 p e ople in the 18 -24 ag e group are une mploy e d , w hile data from the R e s olution F oundation re s e arc h indic ate s that the c ris is c ould pus h a fur the r 6 0 0 ,0 0 0 y oung p e ople into une mploy me nt unle s s major new s upp or t is prov ide d . In addition to this , the re is als o the re alit y that te ns of thous ands of inte rns hips , work ex p e rie nc e opp or tunitie s and e ntr y -leve l e mploy me nt role s c ould b e c ut for thos e new to the job markets – de p e nding on how we c hoos e to re s p ond .

O ve rall, the impac t of C OV ID on the bus ine s s c ommunit y c annot b e unde re s timate d . C urre ntly, the U K G ove rnme nt is c ove ring the e mploy me nt c os ts of more than 7 million p e ople through its furlough s c he me – s omething w hic h is b e ing p e rc e ive d as mas ke d une mploy me nt. N ationally, it is pre dic te d that a s e c ond wave of an outbre ak and lo c k dow n c ould pus h approx imate ly 1.1 million bus ine s s e s into ins olve nc y. In the S outh W e s t, only 16% of bus ine s s e s b e lieve they w ill b e able to c op e if the c ris is las ts 6 months .

In many bus ine s s e s , this unique s et

work . T hey are the g e ne ration of digital native s and s ub s e que ntly re pre s e nt the arc hite c ts to plan the new building for the four th indus trial revolution eve n as the firefighte rs work to s ave the old one .

T his is a mis take . Ye s , the re s p ons e to C OV ID -19 has c re ate d an e c onomic c ris is , but at the c ore of that is a p e ople c ris is and organis ations that re c ognis e the lat te r s tand a b et te r c hanc e of managing and re c ove ring from the former. In othe r words , w hat c ompanie s do to make the le ap from bad to g oo d , or g oo d to gre at, w ill s tar t w ith g et ting the right p e ople on the bus .

T he que s tion, the refore , c annot b e w hethe r we c an addre s s the p os t-C OV ID e c onomic c ris is and prov ide inc lus ive grow th at the s ame time , but rathe r, w hethe r we c an aff ord not to do s o . W e c annot jump out of the fr y ing pan of the pande mic and into ex ac e rbation of ine qualit y and s o c ial immobilit y. W e ris k s o c ial unre s t and rioting b e c oming a fe ature of our c itie s and fur the r dis rupting bus ine s s and s o c iet y. W e mus t inte grate the s olutions to b oth c ris e s into a c ohe re nt re s p ons e .

It would b e par tic ularly s hor t-s ighte d for c ompanie s to de prioritis e the re c ruitme nt of y oung p e ople bas e d on the ir inex p e rie nc e in the world of

At B abbas a , we b e lieve that it is during time s of gre at diff ic ult y that we ne e d to draw on the p owe r of imagination.

To mark our re c e nt Q ue e n’s A ward

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

of c halle ng e s has le d to one re s p ons e from ex e c utive s : ‘ Yes, we understand the inequalities that ethnic minorities and inexperienced young people are facing, but now is not the time to talk about diversit y and inclusion. We need to protect the essentials f irst and keep our business af loat.’

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for E nte rpris e , we have launc he d t wo initiative s to s upp or t y oung p e ople liv ing in B ris tol’s ethnic ally dive rs e c ommunitie s in inne r-c it y B ris tol.

An urgent appeal to suppor t those aff ected by the pandemic, in the shor t term.

A vision to suppor t at least one person from each household to secure a median salar y job by 2030.

W e b e lieve that this v is ion w ill not only lif t indiv iduals out of p ove r t y but als o, e nable the m to s upp or t the ir familie s , s e r ve as role mo de ls in the ir c ommunit y and c ontribute to the grow th of the B ris tol e c onomy in the long te rm . W e b e lieve the ripple e ff e c t of this v is ion for e qualit y, par tic ularly in the af te rmath of this pande mic , would b e profound .

In B ris tol, M ay or M ar v in R e e s is alre ady prov iding the ne e de d framework to s upp or t s uc h a v is ion by c ommit ting to the U N ’s S us tainable D eve lopme nt G oals and pione e ring the innovative O ne C it y A pproac h.

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I would , the refore , like to throw out a c halle ng e . F irs t: for B ris tol’s bus ine s s e s to re c ruit or prov ide a work plac e me nt opp or tunit y for at le as t one tale nte d p e rs on from an ethnic minorit y or low inc ome c ommunit y by the e nd of 20 21 to s upp or t an inc lus ive re c ove r y from C OV ID. S e c ond: for B ris tol C it y O ff ic e to inc lude the c halle ng e in the nex t ite ration of the O ne C it y P lan, and W E C A , to b e ex plic it on a s imilar c ommitme nt in othe r c ombine d authorit y are as .

T hird for p olic y make rs , inve s tors , ac ade mic s , c ommunit y par tne rs , and philanthropis ts , to work w ith us on the 10 -y e ar v is ion. Inc lus ive re c ove r y programme s s hould b e at the he ar t of e c onomie s that are work ing towards s us tainable grow th and inc re as e d re s ilie nc e b ey ond C OV ID. A s we re build , we have to op e n our ey e s to b oth the ris k s and opp or tunitie s on the horiz on.

W hat we do now w ill not only re s hap e our e c onomy and s o c iet y, it w ill als o re s hap e humanit y ’s future . M ak ing a faire r, inc lus ive and s us tainable re c ove r y is the only bridg e to a more re s ilie nt future .

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Mental Health First Aid Course

have been delivering mental health and wellbeing courses in Bristol and the UK for over 3 years. EDP are now able to offer the course subsidised to bame led businesses and charities

or organisations that cater and serve the bame community.

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institutionalised racism that is embedded in the

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

is a training course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue.

MHFA won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening.

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• empower someone to access the support they need for recovery or successful management of symptoms.

For more info contact: enquiries@edptraining.co.uk Unit 21c, Easton Business Centre, Bristol, BS5 0HE

@BristolBlackHM

mental health system.”

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

EDP training Ltd

As a society, we don’t tend to know how to take care of our mental health like we do our physical health.

This means that people may not know how to support a friend, family member or colleague experiencing a mental health issue, or where to go for support with their own mental health.

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COMMUNITY

BRI STOL HORN YOUTH CONCERN AND THE ROLE OF COVID-19

A s the C OV ID-19 v irus c ontinues to spread globally, we k now that marginalised c ommunities w ho live in the most deprived areas in the c ity, and the y oung people we ser ve in B ristol’s most fragile settings will be hit hardest by this outbreak .

During the C oronav irus loc kdown, many families were struggling to get food deliveries , w hether they are on the G overnment ’s ex tremely vulnerable list, or not. Luc k ily, we prov ided week ly food free of c harge .

We off ered a ‘family c hec k-in’ ser v ic e during the ongoing C OV ID-19 cris is to further support c hildren and families w ho may be more vulnerable during this time .

O ur teams c hec ked to make sure families had ac c es s to es sentials suc h as food, medic ine, and supplies , and c onnec ting them to those w ho c an help, if needed.

We are part of a c onsortium of organis ations , inc luding the Malc olm X C ommunity C entre w here the hub is stationed, w ho are work ing together to feed 400 families and indiv iduals eac h week acros s diff erent c ity areas suc h as S t Pauls , S t Jude’s , E aston, and B arton Hill.

S inc e 2012 , B ristol Horn Youth C onc ern

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has been a y outh and c ommunity led organis ation, w hic h has delivered 14 projec ts and reac hed over 1000 y oung people, primarily y oung B A M E men.

R ec ently, we’ve seen that more y oung women have be gun to get involved with educ ational and sports ac tiv ities . T he work has led to a pos itive engagement within the B A M E y outh c ommunity, seeing them increase in c onfidenc e, build s k ills and progres s into higher educ ation and work ex perienc e, and sometimes , employ ment too. Here we have summariz ed the key s ignific ant work we did during the C ov id-19 cris is : Prov ided telephone ser v ic es with y oung people during the loc kdown: C onnec ted and reac hed out to y oung people : as self-isolation increased, we c hec ked in on one another for our phy s ic al and mental wellbeing. S hared phone numbers and stay ed in touc h.

K ept up to date, s hared information about C ov id-19 S upported vulnerable or isolated c hildren & y oung people : Diff erent groups in our c ommunities are at increased ris k and soc ial isolation and lonelines s are key c onc erns for all ages .

Increase the ac tiv ities to raise awarenes s : O ur staff prov ided ses s ions that were targeted at y oung people in B ristol w ho currently fac e numerous partic ipation barriers , particularly those from S omali and other A fric an bac k grounds . We addres sed the current s ituation of the C OV ID-19, increas ing their awarenes s of loc al help available, and therefore increas ing the partic ipation rates amongst our target group (spec ific ally 16-24s ).

Khalil A. Abdi Bristol Horn Youth Concern Chairman +447557510546 https://www.facebook .com/Bristolhyc https://twitter.com/bristolhyc

@BristolBlackHM

Photo By James Beck @ Bristol Post

R eac hed out through Telephone, W hats A pp & S oc ial media ; Most of the y oung people, particularly of the S omali c ommunity, are us ing phones , tablets & soc ial media in a habit we targeted through soc ial media in order to s hare and enc ourage them to stay at home and stic k to the guidelines from the government to tac k le C OV ID-19.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

S hared ac curate information and adv ic e : S upported any one w ho may be anx ious about C OV ID-19. S ign post them to the c orrec t adv ic e from Public Health E ngland and enc ourage people to follow the c orrec t hy giene prac tic es .

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Lif e is a gif t which off er s us the privilege, oppor tunit y and res pons ibilit y to give back in return by max imizing our human potential. No human being s hould have their oppor tunities at utilizing this gif t limited by f actor s rooted in super f icial diff erences . This year, we have s een the world unite in unprecedented s olidarit y and action towards the continued injus tice of Black per s ons acros s the globe, a collective voice s houting that yes , Black lives do mat ter.

# B LM

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BL ACK LI VES MAT TER & THE DEVILS ADVOCATE

S haun C larke WA QUESTION OF ENTITLEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Arguably, Black Lives Matter is derailing, and for the sake of progress and resolve, must be brought back on track.

Depending on where you stand in terms of the information that feeds your perspective, you may perceive a unique yet distorted picture. These divided impressions may be the difference when it comes to essential clarity. Are we yet again witnessing a response from the state and national funding bodies which appears appropriate on the surface but will cause more division between the same demographic it is supposed to help?

I for one feel disgusted at the thought, yet evidence suggests this may well be the case. Before the government gets on a high horse (having consulted God knows who), shouldn’t they thoroughly consult

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with all concerned, over who is qualified by the colour of their skin? Over decades a storm was brewing, a dilemma, an avalanche, a reaction, and now we hope to craft the perfect response.

It’s been so many hours and minutes since the murder of George Floyd triggered an eruption of epic proportions and manifested as BLM, which was in fact the re-emergence of the original BLM started in 2013, and the idea that some who can’t “breathe” have expressed this repetitively and been ignored completely until it’s just too late. And it now becomes apparent that such details denied the focus warranted, the attention that will potentially force hearts and minds to reconcile in a more palatable way. History has a habit of repeating itself, and we, a reputation of ignoring its lessons. Isn’t there a correlation here?

BLM is the founding spearhead

Would it have been better to consult with members, over handing them power and responsibility? Yes and no could be the answer, which justifies the confusion, but how to demystify? And how to provide the right answer to the right question, at the right time? It’s a grey area which demands attention. Ideally, could hierarchical leadership be combined with consultation and devolution?

People have been proposing that the Edward Colston statue be removed for

decades. Poets have been writing and performing their pertinent poetry, a riot had been predicted not long before the event. Deadly viruses were predicted by Bill Gates and others, and we did not appear to have learned from recent pandemics given the state of the UK’s reaction.

BLM VS COVID19 At a BLM Protest in London, when asked by a journalist if she was concerned about spreading the virus, a young organiser passionately claimed “Coronavirus won’t kill me before the police do!” Astounding, as this demonstrated that old story of race and division politics was affecting the young people once again. People were being assembled in the name of equality with “No Justice, No Peace” reverberating through the streets, hoping

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

comprising of three women who advocate for non-violent rejection and who protest against systemic racism. In an attempt to avoid the fate of the ‘Black Panther Party’ (BPP), the group moves forward with devolved power to seem more humble.

However, with conflicting leadership and internal disharmony, was it a good move to decentralise the group?

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that this time would be different.

Regarding racial injustice, the Guardian reported many believed in “a new and unstoppable urgency”, a renewed solidarity across generations as well as races.

ROOM FOR MISAPPROPRIATION So, as the status quo has responded, have we arrived at a stage where we can ride the wave that is BLM as leverage to advance the situation? Financial incentive may stimulate change, but not if that investment somehow falls into the wrong hands. If this sounds preposterous to you then maybe you need to consider the possibility that we made slavery easier for the enslavers via corruption, a part of history we choose to ignore at a time like this.

Some say the anti-fascists and/or the far left are stirring things up, and others have been exposed in exploiting the chaotic situation.. Yet here is an opportunity we cannot afford to mess up. The door may be open but with a village mindset we must ensure we have each other’s backs, remaining mutually supportive because our lives depend on staying connected as a community. This is our only insurance for social justice.

The BLM movement must take root sooner or later, but not without acknowledging and growing from the examples that have been set by recent history, the incidents themselves and the creative Griots, who have and continue to portray their stories, providing valid,

alternative narratives QUESTIONS & ANSWERS There are too many apparent questions unanswered to rush in and hand out funds which serve to perpetuate existing cycles. Black communities don’t always agree, and some (such as those affected by the Windrush scandal) may continueto feel neglected.

Since the black diaspora is naturally diverse, surely there has to be a cross representative group when it comes to what proposals should be supported. In Jamaica and other countries, for example, black skinned people have their different interests and are supported in different ways, which can be deemed as prejudicial, and serves to divide, cause hate and conflict. Where is the accessible round-table discussion that might determine consensual and appropriate responses, over knee jerk reactions? BLM is potentially the saviour for many, seeming to represent all the disadvantaged depending on your view.

Simple as it seems, at least if we recognise the problem, we might find the right pathways toward impactful and life saving solutions.

Concerning the resistance to BLM, it is yet to redefine itself to all affected by fear of a developing movement, and to avoid becoming volatile, it should welcome constructive criticism, to help nurture it’s growth. To survive 2020 movements, like people, must co-exist, and we must somehow learn to prioritise together.

“THE BLM MOVEMENT MUST TAKE ROOT SOONER OR LATER, BUT NOT WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING AND GROWING FROM THE EXAMPLES THAT HAVE BEEN SET BY RECENT HISTORY” 124

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@BristolBlackHM

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BL ACK MEN MATTER TOO

S haun C larke L ate ly the re has b e e n s ome re c ognition of me n (s p e c ific ally B lac k me n) b e ing p olitic ally and s o c io e c onomic ally lef t b e hind due to the ir is s ue s b e ing s ignific antly avoide d b e c aus e of p olitic ally c orre c t b oundarie s and re s tric tions . O f c ours e , me n the ms e lve s are als o par tially to blame . Is this a c as e of doing too lit tle , too late? O r are we waiting in line for our time to talk , but s omew he re at the bac k of the queue b e c aus e we don’ t make e nough nois e? W hat g oo d is B lac k L ive s M at te r for the m if they return to the s ame c irc ums tanc e s , s uff e ring in s ile nc e .

H av ing turne d on e ac h othe r ove r dre g s , and s ome how glorifie d that life , w ith the devout he lp of the mains tre am me dia of c ours e , w ho are re luc tant to g et involve d w hile we s e lf-de s truc t. A lthough s ome s torie s have b e e n avoide d w hy the lac k of me n s tanding up for the ms e lve s and rac ial injus tic e?

O ur pare nts taught us that we ’d have to work t w ic e as hard as w hite c ounterpar ts and many did jus t that, but w ith lit tle to s how in the way of s uc c e s s , w hic h has le d us dow n the path of s e lf- orie ntation and de s truc tion w hic h c ome s w ith a lac k of a c ommon ag e nda . C apitalis m may not s e e c olour, but s truc turally c olour or rac e barrie rs are a by -pro duc t of its ruthle s s nature . It c rac k s and s c at te rs c ommunitie s and indiv iduals , pus hing the m towards unnatural grouping s s uc h as fe minis ts , wome n, B L M , the B N P,

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w he n in fac t we ’re all more alike than diff e re nt, ne e ding a roof, inc ome , frie nds and s upp or t, and a fair c hanc e to do we ll in te rms of ambition. In orde r to s ur v ive , we ’re forc e d to adopt v ic tim s tatus , tak ing c ove r w ithin s uc h groups ...ex c e pt the B lac k male w ith all his pride , w ho w ill s uff e r until the ve r y e nd , and die w ithout tr y ing in s ome c as e s . A nd w ithout a c are in the world b e c aus e as a de mographic he neve r prove d hims e lf wor thy, or s too d up to dis prove the my ths and s te re ot y p e s that re main c onve nie nt for the re s t of s o c iet y ’s de mographic s , w ho are all ab out s e lf-pre s e r vation.

I did me ntion that B lac k wome n are s et ting an ex ample , and s ome of the m de s e r ve c re dit for the ir e ff or ts , but w ho c an blame the m for s e lf-re gard w he n they may we ll have had it wors e of all.

T he ans we r to our proble ms re s ts w ithin ours e lve s , the groups and move me nts we c re ate or join, how c ommit te d we are to s uc h c ommon c aus e s , and w hethe r as a group we c an c ompre he nd that p e rhaps it ’s not too late for us .

T H E R E ’S H O P E B ut it ’s als o ab out s ome k ind of ac tion, w ithin our c apac it y. T hing s are inde e d happ e ning , as s ome dare to b e all they c an b e w hile influe nc ing w ide r c ulture , and c ommunit y. S T 2B oardroom , C ognitive P aths , and a hos t of othe r e s tablis hing

TA K IN G S TO C K B lac k me n app e ar to b e dis advantag e d , le s s like ly to g et work in g e ne ral, as ide from the we ll-paid job s , in the financ ial s e c tor for ex ample . Inex plic ably we we re more like ly to b e s uc c e s s ful p os t W orld W ar II. Ye s we are mobilis ing in s hap e s and forms , y et the s tatis tic s are s till te rrible , and the damag e s are c ons iderable me ntally. B ut y e s inde e d , the re are game c hang e rs , move rs and s hake rs , s o w hethe r they b e p o ets , rapp e rs , mus ic ians , danc e rs , or te ac he rs .

W hateve r’s c leve r, let ’s ke e p it re al and ke e p it up, eve n jus t as a s upp or te r. L ike Damie n Jr. G ong M arley s ang , I like to b e lieve that we are g oing to make it,

although not w ithout pro -ac tion as the s timulus for advanc e me nt. W e have his tor y to build on, and many have ins pire d us . O f c ours e , I c an’ t s p e ak for all, but would s ug g e s t we ’re dis plac e d and p ote ntially doome d to ex tinc tion if we don’ t s tand up for ours e lve s as we tr y to ple as e othe rs . T his is not Jamaic a , but as the R as tas p os s e s s an inde p e nde nt plac e in the world , ac c ordingly, as de dic ate d p e ople of s ub s tanc e , c ould we b e e nc ourag e d to look af te r our holis tic live lihoo ds s o that we are b et te r pre pare d to he lp othe rs .

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

lo c al bus ine s s e s ,are mak ing move s , and re dire c ting de s tinie s , all for the g oo d , for s ome k ind of e qualit y.

“CAPITALISM MAY NOT SEE COLOUR, BUT STRUCTURALLY ...”

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THE JOURNEY OF A 60’S WAR VETERAN: RACISM IN THE RAF “I DONT PICK FIGHTS EITHER, I DEFEND MYSELF”

In 19 6 1, at the ag e of 19 , John F arquhars on move d from Jamaic a’s c apital K ing s ton to the bus tling c it y of L ondon. H e took on the role of bus c onduc tor on the 27 bus , the n joine d the R oy al A ir F orc e at the te nde r ag e of 20 .

A s a y oung blac k man in the U K , rac is t ex p e rie nc e s we re all too familiar to John. T he 19 6 0 s was a time w he n it was ac c e ptable to s e e s igns dis play e d in public ve nue s s ay ing “no B lac k s , no Iris h, no dog s allowe d ”, and p e r forme rs in blac k fac e on te lev is ion were s till b e ing gre ete d by p os itive audie nc e re s p ons e s .

His 12 y e ars s p e nt in the R A F were p e rme ate d w ith ins tanc e s of rac is m and its as s o c iate d mic roag gre s s ions . O n a daily bas is , he was forc e d to e ndure rac is t s lurs and joke s made at his ex p e ns e .

F or tunate ly, at the off s et of W W II, the R A F eve ntually is s ue d a promulgation that any ex pre s s ion of rac ial dis c rimination by word or de e d would b e tre ate d as a s e rious dis c iplinar y bre ac h.

John lame nts that the g e ne ral B ritis h s o c iet y would have als o b e nefite d from re c e iv ing a s imilar warning . “ T he A ir F orc e was ver y rac is t ”, John re c alls . “ T hey as ke d me w hy I c ame to E ngland and I ve r y tire dly s aid ‘I wante d to s e e the world s o I de c ide d to s tar t at

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the b ot tom .’ T hey neve r as ke d me again.” “ O nc e I was in the me s s , I s aw a y oung lady s it ting at a table s o I we nt to s it b e s ide he r. T he n this c orp oral w ho was w hite c ame ove r and s aid ‘G et up and move .’ S o I move d .” “ You k now, he didn’ t want me to s it the re , s o I we nt s omew he re e ls e . B ut I didn’ t s ay any thing ab out it b e c aus e I neve r los t a fight w he n I was in s c hool. I don’ t pic k fights e ithe r. I defe nd my s e lf.”

D e s pite s uc h rac is t e nc ounte rs , John re s ilie ntly c ontinue d his journey in the R A F, g oing on to s e r ve thre e y e ars in C y prus , as we ll as t wo and half y e ars in S ingap ore during the Indone s ian c onfrontation, eve ntually re c e iv ing a G e ne ral S e r v ic e M e dal for his c ontribution. In 19 72, he play e d c ric ket for the R A F in the M iddle E as t agains t the army in M alta and won.

In 19 73 he move d bac k to his R A F bas e in Ly ne ham , W ilts hire , w he re he c omplete d his t we lve -y e ar s e r v ic e as a C ompute r R oom S up e r v is or. “ I would fore s e e eve r y thing that c ame and we nt and the n it would g o to the S e rg e ant w ho took all the c re dit,” he laughe d .

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS @BristolBlackHM

“ THEY ASKED ME WHY I CAME TO ENGLAND AND I VERY TIREDLY SAID ‘I WANTED TO SEE THE WORLD SO I DECIDED TO START AT THE BOT TOM.’ THEY NEVER ASKED ME AGAIN.”

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John late r re lo c ate d to the c it y of B ris tol, w he re he we nt on to purs ue a c are e r te ac hing maths at S t M ar y R e dc liff e S c hool Health Issues and Housing Crisis A f te r c ompletion of his s e r v ic e , John unfor tunate ly re alis e d the p e ns ion amount he had re c e ive d was far b e low that he had b e e n hoping for, and s oon found hims e lf in the mids t of a hous ing c ris is . T he s ituation was c omp ounde d by his s eve re he alth is s ue s w hic h le d to him liv ing in the B rune lc are s upp or te d hous ing on C he rr y Tre e C los e in F is hp onds , B ris tol. “ I was liv ing the re from 20 13,” John s aid . “ I didn’ t have a lot of money on my return from the R A F b e c aus e thos e day s y ou re c e ive d a p e ns ion for 2 2 y e ars , and I had only s er ve d t we lve .” “ E ve n wors e , unle s s y ou s tar te d work ing w ith a M inis tr y of D efe nc e (M O D) ag e nc y, y our p e ns ion rights we re take n away. S o, all I g ot was £ 25 0 . T hat ’s it, af te r t we lve y e ars .”

D ue to the limitations c aus e d by his p oor he alth, John was de s p e rate ly in ne e d of a larg e r ac c ommo dation as we ll as ex tra c are and s upp or t in his daily ac tiv itie s . “ I was in the s he lte re d ac c ommo dation

w hic h was on the firs t floor. A t the time I was hav ing proble ms w ith my le g s , w hic h inc re as ingly g ot wors e . I’ve g ot s p ondy litis and a c ur vature of the s pine . T his me ans my s pinal c ord is rubbing agains t the ve r te brae and c aus ing proble ms in my le g s and lowe r bac k .”

A f te r a brief s tay in the hos pital, John was dis c harg e d but s aid he was prov ide d w ith “no ins truc tions on how to b e have ”, w hic h le d to fe e ling s of c onfus ion as to w hat s te ps to take nex t. “ T hey dis c harg e d me b e c aus e they s aid I was inte r fe ring w ith the othe r patie nts .

T hey gave me no do c ume ntation; I we nt home and s at on the c ouc h watc hing T V for ab out thre e day s .” “ O ne night, as I was g oing to b e d , I s e iz e d up c omplete ly. M y w ife took me to the F re nc hay hos pital w he re they dis c ove re d a bloo d c lot on my s pine . T his le d to a s troke , w hic h aff e c te d the lef t s ide of my b o dy. M y s p e e c h we nt and I had to g et a s p e e c h the rapis t.” “ I have b e e n tak ing eve r y tablet unde r the s un. G abap e ntin would make me he ar voic e s in my he ad , te lling me to harm my s e lf or othe rs . T he do c tors put me on P re gabalin ins te ad , w hic h was s till bad but at le as t I s topp e d he aring the voic e s .

In the e nd , I de c ide d to c ome off b oth.”

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John now re s ide s in a t wo -b e droom flat in S t P auls w ith his c are r. “ I had to g o up t wo flights of s te ps at my C he rr y Tre e C los e re s ide nc e . A ll the p e ople the re w ith ground floor flats c an walk w ithout aid , unlike me . I have to us e a z immer frame to g et around .” “ I was liv ing alone and ke pt fainting at night due to lac k of s le e p . I had k no c ke d my he ad a few time s b e c aus e I ke pt falling ove r. O nc e I fainte d w hile on the toilet, hit ting my he ad s o hard I c ouldn’ t g et up . I ne e de d a t wo -b e droom plac e s o s ome one c ould s tay w ith me at all time s , e s p e c ially during the night.”

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

Finding Refuge

“ S ibus is o Ts habalala , dire c tor of C ognitive P aths , bid on a t wo -b e droom bungalow in S t A nne ’s on my b e half; unfor tunate ly, we we re not s uc c e s s ful. Luc k ily, we found othe r options b efore I finally s et tle d on S t P aul’s . It ’s gre at b e c aus e I fe e l muc h happie r he re .”

S peak ing with a s pok es pers on of B runelcare on this is s ue, he emphas is ed that their tenants ’ health and wellbeing is their firs t priority . “ W e work w ith eve r y one w ho live s w ith us to as s e s s the ir indiv idual ne e ds , and we are happy to arrang e inte rnal move s if appropriate ,” he s aid . “ H oweve r, we have a ve r y limite d numb e r of t wo -b e droom prop e r tie s and it ’s not alway s p os s ible to fulfil eve r y re que s t.”

@BristolBlackHM

“ In s uc h ins tanc e s , we w ill c ontinue to work w ith te nants and the lo c al authoritie s to prov ide w hateve r s upp or t we c an in the c irc ums tanc e s , or aid a move to anothe r prov ide r if ne c e s s ar y.”

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BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

Online UK Streetwear Brand.

Efficient • Environmentally Friendly Forward-Thinking • Fashion-Centered • Affordable

A brand for those wanting to obtain STAPLE pieces to express themselves without having to break the bank.

The First Collection consists of Hoodies, T-shirts and Long Sleeves, with bold prints and colours, brightening up the Streetwear Scene.

All products are slightly oversized, and are Unisex as we don’t believe in labels!

•

• www.sustainabilityclothing.com

@BristolBlackHM

“As a brand we love nature, so try to incorporate and pay homage to this as much as possible.”

sustainability_clothing 133

Fashion is for all to experiment.

BLM

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS? Josephine G yas i Josephine Abena Kokoraa Gyasi is a creative in many forms and unapologetic with her approach – a producer, thinker, maker and creator who holds equality at the centre of her heart. The best kind of busy-body, Josephine takes an active role in a range of creative projects centred on the fight against racism.

W hat Are Your Plans? – her first published work – is a direct and powerful poem and spoken-word performance. Thanks to the Rising Arts A gency ’s #W hoseFuture Billboard Campaign, her words have truly shaken Bristol, as the poem was transformed from creased paper sheets in her bedroom into towering billboards across the whole of the city. In the spoken-word performance, co-created by a team of Bristol creatives, she delivers her questions in front of these billboards, made all the more urgent and necessary in response to the vandalism and racist vitriol her work received as a result.

W hat Are Your Plans? is an emotional response to the killing of George Floyd on the 25th May 2020. Like many others, Josephine was once again heartbroken and deeply triggered by the killing of an unarmed Black person, but also by the reaction from the world. She fell into deep reflection and depression throughout lockdown and came off line to protect herself from being exposed to sudden, insensitive, persistent sharing of the footage (referring to this as the ‘W hite Revelation’). It was in this dark place of isolation that she discovered writing as a cathartic way to express her pain and found herself rapidly creating notes, letters and messages to address the evil inequalities and

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police brutality that the world still faces today.

“I’ve always felt unable to articulate myself to my peers and express my understanding of the complex ities and layers of racism. I grew up in a predominantly W hite middleclass area, and people sometimes called me ‘Black Josie’. The continual racism I faced as a teenager covertly and overtly, makes me feel like I’ve been forced to wear this foggy, distorted lens my whole life. I never considered myself a writer before, in fact I’ve always been afraid to write due to my dyslex ia, but I can’t bite my lip or hold my tongue any longer.”

Today Josie is unapologetic, she stands tall and she stands proud with a clear message to every non-black person on the planet, one that is directly especially at those who ex ist with the most power and the most privilege: The W hite Man.

“ IT WAS IN THIS DARK PLACE OF ISOLATION THAT SHE DISCOVERED WRITING AS A CATHARTIC WAY TO EXPRESS HER PAIN “ Look out for the release of the short film on all platforms - Monday 26th October Contact Josephine for a copy of the print at: josiegyasi@gmail.com

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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Thi ngs hav e c hange d and s o c i e t y i s adapt i ng t o mo de r n way s o f de l i v e r i ng s e r v i c e s and ac t i v i t i e s . Thi s y e ar ’ s e v e nt s o ff e r a platt e r o f t ho ught pr ov o k i ng di s c us s i o ns r angi ng f r o m e duc at i o n, po l i t i c s , l e gac y, r e parat i o ns , e qui t y and k now l e dge s har i ng. Wi t h ov e r 33 l i s t i ngs avai labl e o nl i ne o r i n a s o c ial l y di s t anc e d e nv i r o nme nt t he r e ’ s s o me t hi ng f o r al l age s and bac k gr o unds . Shar e y o ur c o mme nt s o n #Br i s t o lBlac k HM Bat c h Gue y e , Danc e r and Mus i c ian

EVENTS

EVENTS

CONTROL SHIFT - INTEREAVE

Talk Date and T ime T B C Host : C ontrol S hift - K as ava Venue : O nline C ost T B C (C hec k link below)

BRISTOL AT THE CENTRE OF BLACK HISTORY

Talk 1 O c tober, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Host : UW E B ristol Venue : O nline Free E vent

HELENA APPIO - FILM SCREENINGS

Documentary S horts 3 O c tober, 12 :00 pm - 5:00 pm Host : A rnolfini Venue : L ive @ A rnolfini Free E vent

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WE ARE TANO - AFRIK A EYE

F ilm S creenings 1 - 20 O c tober, 6:00 pm Host : A frik a E y e and Partners Venue : O nline Free E vent (Donations welc ome)

BLACK COMMUNI T Y RISING - ART/ZINE WORK SHOP

Work shop 3 O c tober, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Host : B lac k C ommunity R is ing Venue : Ly nx House B lac k persons only, Free E vent

BLACK MEN TALK HEALTH

Work shop 7 O c tober, 12 :30 pm - 4:00 pm

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

Hi@Coproducecare.com or

@BristolBlackHM

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EVENTS

WATERSHED - MANGROVE

F ilm S creening 7 O c tober, T ime T B C Venue : Watershed C ost T B C

BRISTOL MUSEUMS BUILDING SHARED

Historic al Talk A naly s is 8 O c tober, 2 :00 pm - 2 :45 pm Host : B ristol Museum and G allery Venue : O nline Free E vent (Donations welc ome)

BRISTOL MUSEUMS - ARE YOU SURE WE’ RE AWAK E?

T heatre Performanc e 9 O c tober, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Host : S heba S oul E nsemble Venue : O nline Free E vent

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GOLD DUST IN BLACK BRISTOL MUSEUMS

Performanc e A rt 8 O c tober, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Host : B L A C K *A rtists O n T he Move (B A OT M ) Venue : O nline Free E vent (Donations welc ome)

YOUNG AT HEART CINEMA CLUB: MALCOLM X

F ilm S creening 8 O c tober, 2 :00 pm - 4:30 pm Host : E sme Dav is Venue : S t Paul’s Learning C entre Free E vent

UWE BRISTOL DECOLONISING UWE

Talk 9 O c tober, 2 :00 pm - 2 :50 pm Host : UW E B ristol Venue : O nline Free E vent

BABBASA

O nline E x hibition 10 O c tober - 10 Dec ember, 10:00 am - 11:30 pm Host : R ebec c a NK G ibbs , Herografix Venue : O nline Free E vent

S takeholders E vent 10 O c tober, 10:00 pm - 12 :00 pm, 2 :00 pm - 4:00 pm, 6:00 - 8:00 pm Host : B abbas a Venue : O nline Free E vent

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

ARTICULATING ACTUALISATION DIGI TAL 2020

The Residents

A new podcast exploring tech, arts, economy and health through the lens of community and creativity.

Produced by Will Taylor and Jo Kimber

Listen Now Supported by Pervasive Media Studio

BLACK COMMUNI T Y RISING - YOGA MINDFULNESS

Panel Discus s ion 10 O c tober, 6:00pm - 7:00pm Host : C ontrol S hift Venue : O nline Free E vent

@BristolBlackHM

Work shop 10 O c tober, 2 :00 pm - 2 :50 pm Host : UW E B ristol Venue : O nline Free E vent

THINK ING THE DIGI TAL THROUGH THE INDIGENOUS

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EVENTS

INDIGENEI T Y AND DIGI TAL ENTANGLEMENTS

F ilm S creenings 10 - 11 O c tober, 12 :00pm - 7:00pm Venue : A rnolfini Venue : O nline Free E vent

CONTROL SHIFT - LI VE CODING VISUALS

Work shop 11 O c tober, 2 :00pm-4:00pm Host : C ontrol S hift Venue : O nline

WATERSHED - TIME

F ilm S creenings 11 O c tober, 2 :00pm - 2 :50pm Host : Watershed - B F I Venue : Watershed

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FLY! HIGHER BLACK HISTORY MONTH

F ilm S creenings 11 O c tober, 4:00 pm Host : S heba S oul E nsemble, Watershed Venue : O nline £5.34

WATERSHED - SOUL

F ilm S creenings 11 O c tober, 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 6:20pm Host : Watershed - B F I Venue : Watershed £11

CONTROL SHIFT - WHERE IS MY SPACE?

Discus s ion 13 O c tober, 5:00pm-6:00pm Host : C ontrol S hift O nline Free E vent (Donations welc ome)

genealogy talk 14 O c tober, 2 :00 pm - 3:00 pm Host : Paul C rook s O nline

BRISTOL BUS BOYCOT T AND THE LEGACY OF UK RACE RELATIONS

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

BRISTOL MUSEUMS AFRICAN CARIBBEAN HISTORY FOR BEGINNERS

talk 14 O c tober, 5:30pm - 7:30pm Host : UW E B ristol O nline Free E vent

Free E vent

@BristolBlackHM 143

EVENTS

BRISTOL MUSEUMS THE APRIL 1980 ST PAULS ‘ RIOT ’

Historic al talk 15 O c tober, 6:00pm - 7:00pm Host : Dr R oger B all / R e gional History C entre / UW E / M S hed O nline

PWC - IMPACT IN SOCIAL ENTERPRISE: ENGAGING WI TH CORPORATES

Webinar 15 O c tober, 10:00 am - 11:30 am Host : T he S c hool for S oc ial E ntrepreneurs .

IMPACT CONSTRUCTION

Work shop 20 O c tober, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Host : A c orn, W ilmott Dix on, C ognitive Paths and B S W N B ristol B eac on, Free E vent

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INTERCULTURE - HOW TO BE AN ALLY

15 O c tober

BLACK COMMUNI T Y RISING - YOUTH WORK SHOP

Work shop 17 O c tober

INTERCULTURE - BLACK WOMEN TALK ING

21 O c tober

Bristol social work is built on history of social justice.

Paul Stephenson, a young social worker in 1963, led a boycott of the buses in Bristol protesting against its refusal to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors.

Whether you are just starting your career, looking for a new challenge, or wanting to broaden your knowledge and expertise Bristol is a fantastic place to live and work.

We have small systemic units; low caseloads; progression opportunities; and investment in your development including our partnership with the Centre for Systemic Social Work.

Visit www.bristol.gov.uk/web/jobs for current opportunities or email James McFeat, Principal Social Worker, at cypsworkforcedev@bristol.gov.uk for a personal conversation about the social work opportunities in Bristol.

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

#WeareBristol Social Workers – Join us!

Join us to make Bristol a place where all children can thrive

UWE BRISTOL - BLM AND THE CALL TO ACTION

talk 21 O c tober, 5:30pm-7:30pm Host : UW E B ristol O nline

SHADES OF OUR LI VES THEATRE PERFORMANCE

A rt S howc ase & O pen Mic 24 O c tober

INTERCULTURE - BLACK MEN TALK ING

@BristolBlackHM

T heatre performanc e 25 O c tober, 7:30pm-10:00pm Host : C hristelle Pellecuer, B lac k Women Let Loose T heatre C ompany Venue : S t. G eorge’s B ristol / £8

BLACK COMMUNI T Y RISING OPEN MIC & ART SHOWCASE

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EVENTS

YOUNG AT HEART CINEMA CLUB: THE HARDER THEY COME

F ilm S creenings 29 O c tober, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Host : E sme Dav is Venue : S t Paul’s Learning C entre Free E vent

FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Work shop 10 November

BUY SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION WEBINAR

BLACK COMMUNI T Y RISING - MOVIE NIGHT

F ilm S creening 30 O c tober

DRESSING ON PURPOSE RADIO SHOW

R adio S how 15 November, 7:00pm - 10:00pm Host : C hristelle Pellecuer, Imperial Voic e R adio Venue : Fairfield House

THE PIONEERS PHOTOGRAPHY EX HIBI TION P hotography E x hibition

Webinar 17 November Host : Buy S oc ial

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O c tober - Dec ember (A ll Day ) Host : G arfield Mac kenz ie, T he R eal P hotography C ompan Venue : L ive@ S t Paul’s Learning C entre (Intro v ia Z oom) Free E vent

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

@BristolBlackHM

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EVENTS

B HM A LL Y E A R R OUND P L A NS Ou r A i m

Ho w w e d o i t

Our aim is to amplify the voices, activities, services and legacy of minority ethnic communities.

We believe that our homegrown observations and

Ou r V i s i o n

brand reputation.

Bristol Black History Month Magazine is now a year-

With on-the-ground eyes and ears into the different

round, digital media and marketing agency. The platform

consumer cultures, our strategists and creatives have

will create, produce and distribute culturally relevant

access to these deep insights about the consumer and

and appropriate content that will attract and engage

from this perspective we produce relevant solutions that

viewers who are more likely to respond to our members'

are founded on strong cultural and commercial strategies.

insights are far richer in producing relevant marketing communications that advertise and build our clients'

services and products.

Wh y w e d o i t

Ou r S o c i a l I m p a c t

Everything we do is aimed at achieving positive

To play a significant role in the communication

change - for our clients, for the public and for the

industry by leading transformation within this sector

economy. Every decision we make is informed by

through finding, nurturing and upskilling talent.

the greater good.

Wh y Ge t I n v o l v e d

Has Britain changed?

Strikingly, there appears to be a big lack of perceived progress in racism over the years.

A recent poll found 55% of ethnic minorities believe racism has stayed the same or become worse during their lifetime, compared to 29% who felt it had reduced.

Of these, 34% black respondents believe racism has worsened, and 30% said they’d seen no change.

The poll spoke to 3,000 respondents – half of which were from ethnic minority backgrounds – and was carried out for the ITV programme Stephen Lawrence: Has Britain Changed. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2020/07/17/two-thirds-black-people-believe-racism-stillrife-uk/ Source: https://www.atvtoday.co.uk/155903-itv/

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Ou r m e m b e r s h i p b e n e f i t s a r e :

As an establishing media cooperative, we

Receive advice and guidance on your marketing campaign's cultural relevance

are inviting businesses who share an ambition to create a fairer, safer, accessible and inclusive region, where everyone belongs, has a voice and an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Me m b e r s h i p B e n e f i t s We support our members by identifying to diversify their supply chain and encourage them to use their spending power with local and online Black-owned businesses.

Our members benefit through our facilitated learning network that connects private and public sector buyers

BRISTOL BLACK HISTORY MONTHS

B e c o m e a Me m b e r

Discounted rates on our media packages Be involved in our Talent Development Program Receive promotional discounts on upcoming offers Receive exclusive events tickets Receive tracked campaigns and reports Be part of the #MeWe Diversity in Media and Advertising Network

to connect with Black Business offering products and services in the media and creative sector.

Exclusive insight into our Audience Market Research

Ma r k e t i n g Op p o r t u n i t i e s

As a media platform we offer a full calendar of multi-platform programs and experiential opportunities that provide a deep consumer connection, and can help your brand engage with the Black community in the West of England.

We offer custom solutions through our strategic and creative advertising opportunities:

Editorial Alignment

Graphic and Illustration Design Video, Digital and Social Executions Product and Brand Market Research Work force Diversity Workshops

#BlackPoundDay magazine@cognitivepaths.co.uk

@BristolBlackHM

o o o o o

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EDUCATORS

About Cognitive Paths We are an umbrella organisation and social enterprise that specialises in cross-sector project and relationship management.

We coordinate activities and services on behalf of public, private and voluntary sector organisations.

Our cross-sector project management and administrative service invests in minority led initiatives that find it difficult to carry out their ideas, raise public awareness or scale their enterprise.

We do this to increase the representation of minority led enterprises, service and products in the marketplace.

Our service areas include cross-sector collaboration, education, diversity and inclusion, and virtual services. We are also the proud producers of Bristol Black History Month magazine in partnership with Cables and Cameras.

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To join our mailing list or sponsor a project www.cognitivepaths.co.uk | +44 7423794614 | communication@cognitivepaths.co.uk