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Calypso Rose Tours The UK The legendary Calypso Rose has continued to inspire, uplift and entertain audiences around the world for over 55 years. Ensure you experience and enjoy the best of calypso, steel pan and film
2011 Community Action Award Hot on the heels of the 2010 award, comes the programme for 2011. 06/09/10
The Vortex, London
07/09/10
Oxmarket, Chicester
08/09/10
The Drum, Birmingham
09/09/10
Worcester Arts Workshop
10/09/10
New Arts Exchange, Nottingham
11/09/10
New Wosley Theatre, Ipswich
12/09/10
UKCCA, Luton
Society for Caribbean Studies, GB Research Bursaries and Travel Grants
Rhodes House. Oxford University library catalogue can be viewed via OLIS on http://library.ox.ac.uk
Two types of Research Bursary are available:
Travel Grants up to the value of £300 are open normally to second and final year undergraduate or to postgraduate students registered with a UK higher educational institution and working on a Caribbean topic. Up to three will be awarded each year.
One Research Bursary up to £1500 is open to post-graduate students, in the UK or overseas, preparing a project, dissertation or thesis on the Caribbean and who can benefit from: access to David’s former library, now housed in the David Nicholls Room at Regent’s Park College in Oxford. This contains material on Haiti, Trinidad and modern politics in the Caribbean as well as interface of politics and theology. access to material housed in other libraries in Oxford. Of particular note are the archives of the Baptist Missionary Society (including material from Haiti, Trinidad and Jamaica) in Regent’s Park College and books on the modern Caribbean in the library at
The second Research Bursary, also up to £1500, is open to applicants from UK institutions to pursue field work in the Caribbean, spending at least two weeks abroad. Travel Grants
These support second and final year undergraduates or postgraduate students registered with a UK higher educational institution and working on a Caribbean topic. Grants are worth up to £300. For full details and information click here Closing date: 31 Mar 11
Although the fine points have still to be decided, applications will be able to be completed on-line late September or early October 2010. If you would like to register your interest then click here and we will send you a email when the application process begins. In the meantime why not find out more about the Judges. If you have any questions contact the Community Action Award Administrator via email chris@simplygreatcopy.com .
The GLA London 2012 Volunteer Programme People can also now sign up to be a London Ambassador, to help guide the millions of visitors who will travel to London for the Games get around and enjoy their stay in the capital. The scheme, devised by the Mayor of London, aims to recruit 8,000 London Ambassadors who will be located at key points across the city - including transport hubs, outside Games venues, and at popular visitor spots. They will be the welcoming face of the capital, providing much needed information on what to see and do, where to stay and how to get there. For more information click here.
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Gospel Vocal Coach Teams Up with Local British Red Cross for October Concert in Luton. With the last concert raising nearly £1500 pounds towards the Red Cross Haiti appeal and with nearly 500 people in attendance the event proved a resounding success, despite it being put together in less than three weeks. The concert provided valuable funds that were used to buy emergency essentials for the people of Haiti and in light of the current natural disasters unfolding in Pakistan, China and Russia the upcoming concert will prove timely in helping those who are displaced by floods in those countries.
Dionne Shand, who runs vocal workshops for church choirs in the UK and is the main organiser of the concert said: ‘We had such kind, generous support and great feedback from the community after the last concert we just had to do another one again. But this time not only will we be raising funds for international aid but also for grass root projects that BRC support, especially in Bedfordshire. We especially want to extend an invite to local acts from across Luton and Bedfordshire to get in touch if they want to take part’. She adds: As a BRC volunteer and Christian, I am ever aware of the trauma people face because of poverty both in the UK and abroad so being able to help alleviate the affects, no matter how small, gives me personal satisfaction and the fact that our local British Red Cross are willing to support is a great boost because people know who they and the quality of work they have done for many years is evident.
The concert will take place on the 23rd of October and will be held St Marys Church in Central Luton.
The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street Tells the amazing story of how African Americans created their own centre of black business and enterprise during the era of segregation. How did they achieve this? What obstacles did they face? How did this amazing achievement come to an end? This event will take place on Monday 13th September 2010 from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. at the PCS Headquarters, 160 Falcon Road, Clapham Junction, London SW11 2LN, (3 minutes walk from Clapham Junction mainline station. For more information telephone 07951 234 233 or email info@blackhistorystudies.com
Got some news, views or an event you want to share, send your press release by clicking right here!!
Celebration of Life Concert 22.10.10 The Metropolitan Black Police Association is once again proud to present its annual ‘Celebration Of Life Concert’, bringing together some of the finest names in contemporary music for a night of fantastic entertainment and raising awareness in support of the Association’s anti-violence initiative Revival. Headlining this year’s ‘Celebration of Life Concert’ is the legendary UK reggae group Aswad, featuring the Aswad Horns. After two decades on the music scene and fifteen albums under their belts, ‘The Lions of Ladbroke Grove’ remain one of the country’s best loved reggae bands, mixing musical genres, from dub and reggae, to lover’s rock and urban roots. Famous internationally for their 1988 smash hit ‘Don’t Turn Around’, an instant #1 in the UK charts and still a favourite on the dancefloors of today. From their 1976 debut through to their latest release, ‘City Rock’, Aswad have been tireless musical warriors on reggae’s front-line. Saxophonist Courtney Pine’s innovative style fuses jazz and groove. He will be joined by lyrical guitarist Cameron Pierre for a special duo set. An institution on the country’s jazz scene, Courtney is a bandleader, composer, arranger, educator and performer on a number of different instruments. The sensational Lifeforce Band are a key part of the ‘Celebration of Life Concert’ and this year they will be joined by guest vocalists Guvna B, Vula Malinga and Kersha Bailey who are all hotly tipped for 2010. Lifeforce have been a fixture on the London live scene for many years, their infectious energy and engaging live performances winning them fans from all over. The band is pooled from a selection of top London players, based around the rock-solid Phillip Harper, who is the group’s Artistic Director, band leader and percussionist, and Joseph Roberts, Musical Director and bassist. The evening will be hosted by the inimitable Curtis Walker and signed throughout in British Sign Language by Hetty May Bailey.
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sther Austin is an entrepreneurial powerhouse of a woman. Her remit is Personal Transformation and Spirituality. She has dedicated her life to serving the global community to inspire, support, guide and empower peoples lives. But more importantly Esther loves and is passionate about her work. She is a soul coach, inspirational speaker, radio presenter, Reiki practitioner, spiritual healer, author, and intuitive counsellor. Esther comes from a strict Christian background where family values were key. Her parents were strict people whose mainstay was the church. This religious background formed the backbone for Esther’s life which she later moved away from in her mid thirties as she had many unanswered questions about her own perception of Christianity. She also had been having other experiences which did not quite fit with the understanding and doctrine of Christianity as it had been taught to her. This was the start of a very liberating spiritual journey for Esther as she went on a quest to understand who she was which meant taking personal responsibility to do a lot of soul searching and to work on herself. Esther married at the age of 24 a significant milestone in her life and has two lovely boys now 19 and 15. This was a very painful and often soul destroying experience for her at the time. One where a lot of lessons had to be learned and which she now realises served her for the work she now does and for the person she now is. In her marriage, Esther gave away a lot of her personal power to the extent where she no longer knew nor believed in who she was and a place where she lived in fear of daily and constant criticism and with very little support. Her power to think for herself, to make choices, to be independent were attributes she had to fight to hold onto daily. Yet spending a lot of time nurturing and bringing up her two children certainly taught her the real value of what it was like to really love another human being and the importance of the impact of how we treat and communicate with other human beings and more importantly ourselves. After leaving her marriage in 2004 and filing for divorce, another major turning point in her life, Esther ended up homeless for a brief period and then landed in a one bedroom flat with her
two children. As she put the key in the door she remembers a promise she made to herself – “this was where I sink or swam.” She also knew that “ no matter what life threw at her from this point forward, even if she walked on shards of glass in hell, she would not feel the pain.” Esther was determined to make her life a success from this place onwards and to start to build a life for herself and her two children. This meant combining a full time job, looking after two children, studying and working late into the early hours of the morning, building, creating and working towards her vision and at the crux of everything was her desire to create something where she could reach out and touch people’s lives. In 2005 Esther gave up her job to follow her dream and passion to create her own personal development business. The need and passion to follow her calling was stronger than the need to remain restricted in a 9-5 job with a regular income. Yet her journey still proved to be challenging as often times the struggle of carting around her emotional luggage and balancing work life, children, life etc and realising she now had to unpick a lot of negative habits and beliefs which no longer served her and which hindered her and which at times reflected in her world. So she decided to take personal responsibility to work on herself, without the finger pointing and went on a long and slow process of personal transformation and development of taking personal responsibility for her actions, her thoughts, her life.
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we cannot respond to the needs of others. Being in touch with our selves also makes us aware of how we greatly influence our own lives from the signals we send out whether consciously or unconsciously from our thoughts to the very words we speak which manifest in our lives. We are the sum of our thoughts. Esther created Esther Austin Global under which sits Qarma Broadcast, an online inspirational and spiritual radio station which was launched on her late sister’s birthday last year on 7th April 2009. Qarma Therapies was set up in 2010 where Esther offers Spiritual Healing, Reiki, Indian Head Massage and intuitive counselling. She is also a soul coach and runs life transforming workshops all of which can be found under www. estheraustinglobal.com. She is also the author of several books. Esther works a lot with disadvantaged young people and vulnerable adults. Esther’s passion for life is to serve and this hard working, ambitious, gifted young lady with a steely determination will certainly be touching and healing many lives. One thing which makes this young woman a formidable character is her belief in the potential of the human soul to evolve and transform into a better place and more so her belief, dedication, commitment and passion to do the work she is doing. Where to next? GLOBAL is all she says with a smile. For more information about her work please go to: http://www.estheraustinglobal.com
Another major milestone in Esther’s journey was watching her younger sister battle and journey with breast cancer from August 2005 to November 2006. Esther and her sister were incredibly close and being part of this experience impacted hugely on her life. Her sister passed away in November 2006, yet her courageous spirit lives on in and through Esther’s life. Esther has used her life’s experiences to create a personal transformation oasis to give back to the community and is quite a workaholic but its her passion that drives her. People are hurting, searching, often times in emotional pain. Esther quotes “often times we can stand next to someone and not be aware that they are in pain, that they need as shoulder to cry on.” This is because many of us are so detached from our own self, truth and reality that
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HIV prevention needs of black Caribbean population overlooked in UK National HIV prevention strategy needed for Black Caribbean population A new report by NAT (National AIDS Trust) shows that the black Caribbean population in the UK is disproportionately affected by HIV. Black Caribbean people make up 1% of the UK population but account for 3% of people living with HIV. HIV prevalence is over four times higher than in the white population. Despite this, a national HIV prevention strategy for the black Caribbean population does not exist. HIV and black Caribbean communities in the UK, analyses data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and shows that 1,218 black Caribbean people were diagnosed with HIV between 2004 and 2008 in the UK. Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT says “Black Caribbeans are a group that are disproportionately affected by HIV and yet frequently overlooked. In the UK we have specific national HIV prevention strategies for gay and bisexual men and for black Africans but no strategy for the black Caribbean population. We are ignoring the health needs of this group and it is having serious consequences for HIV rates.” The report also analyses some of the specific issues that affect black Caribbean people living with HIV. There are high rates of other sexually transmitted infections and stigma and discrimination is reported to be particularly strong in this community. Deborah Jack continues “A national prevention strategy for the black Caribbean population is needed, not just to ensure this group get information they need to protect their health but also to address the specific cultural issues that affect HIV rates. Addressing homophobia, working with faith organisations and specific peer support services would all have an impact on HIV rates among black Caribbean people.” The report makes a series of recommendations including setting-up regional and local STI prevention campaigns targeting the black Caribbean population and working with churches, faith-based organisations and the media to address stigma and discrimination. Download a copy of HIV and black Caribbean communities in the UK or visit www.nat.org.uk
MPA DNA database review, chance for police to regain trust of black Londoner’s Human rights campaigns group BMH UK (Black Mental Health UK) has welcomed moves by the MPA (Metropolitan Police Authority) to review the police’s handling of the National DNA database (NDAD). Commenting ahead of today’s public meeting, which is part of a review into police policy on handling DNA, BMH UK’s director Matilda MacAttram said that such an events could pave the way to restoring the public’s trust in the police force. The collection and storing of over a million innocent people’s profiles on the criminal DNA data base had led to widespread distrust of law enforcement officers. This meeting presents the first opportunity for the public to voice their concerns to London police over a system that has criminalised over a million of innocent people. The over representation of innocent people from Britain’s black communities on the database has resulted in this system criminalising every black family living in the UK.
Close to 70% Britain’s African Caribbean population living in the capital this event will be of interest to hundreds and thousands of innocent people from this community to have their say about how police DNA policy. The introduction of Freedom Bill in means that most people who were found not guilty or had no further action taken following arrest would have their records taken off the DNA database immediately. However there still remain some outstanding issues that need to be addressed:
‘The police authority need to recognise that it is critically important to regain the trust of Londoners especially from those from the African Caribbean communities who suffered from the previous governments legislation. If they are going to do that then key steps need to be taken to ensure that the legislation that the new government is proposing contains all the necessarily safeguards. An issue that needs to be cleared up is that all the Police National Computer records of innocent people are permanently deleted at the same time that their DNA is destroyed. This is critically important because those records can be used to refuse people a job or the right to a visa to travel. Assurances also need to be given over what will happen to people who have not been convicted by a court but have a caution as well as those who have old convictions for minor offences,’ Dr Helen Wallace of GeneWatch UK said.
‘The harvesting and retention of innocent DNA has criminalised every black family in the UK and shattered public confidence in the force. The commitment from Government to remove all innocent DNA and the willingness o f the MPA to being a dialogue with the public on police DNA policy is a move in the right direction. There needs to be a way to ensure that every PNC (Police National Computer) record will be deleted at the same time that an innocent person’s DNA is destroyed. Independent oversight of the destruction of innocent DNA samples and profiles is needed, to reassure people that their records have actually been deleted when they are supposed to,’ Matilda MacAttram director of Black Mental Health UK said.
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Workplace racism denies training to many qualified black workers Racism in Britain’s workplaces is damaging the career prospects of many black workers because at every level of working life they get less training opportunities, despite often being better qualified than their white counterparts. A new TUC report launched today (Friday 15 April) to coincide with the TUC’s annual Black Worker’s conference entitled ‘Workplace training - a race for opportunity’, reveals that even though job related training is more likely to be offered to qualified workers; qualified black and minority ethnic workers (BME) receive less opportunities. The report shows that 28 per cent of BMEs are graduates, compared to just 20 per cent of white workers. And while having a degree significantly increases access to job related training, only 17 per cent of white graduates have never been offered training, compared to 20 per cent of black workers. But where BME workers are employed in workplaces with trade union recognition, or are in the public sector the openings to training are much improved. The positive actions taken by unions, and imposed by the Race Relations amendment act (2000) on employers has limited the effects of workplace racism. Brendan Barber TUC General Secretary, said: ‘Racism at work is still preventing too many black workers from fulfilling their potential. We need new legislation that will force all employers to give equal access to training for all workers. The TUC is campaigning to extend Britain’s race relations law to make all workplaces respond positively to the training needs of black workers.’ Certain ethnic groups, in particular Pakistani and Bangladeshi employees, face real barriers to training opportunities. Nearly two fifths (39
per cent) of Pakistani employees and nearly half (47 per cent) of Bangladeshi employees have never been offered training. And in the case of Bangladeshi men, this rises to more than half (51 per cent).
Caricom... A future?
Main findings from ‘Workplace training a race for opportunity’
The Grenada High Commissioner to the court of St James’s, Her Excellency Ms. Ruth Elizabeth Rouse opens discussion on Caricom Unity, Progress, Prospects and Problems.
• Some 31 per cent of BME workers have never been offered training by their current employer. This compares with 29 per cent of white employees not being offered training. • Public sector employees are much more likely to be offered training by their employer. Only 15 per cent of BME public sector employees say they have never been offered training, compared to 37 per cent working in the private sector. The equivalent figures for white employees are 14 per cent and 35 per cent. • Those belonging to a trade union have a huge advantage in being offered training. Just 16 per cent of unionised BME employees have never been offered training compared to 36 per cent who are not union members. • In certain industrial sectors there is a clear divide in equality of access to training. For example, in manufacturing nearly half (48 per cent) of BME employees say that they have never been offered training compared to only 37 per cent of white employees. • The ‘qualification divide’ has a huge impact on who is offered job-related training by their employer. For the workforce at large, there is a clear ‘training hierarchy’ with only 17 per cent of employees with a degree saying that they have never been offered such training compared to 55 per cent of those employees without any qualifications.
Caricom at the crossroads or is it the end of the road for integration movement or just a pause which will concentrate minds.
The discussion will take place on Sunday 5th September 2010 from 12noon till 3pm at the West Indian Cultural Centre, 9 Clarendon Road, London N8 0DJ. Further information available from the Secretary on 0208 695 1371
How to do an equality impact assessment Assessing services to ensure that they reach all of the equality target groups is a crucial to the effectiveness and efficiency of all public sector organisations. Equality impact assessments are not new but they still give many managers a head-ache. This interactive and participatory session will explain how to do an equality impact assessment. The session will include: What are equality impact assessments? The role of equality impact assessments in the private and voluntary sector? The different stages of an equality impact assessment Getting the most out of consultations Taking place on Thursday 30th September 2010 at Stockwell Community Resouce Centre, Studley Road, London SW4 6RA. The course starts at 9.15 till 12.30pm. For more information and to book a place on the couse, click here.
Marika Sherwood, Malcolm X’s visits to Africa and Britain. Historians of Malcolm usually almost ignore these visits: Marika Sherwood will be outlining his activities and question reasons for these omissions. This seminar will taking place at Senate House, University of London, Russell Square, London WC1. (Nearest Tube: Russell Square) Everyone is welcome. You do not have to pre-book/register. Further information: marikasherwood@sas.ac.uk
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
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New initiatives for BBC College of comedy The BBC College of Comedy today announced two exciting new initiatives for 2010. All Mixed-Up is a sitcom writing competition where writers will be asked to submit proposals which reflect multi-cultural Britain. The second initiative will be in collaboration with CBeebies In-house Production to develop a writing workshop which explores the creation of new comedy for viewers aged four to six. Writers who are interested in All Mixed-Up, and can demonstrate some professional achievement are requested to submit the first ten pages of a script, with a limit of six characters and three settings. The best six scripts will be workshopped in preparation for a showcase with a professional cast at the Soho Theatre on 4 December, where a celebrity panel will choose the best two for further development by BBC Comedy. Both scripts will be optioned, with the winner’s option worth £1000, and the runner-up £500. The competition is being run in association with Triforce Promotions, which promotes talent across a multi-cultural network of people in the media industries. The aim is to encourage work by diverse voices, and to provide promising writers with an opportunity to develop their professional skills. Writers of the next best six scripts will be invited to attend workshops on 4 December, and to join the showcase audience. Micheál Jacob, college creative head, said: “We hope the competition will attract entries from writers who may feel their lives are not currently reflected in television comedy, and will introduce us to funny and fresh new voices.” The second initiative will see the college and CBeebies run a four-day workshop to explore the creation of a new comedy for viewers aged from four to six. Invited writers will be given an insight into the CBeebies audience, hear case studies on hit shows for the channel including Gigglebiz and Grandpa in My Pocket, and work together to develop ideas for a live action programme.
Brand new wellbeing & healing space The Beacon Healing Space’ ethos is based on love, honesty, integrity and truth and will be the platform upon which it will be run and the standards it will abide by. All therapists have also been carefully selected to reflect this ethos. The spiritual wellbeing of individuals is as paramount as the physical, mental and emotional. The Beacon Healing Space will offer the public a place of support to empower lives into a more comfortable, peaceful and less stressful place and to offer individuals the best in complimentary therapies, empowering helping to heal from the inside out. Many debilitating dis..eases are crippling individuals i.e : Loneliness, Stress, Tiredness and Fatigue, Hopelessness, Bitterness and Resentment, Lacking direction and purpose, plus the many other illnesses people suffer from. This Space will also be a place of learning, spiritual and personal development and growth. Empowerment/Spiritual Film Nights will be held once a month with discussion sessions covering important subjects which affect our lives. Films whose messages look at how to transform lives and bring about an awareness and consciousness of the self i.e The Power of Forgiveness, The Power of Love, Compassion, Fear, Doubt etc. When we empower our lives, we empower the lives of those around us. Guest Speakers from the Personal Development and Spiritual Arena will also be invited to give talks and presentations from time to time. The centre is a branch of Esther Austin Global, a Personal Transformation Oasis. All Therapists are qualified and have insurance. For further Information Contact: Esther Austin on 07903 359179 or visit the website
Walks in St Pauls/Bank Sunday 5th September 3pm In 100 minutes your guide will take you through hundreds of years of the African presence, and contribution, to London’s way of life. Discover secret alleyways and enormous buildings all connected to Africa and the Caribbean in ways which the owners do not want you to know. Find out about black loyalists and African revolutionaries. Uncover the submerged links between racism, trade, religion, slavery and politics which are still evident in the very streets and buildings of the oldest part of London. “Thank you very much for the grand tour of the oldest part of London. That was a tour of a lifetime and most enlightening. Yes, I realise more than ever before how our ancestors and countries contributed to the wealth, growth and grandeur of the British Empire” Professor Norman Maphosa, Vice Chancellor, Solosi University, Bulawayo Walks last approx 2 hours, mail to info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with number of places required. You will then receive confirmation and joining instructions.
The workshop will be held in Newcastle in November. “Watching CBeebies is fun,” Micheál Jacob says. “They have some excellent shows, and I’m very excited to be exploring whether the College can add to them.” Information on how to enter All Mixed-Up is available here from Tuesday 31st August 2010.
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