The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine
PitchBlack Black History Month
Issue 1. £7 where printed & sold. Autumn 2021.
Spotlighting
Special
People. Products. Pages.
Celebrating
Dyke& Dryden
+
plus
Keeping Their Legacy Alive
Mindset | Wellness | Faith | Business | Economics | Finance | Education | Politics
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limit Think again...
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Bold. Beautiful. Black. British. The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine
Publisher’s Welcome
T
he year 2020 marked a watershed moment for the Black community in the USA, here in the UK and across the globe.
The magazine follows this format. We start with the EXPERIENCE section where we tell the incredible story of Dyke & Dryden that was begging to be shared. We also hear from the people keeping their legacy alive.
The 8 minutes and 46 seconds that Derek Chauvin’s knee choked the life out of George Floyd forced the whole world to confront the proverbial elephant In the EXPOSURE section we in the room. share 10 People to follow, 10 Products to buy & to try and 10 Boardrooms, class rooms, dining Pages (books) to read or listen. rooms, TV rooms & bedrooms resonated with discussions about The EXPRESSION section the extent to which ‘Black Lives introduces #OurGreat8, thought Matter’ or not. For us, Black leaders in our community who’ll lives always mattered! cheer us, challenge us and change us with thoughts about Pitch Black will reclaim our our past, present and future. collective stories here in the UK by focusing on 3 areas: Please enjoy the magazine & engage with us on our social EXPERIENCE: media channels so we can Highlighting Our Past go on this journey together. EXPOSURE: Hosting Our Present BiG Love & Blessings EXPECTATION: Heralding our Future
Colin & the Team.
Connect with us
@PitchBlackMagUK
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Our Contributors Dr Philippe Douyan MD Philippe is a board certified Neurologist and is the Founder & CEO of the health, wellness, and technology company, The Inle BrainFit Institute® which was created to improve people’s health and quality of life. Connect with Philippe @
inlebraininstitute.com
Dawn Grant Dawn Grant is the founder of BlackEconomics.co.uk and UpTechMds.com a tech and marketing business. Dawn is also a writer – having authored over 20 books. She resides in London with her family. She encourages children and other young people to have a profession AND to be entrepreneurial with several streams of income. Link with Dawn on Twitter
@black_economics
Alex Gordon Alex is a Certified World Class Speaking Coach and helps business owners, coaches and consultants to pitch, present and perform their stories with clarity, confidence and conviction. Connect with Alex @ masteryourmessage.co.uk
Stella Kennard Stella shares the truth behind illness, disease and good health, through addressing the root cause of health imbalances, using plant based alternative treatment. She offers a personalised care plan, that includes a health assessment, allergy and intolerance testing, an emphasis on food as medicine, and ways to make step by step changes towards optimal health.Connect with Stella @
skmiracleliving.com
#OurGreat8 Judy Lynch-Tomlin Judy is an educator & entrepreneur with over 30 years experience in schools & social care and believes in holistic education. She is passionate about social emotional & mental health and it's convergence with creative education & enterprise. Connect with Judy @
ourcommunitea.com
Rev’d David Shosanya David is Director and Principal at Paideia Training & Consultancy. He is also one of three co-founders of the nationally acclaimed Street Pastors Initiative, regularly speaks at business, academic, community events as well as corporate and public sector events. He serves as Chair of TRANSFORM UK, and is a member of the Scotland Yard Strategic Advisory Group. Connect with David @ paideiatrainingandconsultancy.co.uk
Dr Floyd Millen Floyd is a Political Scientist with a PhD in Political Science & Criminology from Loughborough University and a Masters Degree in Modern British Politics from the University of Hull. He studied under Professor the Lord Norton of Louth and the former Labour Home Secretary The Rt Hon Charles Clarke. Connect @
floydmillen.com
Sharon Wint-Gordon
Sharon is an entrepreneur who strongly believes that every person has an obligation, a duty, and a responsibility to ensure they leave an inheritance for generations to come. Through her financial services agency Sharon has facilitated, coached, mentored, and supported many to build financial resilience. Connect with Sharon @
sharonwg@consultant.com
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Publisher & Editorial Director Colin Tomlin colin@experiencegrowth.online
Growth Resources Director
Judy Lynch-Tomlin judy@experiencegrowth.online
Artistic Director Reuben Tomlin reuben@experiencegrowth.online
Social Media Manager Keshia Spencer keshia@experiencegrowth.online
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The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine
Experience. Exposure. Expression.
Our Contents 10 Products to buy & try
We introduce 10 Products that you will want to buy & to try. We share what they are, how much, who’s behind it & where you can get it.
10 Pages to read or listen Leaders are readers so we share our reading list for the next quarter. We’re sure you will resonate with these stories & recognise a lot in them.
Expression Mindset
Experience
Dyke, Dryden & Wade
We celebrate the lives of the visionaries behind one of the UK's iconic companies. The Dyke & Dryden story is one of tenacity, resilience and turning adversity into triumph through serving the UK’s Black community.
Keeping The Legacy Alive
We introduce you to Rudi Page & Derek Clement who played no small part in the incredible Dyke & Dryden era and are keen to keep the legacy alive.
Exposure 10 People to follow
Turn up your Black Voice Alex Gordon shares his thoughts on the importance of telling our stories so that we can create and influence the narrative of our collective story.
Mindset
These 4 Thoughts Colin Tomlin shares 4 mantras on how to get back on track or keep things on track in these unprecedented times.
Wellness
3 Ways to Take Charge of your Brain & Be ready for 2022. With less than 3 months to go to the new year. Dr Philippe Douyan MD introduces 3 things we can do to take control of our brains and be set for success.
Faith
Faith for our Future Rev’d David Shosanya explores the topic of faith and religion, a mainstay of The UK’s Black Community and what this has meant and what it means now.
This Black History Month we share our thoughts on 10 People who we think you should Business An Opportunity for Change follow and why. Stella Kennard shares what running her
business from home has meant for her and how it could change your life too by seizing an opportunity for change.
Economics
About Black Economics Dawn Grant introduces the idea of Black Economics and why buying Black is key to buying back the economic equity that will be the foundation of a better future.
Finance
Pimp your Money Sharon Wint-Gordon educates us about 4 ways to intentionally take control of our finances by pimping our money to move from the land of ‘have nots’ to inhabiting the land of the ‘haves’.
Education
Post Pandemic Perspectives in Education Judy Lynch Tomlin takes us on a journey of our relationship with the UK’s schools, exploring what it means for the future of our children’s learning and development.
Politics
Religion has failed. Politics will succeed Dr Floyd Millen challenges us to shift away from religion to a place where our faith moves us to use our voices to share our vision and speak at the ballot box.
Connect with us
@PitchBlackMagUK
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(
)
the who struck in
A
few months ago to the relief and delight of everyone, including my teenage son, the barbers opened up again after lockdown.
as a minister of religion and qualifying as an electrician, he set out to make his mark in the world.
Conference alongside David Pitt (later Baron Pitt of Hampstead) and others such as Jeff Crawford.
Upon arriving in England in 1955, he found a very different On one of our trips to place to his idyllic the barbers, I asked my Caribbean country. son if he had heard of Dyke & Dryden. After a He found the people equally as cold as the brief pause, he weather, not an admitted that he hadn’t. I realized that uncommon occurrence to the other members he had no clue about of the Windrush these titans of our community. generation at that time.
With that, came a new perspective and focus that saw him morphed into an entrepreneurial
I was itching to tell him Unable to find the story... opportunities to thrive as an electrical contractor, he ended up working for British Rail as an electrician.
How did it all begin? Len Dyke was born in Jamaica, the youngest of 11 children. His father, a headteacher, encouraged excellence through hard work.
The experience of struggling to find opportunities and one particularly vicious racist attack in 1958, resulting in the murder of Kelso Cochrane in London, led him to get involved in community activism.
entre activ convinc way forw create op
busine commu c
activist who was convinced that the way forward was to create His early work gave opportunities for the little indication of his community by building direction of travel and the path he would take. Len became a founding businesses by the member of the West community. Having been ordained Indian Standing
The Early Years
their money where their mouth was, only Dudley Dryden put his hands in his pocket.
needed. Focus. He encouraged Dyke & Dryden to change direction; to move away from retailing And so, Dyke & Dryden records to retailing hair was born. and beauty.
This was no easy task as providing capital to Black entrepreneurs was just something that Their first business model was a mix of a banks didn’t do. record shop, a travel and a shipping agent.
...an
What was baffling news to their loyal record buying customers, became very welcome news to their beauty It was the place to go to conscious and product starved female get the latest music from back home. constituents.
epreneurial vist who was The shop became a They had struck gold! meeting ced that the community place which provided a Extracting that pot of gold was no easy task, reminder of ward was to happy home. It was as much though. experience as it was pportunities an a place to buy products. Whereas the customers by building sensed the company’s community DNA and esses for the as a result flocked to their stores, the rest of unity by the A New the business and community. Direction community commercial banks, in Other members of the community were only marginally less keen than the banks.
With the arrival of Tony Wade, who at that time worked for the Smart Weston Group of Companies as a Credit Controller.
particular, were not as enthusiastic.
Dyke & Dryden was able to carve a very profitable and mutually beneficial niche in Wade joined as serving the Black There were initially six Marketing Manager people on board, but and brought what Dyke community’s hair and when it came to putting & Dryden desperately beauty needs.
Timeline & Highlights 1965 Company founded by Len Dyke & Dudley Dryden and start selling records & cosmetics. 1968 Tony Wade joins the Dyke & Dryden Partnership. Now a Limited company. 1973 Music section closed down.
1982 High Street chain Boots starts selling Dyke & Dryden products. 1983 Afro Hair & Beauty Show launches. 1984 Invitation to 10 Downing Street to celebrate country’s best entrepreneurs. 1987 Dyke & Dryden shares sold to Soft Sheen, USA.
1995 Tony Wade buy back of Dyke & Dryden shares from Soft Sheen.
The tenacity and resourcefulness of Len, Dudley and Tony, combined with the starved appetite for hair and beauty products suited to the Black community in the UK & Europe,
dogged determination and community spirit. In fact, at one time, Dyke & Dryden were the largest providers of trade credit to the UK Black community’s aspiring hair and beauty
... Dyke & Dryden were the largest providers of trade credit to the UK Black community. proved a winning combination.
entrepreneurs.
Much of what is now By the time Dyke & termed as social Dryden Ltd entrepreneurship and corporate social celebrated it’s 20th anniversary in 1985, responsibility was Boots, a giant of the being practiced by UK’s High Street had Len Dyke, Dudley their products on the Dryden & Tony Wade. shelves, they'd been invited to 10 Downing As we celebrate Street to meet Prime Black History Minister Margaret Month, let’s ensure we celebrate these Thatcher and Afro Hair & Beauty Show Black community was hugely popular. titans! That’s before the host of awards that they received for their Share your Thoughts innovation, tenacity, @PitchBlackMagUK
Awards & Honours 1980 Golden Sunrise Award. 1983 Caribbean Times Community Services Award. 1984 Dudley Dryden receives an MBE for community service. 1985 Caribbean Times Award for Achievement and Service. 1986 Caribbean and Afro Society of Hairdressers Appreciation Award. 1987 Tony Wade receives an MBE for services to employment. 1990 25th Anniversary Award from Shoptalk Publication Inc. 2005 Black Enterprises Award Lifetime Achievement in business sponsored by The Colourful Network. 2007 European Federation of Black Business Owners’ Heritage Award sponsored by London Metropolitan University.
Len Dyke, Dudley Dryden & Tony Wade
salutes YOU!
Keeping The
Legacy
Alive
Sharon Dyke-Mills
A Family Affair Len Dyke’s Daughter
Some of my earliest memories of Dyke & Dryden Ltd was at 43 West Green Rd, Tottenham, N15, during the 1970s. It was a 4 storey
sold vinyl records as Double D Records. The music was primarily reggae imported from Jamaica and the USA. There was a small selection of products including cosmetics
who was extremely meticulous when styling and combing the wigs, assisted by Mrs Myrna Thompson. There was also a small selection of natural foods and herbal remedies.
My brother, Lenny and myself would painstakingly fill bottles of castor oil and coconut oil, label the bottles and pack the bottles in boxes for distribution. building: ground floor was the wig and cosmetic shop, 1st floor – travel agency, later moved to 93 West Green Rd, run by Mr Dyke, 2nd floor was Mr Wade’s office and the 3rd floor was let to tenants. Before 43 West Green Rd became a wig and cosmetic shop, Mr Dyke and Mr Dryden
such as lipsticks, powders and Dax pomade. Mr Dryden acquired a market stall selling cosmetics and wigs at Ridley Road Market, Dalston.
Dyke & Dryden then expanded and moved to 126a West Green, managed by the late Mrs Elsa Robinson,
During school holidays, the stock room became a mini factory. My brother, Lenny and myself would painstakingly fill bottles of castor oil and coconut oil, label the bottles and pack the bottles in boxes for distribution.
Rudi Page
Find out more about Rudi’s work at www.hairex.uk
Dyke & Dryden’s
First Sales & Marketing Manager I joined Dyke & Dryden Ltd, Tottenham, as their first sales representative during June 1981. I had met Tony Wade a year earlier when I was working for an advertising company. I visited salons, retail outlets and exhibited the leading products such as, Sta-soffro, Carefree Curl, TCB, Hairlox, Johnson, Natural Beauty and Super Curl, all over the UK.
Hairdresser’s and retailers, arranged by Dyke & Dryden Ltd, I visited the worldfamous Bronner Bros, Exhibition & Showcase, Atlanta, USA, at the time the largest black hair and beauty showcase in the world.
...over the last 30 years, I have done my best to continue their legacy...
I was tasked to I was with Tony Wade coordinate Dyke & when Boots decided to Dryden’s first stock black hair exhibition which I products for the first titled, “Afro Hair & time and I visited the Beauty 1983”. The stores and met the showcase was opened managers and staff. by Lady Pitt, who said, “Black is beautiful and During July 1982, I was we must never be tired promoted to sales and of saying so or showing marketing manager how true that is.” and as part of a delegation of 40 All the objectives set by
the company were achieved; to promote black hairdressing and hair-care products, to help educate and motivate others into an awareness of dignity and self-respect. Also to ensure that black hair-care and beauty business owners should receive the serious attention of the people who should know and care. Len Dyke, Dudley Dryden and Tony Wade handed me the baton and over the last 30 years, I have done my best to continue their legacy of self-reliance, determination and the willingness to make a significant contribution to the advancement of our community through community development, health management and international development.
Splinters of Mayfair’s First Artistic Director Derek ‘DeCutter’ Clement is an award-winning, internationallyrenowned hairstylist whose career spans more than 40 years over three countries. His career started in 1976 at the iconic Splinters Hair Salon, in London’s Mayfair, owned by the legendary Winston Isaacs.
and continue building on what he had started in London. This was followed by a move to New York where he remained for 15 years and managed one of P Diddy’s barbershops. In 2011, he returned to his old hometown of Acton in West London
relaunch, in 2019, the HairEx platform that celebrates the legends, pioneers and veterans of the afro hair industry. In 2019, Derek then launched the luxury haircare line, Derek Clement Haircare System and in 2020, the men’s range of beard, scalp and skincare, K77.
...career started in 1976 at the iconic Splinters Hair Salon...
Derek has always been passionate about education, particularly for the younger and opened a salon generation to whom he will pass the baton. He which was sadly, founded the Haircare & accidentally burnt Barbering Skills Club down in 2014. to ensure that the afro hair & beauty sector Though he continues with his premium hair will be in safe hands by 2050 through giving styling skills, he has children and young continued to people access to demonstrate his entrepreneurial agility relevant skills and knowledge. The clubs and flexibility, are located in London, collaborating with He moved back to Birmingham and leaders in the field Grenada in the late ‘80s to raise his family including Rudi Page to Manchester. There, he styled many including celebrities such as Pearly Gates, Paul Boateng and Billy Ocean, and rapidly rose to the position of artistic director. In 1984, aged 24, he opened his own salons in London, laying the foundation for an afro haircare empire that continues to thrive, inspire and educate today.
Find out more about Derek’s products at www.hairex.uk
Derek Clement
The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine
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10 People
to follow
1 Who is he? Akyaaba Addai-Sebo was a Special Projects Officer at the Greater London Council, and later at the London Strategic Policy Unit when he initiated the first Black History Month celebration in 1987. Why follow him? Stirred by the identity crisis that the UK’s Black children exhibited, Akyaaba decided to do something about it. 34 years on, Black History Month is helping us to be Proud To Be. Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
10 People Who is she?
Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE DL is a working peer and an active advocate for the welfare, care and education of children throughout the world. She’s been an actress, presenter, writer, independent producer.
Who is he?
Eric Collins is a serial entrepreneur who’s served on boards and management teams of fast growth technology companies and now leads the team at London based Impact X Capital.
Why follow her?
Why follow him?
She is Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee, a group commissioned by the Prime Minister to advise on how best to create a permanent and 2 fitting tribute to the Windrush generation and descendants.
Known as The Money Maker from the Channel 4 series with the same name, Eric is all about creating wealth and social change through successful 3 venture capital investing which creates a double bottom line.
Who is she?
Lashana Lynch is the actress best known for her roles as Captain Rambeau in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain Marvel and recently her role as Nomi in the latest Bond film.
to follow
Who is she?
Paulette Simpson CBE is the executive at Jamaica National’s (JN) 5 representative office in the United Kingdom (UK), and executive director of The Voice - The UK’s leading Black newspaper.
4
Why follow her?
With Daniel Craig set to retire, there was much speculation about who would inherit the 007 title. Much to Lashana’s credit she effortlessly rose to the daunting challenge of kicking it (literally) and delivered a highly credible performance in this highly anticipated film franchise. The result? The film franchise’s first Black female 007.
Why follow her?
She is Deputy Chair of the Windrush Commemoration Committee, alongside Baroness Benjamin.
In addition, she serves in influential roles at Jamaica National’s UK subsidiary, responsible for corporate affairs and public policy as well as the Jamaica Gleaner owned Voice Newspaper Group.
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
10 People Who is he?
Professor Kevin Fenton is Public Health England’s Regional Director for London. Prior to his appointment in 2020, he worked in a variety of public health roles across government and academia.
Why follow him?
On joining the board of Public Health England (PHE) as the coronavirus gripped the UK, Professor Fenton was able to provide a credible voice in understanding 6 and addressing the health inequalities laid bare by the pandemic.
to follow Who is she?
Lavinya Stennet is the Founder and CEO of The Black Curriculum with a vision to educate about Black British history in and out of schools.
Why follow her?
Having witnessed the impact of systemic disenfranchisement through the exclusion of Black pupils and Black British history, Lavinya is on a mission to ensure all children are taught Black 7 British history and challenge the national curriculum’s Eurocentricity.
Who is she?
Dr Bola Owolabi is the Director - Health Inequalities and NHS Improvement. She is also a GP in the Midlands.
Who is she?
8
9
Why follow her?
Dr Owolabi has worked in leadership roles at both local and national level. She has a particular interest in reducing health inequalities through Integrated Care Models, Service Transformation and Quality Improvement through the use of data and insights. Bola has a significant role to play in reducing the disproportional impact on Black and other minority ethnic communities that were seen during the pandemic.
Judi Love is a stand up comedian and presenter. She is currently a firm TV favourite with her authenticity.
Why follow her?
Judi is currently lighting up our screens as one of the contestants in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Since making her TV debut in 2018 on BBC’s King Gary, she has since gone on to brighten up our screens on BBC’s MasterChef, ITV’s Loose Women as a panelist and Channel 4’s Celebrity Googlebox and recent ‘Black to Front’ initiative.
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
That’s some serious feat in 3 years.
10 People
to follow
10 Who is he? David Adetayo Olusoga OBE, is a British historian, writer, broadcaster, presenter and film maker. Why follow him? One of David’s recent books, Black & British: A Forgotten History, which is also the subject of a 4 part BBC documentary series, explores the long history between Africa and Britain and how they have been intimately intertwined for hundreds of years. Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine
Connect with us
@PitchBlackMagUK
10 Products
to buy & try
In this issue we highlight and showcase 10 products to buy and to try. These products cover 5 categories: Beauty & Skincare | Clothes | Drink | Food | Home Décor
1
What is it?
The Moisture Surge Set. This product set delivers intense moisture to thirsty natural tresses so you can say goodbye to dry hair.
How much? £40
Who’s behind it?
Afrocenchix began when Joycelyn Mate and Rachael Corson met at university in 2008 and shared their afro hair frustrations. So they had an idea to make their own and set out to Make Natural Simple.
Google was one of the believers in their idea so they put their money where their mouth was and invested almost £1 million.
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
Where can I get it?
afrocenchix.com
10 Products What is it?
The Discovery & Gift Set is a great way to sample the LIHA collection as well as making a lovely gift set and travel companion
Who’s behind it?
Liha Okunniwa and Abi Oyepitan from Gloucester and Hackney are all about creating products that blend natural African roots with a quintessentially British attitude.
How much? £38
Where can I get it?
lihabeauty.com
to buy & try What is it?
The Asantewa Cover up is a great way to hit the beaches with confidence on our winter sun trips abroad, when we feel confident to travel again that is...
Who’s behind it?
Yasmeen Opare began selling swimsuits on eBay. Her pieces are inspired by her Ghanaian heritage and cover a range of sizes and a range of clothing like wraps and body products
2
3
How much? £69.99
Where can I get it?
ashantiswimwear.com
What is it?
His & Hers Handmade Shoes for when we are ready to step out to those Christmas & New Years parties that we couldn't do last year.
What is it?
4
Who’s behind it?
5
Founded by Rohan & Natasha Clarke, Uptown Yardie is a British company inspired by Jamaican heritage, selling a lifestyle, captured through shoes and clothes in Northampton, the spiritual home of shoemaking.
Equiano Rum is a multi award winning premium aged rum, that is the world’s first African & Caribbean blend.
Who’s behind it?
Ian Burrell and a team of founders. Ian is a household name in the spirits industry, having founded the world’s first rum festival and gives a huge nod to Olaudah Equiano, writer and abolitionist.
How much?
How much?
£1000+
£49.95
Where can I get it?
Where can I get it?
equianorum.com
uptownyardie.com
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
10 Products
to buy & try
6
What is it?
Handcrafted Artisinal Chocolate The Gather Box is the post lockdown product of choice for getting together because Our CommuniTea is about celebrationand sharing with our community.
Who’s behind it?
Judy Lynch-Tomlin is the brains behind these hand crafted artisanal confections. These are some serious chocolate products that have a serious impact. An indulgent range: bars, shards & truffles.
How much? £40 monthly for The Gather Box.
Where can I get it?
ourcommunitea.com
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
10 Products What is it?
Bespoke Cakes & Cheesecakes that are perfect for any occasion from birthdays to weddings or any occasion in between. Their cakes are truly a work of art.
Who’s behind it?
Chrystal and Patrick Onyido are the dynamo duo that are behind Paddy Cakes. Popular opinion is that they make the most artful cakes and cheesecakes in London. They’re tasty too!
How much?
£Does it matter? Just pay it...
to buy & try What is it?
This Orange Almond Vegan Cake is great at any time of the day whether it be for breakfast , lunch or a snack. It is also very easy to make. We’ll try it and let you know... :)
Who’s behind it?
Rachel Ama is described as a dancing, cooking, powerhouse of vegan inspiration. Her food is hearty and full of African and Caribbean flavour.
How much?
7
8
£A trip to the market plus her cookbook.
Where can I get it?
Where can I get it?
rachelama.com
What is it?
What is it?
paddycakes.uk
A Season Di Ting Apron is a must as we say goodbye to summer and embrace the colder months, we are likely to be indoors and in the kitchen. Get 2 so there’s no fighting in the kitchen. #SoDiTingSet
9
Who’s behind it?
10
The Ohene Handmade Concrete Planter is designed for plants such as succulents, cacti or as a base for air plants.
Who’s behind it?
Craig and Shaun McAnuff are the Original Flava brothers from London. Inspired by their Jamaican grandmother and mother’s cooking growing up, they put a British twist to di ting.
Copper Dust is an Interior Design Studio founded by Vanessa Agyemang. The company specializes in luxury African inspired home décor, interior styling and renovation.
How much?
How much?
£20
£35
Where can I get it?
Where can I get it?
originalflava.com
copperdustlondon.com
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
10 Pages
to read or listen
Here are 10 books to read by Black authors and thought leaders
a must read
1
Tony Wade and his business partners, Len Dyke and Dudley Dryden, pioneered the development of the British Black hair care industry in Britain creating thousands of jobs.
and the community of a people, as they managed the challenges of the time. It clarifies how the dynamism of self-help and self-reliance can remove barriers to progress.
This story demonstrates an unswerving belief in self-worth This success story reveals just
GET THE BOOK
Share your Thoughts
@PitchBlackMagUK
how steadfastness and determination to succeed can be a guiding star for a new generation of Caribbean peoples in the Diaspora. Well worth reading...
10 Pages Both memoir and call-to-arms, Tribes explores both the benign and malign effects of our need to belong. How this need - genetically programmed and socially acquired - can manifest itself in positive ways, collaboratively achieving great things that individuals alone cannot.
And yet how, in recent years, globalization and digitization have led to new, more pernicious kinds of tribalism. This book is a fascinating and perceptive analysis of not only the way the world works but also the way we really are.
2
to read or listen
Drawing on new genealogical research, original records, and expert testimony, Black and British reaches back to Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire. It shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars. Black British history is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation and is not a singular history but belongs to us all.
3
GET THE BOOK
GET THE BOOK
Queenie is a 25 year old woman living in south London, straddling Jamaican and British culture whilst slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper where she's constantly forced to compare herself to her white, middle-class peers, and begs to write about Black Lives Matter.
With a foreword from Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE. The Place for Me presents 12 moving tales of sacrifice and bravery, inspired by first-hand accounts of the Windrush generation.
4
After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie finds herself seeking comfort in all the wrong places. As Queenie veers from one regrettable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?
5
Produced in partnership with Black Cultural Archives to honour the Windrush generation, each inspiring story helps to bring the real experience of Black British people into focus. For the nostalgics it includes ten photo-packed fact sections.
GET THE BOOK
GET THE BOOK
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10 Pages Police Reform and Political Accountability begins with the back story of an empire which emerged almost by accident without a grand design, but which once created, worked relentlessly to sustain and expand its sphere of influence and control. Charting the system of policing that emerged; this is quintessentially a story of Englishmen and women in England and the system of policing that emerged. This is also a story of the Englishmen and women who fled England to escape religious oppression, taking with them, the customs, and systems of law and order.
6
to read or listen
This is Britain as you've never read it. This is Britain as it has never been told. From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last hundred years. They're each looking for something - a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father, even just a touch of hope .
7
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GET THE BOOK
Cyrille Regis' My Story is a compelling one on so many levels. The story of his migration from the French Caribbean to a racially divided West London in the 1960s, his development as a semi professional footballer and his subsequent move to a top-flight Football League club, followed by national recognition and glory, while still facing racial hatred is a tale in itself.
In her debut book, In Black and White, Alexandra re-creates the tense courtroom scenes, the heart-breaking meetings with teenage clients, and the moments of frustration and triumph that make up a young barrister's life.
8
The book begins at Buckingham Palace in 2008, when Cyrille Regis received his MBE, recognition for his services to football and the community.
9
Alexandra shows us how it feels to defend someone who hates the colour of your skin, or someone you suspect is guilty. We see what it is like for children coerced into county line drug deals and the damage that can be caused when we criminalize teenagers. .
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10 Pages
to read or listen
Kids friendly
10
Marcus Rashford MBE is famous worldwide for his skills both on and off the pitch – but before he was a Manchester United and England footballer, and long before he started his inspiring campaign to end child food poverty, he was just an average kid from
Wythenshawe, South Manchester.
Now the nation's favourite footballer wants to show YOU how to achieve your dreams, in this positive and inspiring guide for life. Written with journalist Carl
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Anka, You Are A Champion is packed full of stories from Marcus’s own life, brilliant advice and top-tips from performance psychologist Katie Warriner. It will show you how to be the very BEST that you can be.
Mindset
up your
TURN
BLACK
voice by
Alex Gordon
“
Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.” Maya Angelou What does it mean to turn up your voice? History has
we are equal but life’s events have demonstrated that we are not all treated equally. In our communities there are large disparities of inequality and injustice. Life is a journey of awareness. You don’t know something has
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes a human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.” documented our path happened until it is as people who have brought to your suffered discrimination attention. of varying degrees. In breakthrough In raising your voice, advertising the Does it mean to be author talks about five heard? levels of awareness, Does it mean to be they are; noticed ? Or better still, Does it 1) Unaware mean to take a stand? 2) Problem aware 3) Solution aware There is a prevailing 4) Product aware school of thought that 5) Aware
At the very beginning one is totally unaware, ignorant that something has happened, that an injustice has taken place or that our people are suffering in silence with no immediate resolve. It’s so easy to go about our individual business with no regard for what is taking place in our community.
“History contextualises and shapes the way in which we understand, and engage with significant events in relation to major developments within society such as crime and punishment…” He provides a framework within his research into crime and punishment that can be applied to any industry being examined. The framework consists of four elements:
We work our way through the varying levels of awareness depending on the angle from which we have 1. Examine the been informed, a historical black content creator, a presence in an professional, an industry from the entrepreneur, a earliest point. politician, a social A. activist, a parent, a 2. Explore the guardian or a carer. intersection between the industry and the So how do we bring an interaction with awareness and keep it black presence. alive in the hearts and minds of not just our 3. Revise our thinking people but a nation? based on the findings. Refering to Dr. Martin Glynn, a criminologist 4. Develop creative and his historical ways of working in approach, he states that industry to that, generate the
outcomes we would system, both positive like to see. and negative?
What about the health service, our Dr Martin Glynn (May 2021) contribution from the How we have eyes of the workers Until we study and contributed and tried who have served from examine our rich to patch the system to the most junior to the history in the UK make sure our children most senior positions. which precedes receive a good Windrush, and education? What about the document the results, entrepreneurs who we will not be able to The rising black weren’t famous but create the solutions academia that is yet to held our communities we’re looking for. find its visual voice and together. What about place. our churches, faith that So we should be telling gave us the grounding we needed.
Imagine in 2121 a young child being able to see the evidence of our significant contributions in our museums, music, drama, films & books. our stories through poetry, writing, speaking, music, drama, films and documentaries. We start with crime and punishment because of the significant injustices we have suffered.
What about sports, media and music, are there stories that we have not yet heard about the significant contributions we have made?
What about politics, are we now seeing the falling representation What about the stories of black politicians in from our education the policitcal system?
Finally the army. Our contribution in the wars that were fought. The under representation in the national celebrations for the war effort. What it means to turn up our Black voice is for us to find a way for our rich history to live far beyond our own mortality. Imagine in 2121 a young child being taught about our significant contribution in the UK, able to see the evidence in our museums, music, drama, films & books. Share your Thoughts
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...to turn up our Black voice is for us to find a way for our rich history to live far beyond our own mortality.
You’ve got to Speak Up & Raise your Voice Even Though You’re Nervous and Feel Like An Introvert Have you ever considered, that what you know, what you’ve been through, your truth, is enough reason for people to listen to you speak, to be heard?
Find Out More https://theunforgettablespeakerbook.com/
These
Thoughts by
Colin Tomlin
T
he last 18 months will easily go down as one of the most disrupted and disruptive years in most of our lifetime.
and friends. Many people have lost their jobs and many entrepreneurs are running out of ideas.
Being cut off from family and friends has And for many people it meant social lives have would have taken a toll been halted and emotionally, spiritually, replaced by screen life. mentally, financially, socially and physically! And that's before we start talking about the For some it has had a increased volume of profound emotional food has taken a toll on our waistlines! impact in that fear, foreboding and feelings However, despite all of a shattered future this, Marcus Aurelius abounds. reminds us, 'You have Some people have had power over your mind their belief systems and not outside events. their way of life shaken. Realize this, and you will find strength.' Some have become anxious and are Here are 4 thoughts or concerned for their mental health. mantra's that help me to find strength and Many have suffered the increase my mental power settings… pain of losing family
1. The Main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Stephen Covey, in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, introduces us to Habits 1, 2 & 3 as follows: Be Proactive, Begin with End in Mind, Put First Things First All of these habits underscore this thought… Be proactive to identify the main thing. Begin with the end in mind to ensure all actions and activity contribute to the main thing. Put first things first and remove distractions and time wasting mindsets and environments.
This year, it's fair to say many of us have been distracted. In fact, you'd need to be seriously unaware of what's been going on to not be distracted. The trick, though, is to not remain distracted. Ask yourself, 'What is my main thing?' and then, 'How can I keep the main thing the main thing?'
wasn't going to be daft enough to turn down free labour and his DIY expertise. As soon as we got on the high road and about to turn right onto our usual route, I saw that familiar yellow and black sign; a diversion.
cannot give up on the journey. Let's not forget or fade our vision because the road is blocked. Let's follow the diversion and keep the end point in focus.
3. Done is Better Than Perfect
It was now going to take longer to get to Wickes. And it was going to mean finding another In his book, Black Box route. Thinking, Matthew Syed recent journey has recounts a story, told in 2. Be Focused Our David Bayles & Ted thrown up many diversions and it's going Orland's book Art & on the End Fear, of a ceramics to mean many things Point but teacher who may take longer and his Flexible on the have to be done another divides class into way. Approach. two We'll all need to be Recently, I took my innovative and father in law to Wickes inventive to get to pick up some paint as through this he decided he wanted year. But to paint our shed door. we Of course, I
experience
growth
entrepreneurial THINKING engaging TALES essential TOOLS & effective TIPS
h ...on our Channel
As I have gotten older, I realized that life is less about independence & more about interdependence. groups at the start of the term. The first group was told that they would be graded on quantity. He informed them that he would come to class at the end of the term with a set of scales. 50 lbs of pots would earn an A; 40 lbs would earn a B etc. The second group were told they would be graded on quality. They simply had to create 1 perfect pot. The results at the end of the term were surprising. The highest quality pots were produced by the group graded for quantity. It seems that as the 'quantity' group got busy and cranked out pots they were learning from their mistakes and getting better. The 'quality' group, on the other hand, were busy
theorizing and literally thinking that asking for didn't get stuck in or help belies weakness. get their hands dirty. As I have gotten older, This kind of thinking I realized that life is might be useful right less about now. independence and more about interdependence. It's we expose our 4. 'No man is when vulnerabilities in the context that an Island, No right growth happens. It is man stands during these times of vulnerabilities that alone' authentic relationships This last one is emerge. courtesy of my Dad! It's at those times that It's the first enduring the beauty of life lesson that I interdependence, all remember. I don't parties contributing as know if it's because he well as consuming, was a pastor that his becomes clear. most enduring lesson was from a sermon by In this season, do not John Donne, a 17th suffer in silence. Pick century author & up the phone and ask clergyman. for help if you need to! I must confess that I Also, be someone who struggle to ask for help people are comfortable sometimes. It may well to approach for help. be pride, not wanting to be a burden, Share your Thoughts
34 | experience growth Magazine | Autumn 2020
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Wellbeing
Ways to Take Charge of Your Brain
& Be Ready for 2022
by
Dr Philippe Douyan MD
As we end a year fraught with illness, trauma, protests, and uncertainty, it’s important to remember that life changes in phenomenal ways when we decide to take control over what we can instead of focusing on things beyond our power. In an effort to ring in a new beginning and get ready for 2022 let’s start by taking charge of something that can change our lives….OUR BRAINS. I want to explore 3 things that we can do that will shape the evolution of our brains and get us ready for the new year. Here they are:
#1. Change our thinking
Albert Einstein once said, “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
... it’s our ab control of our brai determines our l
bility to take ins that ultimately level of success.
In our current state of paralysis by pandemic, isolation from loved ones, and the financial insecurity crippling our personal and global economies our thoughts matter more today than they ever have. There is research that states that we have between 12,000 – 60,000 thoughts everyday. 90-95% of those ideas and opinions are the exact same thoughts that we had yesterday and 60-70% of them are negative. Our thoughts govern our actions. When we think differently about our circumstances it opens us up to what is possible. It allows us to find creative solutions and adapt to unfamiliar challenges. New ways of thinking changes our perspective on life and induces neuroplasticity. It forms the creation of new neurons and new connections, keeping
Take Control NOW xx 34 || experience experience growth growth Magazine Magazine || New Autumn Year2020 2021
New Year 2021 | experience growth Magazine | xx
the brain healthy and minimizing the risks of neurological degeneration.
#2. Exercise Daily
The brains of modern humans are very different from the brains of our early ancestors. Over the millennia our brains have gotten bigger and more complicated. The number of neurons and connections between them have increased in a process called encephalization. Research shows that the reason that the brain evolved in this way was the need for early humans to run long distances. It was the activity of moving their bodies in order to escape from predators and chase down prey that caused the brain to grow and the number of cells to expand to the numbers we now have today. We know that regular exercise gives our brains everything they
Whether it’s to overcome challenges or get ready for a new beginning it’s our ability to take control of our brains that ultimately determines our level of success.
Exercise is also a necessary prescription in the prevention of disease and the recovery from illness.
#3. Focus on the life we want to create
Our brains need us to lead them especially since there are millions of things competing for our attention everyday.
When something becomes the center of our interests that is where our lives follow. A group of neurons in our brainstem called the reticular activating system focuses our awareness on what’s important to us, increasing the likelihood that our thoughts come to pass. Whether it’s to overcome challenges or get ready for a new beginning it’s our ability to take control of our brains that ultimately determines our level of success.
need to make new neurons and new connections. Exercise promotes the brain’s ability to adapt, learn, and heal. It’s the best stress Come take charge of your brain with your personal reliever, antibrain expert! depressant, and antianxiety treatment there is. Share your Thoughts @PitchBlackMagUK
The UK’s Black Enterprise & Experience Magazine
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Faith
Faith for our
Future by
Rev’d David Shosanya
T
he question of faith and religion in black communities has been a perennial topic of discussion from time immemorial.
discussion. This is true whether the discussion is initiated by anthropologists focussed on gaining a deeper understanding of indigenous communities in Africa or the Caribbean, or In fact, it would not be sociologists studying an exaggeration to diasporic communities assert that wherever in far flung corners of African and Caribbean the globe. Black communities have communities are been observed, intrinsically religious. analysed or investigated, religion, Views have been in one way or another, polarised largely has always been a around how the central topic of investigator or
commentator estimates the intrinsic value of religion to be. Views range with writers like John Mbiti (African
‘negro religion is 40% emotionalism, 30% hilarity, 28% hysteria and 2 %miscellaneous.’
Philosophy & Religion) suggesting that African communities cannot be understood without an appreciation of the role of religion, to others like Anthony Pinn (Terror & Triumph), that view religion as a human creation appropriated within black communities to assist with navigating daily life circumstances that exist as a direct result of white supremacy and systemic oppression. Dr. Vernon Jones, predecessor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jnr at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, once commented, tongue-in -cheek, that ‘negro religion is 40% emotionalism, 30 % hilarity, 28 % hysteria and 2% miscellaneous.’
His comment was intended to communicate something of what he considered a failure
of the Church, one expression of black religious identity and community, to adequately wrestle with the socio-political and economic realities of its time.
A lot has changed since then both in the American and UK context. The birth and strength of the civil rights movement in the USA, and the emergence of a strong black political consciousness here in the UK, has led to a stronger intersection between faith and the various environmental realities that impact on the black bodies of the individuals and communities that embody that faith. One expression of this ‘politicisation’ of faith can be seen in the growing interest in black theology (a theological centre dedicated solely to the study of black theology is located in Birmingham, UK), a way of reading the bible that takes seriously, and,
wherever African and Caribbean communities have been observed, analysed or investigated, religion, in one way or another, has always been a central topic of discussion.
unapologetically engages with the lived experiences of black people.
offer an imperative for African and Caribbean communities fighting injustice. While such arguments may appear It would be easy for a convincing at surface cynic of black religion, level, a closer reading especially Christianity, of history leads the to argue that black objective reader to a different set of theology is another conclusions. extension of the Western colonial The history of project, that it is still a Christianity in Africa pre-dates the Transwhite man’s religion, and therefore does not Atlantic-Slave Trade
(MAAFA) by millennia, provided a firm basis for a culture of resistance and rebellion during colonisation, and continues to inspire individuals to advocate and work towards the emancipation of black bodies that live in white societies that devalue their bodies and contributions. Share your Thoughts
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Business
An
Opport unity for
Change by
Stella Kennard
A challenging period for many but for some, this forced crack in the complacency of the workplace has caused the light to peek-in as they see the opportunity for change.
T
he pandemic has driven thousands of companies worldwide to shut down their offices. Many people have lost their jobs, many had to take heavy pay cuts to help businesses stay afloat. A challenging period for many but for some, this forced crack in the complacency of the workplace has caused the light to peek-in as they see the opportunity for change. An opportunity I can relate to. Some 14 years ago now, having worked the previous twenty years within corporate operational management; a fast paced, demanding role both in time and energy and one that I loved; I forced myself to make a total change in my career path.
Starting a family, I found myself at a cross road. The demands of my corporate role were
too imposing for my family. Both full time and part time hours did not harmonize with my family routine. I needed to create change. I now see the emotional effect of the change I forced upon myself, to be not too dissimilar to the change many have undergone through the pandemic. A forced maneuver from a strategically supportive, bustling office environment to [becoming selfemployed] working from home [WFH], with a feeling of isolation, a loss of identity, uncertainty crept in and with that a loss in confidence. It was an emotional roller coaster that I felt I was riding alone. As I stand here today holding my 14 year WFH Trophy, I cheer on the incomparable experiences gained through creating that change. Strength of character – I actually believe the
office environment held me back. I was unconsciously not stepping up because others around me held responsibilities too.
I decide when I start and finish work.
Parenting
I’m a ‘present’ parent; with no guilt for
Time for Me!
Catching up with friends and fellow WFH colleagues; my exercise routine; shopping – all is planned in and around my work meetings!
Don’t put up and make do, just because. Create change. Take control. Own something for yourself. Own your own business. I love it! With the decision baton now firmly held in my hand, I spread my wings and allow my talent and abilities to flourish. I push myself out of my ‘comfort zone’ to gain strength. My responsibilities have birthed another level of confidence within me.
Time freedom I set my own working hours.
My experiences have carved an easier lifestyle for all of my family; and as Eleanor Roosevelt quoted ‘I am who I am today, because of the choices I made yesterday’.
sharing my attention between the office and my family.
I pride myself in encouraging all to seek out opportunity. Don’t put up and make do, just because. Create Financial change. Take control. Own something for Stability yourself. Own your The self-employed business model I chose own business. I love it! to follow, has allowed me to take full control Here’s to many more of you experiencing the of my income. I have peace of mind when it same! comes to my family leisure and financial commitments. Share your Thoughts @PitchBlackMagUK
Economics
about
Black
Economics by
Dawn Grant
It is an allencompassing word which covers Black I unapologetically use Africans, Black Caribbeans, Afro the word BLACK. Brazilian, Afro Columbians, African It indicates people of African origin, who can American, Black British, Black be found around the world in various shades Canadians, Black Asians and Afroand sizes. European.
The Term Black
There was once a time black may have been deemed to represent something negative – as can be seen by language denoting a very bad situation – black hole, black witch, black day.
To use the term African - would not denote black people, since there are many Africans who are not black. These would include people from North African countries, and whites who reside in South Africa and Zimbabwe and elsewhere who have for generations lived in Africa and are Africans. The phrase “Black is Beautiful” was invented to counteract the negative connotations – and today most Black people are proud to be Black. Black people are talented. In many
We want to and the und
areas we have outdone other races despite people actively trying to hold us down. We should be respected as unique and special with a particular inner strength.
About Black Economics
Our organization encourages and promotes entrepreneurship, career progression and a faster upward trajectory up the economic ladder with the right education and connections. We want to help reduce poverty and the under-privilege label.
Black Economics encourages the support of black-owned businesses. Though we cannot change history, we might be able to influence the future. Things may be changing. Capitalism allows freedom.
Why Spend with Blackowned
Businesses If a black person wants to sell Russian cultural gifts or Chinese food – there is no law against that. The key area which affects the majority is
help reduce poverty der-privilege label.
spending. Where do we spend our money? We need to consider that their spending is making other nationalities very rich indeed, for which we get the products and little else in return. Your sister is starving while you feed your distant
neighbour.
local councils and schools would organise Black Economics also some activity or have encourages white and speakers in. Since the Asian nationalities to 2020 Black Lives Protests, people have seek out black decided to place more businesses to support. This is a good importance onto way of giving back and celebrating black supporting the many history in October – in the UK and February in talents of black the USA. creatives and trades people who are working hard to make a better life for their families. Find a way to Knowledge spend with them. about Black Companies need to Achievers & consider Supplier Diversity. Your Products can Supplier list should include black-owned reduce companies.
Racism
Black History Month
Racism usually comes from ignorance.
A certain group of people only know negative black history – It is fitting that this magazine – Pitch Black slavery, violence, - should be launched drugs, incarceration, in black history month. poverty. For them blacks are seen as less Black History Month has been around for a than white or Asian long time, but most of people. They have little respect – and this is the country ignored it. Black Communities exacerbated if they have never become however had always friends with Black welcomed and people. celebrated it in some form or another. Some
Education serves to reduce this ignorance. It serves to give a more rounded view of the black population, by highlighting black heroes and heroines, some of whose stories were hidden from view and are only now coming to the fore. Everyone can see black singers, rappers, artists, manufacturers, sports people and appreciate their talent. But we do not know of what they went through to get there, and that backstory is what can strengthen and inspire a generation. For many it provides a healthy respect between cultures. Black Economics celebrates people who are helping to move the needle, regarding the economic status of Black communities.
Share your Thoughts
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pimp
Finance
your money by
Sharon Wint-Gordon
W
hy is talking about money and finance such a difficult topic?
P is for Protection
Who knew in March 2020 we would undergo the greatest threat to our health and economy - COVID 19?
Why is it when financial education is mentioned we are ready to fall asleep, or we remember we haven’t loaded the dishwasher or changed the cat litter.
One of my finance coaches, Dr Bevin Wint, uses the phrase ‘you must rent your wealth through your protection, while you accumulate wealth through savings and investments.’
The ripples will continue for generations to come.
How are you protecting your money?
I is for Invest
Barbara Anderson, author of M.O.N.E.Y Managing On NIL Every Year! Reminds I am fascinated that as a society we constantly He probably borrowed us that, “Advice is a matter of opinion; engage in a very it from someone else, education is a matter salacious glance at the but it’s true. of fact.” lives of ‘The Haves’. Interesting people ‘The Protect the family’s Haves’ – more money biggest asset – no not So, this is not advice its common sense. than us, celebrity the 50” TV, protect the lifestyle, property income earners, those portfolio etc. but very who bring money into Design your future self at retirement, health, few stop to reflect on the family every wealth, home, and how the legitimate month; through life, family – work ‘Haves’ achieved the serious illness, income backwards. title. In most cases protection and estate someone in their life planning. If you own a followed or understood property or 2; where do How much would it cost? financial education you stand with principles. inheritance tax? So, for those of us on a Manage your journey to move from risk. being a ‘Have Not’ let’s find out how to PIMP your money!
Now ask yourself, What am I prepared to do to achieve this life? How much do I need to invest to make this dream a reality? Now go get the best advice from an expert, not your broke friends!
When it comes to saving and investing, How risk averse are you? Knowing this will help you identify how long it might take to accumulate your funds, or how much you are prepared to invest annually or monthly – your expert can help you with this.
M is for Mentality
What’s your relationship to money? Are you trapped believing myths and traditions? “Money is the root of all evil”, “Rich people are greedy and corrupt.” Money makes good people better and bad people worse.
Eric Thomas reminds us that, “Wealth is a mindset.”
Become a student of your life, increase your knowledge, pursue the change you want to see, build your mind, read self-improvement books – invest in your own development.
P is for Priorities
Here’s a startling statistic of 100 people at age 67; 1 is wealthy, 4 financially independent 95 still working or dead broke. So, are you doing the right things with your time?
Remember to ‘make It’s ok to say you want hay while the sun to be wealthy, prioritize shines’ so make sure you are saving, being successful and don’t be embarrassed investing and have the to wish for a better life. right protection!
...prioritize being successful and don’t be embarrassed to wish for a better life.
If you really want to be successful you MUST be willing to miss out for a period. Many of us are suffering unnecessarily today because we failed at deferred gratification. However, it’s never too late to learn FOCUS, As Eric Thomas says, “Don’t give up, don’t quit until you succeed.”
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it.
Education
Post Pandemic
Perspectives in
Education by
Judy Lynch-Tomlin
T
he Covid-19 pandemic shook society across the globe, and aftershocks continue to ripple their impact throughout economies and institutions. The immense loss of life and ongoing physical health needs challenge the mental and emotional health of individuals with many fearful for the future, struggling to keep up with rapid changes and looking for some semblance of security. We looked to the experts for their educated answers and the importance of education as an institution was catapulted squarely into our line of vision.
During the initial stage of the pandemic, concerns were raised for the safety and wellbeing of children being away from school. For vulnerable children, at primary and secondary level in particular, the risk of domestic violence, abuse and access to meals were major concerns, and the impact of an interrupted education across all key stages as well as further education called for rapid plans to be put in place. A new appreciation of teachers was acknowledged, and the critical role educators play was underscored once again. Education has long since been a widely and hotly
However, the black experience of education has been somewhat different.
debated topic, from political promises in party manifestos to the levels, pressures, and validity of the numerous
assessments, testing and league tables involved. Within families of all financial brackets, cultures, and creeds, most see education as key to a brighter future with broadened choices.
However, the black experience of education has been somewhat different. Despite holding the view that education will break barriers and
However, celebrating the gains should not deny the remaining issues or impede the efforts for sustained and further progress. The manner and untimely death of George Floyd highlighted racism as a pandemic within a pandemic and presented a shared trauma for black people that resonated with other non-white groups.
schools were not institutionally racist.
There is no doubt that the incidence of overt expressions of blatant racism are not at the levels previously experienced when black people first came to the UK on mass as part of the Windrush All reasonable people Generation and other such programmes; possessing a moral compass were outraged programmes that provide and the rally to invited support to access to rebuild a post war respond included improved social governments, business, Britain. and education. The and financial outcomes, black people question of However, celebrating have found encounters institutional racism in the gains should not within the educational the British school deny the remaining system, traumatic and system was raised and issues or impede the the resulting report education itself, a efforts for sustained barrier to learning and further progress. shot down at speed when bold headlines progress. Bernard Coards’ book; summarised the How the West Indian Child is made finding that British
educationally subnormal in the British School System, exposed the scandalous treatment of Black children, predominantly Caribbean, placed in special schools despite a lack of evidence of learning difficulty, misleading, little or no consultation with parents regarding such placements, and biased IQ testing. The documentary ‘Subnormal: A British Scandal’ discusses the practice of placing black children in these special schools under the category ESN Educationally SubNormal. It follows British Film Maker, Steve McQueens’ portrayal of his own experience in the 2020 Small Axe production of ‘Education’. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 figures
for exam results were reported through teacher assessment after the muchmaligned algorithm debacle. Reports from pupils in areas known to have high proportions of lowincome families and large black and nonwhite populations, informed of low grades assigned that were a
complete mismatch to their school performance.
underachievement of black children and those in socioeconomic need, so Many young people felt when the outrage of the the need to challenge algorithm fiasco these grades to keep settled, were we really university placements surprised at its output? on track, while others Expectation is vital entered a hard-pressed within education. What clearing system. Data is expected from the for educational learner, what can be attainment consistently expected from the reports the teacher and what
What is expected from the learner, what can be expected from the teacher and what expectations about self are fuelled and formed. expectations about self outlawed following are fuelled and formed. Coards’ expose, as, despite undeniable I ask myself to what improvements and extent does the ESN - pupil successes, the Educationally Subseats at the bottom of Normal view of black the table are still children persist even occupied by black and though the low-income children terminology was and young people.
This is the same cohort found in ESN schools 50 years on from the scandal.
community would be compounded exponentially. The impact is still felt by many, and the issue Is this the expectation of education and race is of the British education complex beyond these system? brief reflections. Consideration of past occurrences in tandem with present issues inform and support progress for the future.
If we expect nothing to change then nothing will.
This requires that we acknowledge issues as well as continue to acquire knowledge.
The lockdown caused many of us to reflect on what really matters, and the opportunity to examine what needs to change to ensure that in another 50 years’ time the seats around the educational table [and others] offers a balanced
view -the view and worth that black lives matter alongside every life at the table.
What should the Black parents rallied As we emerge expectation and through the ESN from the appalling response be to a scandal and provided a spectre of the covid system that is not supplementary school pandemic and the working? system that provided racial focus solution and rescue for surrounding George If we expect nothing to numerous victims Floyds’ death, what change then nothing impacted by the expectations do we will. trauma. have? Without this response, the damage to the black Share your Thoughts @PitchBlackMagUK
Politics
R
eligion was famously described as the opiate of the masses, and it was religion – that same opiate – which stole the heart out of Africa. Today, technology is the new opiate; however, for the Black community, religion and consumerism are the primary nullifiers of our senses. Religion and consumerism has stupefied our innate, innovative spirit and our God given ability to create our world; we are in stasis.
It would appear that religion, has failed our community. Whilst we may remember our days in the wilderness, have we strived hard enough to seize the reins of power so that the past will never again be revisited upon us?
filling us, the pottage has left us emptier than when we first supped. We need to critically appraise where we were, where we are and where we are going as a nation and as a people.
As a community, our presence in the United Kingdom has ushered in much change in the collective consciousness and the lived experiences of Britons. It is important that we acknowledge that in spite of the many challenges and obstacles that the Black community has faced, we We have become have every right an atomised and to be proud of the commoditised success and the group of people achievements of who have, our most visible, invariably used our most religion to wash wealthy, and our away our consumerist most connected with sins and guilt, and to Have we squandered pride. Our successes justify our reluctance to the hard-won gains of indicate just how far we be the salt of the earth our fore parents? have come. Conversely, in the boardroom, in there remains a huge politics. Let’s not be content chasm between our with the bowl of expectations and the We are religious porridge served up to lived experiences of the consumers now. us; because, far from vast majority of the
Our successes indicate just how far we have come. Conversely, there remains a huge chasm between our expectations and the lived experiences of the vast majority of the Black community in modern Britain.
We need to critically appraise where we were, where we are and where we are going as a nation and as a people. Black community in modern Britain. Individual exceptionalism will of course ensure that some of us will rise; however, the rising tide of equality has not lifted all boats; look at the leaders and board members of the FTSE 100, FTSE 250, AIM and leaders across industries: not for want of trying, but people of Black heritage are noticeable by our absence.
recipients of the services that we are alienated from influencing. Is religion to blame, and is politics the answer?
right wing than the political right, and the political right at times have adopted left of centre fiscal and economic policies.
Environmental movements which have Recreating historically been seen as being on the left our world We are entering into a have adopted new age of political and authoritarian practices inimical of the right. technological revolution. The political climate – and Political cross dressing means there are more landscape - has places and ways for our changed and the role vision of the world to that technology is playing in that change be channelled and Wholistically, as a realised. must not be community, we are underestimated and largely absent from This is a good thing. the role of religion decision-making, and if must no longer usurp we are there; we are Let’s reimagine the or stultify our innate rendered invisible, and ability to recreate our world not through the if we are speaking, we world. lens of religion but are the unheard. It is through faith and the still a source of my activism of politics; Across the political discontent that we are landscape, political because faith without not sitting around politics is dead. parties are donning many decision-making each other’s clothes; tables, but yet we are the left at times Share your Thoughts over represented as appears to be more @PitchBlackMagUK
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