The Voice Newspaper: May 2023 by thevoicemediagroup

£2.50 | MAY, 2023 • ISSUE NO. 1942

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THE VOICE

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Inside

ROUNDUP NEWSPAPER

THIS MONTH

News, views, stories & videos

The Voice says

THE 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK

'Avoid beaches which ban locals; Jamaicans pleas to Black Brits p4-5

1. Afrobeats under attack

Home Office block stars from entering Britain

2. Pub racist golliwog scandal Publican boasts dolls hung like lynching victims

Hair products cause fibroids New research on damaging straighteners

3. Legend of Jah Shaka

Tributes paid to great soundman

4. More Ghanaian nurses in NHS than Ghana

p8-9

Afro hair in schools L’Myah Sherae says hair ban is hairbrained p14

Microaggressions not micro Expert says ‘million paper cuts’ behaviour unacceptable p15

Talent drain fears for Africa as UK plugs jobs gap

5. Caribbean leaders demand reparations State of the Black World conference issues demands

6. America and Sudan conflict

Is the troubled state embroiled in a proxy Cold War?

7. Elderly hunger timebomb

Investigation into lack of savings for retirement

40 years of Isaac Julien Tate Britain celebrates influential artist p48-49

Why I left Team GB Judo star explains thinking behind JA move p54

8. Kebede wins union race Fourth Black trade union leader elected

9. Cops probe Saka race hate

Arsenal and England winger gets more abuse

10. BBC slammed for Kebede attack

Nick Robinson accuses union man of ‘extremism’

This issue is 56 pages

Diane Abbott is still a legend

DIANE ABBOTT, the first Black woman MP, has endured more online hate than the rest of Parliament put together. Everyone knows why. Many were shocked when the former shadow Home Secretary was suspended from being a Labour MP after a letter in her name appeared in the Observer newspaper. In the letter, Ms Abbott argued that white minorities faced ‘prejudice’, not ‘racism’, a claim which angered people across the political spectrum. She swiftly apologised, and said it was an ‘initial draft’ that was sent by mistake, and issued an ‘unreserved apology’ while clarifying that Jewish and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities all experience racism. But the damage was done and hours later she was out of Labour, at a crucial time just before local parties like hers in Hackney and Stoke Newington select their candidates. She is now in danger of being unable to stand for Labour again, just like her friend Jeremy Corbyn. That would be a sad end to her time as an MP that began in 1987 when she broke the glass ceiling thanks to support from the Black Sections. No one can doubt Ms Abbott’s commitment to tackling anti-Black racism. Over 35 years, she has relentlessly championed many causes including the London Schools and the Black Child annual conferences. It appears that tackling anti-Black narratives might also be her downfall, as the offending letter was responding to a Guardian article which suggested that anti-Semitism was more prevalent than other forms of racism. All forms of racism are equally important, but that does not mean they are exactly the same. There are many differences in the dynamics of how they manifest. Acknowledging this is not downgrading any particular form of racism. While Ms Abbott can talk from her personal experience of anti-Black racism, she has spoken passionately, and often, against anti-Semitism and anti-GRT racism. That is who she is; a principled anti-racist, and her record speaks for itself. She is, and remains, a legend. We hope that her situation is resolved satisfactorily and that she can reassure all people who suffer oppression that she is on their side in challenging racial injustice.

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MAY 2023

THE VOICE |

News Feature

‘The prison staff don’t really care about you’

Investigation reveals Muslim prisoners cook their own food and are unable to pray together. EXCLUSIVE by Lilufa Uddin

AMADAN IS one of the five pillars of Islam and the most sacred month of the Islamic lunar calendar – yet Muslim prisoners are often fed low quality food in small portions. This investigation found that Muslims are routinely handed their food for iftar too early, meaning it is cold by the time they eat it. Prayer meetings are also held in small spaces, meaning some are deprived of their right to pray together. From dawn until sunset, Muslims will abstain from food and drink, and strive to be the best versions of themselves. While breaking fast with family members and friends and consuming vibrant and colourful foods and praying together, may be the norm in Ramadan – this is not a luxury afforded to all. Yellow containers that cannot keep your food warm, is not a fate most Muslims on the outside will be familiar with. However, for Muslim prisoners this is too often the case. Currently, Muslim prisoners make up 27 per cent of the Muslim population in UK jails. A number of Muslims in different UK jails gave their perspective and insight on the experience of observing Ramadan whilst incarcerated. Hassan, a former prisoner, from West London, who has done 14 years, recalls how his last Ramadan was in open jail,

which was a very different experience to doing Ramadan in a closed jail. “In an open jail you can pray together, like pray Maghrib [the prayer at sunset that Muslims break fast to] together. Some people were on home leave, so they could go home and break fast with their families. If you’re on home leave, they allow you to go home on Eid day.” Reflecting on the obstacles of being inside, he said: “Not being able to go to the masjid, being away from family, it affects you – it’s a spiritual thing, you want to get into the spirit.” He went on to mention how his mother cooks for the mosque and how going to the mosque with his family to break fast, is part of their routine. “Muslims are from different countries. They think they’re cooking for Asians. A lot of times they’re giving curries – but a lot of us don’t like curries.”

STARVING

He explained that this led to prisoners complaining. “After starving all day, you don’t want curry,” he said earnestly. I spoke to two Ramadan reps in two different UK jails. A Ramadan rep’s responsibilities include catering to the Muslim prisoners and serving them food. Junaid, 45, is at HMP Coldingley, who has done 16 Ramadans inside. “It’s easier being inside, you can concentrate more, you ain’t got the disturbance of being on the outside.

SEEN BUT NOT HEARD: Our investigation finds that Muslim prisoners’ needs are not catered for (photo: Getty Images)

You have more time for reading and studying about Islam.” One of the recurring themes I have come across while interviewing the prisoners, is that they take it upon themselves to cook their own meals, as prison food is not up to standard. Another recurring theme is that food is served hours earlier than iftar [breaking fast] time, which means food is not hot by the time prisoners eat their food. Prisoners are given suhoor [pre-dawn meal] tea packs which consist of cold food such as: crisps, cheese, cornflakes and milk. The contents of these packs vary from jail to jail, but it is clear that they are not of a sufficient standard for prisoners fasting for 16 hours and beyond.

“I cook my own food, I won’t eat their rice, it’s not really for me, it’s not soft,” he said. “I’ve started my sentence with some of the brothers from 14 years ago. We can sit down and revise surahs [chapters and verses in the Qur’an] together,” he added. If Junaid was able to do Ramadan on the outside, he would cherish being able to walk to the masjid with the brothers to pray the Fajr [dawn] prayer. “I’d be cooking food I like – Oxtail and rice, steak... we are limited here due to the things the jail provides.” He mentioned that the nonMuslim prisoners have been respectful, in that they have not played music out loud the entire month. However, Junaid mentioned that prison staff

POOR QUALITY: Above left and centre, prison food served to Muslim prisoners; above right, the tea pack prisoners at HMP Scrubs get for suhoor, the pre-dawn meal (photos supplied)

had been cooking pork, and after prisoners explained that the smell was offensive, they stopped doing so. Mohamed, 24, from HMP Scrubs echoed Junaid’s thoughts about Ramadan being easier, as they are away from the negative influences and trials of the outside world. “No one comes between you and your ibaadaah [acts of worship].” “It’s canteen that saves us,” he said, explaining that Muslim prisoners cook their own meals as resourcefully as they can, and cook for one another, too.

WRAPS

As someone who has memorised the whole Qur’an, he said he would love to lead Taraweeh [the additional night prayer in Ramadan] at the mosque. Hussain, 36, said “Before Ramadan started, they said the food was coming from the outside, but that is not the case. We have been having the same chicken everyday, normal prison chicken – maybe different seasoning.” He went on to say that the Muslim brothers had gathered together and made chicken wraps for everyone to compensate for the lack of quality food provided for iftar by the prison.

Kamal, 30, is a Ramadan rep in Brixton prison. Reflecting on the benefits of observing Ramadan inside, he said: “There’s a lot of distraction happening on the road right now. A lot of people who are fasting inside, wouldn’t be fasting on the outside. We ain’t got access to a lot of things, if we did have access to them, it would break our fast.” Serving the food as a Ramadan rep, allows him to get an extra portion, but he states that the portions are not sufficient for prisoners. “The boxes don’t keep the food warm enough,” he states. “The prison staff don’t care if you’re fasting, they don’t really care about you. They just see you as a criminal that needs to get fed,” he said. The reality is that Muslim prisoners are having to break fast with cold food that is of a low quality and small portion. As well as this, they are deprived of the right to pray in congregation. In addition, there is superficial understanding of the significance of Ramadan to Muslims, amongst prison staff. Amazingly, despite the hardships each of these prisoners may have spoken of, they are all extremely positive and resilient. They exude humility and gratefulness and a desire to become better people.

| THE VOICE MAY 2023

News Feature

‘AVOID JA RESORTS Jamaicans appeal to Black Brits to research holiday and help force change. EXCLUSIVE by Sinai Fleary

LEADING CAMPAIGN group has demanded British tourists boycott hotels and resorts that deny Jamaicans access to beaches across the island. This comes after two of Bob Marley’s children, Ziggy and Cedella Marley, backed Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement’s (JABBEM) drive, calling for all of Jamaica’s beaches to be made accessible to local people. JABBEM was launched following reports that some local Jamaicans were being turned away from beaches in the Caribbean country. The group’s president, Dr Devon Taylor, is a Biomedical Research Scientist and an environmental and social justice advocate. He says he is thankful to Ziggy for using his voice to amplify the issue. He would like to see similar actions that Jamaicans took against Apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s and 90s, now taken over the issue of beach access. He said: “A lot of music was made, we did a lot of protests and we let our voices be heard. “I think it is time, that when you vacation in Jamaica you ask your resort ‘can a Jamaican walk over your property to get to the beach?’ If they say ‘no’ then you say ‘well I can’t stay here.’”

HOLIDAYS

Dr Taylor wants tourists to “take action” and “put their money where their mouth is” and tell hotels and resorts they won’t be booking holidays with them if Jamaicans are denied access to the beach. He also said travellers should exercise their “economic power” to create the change they want to see, as they have alternatives with the growing number of quality Airbnb’s available across the island. “Jamaica’s economic model basically says that Jamaicans and tourists cannot coexist on the same beach,” he explained. He continued: “Every hotel that comes, adopts that same model.” Dr Taylor, who is from Steer Town, in the parish of St Ann, said he has witnessed first-

FIGHTING BACK: Dr Devon Taylor, president of JABBEM hand parts of the north coast of Jamaica lose all access to its beaches. He said: “Growing up, we had access to several beaches along that corridor which are just a mile and half outside of Ocho Rios. What we have witnessed over a period of 20 years is we have lost all access. “So communities in Steer Town and Mammee Bay South have no access to the sea, it has all been closed off by the development and commercialisation of the coast by hotels, villas and private residence.” He added: “They have completely barricaded the community, so Steer Town is landlocked! Seeing my community impacted, we had to do something.” According to the president of JABBEM, the campaign is gathering pace and is being supported by other parishes like Portland, St Mary and St Thomas. Dr Taylor claims there are two cases in the courts in Jamaica, to retain access to the beaches and to also protect access to a popular beach. The social and environmental justice advocate said that placing a limitation on the amount of beachfront land foreign investors c a n purRAISING chase AWARENESS: Ziggy Marley is backing JABBEM

should be something the government should consider. He said: “The

limitation should be a partnership with Jamaicans and you cannot own more than 50 per cent, so you will be on 49 per cent and 51 per cent stays in the hand of a Jamaican.” Dr Taylor applauded Brits of Jamaican heritage who have a desire to invest in their home country and said the process of purchasing land needs to be more “transparent to the diaspora” so investment can be a reality. He said: “Coastal land tends to change hands into the same socio-economic class in Jamaica and the ones that the government

has they are not selling it to Jamaicans.” “Our government has not targeted the Jamaican diaspora as investment partners,” he said. Sinnead Jackson, 20, is from New Cross, south-east London, and is of Jamaican descent. She has a lifelong dream to purchase land ‘back home’ but doesn’t know where to start. Speaking to The Voice, she said: “My dad has property out there that he wants to leave to his children who are born here but we know nothing at all about how it works out there. “Even if we wanted to buy another property or sell it, we got no idea how to do that.” Ms Jackson’s mother has a property on the island and says

she has to contact her father in Jamaica who understands how the system works and he has told her “you are getting ripped off and are paying too much Land Tax.” “A lot of us want somewhere to stay that is not touristy and we want our own place, but we don’t even know how to acquire one.” The 20-year-old said if she knew the right steps of how to buy land in Jamaica, it would be something that she would “definitely” do. She added: “If it was easier and clearer how to purchase property, it would be a lot more popular among us who are British but have Caribbean heritage.” Ms Jackson said Jamaicans

MAY 2023 THE VOICE

News Feature

THAT BAN LOCALS’ FLYING THE FLAG: Some local Jamaicans are being turned away from beaches on their doorstep due to the development of coastlines by hotels, villas and private residence (photos: Getty Images/Joey Nicotra on Unsplash)

‘LIFELONG DREAM’: Sinnead Jackson, from New Cross, south-east London, is of Jamaican descent. She wants to purchase land ‘back home’ but doesn’t know where to start

who live on the island should be given priority to purchase land in the country and then those in diaspora. She said: “There should definitely be restrictions on how much people from overseas can buy. Otherwise they are going to continue to buy up all the beaches and all the land and before you know it, locals won’t be able to go and enjoy the beauty of the country.” Dr Taylor also believes coastal land should be protected and kept in a trust for Jamaican people and not sold. He added: “We are witnessing one of the greatest transfers of wealth of the country into the hands of private companies and that is almost criminal be-

cause you will find one day the country is landlocked and you cannot buy it back because its multinationals that control it and they will ask a lot of money for it.”

LAW

JABBEM’s campaign was created to challenge the Beach Control Act 1956, which Dr Taylor says is a “colonial era legislation” which “does not give Jamaicans any right to walk along the beaches, and no right to swim or really access it”. “It is written in law and that law has been sitting there for the last 67 years and no government at all has made any amendments to make that

wrong become a right,” he said. He added: “We must rid our emerging constitution of all discriminatory laws that were colonial hand overs that still impact the psychological state of Jamaica.” Dr Taylor says any hopes of removing the legislation will require court action. In the coming months, he says a legal defence fund will be set up and he is encouraging the Jamaican diaspora in the UK to help contribute to the fund and use their voices to call for “constitutional protection for beach access”. He also urged the global Jamaican and Caribbean community to sign the online petition to protect beach access for Jamaicans. He says his campaign

“non-conditional” or that “no Dr Taylor said the beach acOne day cess issue will also have a detpermission is required”. Dr Taylor is also a senior re- rimental impact on Jamaica’s the country will search and drug discovery sci- natural resources and environin Immunology and says ment. be landlocked entist since Jamaica’s Emancipation He said: “The removal of all and you won’t in 1838, there has not been any the forestry that exists on the serious land reform, meaning, coastline, which is a living ecobe able to most of the descendants of en- system, has consequences on slaved Africans have “experi- the biodiversity on the coast.” buy it back enced being landless and homeJamaica is the third-largest is clear, and he wants “general and unfettered” rights of access to all beaches in Jamaica and for that to be constitutionally protected. He said now is the time for Jamaicans to have general rights of access which means

less” as a result of colonialism. He says as Jamaica moves towards becoming a republic, “internal reparations” of land rights for Jamaicans must also be put on the table to ensure the people can benefit from “development, wealth, power and independence” that comes with being a landowner.

Caribbean island, with a total land area of just under 11,000 square kilometres. According to the Jamaica Information Service, the government is the largest owner of land in Jamaica, with the majority of the land assets vested in the Commissioner of Lands.

6 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

News Feature

Quit the Commonwealth As Caribbean countries move towards ditching the King as head of state, some say they need to go further. By Sinai Fleary

ARIBBEAN COUNTRIES need to quit the Commonwealth as well as ditch the monarch as head of state, British Barbadians have said. As Jamaica, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda and the Bahamas all follow Barbados’s lead and move towards independence, questions are being raised about how much will really change unless those nations go further and leave the post-colonial Commonwealth club. Marion Hinds, from Longsight, Manchester, who now lives in Leicester and regularly travels back to Barbados where her parents were born, told The Voice: “In order to have full independence we should be moving away from the Commonwealth too because isn’t this the purpose of why these countries became a republic in the first place to govern themselves. “So why do they still feel the need to hang on to the hem strings of the Commonwealth, so they haven’t fully removed themselves yet?”

CORONATION

The questions are being asked as British royalty gear up for the coronation of King Charles, pictured below, on May 6. There is growing frustration that “not much has changed” since Barbados removed the British Monarchy as its head of state, with British Bajans saying the idea of Caribbean islands “governing themselves” needs to be a clear strategy about what happens once the glitzy republic ceremonies are over. Ms Hinds has been a paediatric nurse since 1999 and a specialist public health nurse since 2005. She said the move was “one of the first steps towards the process of recovering reparations for the human rights abuses and the pillaging of countries under colonialism”. Sandra Gaskin moved to Barbados from the UK last November and claims Britain did not invest in the Caribbean country, which has left the Prime Minister Mia Mottley and President Sandra Mason with a lot of groundwork to do, before they can focus on other important issues. She told The Voice: “They need to make sure they look after the citizens and not be influenced by the Chinese money, yes it’s needed as Britain has done noth-

ing over the years about investing in Barbados and the region.” In the early 19th century, Haiti became the world’s first Black republic and the first independent Caribbean nation after overthrowing French colonial control. The country has been credited for influencing other Caribbean and African nations to fight for independence from colonial powers. Guyana became a republic in 1970, followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976, and Dominica also became a republic two years later. In November 2021, Barbados became the first country to cut ties with the British Royal family in over 30 years, prompting a new republicanism movement across the region. Jamaica recently announced its Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) — which will facilitate the process to sever ties with Britain — signalling that republic status is on the horizon. But for one leading campaign group, the move should have happened years ago. Rosalea Hamilton is part of the Advocates Network Jamaica, which is a group of individuals and organisations that have committed to advocating around the issues of human rights. Speaking to The Voice from Jamaica, she describes the idea of Jamaica moving towards republic status as an “old question.” She said: “That is an old story, the times have always been right! Prior to independence, we ought not to have had a monarch as a head of state.” Ms Hamilton said the bigger picture is about making “the people sovereign”, and listening to the voice of the majority of Jamaican people. She added the process is not just a “fixed destination” but an on-going process of leading itself and making things better in the “day-to-day lives of our people”. She said: “It’s about how do we create a governmental framework that can deliver freedom, self-determination, and human rights for the Jamaican people.” Ms Hamilton said cutting ties with Britain will also help dismantle colonial mindsets that still remain in some sectors of the country. “It’s just another phase of the

RIGHTS: Members of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress Church protest over the visit of Prince William and Kate to a primary school in Nassau, Bahamas, last year (photo: Getty Images)

CALL FOR ACTION: Marion Hinds, far left, wants Barbados to move away from the Commonwealth; left, Roselea Hamilton believes Jamaica shouldn’t have had a monarch as head of state prior to independence

struggle for freedom, self-determination and humanity. The issue with who we are as African people is still on the table. “We still look in the mirror and we don’t see and we don’t feel proud about who we are. We still think it’s better if we are lighter skinned than accepting our black skin.” According to Ms Hamilton, the legacy of slavery and colonialism is still present in Jamaica and exists in the “intergenerational cycle of violence”. She describes Jamaican society as being “bred in a violent institutional arrangement of slavery and those sociological and psychological realities of violence and abuse continue today”.

She also noted that the education system and curriculum desperately needs to be decolonised, so the history and significance of Jamaican heroes like Marcus Garvey, can be taught to the next generation — rather than a strong emphasis on Britain. Ms Hamilton stressed the colonial mindset is not just rooted in the curriculum but also extends to the school uniform policy of most Jamaican schools, which limits students “in their capacity to express themselves including in how they wear their hair”. She said the hair and uniform policies are “policing” Jamaican students and the stringent hair policies that ban dreadlocks are racist and discriminatory and need to be reformed.

“That’s our hair, our natural hair, there are no limits to how white people carry their hair, why should we limit how we carry our hair?” she asked.

LETTER

The Network started in 2021, and last year they wrote an open letter to Prince William and Kate condemning their visit to Jamaica during the COVID-19 pandemic and using “scarce taxpayers’ dollars” to pay for the cost of visit. Since then, awareness about the legacy of the British Royal family, slavery and colonialism in Jamaica and the Caribbean has grown, but Ms Hamilton says more education is needed. “There are Jamaicans that are

just learning that the Royal family owned, trafficked, enslaved and profited from the institution of slavery — it’s never taught in school. Jamaicans are hearing for the first time that enslavers were compensated, that is not something you learn.” Ms Hamilton insists more public education is needed so citizens know how to approach a potential referendum on the subject of removing King Charles III as Jamaica’s head of state. Members of the Rastafari movement in the past have used their voice to call for reparations and for Jamaica to become fully independent. “This is our country, it belongs to us and we have to shape and determine its future,” she added.

| THE VOICE MAY 2023

News Feature

Hair relaxers ‘causing Calls for more research into condition disproportionately impacting Black women. By Leah Mahon and Sinai Fleary

AIR RELAXERS could be causing higher rates of fibroids among Black women, a study has found. Relaxers and leave-in conditioners were linked to an increased risk of the more aggressive form of breast cancer at a younger age, according to research by Boston University in the US. Estrogen hormone compounds contained in some Black hair products were singled out as the culprit. The link with increased fibroids is also under the microscope, with the Black Women’s Health Study of 23,500 premenopausal women finding that women who used hair relaxers were 17 per cent more likely to develop fibroids compared to women who did not use these products. While there is a lack of research in the UK into this area, the red flag will surely alarm Black women in Britain, too. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths of muscle and fibrous tissue that develop in and around the womb. In addition to fibroids disproportionately impacting Black women, the negative experience of late diagnosis also weighs heavily on sufferers. Eighty per cent of AfricanCaribbean women are predicted to suffer from fibroids by the age of 50, in comparison to 70 per cent of white women, NHS research has found. Celebrities such as West End star Beverley Knight have had fibroids removed and singersongwriter FKA Twigs has also undergone surgery for the condition. Black British women who are suffering from the debilitating condition say they are being ignored by medical experts. The Voice spoke to several Black women who revealed that fibroids had been ‘missed’ in scans, and their complaints of suffering pain were not taken seriously. Many women are unaware they have the condition because they do not have symptoms, countless women who have been diagnosed experience painful or heavy periods, abdominal and back pain, con-

stipation and pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse. Some medical experts are now calling for more research into the health phenomenon, and for Black women who are desperate for answers to receive better healthcare. The exact cause of fibroids is unknown but there have been some links to the hormone estrogen, and chronic stress levels due to racism. Vanessa Davis, 25, had been relaxing her hair for at least six years before stopping altogether at 20 and happened to be diagnosed with early stage fibroids in March 2023. The office worker told The Voice: “I had no idea at the time, of course, that there was going to be research that speculated that relaxers were linked to fibroids, otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have started using it. “I know other family members that have experienced fibroids have also happened to be relaxing their hair as well.”

ANXIETY

Ms Davis has also battled the condition adenomyosis since she was 19-years-old; a debilitating condition which causes the lining of the womb to bury into the muscular wall of the womb which makes periods unbearable. She says she now lives in constant anxiety and fear about how the recent diagnosis of fibroids will begin to affect her health with her already painful monthly cycle. She admits she was warned by medical professionals years before that she would develop the problematic health issue which was only discovered by chance while medics probed her condition with adenomyosis. She says she “demanded” to be referred because she was still in excruciating pain despite being prescribed painkillers. “I was just told that it was normal to be in that much pain [for adeno-

myosis] and I never thought that it was; it was always going to go down as you get older but the pain got worse. I started to develop a lot of nausea, over the years tiredness or fatigue,” she recalls. “So I started to have scans. The first scan I had, I was about 19 years old. The doctor said we can’t see anything CONDITION: for now, including fiVanessa Davies was broids. diagnosed with early “We can’t see any stage fibroids fibroids. But I guarantee you within the next

five to 10 years, you’re going to have fibroids, because that’s something that we notice in Black women.”

PAIN

Ms Davis, who says she had her pain dismissed and endured three scans before finally having her adenomyosis officially diagnosed, recalls how doctors told her they didn’t know why she and countless other Black women are more prone to falling victim to fibroids. In research published in the Carcinogensis Journal by

Oxford University in 2021, it found that Black women who used lye-based relaxers at least seven times a year for over 15 years or more had around a 30 per cent increased risk of developing breast cancer, with some speculating that the risk could also be associated with fibroids. Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a heavy-duty chemical used to unblock drains which can be found in popular hair brands with products targeting Black women and girls. Campaigners in the UK and US have called on the beauty

MAY 2023 THE VOICE

News Feature

increased fibroid risk’

SPECIALIST: Dr Annabel Sowemimo, far left, says that fibroids in Black women could be linked to a diet containing high oestrogen levels, cultural practices and low vitamin D levels; left, West End star Beverley Knight has had fibroids removed

giants to stop using the dangerous chemical, which can even be found in products which claim to have no lye, but still harbour harmful hydroxides including calcium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide. Dr Annabel Sowemimo, a specialist in sexual and reproductive health, told The Voice that there could be multiple reasons as to why statistics point towards why Black women are disproportionately impacted. “A lot of our data comes from the US with those prevalent statistics, and we do think it relates

here [in the UK] because we do see a lot more Black women with fibroids in our practice,” she explains. “So, this could be due to a range of reasons. There may well be a genetic component to why there’s more of a high rate of fibroids. “More recently, there was a study done that looked at the use of relaxers, which we know is a practice that lots of Black women globally utilise to keep their hair straight due to standards around beauty, what is professionalism.”

Dr Sowemimo says that fibroids in Black women could be linked to a diet containing high oestrogen levels, cultural practices and low vitamin D levels commonly found in people with darker skin and “wear and tear” on the body due to racism. She adds: “There’s other people [researchers] that have looked at things like the concepts of weathering and allostatic load [the body denigrating], which is how stress related circumstances can also lead to people having higher risk of certain diseases that’s looked at in relation to things like blood pressure and stroke. And people haven’t really underpinned how that would work necessarily in relation to fibroids.” Despite the prevalence of the issue, Black women say they are also battling to get appointments with their doctors and their symptoms of fibroids are often ignored or misdiagnosed — which is putting their health at risk. Natalie MeaganBlake, 39, is a duty manager in the leisure industry from West London, who lives with both fibroids and adenomyosis. She was also diagnosed with its “sister” condition endometriosis — a long-term full body disease where the tissue which is similar to the lining of your womb grows in other places around the body. The condition affects people of all ethnicities, but research has shown Black women are 50 per cent less likely to be diagnosed than white women.

A total of 190 million people have the disease globally and on average it takes eight years to be diagnosed. Ms Meagan-Blake, who is of Bajan, Jamaican and Irish heritage, told The Voice she believes her background has played a part in how she has been treated by medical professionals. She says she’s constantly demanding further scans and investigations into her health and is not listened to. She said: “On a day-to-day basis, it’s difficult, I’m constantly sending emails and making phone calls to be heard. “If I didn’t push for an MRI after my last surgery they wouldn’t have found what they

The 39-year-old says she felt like doctors did not actually “see her” but just saw a Black woman and assumed her pain threshold was much higher than that of a white woman. “They look at you like you’re ok, you are a strong Black woman, you have got this, you don’t need pain killers,” she said. Dr Christine Ekechi, a Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, believes that patients who are Black women struggle to access appointments and therefore see delays in their diagnoses. However, she warns people need to be “careful” with how we frame race disparities around this issue. “Black and Asian people are

They looked at me as a Black woman and made the assumption that ‘she’s got fibroids’ have found now – which has led to I need to have another surgery ASAP.” Ms Meagan-Blake revealed she has been forced to change her GP three times. She said: “In my early thirties that’s when the race played more of a part in me being diagnosed. “They looked at me as a Black woman and made the assumption that ‘she’s got fibroids.’” Ms Meagan-Blake said this assumption did not take into consideration her other symptoms or the fact that her mother — who is white — also suffers from endometriosis.

more likely to live in areas that have limited GPs. So therefore, they will have difficulty getting access to their GP to then mention the symptoms they’re having, rather than people that live in rich areas,” she says. “What causes difficulty in access is more about deprivation and class. Then, when we’re looking at lower class and lower deprivation, Black and Asian people are over represented in those areas.” Black and ethnic minority women are more likely to develop larger sized fibroids, however, it is unclear why and makes treatment options for the

conditions limited, says Dr Ekechi. A hysterectomy is often the last and most drastic option for fibroid treatment which is the removal of the uterus. There are three main types of fibroids including submucosal fibroids which can cause heavy, irregular bleeding, a swollen abdomen and even infertility. For Ms Meagan-Blake, who also has polycystic ovary syndrome, she says her fibroids are not “growing dramatically,” but can’t predict the future of her condition. The women’s health advocate has had four surgeries related to her reproductive health and is expected to have a fifth one later this year. Ms Davis lives with the constant fear of how her fibroids diagnosis may begin to impact her as they grow in size. Dr Ekechi says women of all ethnicities struggle to be believed by health professionals about their reproductive health, but says that more research into why fibroids are more likely in Black women can only be funded from what “creates the biggest noise from the public sector”. For both Ms Davis and Meagan-Blake, they want the Black community to be persistent in asking questions if they feel something is not right. Ms Meagan-Blake added: “Ask for your medical records, some things are written in your medical notes that you don’t get told in your appointments. Ask for your surgery notes and if they take photos get those pictures.”

10 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

News Feature

£1bn fund ‘to decolonise colonial grant-giving’

Group on a mission to boost under-resourced Black charity sector. By Shirin Aguiar

B ILLION-POUND FUND created to supercharge Black grassroots groups to fight systemic racism has given out its first round of funding. The Black-led initiative comes after several reports found the Black and minority ethnic voluntary sector to be woefully underfunded. One report last year, by the group Ten Years Time, found almost nine out of 10 Black and Asian charities were facing closure. To fight this crisis, the Baobab Foundation was formed to channel cash from corporations to Black organisations so they can campaign against systemic racism. The head of the endowment fund, which aims to create a long-term sustainable source of funding, said the project heralded a new dawn for Black self-organisation. Founder Jake Ferguson said: “If you can make endowments big enough, the profits from endowments can be channelled back into annual grants programmes. “Back in 2020 we did a rough calculation; if we raised a billion pound endowment, it would make £50- to £60-odd million every year, notionally. So that was the spark.” The Baobab Foundation has now given £1.5 million in grants to 35 applicants from Black and Global Majority (BGM) communities. Voluntary sector experts say Black charities have been competing against each other for ever-smaller pots of money from a handful of grant-giving trusts and foundations, which are often tied to specific project funding rather than campaigning. And they are tired of waiting for grant-givers to deliver on promises of change to increase funding for this part of the charitable sector. As an endowment fund, Baobab seeks to create a long-term sustainable source of funding. Baobab say they resource communities based on their needs, priorities, realities and

experiences, not predetermined funding priorities of the grantgivers. Vanessa Thomas, a Baobab committee member, said: “We are providing long-term, unrestricted funding guidance and support, disrupting a sector that is bureaucratic and colonial, by being boldly pro-Black, centring disability justice and nurturing an ecosystem that builds systemic change.” Back in 2020, race equity organisations across the country including The Ubele Initiative, the Race Equality Foundation, BTEG and others all highlighted the Black voluntary sector as still being historically underfunded, under-resourced and under-valued.

REDUCTION

Covid brought the sector to its knees, with Ubele reporting that almost nine out of 10 Black voluntary sector organisations were facing closure. Even before Covid, an earlier report by Voice for Change England in 2015, found that BAME charities had suffered a 25 per cent reduction in funding in the previous five years when Government austerity was introduced. The charity umbrella body CEMVO reported an even more alarming 67 per cent dip in funding for Black groups. Although the Lottery Fund stepped in and provided a few million, in a subse-

BETTER TOGETHER: The Baobab Foundation’s name was inspired by gathering around the African tree, pictured inset, representing deep and meaningful conversations at the root (photos: senivpetro on Freepik, ACEI Cheung, Giya Makondo-Wills) quent report Ubele concluded that “racialised minority communities faced widespread financial crisis, with insufficient capacity to meet the need, while trying to influence policy and decision-makers.” Responding to the crisis, Baobab held its first open meeting in July 2020 involving 200 Black grassroots groups. Mr Ferguson, pictured left, linked up with David Weaver, chair of the Coalition of Race Equality, and they brought in Derek Bardowell, CEO of Ten Years’ Time, an expert in decolonising the philanthropic world. Mr Ferguson said: “Very early on we felt this has got to be something we own rather than is led by the powers-thatbe. That’s where the name Baobab came from. The African tree has historically represent-

ed something that is about gathering together at the root of the tree, having deep meaningful conversations about what our future is.” Fast forward to 2023 and the organisation now has 700 members who ‘own’ it. “One of the things which has made Baobab so strong is that from a very small seed of an idea we very much realised that it was our collective power that was going to make us unique. We want to self-organise in a way that we have control. “So I was very insistent that we would build up a membership and that it would be the members that would ultimately own Baobab and make the key decisions.” The foundation does not take government funds “because of the harm governments have done us”, and funders have to sign up to Baobab’s vision of self-organisation and justice.

It is “nowhere near” the £1 billion target yet, but is starting to build a significant endowment. Lankelly Chase were the first funders who agreed to give Baobab a proportion of their endowment. Mr Ferguson is looking for other foundations to do the same. “We’ve got a long, big mountain to climb to get anywhere near the billion pound target, but we are starting to show that through this racial justice approach we can get money to grassroots organisations up and down the country who are in dire need. “We can do it off our own back but still give the flexibility to those that apply to Baobab for funding, and the ability to self-determine. And that is the core of what we’re doing.” Yvonne Field, CEO of The Ubele Initiative, pictured inset above, said: “We totally

support the need for Baobab. I’ve always asked why we should only have two or three (funds). “We know that our sector’s been under-resourced for decades and that we don’t actually hold the power in decisionmaking and distribution of funding. We don’t get to design them, we don’t get to make decisions. We’re very rarely around the table, and if we are, we’re in a minority.

CHANGE

“I agree with Jake that this is the dawn of a hopefully long-term new era. We want long-term transformational change. “We need several funds so we can determine the future of our communities. Baobab is a great addition to the system. “Why should we not have those aspirations? We are huge contributors to the economy and we just don’t get value for money We’re determined to make sure this is a longterm change, so yes, £1 billion, £2 billion – why not?” Visit baobabfoundation.org.uk

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |

News Feature

Momentum for reparations MP praises ex-BBC aristocrat for “putting her money where her mouth is” on reparations for slavery. By Leah Mahon

EPARATIONS IS not a movement for the “woke” Left, but instead a national effort that the whole of Britain needs to be a part of, a leading MP has said. Clive Lewis, who is vice chair of the Afrikan Reparations AllParty Parliamentary Group, has urged Rishi Sunak and other Tory MPs to acknowledge the devastating legacy of slavery in the Caribbean and for Britain to confront its colonial past. The MP for Norwich South, right, told The Voice he is clear about wanting to see the Prime Minister enter into negotiations with Caribbean leaders. “There is a change taking place at the moment in the fact that this has come on the political agenda partly through the work of Laura Trevelyan and her family. “Partly now, because the King has also made comments and apologies, which is a critical part of the whole kind of reparations campaign,” he said. “Now, do I think that’s going to result in Rishi Sunak paying tens of millions of pounds to the Caribbean? No, but we have to remember, there’s likely to be a general election and a possible change of government.” “There’s nothing wrong with people being aware of the world around them and aware of history as it actually is, as opposed to the stories that some people in countries tell themselves.” The Labour MP continued to praise the efforts of ex-BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan who donated more than £100,000 to Grenada and issued an apology after her aristocratic family were discovered to have owned over 1,000 African slaves on plantations. Chairman of Grenada National Reparations Commission (GNRC), Arley Gill, said other European families, governments and institutions should take note of the gesture. Mr Lewis, whose own family comes from Grenada, said the now full-time slavery reparations campaigner put her own BBC pension

into the compensation when she simply could have said “good luck” to those supporting the movement. He added: “Whatever people think of what Laura has done, whether they think it’s tokenism, as far as I’m concerned, she’s put her money where her mouth is. “There’s nothing on this [movement] for decades, despite Black people campaigning, and all of a sudden, the right white person comes along and says something, and everyone’s interested, and I get that. But that’s not the attitude we should take. The attitude we should take is this is actually strengthening our argument.” The CARICOM’s ten-point reparations first launched in 2013 has been guiding the Caribbean’s calls for reparatory justice, however, Mr Lewis says that as the movement gains momentum he understands there are “disparate voices” on what reparations actually look like. In recent months, there has been backlash from institutions who have attempted to make up for their role in slavery without involving the descendants affected by the decision. The Church of England apologised for their part in the slave

STRUGGLE GOES ON: Extinction Rebellion environmental activists march through the City of London to protest against the companies and institutions that profited from the slave trade (photo: Getty Images)

trade and promised to invest £100m to “right their wrongs,” although the sum was not classified as reparations many reparations experts and fellow Caribbeans criticised the move.

PORTRAIT

Actor David Harewood, whose family hail from Barbados, agreed to have a commissioned portrait of himself hung in Harewood House in North Yorkshire in the family home of aristocrats who once enslaved his ancestors. Many hit back at the decision and argued the stately home should be given to the awardwinning actor instead.

Mr Lewis said that in pushing the movement forward supporters needed to challenge “imperial attitude” from institutions who leave out communities directly impacted by the slave trade. The reparations supporter added reparations look different for islands across the Caribbean who have their own individual stories of slavery, including former colonies in South America. David Denny, General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration in Barbados, said the reparations movement has galvanised since the summer of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and when

Barbados became a republic. “There are different conditions and different relationships. I could speak more directly to what we in the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, we are demanding reparation from MP Richard Drax,” he said. “We feel reparations should have been paid not to any one institution, but that it should be used to develop a very poor and powerless working class in Barbados, specifically in St George. “Things like schools can be upgraded, polyclinics can be upgraded to become hospitals with a lot of technical support. Infrastructure in relation to rules RAISING AWARENESS: King Charles is shown The World Reimagined Globes on a visit to Leeds – the globes transform how we understand the Transatlantic slave trade; left, exBBC journalist Laura Trevelyan, whose aristocratic family owned over 1,000 slaves, donated more than £100,000 to Grenada (photos: Getty Images)

can be upgraded, poor people’s houses, upgraded, academic scholarships can be offered to people, especially to the very poor communities in Barbados.” Mr Lewis said he is working closely with fellow Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy on the Afrikan Reparations APPG as the movement builds momentum, adding the group could consider setting up a separate division for Caribbean reparations specifically.

CONNECTIONS

As the definition of what reparations actually is becomes clearer, Mr Lewis is also building connections with the CARICOM and other islands in the Caribbean, including the island of his own heritage, Grenada. “My dad’s over the moon that I’m picking up and running with this [the reparations movement]. My family is very proud that I’m doing this, it’s an opportunity that if it wasn’t for him and the family that came over here, to give me the opportunities and chance to end up in this place to then do that then I wouldn’t be able to do this. “Whilst many of my brothers and sisters haven’t had the same opportunities that I have had, part of the process of being here is to put down the ladder and bring up as many people as possible and challenge this country on the issue of reparations and apology as part of that process.”

12 | THE VOICE APRIL 2023

ADVERTORIAL

Produced in association with the NHS

We’re living longer than ever, and there are things we can do today to encourage good health as we age. Nichole McIntosh, Regional Head of Nursing and Midwifery at NHS England explains some of the key things we can do to help us to live a longer, healthier life.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

There are healthy habits that ideally, we will start in childhood and carry through adulthood and these can reduce of the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But even if we haven’t always done these, starting today can still make a difference. Ethnic inequalities in health remains a concern and it is noted that Black people in the UK are up to three times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than people of White European heritage. So, it’s important to eat a balanced diet and stay active. It’s recommended that all adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical (or 75 minutes vigorous intensity) activity each week. If you’re aged over 65, its recommended that you are physically active every day. And this could be going for a run or dancing, but it could also be yoga, gardening, a walk, or a seated workout. If you haven’t done these before or it’s been a while, getting advice from a health professional at your local GP practice can help you to make these changes safely. This is especially important if you have a medical condition, have recently been ill or in hospital. If you’re at risk of type 2 diabetes your GP practice might give you access to the free Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme or, if you need help to manage your weight, have diabetes and/or high blood pressure ask them or a local pharmacist about the Digital Weight Management Programme. You can get NHS help to give up smoking, vaping or reduce how much alcohol you drink. Talk to your GP practice or pharmacist, or look online at NHS.uk

SCREENING

NHS screening saves lives and can also identify people at risk of serious, treatable health problems early, often before you notice symptoms.  NHS cervical screening checks for highrisk human papillomavirus (HPV) in women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64. HPV

can cause abnormal cells to develop, which if left untreated, can turn into cancer. You’ll get a letter in the post inviting you to make an appointment.  NHS breast cancer screening is offered every three years to women from the age of 50 to 71, while women aged 71 or over can self-refer once every three years. It looks for cancers too small to see or feel.  NHS bowel cancer screening is offered

every two years to people aged 60 to 74 who are sent a home testing kit, called a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT kit for short). This is gradually being expanded to include people aged 50 to 59. People aged 75 and over can also request a kit. And these kits are used to collect a tiny sample of poo which is analysed for traces of blood that could be a sign of cancer.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening is offered to men during the year they turn 65 to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms (a dangerous swelling in the aorta). Men over 65 can self-refer.



 Diabetic eye screening is offered yearly to anyone aged 12 and over who has diabetes, to checks for problems which can lead to sight loss if not found early.

For more information on any of these, visit the NHS website at nhs.uk

VACCINATIONS

Vaccinations work to help the body develop anti-bodies to a disease, teaching the body’s immune system to recognise and react if exposed to the bacteria or virus which causes it. They can also help reduce the spread of diseases. Across our lifetime, the NHS offers different vaccinations, which have all been rigorously tested. They include:  the ﬂu jab, which last year was offered from 50 years of age.  at 65 years or over you will be offered a single pneumococcal vaccination, sometimes called the pneumonia vaccine. This may also be given at a younger age if you have a health condition which puts you

more at risk or have a weakened immune system.  at 70 years, you will be offered a oneoff vaccine to prevent shingles.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

NHS Covid vaccines have saved countless lives and helped us to live with the virus without restrictions. But the virus is still making people very ill, and protection against Covid (either from catching the virus or from a previous vaccination) fades over time. So, this spring, the NHS is offering booster vaccinations to those at greatest risk of severe illness from the virus, namely:  residents in older adult care homes  people aged 75 and over, and  people with a weakened immune system. Also, if you are aged 18+ and haven’t had your ﬁrst or second jab yet, you can still get these doses until 30 June. I advise you to book yours now. If you are eligible for a Covid vaccination, you can book by:  using the NHS App  visiting nhs.uk/CovidVaccination, or  calling 119 for free. Some areas also offer convenient walk-in options – ﬁnd out what is available at nhs. uk/vaccine-walk-in. Make sure you and your loved ones get any extra protection you need this spring.

NICHOLE MCINTOSH

Nichole is the Regional Head of Nursing at NHS England, London. She is also an Honorary Visiting Professor at City, University of London and is passionate about promoting the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in all her work. NHS.UK/CovidVaccinations

APRIL 2023

THE VOICE | 13

14 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

L’Myah Sherae

Join the debate online: voice-online. co.uk/opinion

No child should face Afro hair school ban

DISHEARTENING: Some schools still have policies banning youngsters from wearing longer hair (photos: Rod Waddington, Ben Masora, DCMA, Sol Stack)

More still needs to be done to stop inhumane discrimination

“

BOY SHOULDN’T have long hair! He’ll look like a girl!” The phrase sounds so outdated, right? Even when I re-read the sentence in my head, I automatically imagined it being said in a toddler’s voice — that’s how childish it sounds. But what’s concerning is that there are so many adults that still hold these views. And even worse — the stereotypes are often legitimised in school policy. I had a meeting with a colleague about this recently. She spoke about how happy she was that our campaign against Afro hair discrimination in schools led to changes in national policy guidance. Because of our campaign, the Equality and Human Rights Commission warned that if a school bans hairstyles that are commonly associated with children of African and Caribbean descent, then they are likely to be breaking the law. Yes, it’s a fantastic result, but it’s not entirely perfect. The same colleague mentioned to me that some schools still have policies banning boys from wearing long hair, retaining longer hairstyles for girls only. Even though my work predominantly focuses on race, rather than gender, our conversation immediately invoked the following questions in my mind: if there are schools still banning boys from having “long hair”, then what does that mean for boys who have long locs, or cornrows, for example? How does law and policy guidance protect Black children from racial discrimination, in instances where gender stereotypes are allowed to prevail? Clearly there’s a loophole here, especially when it comes to safeguarding children and encouraging them to embrace their identity.

Clearly there’s a loophole here, especially when it comes to safeguarding children Whilst I’m over the moon that our new policy guidance on Afro hair discrimination has been published, I do think more needs to be done to ensure that uniform policies refrain from discriminating against different groups of children. It’s obvious that this isn’t only about race — gender stereotypes can have a disproportionate and adverse impact upon Black boys in particular, too. It is important to acknowledge, however, that there have been significant shifts abroad, especially in relation to hair discrimination and protecting Black children. Certain states in America provide pretty useful examples. You may have heard that in California in 2019, a sweeping new law banned college and workplace discrimination against natural Black hairstyles, including locs and braids. California’s Governor signed a bill about this at a ceremony in his office, after it passed both chambers of the California legislature with unanimous support. The bill amended existing anti-discrimination laws to include hair as part of protected racial characteristics, and it is likely to inspire laws in other US states, too. I want to take a moment to provide extra context about this, as exploring America’s

history reveals the painful and deep-rooted connection between racism, anti-Blackness and hair discrimination. For example, after the Black Power movement in the 1960s and 70s, when Afros were often perceived as a political statement, hair discrimination became worsened by “grooming policies” enforced in schools, workplaces, and the military. In fact, the United States Army had actually banned locs for female service members until 2017, which is when the policy was finally overturned. In 2016, three US judges ruled against Chastity Jones, a Black woman in Alabama who filed a racial lawsuit against the com-

L’Myah Sherae is founder of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education

Punishing a child for their natural hair is not only unacceptable, but genuinely inhumane pany that revoked her job offer because she refused to cut off her locs. In 2018, a six-year-old boy was denied entry to his school in Florida for wearing locs. In 2019, a Black high school wres-

tler was subjected to public humiliation when his coach cut off his locs to avoid forfeiting a match. The case studies are endless; and to be honest, disheartening. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. In more recent years, Afro hair discrimination is finally starting to be addressed, which is in part thanks to the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act. There’s much more that can be done in the UK, too. Yes, we have the Equality Act which protects against racism. And yes, we have our new national policy guidance against Afro hair discrimination. But I want to ensure that all

schools are aware that punishing a child for their natural hair is not only unacceptable, but genuinely inhumane. It’s time to get rid of the grey areas and the loopholes — and that includes addressing gender stereotypes in hair policies, too. The idea of assimilation over authenticity is something that Black people around the world have had to contend with as we face continued discrimination against our hair — one of many tactics that has been used to dehumanise our community. We need to end this harmful cycle. And, a core part of that must be through the creation of stronger laws and policies to protect children.

MAY 2023 THE VOICE

News Feature

Microaggressions are really not that micro From hair twiddling to making assumptions about marital status, we still can’t seem to escape them. By Leah Mahon

T’S A MONDAY morning and you’ve just arrived at work before your 9am start but as you make your way to your desk, probing eyes poke out from behind their computers in disbelief or utter confusion. It’s not until lunchtime when a colleague finally sees you in the breakroom or walking from your desk to ask eagerly how your hair grew overnight or what you did to dye it. Or worse yet, their undying curiosity leads them to dangle the length of your extension, whether it be a braid or loc, in their hands with the same look of beguilement. It’s a scenario that almost every Black person can relate to when navigating spaces where Black faces are scarce. It’s an all too common interaction that makes up the reality of our existence as people historically marginalised as the “other” and how that manifests in our work spaces today. Jenny Garrett is an expert on microaggressions and author of Equality vs Equity: Tackling Issues of Race in the Workplace which sets out to arm people with the knowledge that seemingly subtle forms of racism are still violence and provide them with the tools to deal with racial barriers as they advance in their careers. “Microaggressions are statements or actions or incidents and often they’re indirect and subtle, and even sometimes unintentional, but they are discrimination against people from marginalised oppressed groups,” she tells The Voice. “Things like being mistaken for the other person from a similar background to you, even though you look nothing like that person…it’s the sort of judgments that people might make like, ‘Oh you’re married! That’s a surprise!’ “It’s that sort of judgement that Black women are probably single parents. Or that, as we know, the real stereotype which is when Black women may

speak up passionately and be called angry. It’s the combination between these stereotypes, and indirect racism.” Before being dismissed as one of the woke era’s newest buzzwords, the term microaggression was coined by Harvard University psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce in 1970 to describe insults and dismissals which African-Americans were regularly subjected to from people outside of marginalised groups. The diversity coach and TEDx speaker, below right, says the most “annoying” part about microaggressions is that those on the receiving end might not notice they are experiencing one, because the discrimination is so subtle. She warns that people could dismiss it as someone being “thin-skinned” or a defensive stance of “taking things personally” when racism doesn’t look like people shouting something derogatory in the street or in the workplace. Ms Garrett says: “One thousand tiny paper cuts. One paper cut is irritating and annoying, but if you’re continuously getting them, day in and day out, it’s going to be really painful and something that’s hard to live with.” A 2022 study by think-tank Coqal, called Being Black in the United Kingdom, highlighted how Black professionals were still dealing with microaggressions and unfair treatment in the workplace. In a survey of over 1,000 professionals, Black professionals are 81 per cent more likely than their white counterparts to say their companies are “not at all” or only “slightly” fair. More than two in three Black (68 per cent) and more than half (58 per cent) of mixed-race professionals reported they had experienced racial prejudice at their

ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE: Microaggressions are a part of everyday life for many Black workers (photo: Getty Images) current or former companies, in comparison to white (28 per cent) and Asian (50 per cent) professionals. Ms Garrett argues the hardest aspect is for marginalised groups to speak out

against the racism in the risk that they are ostracised, passed up on promotions or managed out of their careers and their livelihoods ruined. She advises that before confronting workplace microaggressions that employees need to feel safe. “You need psychological safety, it might be that you speak up anonymously, some organisations have anonymous lines, or you speak up through your employee resource group,” Ms Garrett explains. “The other way, which I think is key, is that you don’t need to be fighting all of the battles. People from the global majority need to find allies in that organisation, people from the majority group, so those who are more senior, who are white, and willing to advocate for them.”

She adds: “It’s not an easy thing to do, but find an ally. But there will be people in your organisation who notice that you’re being spoken over in the meeting, you’re never getting the correct assignment, that people aren’t bothering to pronounce your name properly… even those people could be your allies!” In a post-Black Lives Matter era, organisations in the UK and around the world are yet to prove their support for racial equality in professional places, and most crucially how they treat their Black employees that deal with the reality of being othered. However, Ms Garrett believes that amid convincing those that are not marginalised that microaggressions are a form of violence, she also urges Black people themselves to recognise the severity of it despite seeming worlds away from the brutal racism of yesteryear

and racial trauma that can be left. “The truth is that they are not micro [microaggressions]. I think sometimes we minimise them by adding the word micro in front of these aggressions,” she admits. “If we let microaggressions go in the workplace, I think it will just get worse and worse for us. I think that people don’t realise the toll it takes on individuals. “The consequences of not tackling microaggressions are that you hold yourself back in so many ways. “I think you hold yourself back psychologically. And that can bleed out into your personal life which can affect your mental health and well-being. But you hold yourself back in the workplace. She adds: “That means things never change. You never go up the ladder, we never change the representation at the top of UK organisations.”

16 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Asari St Hill

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Business and Wealth

Why it is so important to build generational wealth What we can all learn from the Windrush generation

E DO pass on wealth! Discussions about ‘generational wealth’ are becoming an increasingly popular topic in the Black community across Britain. There are many complaints that we share little generational wealth but I beg to differ. Not only are we sharing generational wealth, but we have an opportunity to pass down even more wealth over the coming decades. More of the first generation born in the UK have benefited from the struggles and sacrifices of our parents’ generation. This is particularly true in public sector jobs with good pensions, with many starting businesses with assets and increasingly owning property in the UK and abroad.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Many new Black-owned businesses are run by sole traders or directors with few to no staff

PROPERTY

We all know, one of the best ways to pass on generational wealth is through property. Sadly, today levels of home ownership in the Black community are very low at 20 per cent and 40 per cent for Black Africans and Black Caribbeans respectively. In contrast, 68 per cent of white British households owned their own homes and 74 per cent of the Indian community do but these figures are mainly from the 1970s. Before the 1970s, homeownership levels in the UK were averaging less than 50 per cent. You may also be surprised that only 17 per cent and 35 per cent of the Arab and Chinese communities respectively, own their own home, even now. However, many of the Windrush generation bought homes (using things like pardner, credit unions and dances to save money). Many of the first major waves of immigrants from

the Caribbean and from Africa have passed away, leaving their property to many of us, their children. Similarly, many have sold their homes in the UK and returned to invest in property in the Caribbean. This wealth will also be inherited by many of their children, who still live in the UK. There has been a huge rise in the number of Black people starting businesses in the UK in recent years. This has, in part, been fuelled by racism — lack of job opportunities and promotion has led to frustration. Non-white communities, including the African/Caribbean community, earned roughly 20 per cent less than their white counterparts in 2020. Just five years ago, there were around

250,000 firms identified as ‘ethnic minority-led businesses’ (EMBs), the majority of which (185,000) had no employees. However, what is particularly interesting is that across the UK

the self-employed is good in one sense — many new Blackowned businesses are run by sole traders or directors with few to no staff. However, for a business to

There has been a huge rise in the number of Black people starting businesses in the UK in recent years as a whole in 2018, nearly 25 per cent of the Pakistani and 19 per cent of the Bangladeshi workforce were self-employed, although as a group, the Black/ Black British self-employed community had grown the fastest since 2011. This rise of

become an asset, it would need to be, “a commercially profitable enterprise that works without you” says Brad Sugars, founder of ActionCOACH. For a business to work without you, it needs to have staff who manage the systems and

processes. This is why in franchised businesses, such as Specsavers, Costa Coffee or McDonald’s, you never meet the owners as these businesses can run without them. For a business to have value (that can be sold or handed down), it needs to be profitable but also be able to continue trading successfully even if the owner is no longer involved. If we want to use entrepreneurship to be an increasing source of generational wealth, we need to build ‘value’ into our businesses. The Entrepreneurial Ladder illustrates this well. In the book, E-Myth Revisited, it clearly states that most business people are ‘technicians’ = self-employed. It is

only when you develop the business and employ staff to run the business, you can claim to be a ‘business owner’. When your business earns more than you need to cover your costs and taxes, only then you can invest the surplus into other assets like property, shares or into additional businesses. When you purchase or own your second profitable business that runs without you, you can describe yourself as an entrepreneur. If you would like business advice

from Asari St.Hill — ActionCOACH Business Coach and Founder of

the Black Business Club, you can

contact him: asarist-hill@actioncoach.com / www.actioncoach. com/asaristhill

MAY 2023 THE VOICE

News Feature

‘Black business mag boosted my enterprise’

HE LEGACY of The Voice’s founder, Val McCalla, as a staunch advocate for the Black community on issues such as police brutality, and inequality in education, housing and employment, is widely acknowledged. However, he was also a passionate supporter of Black entrepreneurs and understood the vital role that businesses play in empowering the Black community and creating generational wealth. His legacy in this area was seen in the launch of The Voice’s Black Business Magazine in December 2018. Our inaugural edition was launched in the pre-George Floyd period where pressure for change was building following other killings of Black men by the police in the US. It was clear things had to change. Equality activists in this country argued that racial inequality and a lack of political influence was one of the key outcomes of a growing gap in wealth and income between Black people and other communities. The pioneering Black Business Magazine was aimed at addressing that gap by providing a platform for Black-owned businesses. The first issue featured businesses in a diverse range of fields such as eco-fashion, hospitality, books, haircare, toys and cosmetics. It also showcased entrepreneurs who were creating new twists on traditional African and Caribbean cuisine. Subsequent editions of the magazine featured stories of how Black-owned firms adapted to the challenges of the Covid pandemic and inspiring accounts of entrepreneurs who found ways to get around the lack of financial support from banks and grow their companies. This year marks the Black Business Magazine’s fifth anniversary. And according to many of the entrepreneurs who have been featured in the publication, it continues to be a vital resource for Black-led businesses and the consumers who want to support them. Dating service company Melanin Matchmakers has ap-

PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY: Val McCalla peared in several editions of the magazine. Its founder Dayo Israel says the publication’s support has been instrumental to the success of the business. “As a dating service that focuses on the Black community, having The Voice’s Black Business Magazine is something that has been so important to us because it’s helped us to connect with people who are interested in supporting Black-owned businesses. “It’s also given us national exposure. As a company, we’ve always believed there’s a growing demand for more personalised and meaningful connections and the magazine has really helped us get the word out about what we do. Through it we’ve been able to reach a much wider audience than we would have on our own.” Israel continued: “We’ve seen more people wanting to support Black-owned businesses recently, especially since protests over the murder of George Floyd. “The Voice’s Black Business Magazine has definitely been an important part of that movement and it highlights the many great Black-owned businesses that are out there and gives people the information they need to support them.” Despite the rise in the number of Black-owned businesses in recent years, they still face significant challenges when it comes to building awareness of their products and services. Advertising is crucial for any successful business, allowing it to reach new customers, increase

UK BLACK BUSINESS MAGAZINE

ISSUE 8 › APRIL 2023 2

THE VOICE

Business owners featured in past editions speak about the difference it has made. By Vic Motune

APRIL 2023 | T H E V O I C E B L A C K B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E

sales, and establish brand awareness. But the costs involved mean it is out of reach for small companies with limited budgets. Recent research by Clear Channel UK, Channel 4, and the BACKLIGHT agency found that while Black and minority ethnic entrepreneurs felt advertising is crucial to growing their business, 22 per cent of those surveyed said they face significant difficulty in paying for advertising space, compared to 10 per cent of White entrepreneurs. Caroline Henry-Ledgister, cofounder of Leicala Natural Products, a skincare company that uses natural ingredients, believes that The Voice’s Black Business Magazine has been crucial in tackling this problem in a way that is affordable. “The magazine has been so beneficial for us because it’s given us exposure we wouldn’t have had otherwise,” she says. “It’s helped to raise awareness about the products we sell at a reasonable price. People have learned about us and got in contact after seeing the article about us in the magazine. It’s given us the opportunity to educate them about what we do and how our products can benefit them. As a result, many people have become customers and have conA Voice Newspaper tinued to support us.” Publication Monique Kufuor, founder of The Black Owned Business Exhibition (BOBExpo), now the UK’s largest event for consumers who want to buy culturally diverse products, also says the magazine’s support was crucial after its launch in 2018. “When we launched we were based in Manchester. Appearing in The Voice’s Black Business Magazine has helped us get noticed beyond the north-west” she says. “The national exposure it provided has been really important for us. People from all over the country who are interested in supporting Black-owned businesses have been able to get in touch with us more easily because they heard about us through the magazine. “That’s helped us build relationships and make a real differ- POWER IN THE BLACK POUND: Main, the cover of The Voice UK Black Business Magazine; above, business owners Caroline Henry-Ledgister, Dayo Israel and Monique Kufuor ence to our business.”

Bianca means business Bianca Miller-Cole: Apprentice star,entrepreneur, mentor

From mould to gold

Byron Dixon enjoys the sweet smell of success with Micro-Fresh

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The Fintech platform making life easy for the self-employed

18 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Dotun Adebayo

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Rate him or hate him - you can’t ignore him!

Jah Shaka - revolutionary who inspired all rastas to the end

FORCE OF NATURE: Jah Shaka DJing at WOMAD in 2016 – he was playing revolutionary dub music to the very end; inset below, Peter Tosh smoking a blunt (photos: Getty Images)

Rastas stood for liberation, and had all the answers. That era ended but the dub and reggae pioneer kept the faith alive

HIS IS going to sound a bit weird, but Jah Shaka may well be the last of the Mohicans. And that is really saying something when it comes to a dread. You see, once upon a time reggae was revolutionary. It was where you gravitated towards if you were not happy with the prejudice you were facing as a Black or brown person and you wanted to do something about it. Otherwise you went down the soul road, if you were unhappy with the prejudice but you couldn’t be bothered to do something about it. For real. All this is back in the seventies when every day was a struggle if you weren’t white. And reggae seemed to have all the answers. It encouraged you to get up and stand up for your rights and told you that Marcus Garvey’s words were still relevant and that Christopher Columbus is a dyam blasted liad for saying that he is the first one who discovered America, when he knew damn well that there were some Arawak Indians and some few Black men there when he arrived. That was the kind of knowledge that made us reggae heads militant. We felt we could just flash our locks and the weakheart drop. Can you believe that? I really believed it. You see why it was revolutionary? Later, Steel Pulse told us about the Handsworth Revolution and Tapper Zukie told us about the MPLA and, I swear, many of us were ready to pick up our AK47s and our M16s and fight for the liberation struggles in Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and, primarily, South Africa. That’s the power of music. If we had had the money for the flight we’d probably still be down there now growing our locks even longer and fighting the revolutionary fight, like Che

Guevara, wherever it was occuring. Reggae ain’t like that no more. It lost its revolutionary edge way back when. Peter Tosh’s murder may have knocked the stuffing out of it, but to be honest it seemed like reggae had run out of things to say long before that. And that’s not all. Once upon a time rasta was revolutionary. I don’t know which lost its revolutionary cutting edge first, the chicken or the egg, or whether they go hand in hand. In the seventies, you couldn’t walk the streets in our communties without stumbling over a dread. Every other man, woman and child was a ‘rasta’.

Rastas were the conscious ones. You had to be a conscious man even when you fell in love. It was rasta that stood firm on the frontline of Black liberation. The rasta man was at the forefront of every sort of militancy — the roots, the riots and the resistance, the three Rs of revolution. Rastas walked majestic and talked majestic. You couldn’t argue with them because they were the generation from creation going through all the same tribulation that you were going through.

Rasta seemed to have all the answers... and the solutions. But then Bob Marley died and the gatekeepers of our narrative, in the days before social media, appropriated the music and turned ‘One Drop’ into ‘One Love’... and the rasta revolution was over. I know you’re all going to have some views on this revolutionary thesis of mine, and I welcome your thoughts. But where does Jah Shaka, who recently passed away, fit in in all of this? Those who have followed Shaka for over 40 years,

as I have, will know that Shaka never changed. Not one single bit. Shaka was militant back in the mid 70s and he was militant to the very end. Certainly musically. Fashions have come and fashions have gone but to go to Shaka as recently as a few months ago, the dub music he played was as revolutionary as sound systems were when we couldn’t get in to discos, because the white guys on the doors didn’t want us in there (they wanted our music but not us). What could be more revolutionary in those days than sound systems stringing up in old churches and abandoned warehouses, and welcoming us with open arms for half the price and a more enjoyable experience whilst at the same time keeping our hard-earned money in the community. Now that’s revolutionary. Just the way Garvey planned it.

I was speaking to the comedienne Angie Le Mar the other day about Shaka. Turns out that he was like family to her. Her mum regarded Shaka as her godson and Angie herself regarded him as a brother. It’s a south London ting. Secondly, it’s a south London/ Jamaican ting. And thirdly, as Angie tells me, Shaka and her mother went to the same church. Now that last observation might come as a surprise to those who thought they knew Shaka and have followed his sound from one venue to another over the years. Because Shaka was a rastaman through and through. He pledged his allegiance and faith to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile I Selassie The First, the centrepiece of every Shaka dance. You couldn’t imagine him being anything other than rasta to the core. Indeed, the solitary spotlight in the darkened venues

where Shaka held his sound system sessions shone on a portrait of H.I.M. without any apology. The idea of Shaka going to church doesn’t quite fit into that image and persona by which he is remembered. But then again there were many of us who came out of the church and left it because it wasn’t militant enough. So when the music came and went Shaka stood firm and predominant. And when the revolution came and went Shaka stood firm. And even when he became a tourist attraction with people flying in from all over Japan to attend a session, Shaka would not remove his revolutionary spirit. That was Shaka then. That is Shaka now. And that will be Shaka to the very end. A revolutionary first. A revolutionary second. And a revolutionary to the end. You see why I call the dread the last of the Mohicans?

DOTUN ADEBAYO, BRITAIN’S MOST CELEBRATED BLACK BROADCASTER, IS KNOWN AS THE KING OF THE NIGHTTIME AIRWAVES. ALL VIEWS HERE ARE HIS OWN. LISTEN TO HIM OVERNIGHT ON BBC 5 LIVE FROM 1-5AM SATURDAY MORNINGS - MONDAY MORNINGS & 1AM - 4AM ON BBC RADIO LONDON (WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY MORNINGS). FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER: @dotunadebayo

MAY 2023

Terence Channer

THE VOICE | 19

Join the debate online: voice-online. co.uk/opinion

Reﬂections on a world characterised by colour My recent visit to Senegal revealed beauty and struggle to survive on this divided planet

FEW THINGS occurred to me during my recent trip to Senegal. One thing I couldn’t help but notice was the prevalence of very dark, flawless, beautiful skin. The young man selling cashew nuts at the roadside, the young female waiter at the hotel; the darkest hues. If I wasn’t careful, I could have begun to feel very pale with envy, but instead it reaffirmed ‘Black is beautiful’. There is nothing like a holiday to highlight the world’s disparities. This was my first time in mainland West Africa (I’ve been to Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa, but it didn’t feel how I imagined West Africa would feel). One thing is clear from my holidaying throughout the Caribbean, Africa and other parts of the world, is that global socio-economic disparities are starkly defined by race. Race and racism is something I’ve unashamedly chosen not to ignore but to tackle head on, since the day I woke up. I’m so woke to how human colours are not randomly socio-economically scattered, but are placed by the selection and design of a global system. Visit any tourist destination and the colours inside the resort seldom match the colours outside. Wealth and poverty,

HONEST WORK: A Senegalese street vendor awaits her next customer; inset below left, Gorée Island (photos: Getty Images)

Race and racism is something I’ve chosen to tackle head on privilege and under-privilege are colour coded – light to dark. There is nothing random about centuries of colour coding. Prime real estate (particularly beach front) is colour coded, uninterrupted and untouched by decolonisation and illusory liberation. Just ask Black South Africans, African Jamaicans, African Barbadians and other African Caribbeans, to name but a few of the global majority who long for real economic liberation. So when I confidently walk into a resort like I own the place, for some I look as incongruous as a pink tie with a brown suit. I look forward to the day when I can don my blue suit and matching red tie. I may even throw in a red silk handkerchief. But alas, I think that’s going to be for another’s lifetime. While in Senegal, I had the opportunity to visit Gorée Island. I should have felt deeply

emotional as I peered out to the North Atlantic, but I guess with all the tourists vying for the best spots in these chambers of West African slave horror, I just did not feel led to well-up. No, my eyes were not moist, (not like during Robben Island 2019), so there was no wrestling back tears. I even had a moment of humour when I joked that the young white woman that had dipped her fingers in what resembled a baptismal bowl in the female slave chamber near the Door of No Return, was atoning for the sins of her forefathers. My guide, Abou, laughed. How inappropriate of me. When Abou informed me that white tourists had once showed their appreciation for the Gorée Island tour by applauding as African Americans wept, my emotions once again eluded me. Where was my anger? Where was my righteous indignation? When he told me that a fight had broken out between Black and white tourists apparently over some type of insensitive

Senegal has no welfare state, just people making ends meet conduct, I just shrugged it off. Sometimes emotions are reserved for private rather than public display. Perhaps I’ll experience some delayed emotional response. The horror of slavery is something that I have emotionally invested in privately over the years, so perhaps this was my time just to be publicly clinical. I really can’t be sure why the roll had been called and my sadness, anger and distress were absent. I’ve heard of people laughing on hearing the death of a loved one – the laughter is then replaced with grief. One thing is for sure though,

and it is this; this was undoubtedly a chamber of horrors that marked just the beginning of centuries of the vilest forms of inhuman and degrading treatment. Man’s inhumanity to man. Then there was the hustle. Senegal has no welfare state, just people making ends meet in the most creative ways possible. I can’t ever recall seeing so many street sellers on any of my numerous trips abroad.

PATRONISE

I patronised a few street Senegalese sellers. However, I refused to patronise them in the other sense – I only buy stuff that I genuinely want, as one rival female seller found to her disappointment at Le Lac Rose (the Pink Lake). On the way back to the car, I was literally ambushed by these Senegalese saleswomen dressed in traditional African boubou. You can’t visit a country like Senegal without experiencing such aggressive sales pitches. This was a sight to behold.

If you know me – like many – I have a thing for chains and necklaces. Her rival had two bead necklaces and matching bracelets that I was happy to purchase. She had no necklaces, had pushed unwanted items in my face, so made no sales. She walked away, disappointment etched on her face. In this dog-eat-dog survival of the fittest business environment, the very fundamental business principles of supply and demand were so starkly at play – know your market, know what people want, know what sells and get your product to market. I hope that her disappointment at failure will turn into success in recognising what sells. During my trip to Senegal, I saw ‘Black is beautiful’ wonderfully displayed, I witnessed more of the colour-coded globe, I walked the slave chambers of horror, and I experienced the fundamental economic principles of the street market. All in all, I saw the beauty, inequity, horror and pragma-

Terence Channer is a consultant solicitor at Scott-Moncrieff & Associates LLP who specialises in police misconduct, injury and healthcare law. He is a passionate anti-racism advocate.

20 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

ADVERTORIAL

Thousands avoid type 2 diabetes with free evidence-based lifestyle programme

Dr Sandra Isibor

round 90% of people with diabetes in the UK have type 2 diabetes. And with 1 in 10 set to have the condition by 2030, preventing type 2 diabetes is more important now than it ever has been. “From blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes and amputations to name a few, type 2 diabetes is the gateway to other serious health conditions and complications. Black people are up to 3 times more likely to have the condition, with our risk increasing from the age of 25 so we need to take type 2 diabetes seriously.” says Dr Sandra Isibor, a GP with a special interest in obesity, weight management and diabetes. Whilst factors such as family history, pre-existing health conditions, age and ethnicity are all risk factors, it is lifestyle choices, such as diet and physical activity, that remain the crucial markers in determining the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, and its prevention.

PROGRAMME

The NHS offers the free Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme for those at risk. Lasting 9 months, this behavioural and lifestyle change programme has seen 1.3m people referred on to it to help lower their blood sugar levels, through making sustainable changes to their diet and physical activity, and ultimately avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes. “The coaches on the programme were able to support me with improving my diet and increasing my exercise, all of which I have continued doing for over 3 years since completing the programme,” says

Bryan Samuels

Mabel Oikelome

TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK FACTORS: • Your age - The older you are, the greater your risk will likely be. However, people from the Black and South Asian ethnic groups tend to be at risk at a younger age. • Your family history - You are two to six times more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother, sister or child with the condition. • Your ethnicity – You are more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if you are from a Chinese, South Asian, Black Caribbean or Black African ethnic background. • Your weight - You are more at risk of Type 2 diabetes if you are living with obesity or carry excess weight. • Your blood pressure – You are more at risk if you’ve ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

You have nothing to lose, everything to gain! Mabel Oikelome from Rochdale, who joined the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme after her blood test showed she had non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (also called pre-diabetes). With her father and brother diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Mabel knows all too well its devastating consequences, as her father sadly lost his vision due to the condition. Thanks to the programme, Mabel has lost weight, feels more energised and happier, and her blood results are now normal. Bryan Samuels, aged 54, from Burton-upon-Trent, was referred to his local Healthier You NHS Diabe-

tes Prevention Programme by his GP practice whilst on the borderline of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. He says, “This was a wake-up call that I needed to do something as it was quite a health scare”. Thanks to hard work and commitment, Bryan lost two stone in weight, his blood sugar levels dropped signiﬁcantly, and he experienced a newfound sense of vitality and conﬁdence.

The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme can help you to take control of your health and manage your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. With the support of dedicated trained coaches and experts, you can make small, manageable changes to your diet, physical activity routine, and weight management, reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Participants can choose between face-to-face groups in local venues and a digital service providing coaching through apps and websites.

PREVENTION

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20% reduction in type 2 diabetes incidence amongst individuals who have been referred to the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. Completers of the programme also reduce their chance of developing type 2 diabetes by around 37%. To ﬁnd out if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, search for “diabetes know your risk” online and complete a few simple questions on the Diabetes UK website, including about your age, ethnicity and if you have a close relative with diabetes.

REFERRAL

If the tool says that you are at moderate or high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, contact your GP practice for a simple blood test to check if you might have diabetes or non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (prediabetes). You might be eligible for a referral to Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. Dr Sandra Isibor concludes: “Prevention is paramount with diabetes, because as it stands there is no cure for the condition. You have nothing to lose, everything to gain!”

MAY 2023

THE VOICE | 21

Do you know your risk of type 2 diabetes? It’s really simple to find out your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. All you need is 2 minutes to answer a few simple questions online. Search ‘Diabetes Know Your Risk’. Millions of people already know their risk of type 2 diabetes after completing the Diabetes Know Your Risk tool. I did mine because…

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Don’t ignore your risk, take action now – search ‘Diabetes Know Your Risk’

22 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

News Feature

Men suffering domestic violence ‘is still a taboo’ Campaigning filmmaker Ola Izevbekhai explains why ‘man-up’ attitudes can have the deadliest of consequences. By Vic Motune

OMEN ARE far more likely to be victims of domestic and sexual abuse committed by partners and husbands. But men can suffer abuse too, and it is more common than people think. According to the Office for National Statistics, 757,000 men reported abuse in 2020. It’s a smaller number than the 1.6million women who were victims — which is widely believed to be an underestimate — but significant nonetheless. Men can be abused by women and in same-sex relationships, but the impact is the same — physical harm, emotional and psychological abuse, and coercive control. Men who are victims of domestic abuse face daunting challenges when seeking help, including disbelief from friends, family and law enforcement agencies. The fact that men can also be victims of domestic violence may come as a surprise to many in the Black community. However, a new documentary is aiming to shed light on a widespread yet under-reported issue. Men Too by Ola Izevbekhai delves into the impact that abuse has had on men, especially those from Black and minority ethnic communities. In the hour-long documentary, men who have been victims of domestic violence talk about how the experience has affected their lives, including feelings of shame, depression and paranoia, which can linger long after the abuse has ended. For Izevbekhai, the issue is personal. She lost an uncle who had been too ashamed to talk to anyone about what he was going through or seek help. “My uncle died after a drinkdriving accident,” she recalls. “We lived far away from him but we knew he was drinking too much and we eventually found out he was also abusing drugs. “However, it was only after a police investigation into his

death that we found out he was experiencing domestic abuse, and we quickly realised that his use of drugs and alcohol was linked to what he was going through at home. “People often think that domestic abuse is all physical, but that is not true. My uncle had been suffering a lot of emotional abuse. We managed to also retrieve text messages between him and his wife from his phone. The messages from her contained a lot of threats, including texts where she threatened to stop him seeing his children. “It was a complete shock because nobody knew, not even his neighbours and friends. They had heard yelling, but weren’t aware that his wife was abusing him, they just thought it was something he’d done to make her angry. “And, to be honest, I don’t know if he actually knew he was being abused. It was just heartbreaking to find out these things too late to be able to do anything about it.”

CHALLENGE

The tragic death of her uncle affected her deeply. For her, it highlighted society’s tendency to turn a blind eye to male victims of domestic abuse. Izevbekhai says she wants Men Too to challenge viewers to rethink their understanding of how domestic violence affects men. “What happened to my uncle prompted me to want to learn more about the issue. In Nigeria, where I’m from, it’s taboo for a man to admit he is being abused by his wife. Culturally, you cannot speak up because you’re going to be ridiculed. “I feel like this stigma needs to be corrected. And the only way we can do this is by telling men that they’re not alone. A man speaking up about the fact that he’s being abused doesn’t make him weak or less of a man. “Men do cry but they are expected to just ‘man up’. This needs to stop. Men, especially Black men, need to be able to show vulnerability.”

‘COMMON’ ABUSE: Male victims of domestic violence often face disbelief from their loved ones and even the police when they report abuse, even though it is far more common than many of us realise (photo: Nicola Barts, Pexels) One man who has willingly shared his story is 34-year-old Jehorney Coulson from Enfield, north London. The shame that he felt at being a male victim of domestic violence made it difficult to speak up about the abuse he faced from his ex-partner. Mr Coulson met her in 2011. Four years later he relocated from Jamaica so that they could get married and start living together. A year later, in 2016, he says the abuse started. “The abuse was mostly verbal, her screaming, calling me

names, trying to record my conversations and use what I said against me, and threatening to reveal my immigration status to the authorities and threatening me that I wouldn’t see my daughter,” he tells The Voice. Over the years, the level of abuse escalated. Given his Caribbean heritage, Mr Coulson found it hard to do anything about it. “I grew up in Jamaica. Over there, people look at you as weak if you tell them you’re being abused by your wife or if you called the police on your partner after an argument. So

it’s difficult to find the courage to tell anyone about what you’re going through.” The continued abuse left Mr Coulson with severe mental health issues.

BLAME

“I began to suffer from depression, and there were times when I felt like I wanted to commit suicide,” he says. “I was putting all the blame on myself, but there was no-one I could share how I was feeling with.” One particular incident in the summer of 2021 convinced him he had to leave the relationship.

PRODUCTION: Documentary film-maker Ola Izevbekhai on the set of Men Too

“We went to Jamaica after her father passed away,” he recalls. “After the funeral, she left me and our daughter on our own for four days. I later found out she had booked into a hotel and stayed with another man. When we came back to the UK I told her I couldn’t take no more and said I was leaving. She started shouting at me that because of my immigration status, I wasn’t going anywhere. But this time I was determined to go.” Mr Coulson finally found the courage to talk to his GP and was referred to a counselling service. “After I started counselling, I realised that I was not to blame for all the problems in the relationship. I still have my ups and downs, but it’s much better than before.” Men Too, which is Izevbekhai’s final-year film project, is scheduled to finish production this month and will be screened at the BFI in the summer. If you’ve been affected by these issues, you can call the ManKind Initiative on 01823 334244 or the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010327. If you would like to be part of Men Too please send an email: oti0010@my.londonmet.ac.uk

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |23

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The Year of Black Workers

HIS IS an important year for Black workers across the United Kingdom. There are many anniversaries and key milestones to mark in 2023. We are celebrating 75 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks on 22 June 1948. With great pride, we celebrate the Windrush Generation who demonstrated dignity, fortitude, and resilience in the face of outlandish and overt daily racism. And one of the UK’s greatest achievements – we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the creation of the National Health Service on 5th July 2023 which Black workers were invited to come to build.

LEGACY

We place on record our huge thanks to all the NHS workers from all Continents of the world and give our gratitude for their remarkable service, keeping the public safe over the years, and for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our continuing legacy will be to ensure that you get the fair pay, pensions and terms and conditions you deserve and that it keeps pace with inflation. This year we are commemorating the 30th anniversary of Stephen Lawrence’s death and honouring his life and legacy. It is also an important milestone year for UNISON - celebrating 30 years since its creation on 1 July 2023 from the merger of three trade unions – COHSE, NALGO and NUPE. Black workers played formidable roles

We must expose racial injustice and become agents of change, writes Gloria Mills

in those three trade unions among others. But it was through the principle of Black Self-Organisation that Black workers were able to build a formidable presence in those unions and to begin to change the agenda, the structure, and the culture of those trade unions and in the wider Trades Union Congress. It is through mobilising and organising in their unions that Black workers were able to begin to break the cycle of discrimination, disadvantage and deprivation that were prevalent in their communities. More importantly, Black workers also recognised that they had to break down the barriers to participation and representation in the decision-making structures of trade unions to change not just trade union policies, but also the practices and consolidate their rights to representation in the rules of those organisations. There was a similar process to ensure that Black members’ voices were heard in politics and that they were represented in the decision-making structures of politics.

RE-BUILDING

A key part of this meaningful action was to make Black votes count and for the collective voice and votes of Black communities to make a difference.

Black workers are playing key roles in these anniversary events. The Year of the Black Workers is an important milestone in recognising their contributions in re-building the British public services infrastructure over that last 75 years and the UK economy. Moreover, the contribution of Black Workers boosting the wealth and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the UK and those private individuals and institutions that have enriched themselves from the labour and toil of enslaved Black people to today’s generation of exploited Black Workers.

PAY GAP

Our priority is to secure a new deal for Black workers and a new social contract that will end the scourge of poverty; the racial penalty of being paid less because of the ethnicity pay gap; ending the potency of racial segregation in the labour market that consign the majority of Black workers to an inferior employment status based on precarious work; Zero Hour Contracts and short time hours that deny them full employee status with contractual rights, pay and pensions. We must expose these racial inequalities and injustices that manifest in the disparities and disproportionalities of racial disadvantages that scars the lives of so many in our society. From recruitment to redundancies, Black workers lived experiences are the same – last in, first out. Everyone of us need to become agents of change and build on the legacies of the past; create new legacies in the present, and be bold to demand and

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develop fairer and stronger legacies for the future. Stephen Lawrence Report and the Stephen Lawrence Day UNISON is proud to continue to play its part in taking meaningful actions in supporting the Stephen Lawrence Day on 22 April. This National Day must remain a beacon of hope for future generations and a continuing reminder of the scale of the problem in challenging racism in the United Kingdom and beyond. UNISON was the only trade union to give evidence to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry led by Sir William MacPherson, calling for justice for Stephen and for action to be taken to tackle the scourge of Institutional Racism in society. In addition, UNISON ensured that the Trades Union Congress (TUC) established the Stephen Lawrence Task Force to oversee the work of trade unions to tackle institutional racism and implemented a comprehensive UNISON action plan led by Gloria Mills, UNISON Director of Equalities. The action plan resulted in what was at the time, ground-breaking policies and legal changes – most notably the passing of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, which placed a new enforceable general duty on public authorities to promote race relations. The UNISON report titled “Facing the Challenges: The Impact of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report on Practices in the Public Sector” and Gloria Mills’ article on “Combating Institutional Racism in the Public Sector” published on 1 March 2002 in Industrial Law Journal,

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together with the Stephen Lawrence Report were landmark reports on the failures by public institutions to face up to the challenges of institutional racism; tackle the disproportionate levels of discrimination, disciplinaries and dismissals Black workers experience in the world of work and failings within policing. Leadership, Actions and Accountability As we continue in our fight for racial equality and justice – it is important that leaders of our public institutions act with integrity and lead by example in creating new legacies for future generations to follow. There is a major call out for leaders in our institutions to demonstrate clear vision and standards that are exemplary in politics and public life. Leaders will be judged by their actions and how they account for them in the private and public spheres. In changing our institutions, strong leadership is essential to eliminate the corrosive and toxic cultures that are embedded in private and public organisations. Actions matter. Accountability matters. Let us begin to write the next chapter in building a fairer, more equal Britain and establishing new legacies by holding those in leadership accountable for their failure to act when they have the power and responsibility to do so. Gloria Mills is National Secretary Equalities - UNISON; and Chair - TUC Race Relations Committee.

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MAY 2023 THE VOICE |25

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

Empowering members to make a difference Kebba Manneh writes that his priorities are to improve rights and challenge racism in the workplace for an equitable future

AM HUMBLED and honoured to be re-elected as chair of the National Black Members Committee (NBMC) for the ensuing year. It is a privilege to work with professional and committed Black Workers on the Committee as well as the staff who provide support and guidance in our collective structural decision making process on behalf of 185,000 (approximately) Black Workers in UNISON. I am pleased to lead this important work with the lay leadership and staff in UNISON. I am proud to continue to work with the President’s Team and the National Executive Council to secure 2023 a Year Of Black Workers (YOBW23). This is an important year to recognise the contribution and frontline role of Black workers during the Covid-19

Our priority is to improve their rights at work and challenge racism in the workplace

pandemic. We know how exposed they were struggling to get access to personal protective equipment, disproportionate deaths and poor health and safety protection. Our priority is to improve their rights at work and challenge racism in the workplace. In addition to dealing with the cost of living crisis, we have seen the resilience of Black workers playing a leading role in standing up against huge injustices in society. Another priority is to improve Black members’ representation in the decision-making structures of UNISON. The Union elected its first Black female President in 2011 and we have the first Black male in UNISON as Vice President. In addition, we have Black members on the NEC participating in the UNISON Staffing Committee, In-

dustrial Action and Campaign Committees. We also celebrated in March the appointment of the Chair of the UNISON Women’s Committee becoming the Sheriff of Bristol.

LEADERSHIP

I am proud to be presiding in my capacity as chair during the UNISON Year of Black Workers with an agenda that will give Black workers better and fairer opportunities at work and to ensure that they are properly rewarded and valued for their contribution in building a more equitable future. We also honour the life of Stephen Lawrence and worked with the President and the NEC for Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Dr Neville Lawrence to be awarded Honorary

What the Year of Black Workers is all about

NISON’S YEAR of Black Workers campaign is underpinned by the following Mission Statement: “Establishing Legacy to Generate Change”. Through this mission statement, two main themes will be focused on: Legacy and Change as an overarching strategic intent of UNISON. These themes will foreground specific work and campaigns the NBMC is already involved in and reflective of our different sector partners, alongside intended outcomes for branches and regions as a focal point for change and, thus, legacy created. When thinking about legacy, the NBMC will be looking at the work

we are undertaking around Equality and Equity through lived experience in UNISON as a learning organisation. The main sectors that would be in partnership with the NBMC are as follows: Community, Health, Higher Education, Local Government, Police and Justice, Water / Environment / Transport, Energy. The main legacy campaign strands that the NBMC hope this project will develop within these sectors/SOG’s are as follows: The Ethnicity Pay Gap, Ending the Hostile Environment, Challenging the Police Crime Sentencing and Court Act alongside the Discriminatory Stop and Search, Modern Day Slavery, Teaching Black History as part of the national curriculum across UK, just as the

Wales Government commissioned report, and implement the recommendations, The Race Discrimination Protocol, The TUC Anti-Racist Manifesto, The Workplace Race Equality Standards. The main changes the NBMC would like to see this project generate across sectors and within the union are as follows: Policy Changes - The development/improvement to existing collective bargaining, organising and recruitment policies that: Demonstrate and acknowledge the unfair and discriminatory experiences of Black workers by calling for legislative changes to practices in the workplace and have a focus on increasing the recruitment and retention of Black workers to the union.

Process and Protocols Changesthe development of new toolkits/ protocols or improving existing ones to meet the changing needs of Black Workers considering findings from surveys such as the WRES, the Ethnicity Pay Gap. Practice and Procedures Changes- A review of old and existing workplace practices and procedures that have not changed alongside policy changes. Consistent, standardised reporting, monitoring, and sharing of good practice to identify where employers may need support to implement changes. Links Survey: shorturl.at/vzJPY Review: shorturl.at/dmCJM Chapter: shorturl.at/dqCD

Membership of UNISON given 2023 will be 30 years since the murder of Stephen. Progress does not happen overnight but with strong leadership we can make change happen. We (Cymru/Wales UNISON Black Members’ Committee) wrote the motion for Black History to be taught as part of the National Curriculum in Wales, and worked with Community organisations in Wales for that to happen. We are proud, and above all, honoured to see the Welsh Government are implementing Black History as part of the National Curriculum in Wales. UNISON is now campaigning for Black History to be taught as part of the National Curriculum across the UK. Kebba Manneh is Chair of UNISON National Black Members Committee.

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26 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

CENTURY OF BLACK SELF-ORGANISATION Black workers have a long and proud history of ﬁghting for rights in the movement

DEAL: The CWU helped challenge racism at Royal Mail (photo: Getty)

By Maurice Mcleod

This means Black labour disputes have not always followed the traditional paths, sometimes they find themselves NIONS AND trade working in direct opposition to disputes have become white workers. part of our daily news Although the Black presence diet as workers across in British workplaces stepped the country demand decent up massively after the Second working conditions and wages World War, Black workers were that keep up with price rises. fighting for their rights The traditional imlong before that. age of the unionIn 1919, after ist has been the First World cemented War, there as every was a vibrant night we community of see white, Black workworkingers in Britain, class union ABLE: Merchant particularly leaders runseamen in around the Newcastle-uponning rings ports like LiverTyne in 1941 around main(photo: Getty) pool, where 5,000 stream journalBlack merchant seaists. men, largely from the Trade disputes usually Caribbean lived. Returning occur when vulnerable indiservicemen, struggling to find vidual workers come together work, found it easy to blame to use their combined might to the ‘immigrant’ workers. force change. Sporadic race attacks spiralled into full scale rioting was so vicious that gunBRITISH HISTORY which boats were sent down the MerNo group of workers are more sey to suppress the violence. vulnerable than Black workThere were similar mass aters and so it should come as tacks on Black and Asian workno surprise that many pivotal ers in areas like Glasgow, South struggles in British history were Shields, Salford, Hull, Cardiff, led by Black workers and work- Newport and Barry leaving at ers of colour. least five people dead and over The union movement has 250 arrested. not always been welcoming to In many cases, the white atBlack workers who were some- tacks were led by unions, for times seen as a threat to the ex- example, in Glasgow the atisting white workforce. tacks on Chinese and Sierra

Leonean sailors were led by the British Seafarers Union (BSU). Black workers found themselves ignored, or even opposed, by mainstream unions and so began to form their own. In 1936 in Cardiff, Black workers formed the Coloured Seamen’s Union, bringing together Africans, West Indians, Arabs and Malays to fight against the colour bar on the Cardiff Docks.

CONDITIONS

The desire for Black self-organisation within the union movement grew and the Coloured Film Artistes’ Association (CFAA) became Britain’s first independent black trade union when it launched at Elstree to

HANDY: Black mechanics got a better deal at the Ford plant in Dagenham after segregation between plants was exposed (photo: Getty)

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No group of workers are more vulnerable than Black workers improve the terms and working conditions for black actors. In Coventry in 1938, Asian workers formed the Indian Workers Association (IWA) which subsequently expanded to areas with a high number of Indian workers, like Leicester and Southall. From the 1950s onwards, the number of Black workers grew steadily. Most workers from the empire found themselves working in the lowest paid industries, such as factory work and cleaning. They would face discrimination from all sides. At a Ford plant in Dagenham, in 1968, the female machinists, who were almost all from South Asian backgrounds, went on strike over pay. They made the seat covers for the cars and had just had their jobs downgraded.

STRIKE

Although the women only won a partial victory, their campaign sparked an ‘equal pay demonstration’ in Trafalgar Square the next year and was a major reason for the passing of the 1970 Equal Pay Act. In 1976, workers at Grun-

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wick, a north London film processing company, went on strike over the treatment of workers. The strike was led by Asian women and made the group’s leader, Jayaben Desai a household name. The strike escalated and garnered support from across the union movement. They were ultimately unsuccessful but the resolution of the female leaders who even went on hunger strike at one stage, has inspired unionists ever since. In the late 1980s, there were several massive trade disputes as Thatcher clamped down on union activism. One of the largest disputes, the Wapping print dispute, saw a large workforce of 6,000 printers and newspaper workers go on strike over the introduction of new technology, and discrimination in the workplace. Many of the working-class print workers were from Black and minority ethnic communities. These workers had long faced discrimination in the workplace and saw the introduction of new technology as a further threat to their livelihoods. The National Union of Jour-

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nalists (NUJ) represented many of the print workers at Wapping, but some Black workers believed the union was not doing enough to address their specific concerns. The strike lasted for over a year and resulted in significant changes to the newspaper industry, including the introduction of new technology and changes to employment practices. More recently, the Royal Mail dispute of 2017 saw allegations of racial discrimination against Black workers in the allocation of overtime and promotion opportunities.

VULNERABLE

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) called a series of strikes in response, but negotiations eventually led to an agreement that addressed the workers’ concerns. In today’s disputes, whether in our hospitals, post offices or countless other workplaces, wherever you find poorly paid, vulnerable workers, you find Black workers. When the union movement is at its best, it is about solidarity not division and has antiracism at its core. True unionism realises that equality doesn’t mean anything unless everyone has it, and that improving conditions for Black workers improves pay and conditions for everyone else.

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MAY 2023 THE VOICE |27

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

Putting race back on the agenda Kate Bell, Deputy General Secretary of the TUC, says the union movement is committed to anti-racism

equality workplace by workplace.

EXEMPLARY

Second: we will organise for race equality – moving into new sectors where Black workers are overrepresented, and recruiting and training a new generation of Black reps and leaders. Third, we will get our own house in order – making sure that unions are exemplary em-

PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Hurd

HE UNION movement is rightly proud of its record of winning for Black workers – but at times we have fallen short of our own high standards. To build a fighting antiracist trade union movement - and a truly inclusive trade union movement - unions need to change. Those are the findings of the TUC’s Anti-Racism Task Force, chaired by Dr Patrick Roach, which reported to our last Congress. In the trade union movement, we know that organising together in workplaces is the greatest force for change at work there has ever been. It’s how we have beaten back bad bosses and won new rights and freedoms over and over again – and led the way for progressive legislation that expanded rights for every worker in every workplace. But both the trade union movement and individual unions still have some way to go to represent Black workers fully - and no union is exempt from institutional racism.

PROGRESS

ORGANISING

So, over the coming five years, we will implement our antiracism manifesto and action plan. These set out what trade unions, and the movement as a whole, will do to secure economic and social justice for Black workers. They discuss how we will reboot the movement’s campaigning, organising and bargaining work – and what we need to do to tackle racial inequalities in our workplaces and beyond. All our commitments have been created alongside Black trade unionists and based on in-depth research in Black working lives. The actions are realistic and achievable – and we will meet them in the next five years. First: we will put race on the agenda in our collective bargaining – and make sure more Black workers are represented in negotiations. That will help us root out racism and deliver

movement – want to hear concrete plans to end the ethnicity pay gap and the concentration of Black workers in insecure low paid work. After all, Black women are twice as likely to be on zero-hours contracts as white men – and 2 in 5 Black workers have experienced racism at work in the last five years. Labour’s New Deal for Working People promises a ban on zero hour contracts and other pledges that would put more money in the pockets of tens of thousands of BME workers overnight and end work insecurity. Unions will be pushing to make sure the New Deal is front and centre in the manifesto. But we’re yet to see the details of Labour’s long-promised Race Equality Act.

We still have some way to go to represent Black workers fully ployers able to speak with credibility about the wider changes we need at work. And finally, we will demand change from politicians, campaigning hard to end systemic racism and take down barriers for Black workers. As we head towards the next general election, Black workers - and the whole trade union

Conservative ministers should stop their culture war agenda and recognise that all decent people believe in equality and respect at work. They must leave behind their complacency about the UK’s progress towards being an antiracist society: it’s time they acknowledged structural racism at work, and set out plans to end it. They must also drop their immoral Illegal Immigration Bill and create safe and legal routes for refugees. Regardless of who is in government, unions will keep fighting for decent wages, fair treatment and an end to exploitation for all working people – knowing this will disproportionately benefit Black workers. Whatever our background, race or religion, we all have the right to a decent job and respect at work. Racists try to divide working-class people from one another. But we know this: Black and white workers united in our unions will always prevail.

28 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

BEING A BLACK UNION WORK Black workers have a long and proud history of ﬁghting for rights in the movement

ORGANISING: Black reps stand up for their co-workers (Getty) By Richard Sudan

HE COST of living crisis is skyrocketing, disproportionately devastating Black communities across the country. Our rights remain fragile after decades of structural racism and austerity, while soaring prices and inflation have increased the burden on Black households immensely. This cold reality necessitates that black workers collectivise, organise and unionise like never before. We now have some - but not enough - Black people in senior positions, even leading unions, like Daniel Kebede newly elected as General Secretary of the NEU, only the fourth black union leader. He follows Dr Patrick Roach of the NASUWT, Maheta Molango of the PFA, and famously the trailblazer Bill Morris, who led the TGWU (now Unite) before retiring and being made a peer.

One of the positions key to a greater Black presence at the top is the role of workplace union representatives, otherwise known as ‘reps’ or shop stewards. Workplace reps arguably play the most essential function of all, acting as a bridge between unions and the workers on the ground they represent.

COMFORTABLE

Crucially, they stand up for their members in their places of work, safe in the knowledge that their demands are backed by all the members they represent. Glen Hart, currently an officer at transport union RMT, and a former union rep, outlined the value union reps bring to the table. “They are my eyes and ears on the ground in the workplace; I can’t do my job without them. “In the majority of workplaces where we organise, Black and minority communities are quite over repre-

Union movement is best with anti-racism at its core sented. People feel more comfortable talking to someone who can understand their experience. “If they need to talk about being discriminated against, they don’t want to have to explain why it is discrimination. They want to speak to someone who might have an understanding of their experience.” Unions have a long way to go before they truly reflect modern Britain. But, says Hart, the tide is finally shifting. New generations though, need to

take up the charge. “When I first started out, it was quite often the case that if someone had a case of racism, they would go to a branch meeting to sort it out, but everyone there was usually all white men. “They would just roll their eyes and didn’t want to hear it. But things are changing now. People are becoming more understanding of the issues and it’s because now we have more reps with that shared experience.” Hart, who has been active in trade unions for 25 years, and worked on London Underground, elaborated on the kind of battles that can be fought - and won - as a union rep, supporting workers taking on employers even giants like TfL. “Managers had been harassing a member. To actually get the managers on the spot in a tribunal - making them justify their actions - was actually vindication itself. “And then to actually get the win

where the company had to pay out money quite substantial for injury to feeling. It’s not about shaming companies. It’s about our members. When they’ve got aggressive management, they are left feeling very vulnerable. They’ve been gaslit. “Some of my Black reps now, are some of the best. But now I’ve got an opportunity to get others in. I don’t want to be doing this role just by myself. I want more people to join me as much as possible.” Abena Louisa St BartholomewBrown Morgan is a rep for the Film Artistes Association, a subdivision of BECTU, a union for people working in the entertainment sector. She worked for decades as an artist, singer, actress, commercial model and held administrative positions in a wide range of organisations while campaigning for period dignity and equality in the workplace, and against institutional racism throughout her life. With vast experience in the field

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |29

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

KPLACE ‘REP’ IS EMPOWERING

UNDERSTANDING: Glen Hart of the RMT says Black workers prefer to deal with someone who understands discrimination

FIGHTER: Kingsley Abrams is bidding to be Unite the Union’s BAEM ofﬁcer

she is a strong advocate for creative artists, many of whom work freelance contracts - financially uncertain agreements - creating an added sense of pressure and vulnerability, an extra burden in these times. Her message, recognising the unique importance of workplace reps, having worked in many positions across the sector challenges is clear; Black people need to swell and bolster the ranks of unions.

Making them justify their actions was actually vindication itself

WORKPLACE

“We need to change the landscape, and become reps in the workplace. If they are in the workplace they should become active. They should go around and listen to what the issues are in the workplace and get elected to those positions” Ultimately, the only strength workers have, particularly Black workers, is strength in numbers. Organising effectively to fight injustice is the only smart way forward. “If you are discriminated against, who will be there for you? Or if you don’t get equal pay? If you are bullied or not treated with dignity and respect, who will be there for you? All you need to do is report it to your union rep in the workplace, and they will handle it. ” Jocelyn Cruywagen is a worker, activist and rep for the public sector union Unison, and is also Joint Branch Secretary for Lambeth branch. She offered words of advice for those considering becoming active in their union, who might be suited to become workplace reps and stand up for workers. “It’s about developing individual talent and skills and seeking out the opportunities. While these organisa-

LANDSCAPE: Louisa St BartholomewBrown Morgan of Bectu says reps can make a difference

SHOP FLOOR: Young workers from all industries are putting themselves forward as reps tions might seem abstract to some, this is the very reason why more of us need to take up the mantle. “Put yourself forward for roles, take up training and build your confidence by taking part in committees, forums, campaigning, and go for elections”, advises Cruwagen. “Black reps are important because we can best represent the issues black workers face. We need diversity and representation in union structures. “The workers need to see and experience the importance of representation. Black union reps bring lived experiences of oppression, racism and injustice.” Those experiences will only strengthen the workplace and unions and ultimately the economy too - according to the data, racism costs the economy billions of pounds each year. “We have workplaces which are very diverse, so the reps should re-

flect the diversity of the workplace that they’re trying to represent.” Kingsley Abrams is standing for the National BAEM seat on Unite’s Executive Council, having worked in the voluntary sector for decades. Abrams is also currently a union rep, which can be a springboard to more senior positions, potentially widening the door for opportunities to enact change.

ACTIVIST

He was also active in the Labour Black Sections Movement in the 1980s, and is a seasoned activist and organiser. Abrams highlighted the urgency for ‘BAEM’ communities to seize positions of empowerment, which can make a difference in the lives of workers, when unified and bargaining collectively. “There’s survey’s showing that more Black people are joining un-

ions after Covid. If they’re joining, we want them to be active and we want them to stand to become reps so they can get the necessary training. “You have rights at work. Don’t ever forget, you have rights. And therefore you need to be organised to make sure those rights are taken up, and those rights are fully exercised without fear or favour.” “Having more black workplace reps is the key chess piece in the battle against racism. Don’t look at the fancy high positions people are in. “The main issue starts on the ground in the workplace. If a union is strong, it’s because it’s got seriously organised reps in the workplace on the ground. That is the most important unit. “If someone gets instantly sacked, I can work to get that person to win their appeal. For me there’s not many better things I can do than get that reversed and get the person back in the workplace. People can get great satisfaction from that kind of thing but it can’t get done if you’re not a rep.” Zita Holbourne, Joint National Chair of Artists Union England, and National Vice President of the civil service union PCS, says Black em-

powerment and union organisation are closely related. “The reality is, when you’re a member and an activist within a union you may be branded or labelled a certain way by an employer, but they’ll also know you’re not someone to mess around with because you can stand your ground. “You’ve got the backing and support of a trade union structure, the knowledge, expertise, training on rights and how to negotiate with employers. “We do need to have visibility within trade union structures because our voices are important, our lived experience is important, what we bring to the table is important.”

REPRESENTATION

Holbourne says that strong Black representation among union reps is the only effective bulwark against workplace racism, which almost all Black and non-white people will have experienced at some point to one degree or another. “Their very presence and activity can prevent employers exploiting, discriminating against, abusing, and taking advantage of workers. “Being part of a big community, a trade union family, gives you strength and solidarity, unity and support so you don’t feel isolated.” The stakes are high and the evidence is clear; the time to get active is now. Our rights are under threat like never before and so the drive to mobilise, prepare and pushback, has to renew in earnest.

30 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

FIGHTING RACISM ISN’T AN OPTIONAL EXTRA

GEORGE FLOYD’S murder by Minneapolis policemen ignited widespread protests throughout the US and globally #BlackLivesMatter, a Blackled movement demanding police accountability and justice, galvanised anger and frustration over structural racism. It was against that backdrop, and in response to Black workers in Britain experiencing awful working conditions during the pandemic, that we launched the TUC Anti Racism Task Force. This was our second anti-racism task force, the first being set up following the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The conversations started by Black Lives Matter are woven into an environment where microaggressions - verbal, behavioural and environmental indignities that are often unintentional, but communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial insults are often a daily experience for Black workers. More fundamentally, the direct discrimination highlighted in our Still rigged: racism in the labour market report blights the lives of millions of Black people. The TUC is determined that fighting racism, prejudice and discrimination is not considered an optional extra, something to be tagged onto our everyday work.

The TUC will continue to champion anti-racism across the union movement, writes Kudsia Batool Kudsia Batool

NOT INNOCENT: Black Lives Matter protesters make clear the UK needs to face up to racism (Getty)

IMPLEMENTATION

Tackling racism must be part of our movement’s DNA in the same way as winning better pay, defending workers’ rights and securing health & safety. And we still have room for improvement. The TUC Implementation and Oversight Group is steering the next phase of our work on anti-racism, and working with unions to implement our antiracism manifesto and action plan. These are absolutely vital resources for unions and have been shaped by important research, notably studies giving voice to Black workers from across the movement. They set out what we must do to make sure we secure economic and social justice for Black communities. They describe how we will refresh, renew and reboot the movement’s campaigning, organising and bargaining work. And they highlight what we need to do to tackle racial inequalities in our workplaces and communities.

And crucially, our manifesto and action plan outline how we can turn our race equality aspirations into reality. Britain may be more diverse than a generation ago, but there is still a long way to go before we become a more equal society. With structural racism still undermining the lives of too many workers, with Britain facing one of the worst cost-of-living crises on record, and with a well organised and resourced far right on the march, none of us can afford to relax our guard. There is much more we can - and must - do. The TUC’s top priorities are as follows: Putting race at the centre of collective bargaining Bringing unions and employers together to work for change that will make workplaces safer, more inclusive and fairer. Harnessing the strategies

that our unions have already demonstrated are most effective in winning progress on racial justice in the workplace.

ORGANISING

Working together with our affiliates across sectors and regions to recruit Black members, build networks of Black activists, and support Black union leaders and reps through TUC-led training programmes.

PUBLIC POLICY

Giving voice to the experiences of Black workers during the pandemic and demanding that lessons are learned. And putting forward an agenda that will deliver protections for Black

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workers, including legislation to ban the use of zero-hours contracts.

UNIONS AS EMPLOYERS

Demonstrating our capacity to lead by example, putting racial justice front and centre of our work as employers. We will be supporting unions to build inclusive and safe working environments for staff. Every one of our affiliates has its own unique challenges when striving for racial justice. But while our organising, bargaining and internal priorities may differ union by union and sector by sector, we are united by a common goal to deliver equality for all working people. For our unions to thrive, recruiting

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Black members and addressing workplace racism must be at the heart of our work. This will grow our movement, make it more diverse, and show we are truly representative of the working class of modern-day Britain. Whatever our background, race or religion, everyone deserves a decent job and respect at work. Racists try to divide working-class people and that makes us all weaker. But when Black and white workers join together through our unions, we are unstoppable. Unity really is strength. Kudsia Batool is the TUC’s Head of Equalities and Strategy

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MAY 2023 THE VOICE |31

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

STRIKING UP FOR

JUSTICE

DRIVING CHANGE: A Unite picket of striking bus workers (photo: Guy Smallman / Getty)

More Black union members are heading for the picket lines By Nneoma Ekwegh

LACK WORKERS are increasingly taking part in industrial action which ‘counters the image’ of strikes being disproportionately white. Union insiders say that striking Black workers should not be a surprise as racism in employment gives them more reason to take action. Recent industrial action by junior doctors, rail staff and gig economy workers at Amazon revealed a high proportion of Black and minority ethnic people on the picket line.

MAJORITY

The nursing union, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) recently announced plans to embark on a strike action later this month, and again in May. When the nurses went on strike recently - first for the union in its 106year history - it was notable that a high proportion of strikers were Black. The transport industry has also experienced a series of massive strike action by the RMT union, which also involved a large number of Black workers. Recently, 1,800 bus drivers took to the streets to protest against their employer, Abellio, with the majority being Black. Last month, 500 Amazon workers in Coventry, who are members of the GMB union, took part in a walk out to contest poor hourly pay and unfa-

DELIVERING JUSTICE: Amazon workers in Coventry let bosses know the deal vourable working conditions, which again was highly diverse. Unison national secretary Margaret Greer told The Voice that Black workers often faced the worst deal, which were driving them to down tools and demand better. She added: “There is this myth that Black people don’t get involved in trade unionism but we do.

ETHNICITY

“We are organising across diverse sectors such as local government, health, including water and gas, and energy. There is a big movement.” “The ethnicity pay gap is a really big issue in terms of the disproportionate pay of Black people doing the same or similar work to their counterparts.

There is also racism and an overrepresentation of Black people in disciplinary grievances”

PROTECTION

Unite’s national officer for equality, Maureen Scott-Douglas, suggests protection and security are reasons why Black workers join trade unions. “Because of the discrimination, harassment and unfair sanctions Black and ethnic minorities face in the workplace, they join unions for that guarantee of protection and security. “There is also the benefit of visibility and the strength in numbers for those facing disputes.” Antiracism campaigner Emeka Forbes noted that many recent strikes

RESPECT: GMB picketers demand managers treat them right (photo: Sean Leajy)

NO FREE RIDE: Abelio bus strikers picketing (photo: WSWS)

are taking place in industries with a sizable Black presence. “In sectors of the economy where Black workers or people of colour are largely represented, like health and transport, we see that workers pay has not kept up with the demands of inflation. There is a really important racial dynamic to all of it. “People of different races will experience their workplace differently and so Black union members have a unique experience and perspective required moving conversations in the right direction of equality for black members and workers.” To further emphasise the willingness and readiness of Black workers to take part in conversations that affect them, Ms Greer noted that Unison’s recent Black members conference in Edin-

burgh Scotland had at least 700 members in attendance. She said being part of the conversation is the only way Black workers can influence and change government and organisational policies. “If we are not at the negotiating table, if our voices are not being heard then why would we want anyone to take our issues seriously? “Black people still have the same issues as many of our members in the union. “The one thing that is different is that it is tinged with undermining them due to their race, they are underpaid in certain areas doing the same work as their counterparts. “We can’t disengage ourselves from being part of the conversations; we owe this to the next generation.”

32 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

Scrap the Bill of Rights

UNITED: Unite the Union members are working to protect our rights

By Anooshah Farakish

E ARE faced with yet another attack by the Conservative government as they intend to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 with their Bill of Rights, and change how human rights are protected in this country. This will leave us with fewer rights, and them with more power. Even the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) urged the government not to proceed with this Bill. They concluded that the Bill seriously weakens the ability of individuals to seek redress for human rights breaches, creates new barriers that would make it harder for people to enforce their rights inside and outside of court, undermines the universality of rights, shows disregard for our international legal obligations, creates legal uncertainty and hinders effective enforcement, will lead to an increased caseload in Strasbourg, and will damage our international reputation as guardians of human rights.

OBLIGATIONS

These fundamental rights and freedoms belong to everyone without discrimination or prejudice and, as agreed internationally they must be universal, indivisible and interdependent, equal and non-discriminatory. The UK has obligations and duties under international, law to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. Unions and community organisations have

been using the HRA to seek justice for their members which benefitted all of us. Without it, this vital route to redress will close. The Bill of Rights, introduced to Parliament in June 2022, would change or remove provisions of the HRA and introduce new measures, including:  requiring the person whose rights have been violated to show they have suffered a “significant disadvantage” before they can take their claim to court  setting a higher threshold for challenges to deportations for foreign national offenders

removing the duty on courts to interpret legislation compatibly with European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and to consider the interpretation of the European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR)



collective labour law are underpinned by the HRA and the Convention. The Council of Europe clearly states that the Convention is the lowest common denominator. This is what the Bill of Rights aims to dismantle, our minimum human rights.

 prohibiting courts from finding a public body owes a positive obligation

Right to Strike

limiting the interpretation of rights to a literal reading of the ECHR text

requiring courts to give great weight to the views of parliament when balancing rights issues



preventing human rights claims arising from overseas military operations It is still unclear how these changes would operate in practice in relation to the ECHR. Many of the rights we enjoy including individual and



@thevoicenewspaper

As trade unionists, we have been campaigning against this government’s attacks on our collective rights. In December 2022, the High Court granted permission to a judicial review of regulations that undermine the right to strike launched by eleven unions including Unite. The unions argue that the regulations are unlawful because they were not consulted and that they violate fundamental trade union rights protected by Article 11 of the ECHR.

@thevoicenews

Section 3 - Interpretation of legislation

Under the Bill, a court or public authority will no longer be able to rely on section 3 to interpret the legislation compatibly. This applies to all legislation including laws passed before the HRA came into force. We would lose all the historical Section 3 decisions as they will be subject to ministerial review. This will erase decades of human rights cases developed by a balance of Parliament, the courts, and legal action by individuals and unions, and replace it with the discretion of one minister, the. A worrying reduction in government accountability. Without this well-crafted interpretative section, the government’s obligation to bring UK law in line with the ECHR will be removed. Con-

voicenews

www.voice-online.co.uk

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |33

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE 2023

sequently, workers and their union’s ability to seek justice in the UK courts will be limited and they will have to go to the ECtHR in Strasbourg, a lengthy and expensive process.

The UK has obligations and duties under international law to respect, protect and fulfil human rights

Section 6 - Acts of public authorities

Section 6 of the HRA makes it unlawful for public bodies to act in a way that is incompatible with a person’s Convention rights. This in effect imposes a duty, a positive obligation, on all public authorities including the Government, councils, and police to put measures in place to respect and protect people’s human rights. Limiting positive obligations would lead to contravention of the ECHR. These restrictions could deny conducting effective investigations into the loss of life as in the Grenfell fire, respect for family life as in the Windrush scandal, and redress for victims of misogyny and genderbased violence, racism, disability, and LGBT+ hate crime. Also, in relation to vital services such as healthcare, social care, and education needed

by women, BAEM, disabled, and LGBT+ people to live in dignity and safety. The Bill will seriously weaken judges’ powers to make sure public bodies protect people’s rights and investigate and learn when things go wrong as it would prohibit the courts from applying new positive obligations arising from judgments of the ECtHR and limit the application of current positive obligations if they, for example, impact on public authorities’ resources. These changes will adversely impact women, BAEM, disabled and LGBT+ workers leaving them without a remedy in the UK courts.

Time to campaign

This is only a drop in the ocean of problems with the Bill of Rights. Under this Bill, our ability to challenge the government and other public bodies would be extremely limited. For example, we might not be able to challenge the legality of deporting refugees to Rwanda or making the rights of bereaved families of those who died in police custody, effective. There has been an outcry from various organi-

sations including the TUC, JCHR, Law Society, and Liberty, all asking for Bill to be dropped. The government has persistently been threatening to dismantle the Human Rights Act 1998 and is now replacing it with the Bill of Rights against their manifesto commitment to update it. We must do our utmost to stop this Bill that makes the government and other public bodies untouchable to become law by campaigning to:  Raise awareness of the devastation it brings  Protect fundamental collective rights such as ILO Conventions 87 and 98 and those in the 1961 European Social Charter, Freedom of Association including for trade unions, the right to organise effectively, and the right to free collective bargaining. Anooshah Farakish is Unite equality researcher

34 | THE VOICE MAY 2023 34 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE CONFERENCE 2023 2023 BLACK WORKERS

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING WILF!

Wishing a happy retirement to a trade union legend! Wilf Sullivan has worked for Race Equality Officer. He was the TUC since December 2004, previously UNISON’s National when he was appointed as TUC Black Members Officer.

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |

News Feature

Support grows for Diane Abbott after whip removed Legendary MP suspended by Labour over ‘racism’ letter

IANE ABBOTT re- right for her to apologise. When ceived support from I read her original letter to the some campaigners as Guardian, what I understood she battles to save her her underlying message to be; political career after being sus- that the “racism” black people pended from Labour over a ‘rac- face and “anti-Semitism” are not the same, it is a message I ism’ letter. The veteran MP for Hackney have sympathy with, or at the North and Stoke Newington had very least one which I believe the Labour whip removed, four should be discussed openly and hours after tweeting an “unre- calmly. Saying one is more or served apology” for a letter in less important than the other is The Observer, which she insisted not one I have any sympathy was an “initial draft” that was with.” However, many anti-racism sent in error. Professor Kehinde Andrews campaigners have either contweeted in response: “You know demned Ms Abbott or stayed we’re in dangerous times when silent. Her letter was responding to @HackneyAbbott is suspended from @LabourParty for so- an article by Tomiwa Owolade in called ‘racism’. The letter was the Guardian, who wrote: “Anyone who is white badly worded but is privileged, we the sentiment was are told, and raccorrect. There is ism only affects a difference bepeople of colour. tween prejudice, The problem with xenophobia and this view is that racism #Psychothere are certain sisofWhiteness“ minorities who Ms Abbott’s are seen as white letter suggested and yet experience anti-Semitism prejudice. In fact, and anti-gypsy the two groups and traveller bias most likely to say was “prejudice” they have experiwhile anti-Black ‘INITIAL DRAFT’: enced racist abuse, bias was racism, Diane Abbott according to the and her apology clarified that “racism takes many survey, are gypsy, traveller and forms, and it is completely un- Roma communities and Jewish deniable that Jewish people have people.” The former shadow home secsuffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, travellers and retary, who served under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, continued so on.” The Black women’s group to receive condemnation, with Sista Space, which helps women calls for her to be expelled from suffering abuse, tweeted: “NO the party. The Board of Deputies of BritMORE! For decades these cowards have attacked @Hackney- ish Jews said Ms Abbott’s letter Abbott at every opportunity. “was disgraceful and her apolTake it from one who knows, ogy is entirely unconvincing”. Karen Pollock, chief execuwe face racism & death threats for speaking out. We post our tive of the Holocaust Educainjustices EVERY DAY, nobody tional Trust, accused Ms Abbott says nothing, but dare us have of making “appalling, offensive a view… LEAVE BLACK WOMEN and ignorant” comments. Jake Wallis Simons from The ALONE, COWARDS!” Media anti-racism campaign- Jewish Chronicle said that Ms er and former TV producer Mar- Abbott was trying to “re-define cus Ryder wrote in a blog that racism as only the experience of he understood where Ms Abbott Black people.” A Labour spokesperson said: was coming from. He wrote: “Diane Abbott “The Labour Party completely was completely wrong to de- condemns these comments, scribe the prejudice that travel- which are deeply offensive and lers and Jewish people face as wrong. The chief whip has susequivalent to the prejudice and pended the Labour whip from bigotry redheaded people face, it Diane Abbott pending an inveswas crass, offensive, and it was tigation.”

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36 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Midlands News

By Veron Graham

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Vocalist Sofie Anné, centre, with Nant’s Richard Deakin and Miss Beth Belle (photo: Jonathan Hipkiss)

Dementia Aid puts heart and soul into campaign

HE CLASSIC sounds of vintage soul and Motown have been harnessed in the battle against dementia in an unlikely arrangement between a water company and theatre venue in the Black Country. In signing on as headline sponsor of the Memory Cafes and Care Home Tour, organised by Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, water safety specialists Nant Ltd are playing a key role in tackling the degenerative condition. Having supplemented the theatre’s efforts over the last four years to leverage the remedial qualities of arts in offering a series of dementia-friendly services, Nant will now also support its 2023 Tour, fully funding

Singer Sofie Anné raising awareness of the condition the musical provision for the care homes. The tour has added rising vocalist Sofie Anné to its roster to perform soul and Motown classics, helping to spark memories among the residents, including those with dementia, ideally to deliver behavioural, emotional and cognitive benefits amongst the ailing listeners, who will also be treated to early 20th century classics sung by Miss Beth Belle. Nant’s Technical Director Richard Deakin said: “Everyone at Nant is committed to supporting people with demen-

tia, not just through our work in care homes but in the personal reward we all get from helping to improve the lives of those living with this terrible condition and their families, so we have been delighted to support the Grand Theatre’s Memory Cafe Tour throughout 2022 and continue the tour into 2023. “Seeing so many audiences entertained, especially those living with dementia, has made our support worthwhile as we know the difference these performances make for audiences at care and residential homes, helping

with memory, speech and communication skills. We support a variety of good causes around dementia, including taking part in sponsored challenges for Dementia UK, because we recognise the importance of their work and are pleased to offer our support.” Remy Lloyd, Outreach Manager for Access & Inclusion at the Grand Theatre, added: “We are grateful to Nant for their support and look forward to continuing the events in 2023. “The Memory Café Tour has provided much valued entertainment and vital health benefits for those living with dementia and their families and carers. The music and song provide a relaxing and enjoyable environment, which has led to tremen-

dous feedback from audiences across the region. “Thanks to Nant we have been able to deliver hugely beneficial performances in care and residential homes this year.” Nant Ltd provides water safety services and products for cross sector clients, including care homes, across the UK. It also fundraises and supports local causes as part of its drive to give back to the community where it has been based for more than 25 years. Last year, it won the Tech & Innovation Award at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Awards and has received commendations in the small business and commitment to the community categories. Previously, the monthly

Memory Cafés, held at the Grand Theatre with live music and entertainment, provided many benefits for those living with dementia, helping to improve general attention, cognition, memory, speech and communication skills and has shown to help reduce agitation and depression. Throughout the lockdown of 2020, the Memory Café’s continued online with filmed content being streamed digitally to care homes across the Midlands. Dementia has become one of the most important health and care issues facing the world. In the UK, the number of people with dementia is estimated at around 944,000 and worldwide cases are set to triple by 2050.

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |

Midlands News

Maxiemum reward! Birmingham-based activist Maxie Hayles MBE receives honour from Coventry University

WO ENDURING campaigners for justice and equality were among the county notables to receive honours from Coventry University (CU), as the institution looks to equalise employment opportunities for under-represented groups in the artificial intelligence (AI) and digital sectors Sean McGovern, the Senior Coroner for Coventry and Warwickshire, has been recognised for his 14-year stint in the post, with an honorary Doctorate of Law. Currently the Vice President of The Coroner’s Society of England and Wales, Mr McGovern has lived and worked in the Coventry area for more than 30 years. He will become the President next year. Dubbed ‘a champion of diversity’ for playing a key role in increasing the number of people from ethnic minorities in the coroner profession, he responded: “I have practised law in and around Coventry for the past 30 years as a barrister, legal author, coroner and judge and it is a great privilege to receive this honour from Coventry University.” The decades-long quest by Birmingham-based activist Maxie Hayles MBE was recognised with an Honorary Doctor of Arts. The septuagenarian came to Britain aged 16 from Jamaica and initially trained as a social worker, while also working voluntarily at the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU) from 1989-2012. More than 5,000 live cases

came to the unit during that period dealing with hate crime including discrimination against disability, religion, race and sexual orientation. Under Mr Hayles leadership, BRAMU organised and hosted the first hate crime conference in conjunction with Birmingham City Council in 2010. Mr Hayles said: “I am humbled and honoured to accept this award. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to receive such an honour. I accept this award on behalf of young people in order to motivate and to inspire. My message to all young people is this: we live in a society which rewards, but in order to reap its benefits one needs to participate.”

DIVERSITY

While the ceremony honoured the recent past, CU also looked to the future with the announcement of a £780,000 investment to help women, Black and disabled people into AI and digital jobs, through scholarships starting this September. CU leads a consortium tasked with building diversity and ensuring applicants possess the required skillset for the digital industry. Six years ago the consortium set up the Institute of Coding which is combatting the UK’s digital skills gap through the delivery of employer-led digital skills education. The funding comes from the Office for Students (OfS) and requires CU to coordinate the

efforts of universities across England to distribute these scholarships and work with industry to make even more scholarship opportunities available. Dr James Shuttleworth, Director of the Institute of Coding at Coventry University, said: “The funding for scholarships will allow Coventry University and the other members of the consortium to continue the work we have been doing to lower barriers to entering careers in technology. With data science and artificial intelligence becoming central to so many industries, it is vital that everyone has the opportunity to learn and ensure the UK has the diverse talent it needs.” The OfS will provide a total of £8.1 million funding for up to 817 scholarships, worth £10,000 each for the 2023-24 academic year. Thirty universities have been awarded a share of the funding to deliver scholarships to eligible underrepresented groups. Students can study a range of courses covering topics such as practical AI and data science skills, programming, machine learning, health data science and AI ethics. Professor John Latham CBE, Coventry University Vice-Chancellor, said: “We are delighted to be at the forefront of ensuring that the digital industry is open to all. Diversity and widening access to quality higher education is one of the hallmarks of Coventry University and this funding from the OfS will allow us to continue teaching a diverse and inclusive talent pool.” RECOGNITION: Maxie Hayles MBE with CU Board Governor Keith Bissett (photo: Ede & Ravenscroft)

Blackstory Partnership event marks Windrush anniversary BIRMINGHAM’S arts and events collective Blackstory Partnership is looking to bring the curtain down on its historic six-year stewardship of the city’s Black History Month celebrations with an event to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day on June 22. In collaboration with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where the event will take place, it will acknowledge Birmingham’s Windrush Generation for its contribution to the rebuilding of the country and trailblazing for future generations. Hosted by BBC presenter Nikki

Tapper and Mykal ‘Wassifa’ Brown MBE, the event will include a performance from the newly-formed children’s choir, The Next Generation Choir Birmingham, plus guest speakers and presentations. The Blackstory Partnership’s Audrey Hayles-Parkes said: “This year’s National Windrush Day is of great significance as it marks the 75th anniversary of the generation’s presence and contribution to the fabric of the country. We are pleased to host the anniversary event at such a prestigious venue and hope our guests are enthused by the evening’s content.”

In a joint statement, Sean Foley and Rachael Thomas, Birmingham Rep’s Artistic Director and Executive Director respectively, said: “It is an honour for The Rep to be working with our friends at Blackstory Partnership on this very special event to mark the 75th anniversary of Windrush Day. “Every one of us can celebrate the huge economic, social, and cultural contribution that the Windrush Generation and their descendants have made to Birmingham and the nation. “To be hosting this evening on our main stage is a privilege. We

will be coming together to remember an extraordinary generation.” Following the devastation to UK infrastructure following the Second World War, a series of calls were made to people of British Empire to help rebuild the ‘Mother Country.’ The arrival on June 21, 1948, of the SS Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks, carrying scores of Caribbean people, mainly from Jamaica, in response, was recognised as an annual day of national observance by the UK government in 2018, with the passengers commonly referred to as The Windrush HOST: Nikki Tapper Generation.

If you have a story for the East or West Midlands, call/text Veron Graham on 07954 572 988, email veronpgraham@gmail.com, or find him on Facebook or LinkedIn

38 |

THE VOICE

MAY 2023

Lyndon Mukasa Eye on the Diaspora

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Is this Australia’s chance? Scarred by centuries of genocide and racism, the country is at a turning point

FTER OVER a century of protests, resistance and campaigning, the indigenous peoples of Australia — most commonly known as the First Nations, Australian Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander people, are a step closer to achieving what possibly could amount to some degree of political autonomy and representation for their communities. The Australian government is setting out plans for a referendum later this year that could give recognition in the Australian constitution to indigenous peoples in parliament. In what has been called the Indigenous Voice, this measure could grant First Nations peoples a greater say in laws passed in the Australian parliament. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament was first proposed in 2017 as an advisory body by the Uluru Statement from the Heart under the organisation Uluru Dialogue. It was written and endorsed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to improve the representation of indigenous Australians. The Voice will comprise a national group of 20 members of First Nations descent. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament will advise the Australian government on indigenous policy matters related to health,

education, economic inequality and social issues. This proposal was taken up in 2022 by the current prime minister Anthony Albanese, who pledged following his election victory to implement an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in 2023. But will this make a difference? Even though there is currently majority support for the referendum, there are questions over the representation that it provides, and its ability to make a difference to the lives of indigenous Australians who have suffered for over a century under European colonisation. Before the European invasion of Australia in 1788, there were more than 250 nations/ethnic groups spread across a population of over 750,000 people that had lived in Australia for over 65,000 years.

DEVASTATING

By the 20th century, their population had fallen to just 93,000 people and today they make up 3.5 per cent of a population of 20 million people. The British colonisation of Australia was devastating for indigenous Australians. This was characterised by the violent dispossession of lands particularly in the island of Tasmania where indigenous peoples were hunted like sport almost to extinction. Additionally, the introduction of foreign diseases such

PROTEST: Children wave the Australian aboriginal flag at an ‘Invasion Day’ demonstration in Sydney last year, inset below, a drawing of Australian Aborigines with travellers in the Australian Bush in the late 1890s (photos: Getty Images)

as measles, smallpox and tuberculosis to which indigenous populations had little immunity destroyed whole communities. The indigenous population was segregated from the white colonial settlements and, in an act of cultural genocide, many indigenous children (particularly those who were light skinned), were forcibly taken away from their families to foster homes to be raised by white families, or put in the care system which was characterised by many reported abuses. This happened between the 1890s and 1970s and the traumatic effects on this ‘Stolen Generation’ is still felt to this day. Even after Australia gained independence, the situation of indigenous Australians did not improve. Poverty is endemic and many have poor educational and healthcare services. Unemployment, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence and mental illness are all significant issues that have their roots back to the 1788 invasion. Police brutality is a problem and indigenous children are still up to 24 times more likely to be detained than their white counterparts in modern Australia. In light of these historical issues,

there are unresolved questions about the referendum. Australia’s Liberal Party has announced that they will oppose the form the Indigenous Voice to parliament takes. The Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton has argued that the prime minister is dividing the country through the referendum. Mr Dutton has argued that it is far more effective to have the government working at the local level with indigenous leaders and communities to deliver the best outcomes, rather than creating what may be seen as a centralised distant advisory group to parliament. In addition, there are indigenous people who have been scarred by decades of programmes and political agendas that did more harm to their communities than it helped. These groups question the effectiveness of this initiative reflecting the issue of distrust among indigenous communities towards the Australian government. Teela Reid, a lawyer and storyteller of Weilwan and Wiradjuri Aboriginal descent, is cautiously optimistic, arguing: “We want some serious, hard, systemic change. We want racism to stop in our nation. We

Lyndon Mukasa is a writer and researcher. He studied International Development at the London School of Economics.

want people’s hearts and minds to change in this process.” Ultimately it comes down to how well the Indigenous Voice to Parliament represents the First Nations people of Australia which is something that Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, a human rights activist of Bundjalung Aboriginal descent is concerned about.

DISCUSSION

Ms Turnbull-Roberts argues that indigenous Australians have always had a voice, but it was never listened to, and that the referendum is being rushed through while many indigenous community voices are being neglected from the conversation. In particular, on the matter of treaties of which a national treaty has been pushed further and further away from the heart of discussion on indigenous rights in Australia. She adds that there are indigenous voices who have been left out of the conversation regarding this matter. The Queensland treaty advancement committee co-chair Dr Jackie Huggins argues that treaties are crucial towards mending the fabric of Australian society and if done right

could address deep structural issues and could allow indigenous people to control their own affairs. Despite this there are others, such as the Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, who states that the Voice will be a way for indigenous Australians to advise the government at all levels about laws and policies that affect their lives. “It’s about drawing a line on the poor outcomes from the long legacy of failed programs and broken policies, and listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she says. Time will tell whether the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will succeed in addressing the deeply entrenched inequalities that confront Australia’s First Nation people. If Australians vote “yes” to the establishment of the Voice, significant efforts will need to be put into building trust and legitimacy and bringing in other indigenous voices that have not been represented. The issue of treaties should be looked at with a vision of creating an Australia that could meet the needs of indigenous Australians a lot better than the 235 years since the invasion.

AUGUST 2022

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News Feature

Being young, Black and female is my superpower Entrepreneur Bianca Miller-Cole on her business journey, and how she’s giving back. By Vic Motune

HE STRANGE thing about BBC hit show The Apprentice is that it ends just as the real story begins. It’s one thing completing business tasks assigned by Lord Sugar in front of a camera for the hit TV show. But it’s quite another to launch a profitable business from scratch. But that’s something former contestant Bianca Miller-Cole has proved she can do with great success. While millions of TV viewers remember the calmness under pressure and determination that took her to the final of the 2014 series, it often surprises people to learn she was already an accomplished entrepreneur before appearing on the show. Miller-Cole was still only in her early 20s when she founded The Be Group, a company that provides personal branding consultations to professionals at different stages of their careers. The business now has an impressive list of clients including HSBC, Accenture, Facebook, Google and BT to name a few. Finishing runner-up on The Apprentice, as Miller-Cole did, might be viewed as a disappointment for some contestants — they miss out on a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar. But it made little difference to her seemingly unstoppable progress towards becoming the successful businesswoman that she

SUPPORT: Bianca MillerCole has mentored over 500 entrepreneurs (photo: Saagorph Photography); below, with husband Byron with whom she has co-authored two successful books (photo: Getty Images)

is today. The idea she pitched to Lord Sugar during the final — a hosiery brand with a diverse range of skin tones — became a reality when the Bianca Miller London hosiery range launched online in November 2015, and then with Topshop and the Morleys Group in 2017. Although she says she enjoyed The Apprentice, and only realised after it was broadcast what a big deal it was to be the only Black woman in the final, she struggled with the aftermath of being perceived as a reality TV celebrity. “That was not what I wanted,” she recalled. “I wanted to be perceived as a serious business person. So I almost had to rebrand and remind people that I had a business two and a half years before I went on The Apprentice. I’m not just a reality TV person, I’m actually an entrepreneur.”

PROJECT

Her latest business project is one that is particularly close to her heart. Miller-Cole is expanding her product range with a new skincare solution called Hian Skin aimed at busy women struggling with issues such as hyperpigmentation, fine lines, dark marks, anti-ageing, skin imbalance, and skin texture. What makes this launch different from previous ones is her decision to document every

stage of the process and turn it into a YouTube series called From The Ground Up: Building A New Business. The series, which includes episodes on building a social media presence for a new product, display advertising, and developing a sales strategy, is aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs who may be still hesitant about setting up their own companies. “I think what often happens is that entrepreneurs often don’t share the journey of how a business is created until it’s successful,” she says. “The ups and downs are never shared. So I wanted to create a video diary of what it’s like to create a new brand. “I was approached by Fiverr to work with them on a project but I pitched them this idea instead. I suggested we use expert freelancers on their platform to help me build this new brand and showcase how anyone can use Fiverr to build a business. Thankfully they loved the idea. “For me it’s about sharing as much as I can so that people who are nervous about starting a business can feel encouraged like they can do it too.” The encouragement of her entrepreneurial drive she got at a young age from family members

was pivotal to her later success. As a five-year-old she would sell her paintings to anyone who would buy them, which on most occasions would be her parents. As a 12-year-old she turned her love of dance into a business by launching a dance school. And by the time she was 17, she was organising under 18s parties and earning herself a decent profit. “I grew up in an entrepreneurial household with parents who ran their own businesses,” she recalls. “My dad was involved in property, while my mum was a selfemployed makeup artist for who worked with musicians such as So Solid Crew and Mis-Teeq and on TV shows such as Ant and Dec. Growing up around parents who didn’t have non-traditional nine-to-five jobs meant that I was exposed to entrepreneurship from an early age. “But even though the desire to set up my own business was always there my parents definitely wanted me to go to university, so I happily obliged and I was the first in my family to do so.” After obtaining a degree in Business and Management Studies, Bianca accepted a role as a Human Resources People Advisor for Accenture in 2010. It was this role that provided

the inspiration for the launch of The Be Group. “I was tasked with preparing graduates for promotion and helping them to find heir goals” she recalls. “But I soon noticed that, even though many of them were academically intelligent, they struggled with understanding how their personal brand, which involves things like networking, communication skills, and dressing appropriately, can influence their career prospects.”

CHALLENGES

Like many entrepreneurs she faced a number of challenges during the early years of the business. “As a young black woman who probably sounded a lot older than I was on the phone, I’d turn up to meetings and people would be very surprised. I couldn’t work out if it was because of my gender, my race or my age. They’d ask ‘you’re going to instruct our directors on how to build their personal brand?’” She continues: “I remember speaking to my dad and saying, ‘this is hard, it’s not going to work’. And he said, ‘Bianca, you are young, Black, and female, that is your reality.’ But

then he gave me a list of other qualities I had; he told me I was intelligent, knowledgeable, confident, and so on. He then asked ‘What are you going to do about it?’ And that’s when I suddenly realised that being young, Black and female was part of my superpower.” Now, as a successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker, she has mentored over 500 entrepreneurs, helping them scale their enterprise to six and sevenfigure profits. Most recently her passion for helping others has taken her along a new path as a critically acclaimed author. After co-authoring two critically acclaimed books with her husband Byron, a third, Rich Forever, is due out in October. “The book will focus not only on how people can build their financial well-being, but create generational wealth. “Unfortunately, we in the Black community are not as tapped into some of the steps we should be taking to ensure that all the work we are doing, and our parents did, is actually going to work for us in the long term, and for the next generation. It’s really important for us to focus in on how we build sustainable wealth.”

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |

Montel Gordon

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

LEAVING A LEGACY?: Doreen Lawrence, pictured in front of an image of her son Stephen, has campaigned for better relations between the Black community and police; a BLM protester and police officer (photos: Getty Images)

Stephen reminds us how far society still has to go

HIRTY YEARS since the Stephen Lawrence murder: Can we honestly say we’re an egalitarian society? Britain has always prided itself on being a somewhat egalitarian society. However, in recent years and the fallout of the pandemic has revealed the pitfalls of these claims as the historical contours of class, gender, and racial divisions, to name a few, have risen to the forefront of media discourse. Stephen Lawrence Day serves as a reminder of how far we have come, yet we still need to go in our battles to combat injustices and create a more egalitarian society. The murder of Stephen Lawrence was a watershed moment in contemporary British history. On 22nd April, 1993, Stephen Lawrence was brutally murdered by a group of racist white men as he waited for his bus in London with his friend Duwayne Brooks in an unprovoked attack.

Police racism scandals show institutional racism is alive and kicking in Britain

The incompetence of the police gained particular notoriety after the failure to make arrests of the suspects despite numerous eyewitness accounts. This led to the famed Macpherson report in 1999, which proclaimed the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist – something the Black community had argued for decades. Specifically, a claim rejected by Lord Scarman in the infamous Scarman Report of 1981 following the uprisings that occurred that same year in Brixton, where Scarman argued that whilst some police officers latched onto acts of prejudice, the Metropolitan Police was not institutionally racist.

The first Stephen Lawrence Day to commemorate Stephen Lawrence’s life was held in 2019 and attempts to build a society that refutes exclusion upon race, gender, sexuality, disability, or background. However, the fallout of the pandemic and subsequent events such as the Black Lives Matter protests, the Windrush scandal, the influence of incel and misogynistic culture and the latest controversy over the Met Police reveals we’re doing the opposite. Commenting upon the events of recent years and the effects it has had upon Stephen Lawrence day, his mother and activist Doreen Lawrence commented: “The events of 2020 -

George Floyd’s death, and the subsequent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement – along with societal inequalities exposed and exacerbated by COVID has made us reflect how we engage with our communities.” The pandemic was a wake-up call to show how stratified the domains of education, healthcare, and access to resources indeed were in this country. That’s why the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation works in careers, communities and classrooms to help marginalised individuals break through unforeseen barriers to achieve greatness. Stephen Lawrence’s murder is a tragic case of injustice and years of campaigning to recognise the powers at fault and why situations as such should never emerge again. Parents Doreen and Neville Lawrence have campaigned for years to ensure their son’s murder was not in vain – but to create a legacy.

But questions should emerge as to why continued police incompetence continues to emerge amid significant challenges towards public support and confidence in the Metropolitan Police. The Casey Report discussed how Black and mixed minority groups have continued lower trust and confidence in the police, who are likely to say its reputation is poor. Ongoing scandals and coverups by the Met only indicate how systemically problematic the Metropolitan Police are and the lack of integrity it has as an institution. Racism, discrimination, and misogyny remain everyday norms, and whilst the government attempted to clamp down upon protesting, public discontent is widely known and made aware. However, I would be incredibly naive about not having faith – specifically for the next generation to be free from exclusion. As Doreen Lawrence

mentions, education is vital in inspiring young people and ensuring tolerance and respect for others from generation to generation. But, again, policies of such have already been implemented through the fundamental British values in attempts to promote respect. Moreover, how do we restrict the barriers which act as enclosures towards Black and minority groups propelling in specific professions? We have come a long way, but a long journey remains ahead. We must refuse to allow the events of yesteryear to remerge decades later as, at times, it feels like listening to a broken record from the Macpherson Report to the Casey Report, as change and progress often feels slow. So let us not make the murder of Stephen Lawrence be in vain, and let’s do our bit to make society more egalitarian and combat racial discrimination and injustices daily.

42 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Muyiwa Olarewaju

Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion

Nothing But Truth and Light

Trust God for He is present GUIDING HAND: We should always be mindful of God’s Presence (photo: Rui Silvestre on Unsplash)

The Lord is ready to guide us through tough times

HAVE FOUND that one of the most important practices in the Christian faith is that of the presence of God. This practice involves being mindful of God’s presence in every moment of our lives, whether we are at work, at home, or in any other setting. One of the most famous practitioners of this practice was Brother Lawrence, a 17thcentury Carmelite monk who lived in France. Brother Lawrence wrote a book called The Practice of the Presence of God, which has become a classic of Christian spirituality. In this book, Brother Lawrence emphasises the importance of cultivating a continual awareness of God’s presence. He writes: “The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.” Brother Lawrence’s message is clear: God is always with us, and we should strive to be aware of His presence at

We need the vulnerability and courage it takes to share our stories all times. This can be achieved through prayer, meditation, and simply being mindful of God’s presence as we go about our daily lives. The practice of the presence of God is particularly important in times of stress and anxiety, when we may be tempted to turn away from God and rely solely on our own strength. But as the Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” When we remember that God is with us and cares for us, we can trust in His strength to see us through difficult times. This message is particularly relevant in the context of Tarana Burke and Brené Brown’s book You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black

Experience. The book explores the experiences of Black people who have been marginalised and oppressed, and the ways in which they have learned to cope with shame and vulnerability. One of the key themes of the book is the importance of community and connection. As Burke and Brown write: “We need each other. We need the vulnerability and courage it takes to share our stories, to offer our best selves, to trust that we will be seen and heard and held.” This message is consistent with Brother Lawrence’s emphasis on the presence of God. Just as we are called to be mindful of God’s presence in our lives, we are also called to be present to one another. We are called to create spaces where people can share their stories, offer their best selves, and trust that they will be seen and heard and held. In both the practice of the presence of God and the practice of vulnerability and connection, we are reminded of the importance of humility. Brother Lawrence writes:

“We must surrender ourselves to God with regard both to things temporal and spiritual and then, with perfect confidence, await the results.” Similarly, Burke and Brown emphasise the importance of humility in our relationships with one another. As they write: “Humility is not about being weak or giving

up power. It’s about recognising that we are all human, that we all make mistakes, and that we all need each other.” Ultimately, the practice of the presence of God and the practice of vulnerability and connection are about cultivating a deep sense of trust. When we trust in God’s presence and care, we are able to let

go of our anxieties and fears. When we trust in one another, we are able to share our stories and offer our best selves without fear of rejection or judgement. As we navigate the challenges of life, whether as individuals or as communities, may we be mindful of God’s presence and the presence of one another.

Muyiwa Olarewaju OBE is Station Director at Premier Gospel Radio, a TV & Radio Broadcaster, and Principal of gospel group Muyiwa & Riversongz

Ageing with the grace of God in a world untainted by sin MY DAUGHTER was really excited about the middle of October because it marked exactly seven and a half years since she was born. Quarters and halves of years are very important to a child. They are excited by the transition from one age to the next. Each day and month along the way is significant, marking the changes, growth, and developments of that year. When her eighth birthday finally does come around she will not be the same girl that entered into her seventh year. She will have learned and grown and changed in so many ways through all the things she has experienced in those 365 days between seven and eight. The tiny daily changes are so

By Shirley Morgan gradual and imperceptible to her parents who see her everyday. It’s only when a relative who hasn’t seen her for a long time, remarks on how much she’s grown, or find she is outgrowing her clothes and shoes very frequently that we look again and notice her transitioning

from one age to the next. Our Gospel passage and Old Testament reading remind us of the many differences and changes that can separate one age from the next. In the Gospel, Jesus divides humanity’s history into two ages. This Age, and that Age, and he describes some of the major differences between the two. The Sadducees – students of a particular Jewish school of learning – did not believe in a resurrection. They believed that once you were dead, that was it. So, the question they asked Jesus was really a riddle to mock the idea that someone could rise from the dead. If a woman married multiple husbands because each one she

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married tragically died shortly after the wedding, and then she eventually dies herself, whose wife will she be in the afterlife? Would she be a bigamist? Jesus wasn’t phased by their question. He tells them the Resurrection Age, the Age that will follow this one, is completely different. In the Age that is to come there will be a new humanity. Humans that are reborn with a sin-free nature, humans that are children of God. In this Fallen Age there is heartache and death. In the Resurrection Age there is eternal life and no tragedy. Jesus tells them that resurrection from the dead isn’t just simply coming back to your life as it was before, it is being reborn into

a new body, in a new creation, in a new world that runs by different rules to this one. The Resurrection Age will be inhabited by a new sanctified humanity living in perfect relationship with God – in a new world untainted by sin and decay. God the Father loves us and wants to comfort our hearts and strengthen us in every good work. So, despite the struggles we face in this age, let us pray that God will continue to empower us to love and live like Him; to do good to those who hurt us and share the Good News of the Kingdom with everyone who hasn’t heard it. So that we can live faithfully as His Children in this Age and the Age to come.

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AUGUST 2022

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44 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Sadé Thomas

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The Gospel Truth

Jesus and drill You might not usually put the two together, but Christian musician Reblah is showing that it’s all about the lyricism when it comes to his work

H ERE IS no doubt that drill music has grown rapidly in popularity since its inception. Originating from Chicago in the early 2010s, what makes the sub-genre so distinctive is a combination of hard hitting beats and bass, as well as lyrics that express artists’ realities of violence, crime and gang culture. Despite its large fan base, many critics argue that drill music encourages and glamorises criminal behaviour. However, while some see the drill genre as problematic, there is an emergence of Christian artists who are using the drill genre to communicate a more positive message directing their listeners to God. Speaking to London-based Christian rapper and multi award-winning artist Reblah – real name, Micheal Olafioye – we discussed the beauty that can be found in Christian drill music and why it has a growing audience. Sadé Thomas: As someone who is well-versed in creating Christian drill music, what do you think attracts people to this type of music? Reblah: Sonically speaking, drill music has a similar beats per minute to the UK’s genre grime. With this in mind, people gravitate to the music because of its energetic feel, largely resonating with a younger audience. There is also a meditative element to drill music, which draws listeners in.

ST: Given the meditative elements within the genre do you think this is helpful when delivering the Christian message through drill? R: Yes, definitely, although the melodies surrounding drill music are meditative, they often contain darker messaging which clearly shows that there is a space for messages of hope, positivity and life to be explored. As a Christian though, I’m intentional about the lyricism used in my music and I know that life and death are in the power of the tongue, so I’m conscious that my music needs to be informed by my Christian faith as it can have an influence on the thoughts and behaviours of those listening. ST: You mentioned being intentional with your lyrical content and this is important to you. What exactly is your process when writing songs? R: I make sure everything that I release is in alignment with the word of God, this also means being led by His spirit which will lead us into all truth. Just like it says in scripture, ‘they shall know the truth and truth shall set you free’. This is particularly important with drill music, considering a lot of the artists are consumed by a lifestyle of violence, crime and other negative ways of living, so communicating a Godly message to these issues can bring freedom.

UPWARD TRAJECTORY: Reblah says it’s important to be informed by his Christian faith

ST: Speaking of freedom, have you seen an impact on what Christian drill music is having on those outside of the Christian faith? R: For sure the impact is big, because we are bringing a Christian message to a new audience and people are responsive to it because it holds the truth and we see its impact through the lives that are changed. ST: With drill music becoming increasingly popular within the Christian scene, are there any Christian artists we should be listening to? R: There are a whole host of people that are making waves in the Christian drill space for example, artists such as: Konola, Living Testimony, 678Nath, Rev J and Zelijah Tishbite all give so much to the Christian drill genre. ST: Lastly, before we close, how would you encourage those who have clear talent within the drill scene to use the voices to promote positivity? Reblah: One thing I would say is that you are made in the image of God and that God loves you. I would encourage those that are using their talents to communicate a darker message not to always look at the negative side of life but to dream big and be more positive. Ultimately though, by knowing Jesus, you can ensure that your art is not only positive but that you can live a life that you will never regret.

Spotlight on single of sensational star whose ability to be sincere yet direct is simply unique In addition to being interviewed in this month’s feature, we also had to spotlight Reblah for his sensational release Turn Around, as this month’s top pick. Reblah’s ability to be direct and yet sincere in his lyricism, enables listeners to really capture the premise of the song

which is – that a life without God is no life at all. Reblah’s expertise in selecting skilled features for his releases, is evident in ‘Turn Around’ as both Nashbi and Shirlvin Desir, deliver their sections with conviction reinforcing the importance of who God is in all His truth.

For fans of quality rap music, not only will you enjoy this single but I am certain that every listener will have this anthem on repeat to allow its cutting but necessary message to sink in. As for future releases, you can expect that Reblah will continue to release strong

songs that break down genre barriers but never compromise on the Godly message. Stay updated with Reblah’s artistry by following him @reblahgram on Instagram and his single Turn Around is available on all digital streaming platforms.

Lifestyle Corey Campbell’s Big Aunty hits the Belgrade Theatre p47

Director Ola Ince delivers award-winning musical Once On This Island p51

ISAAC JULIEN What Freedom is to Me p48

Social media megastar Fats Timbo talks ‘Main Character Energy’ p52

| THE VOICE MAY 2023

Lifestyle

Miss Erica’s strutting her stuff

Meet the woman who’s gone down a Storm and empowers women to make themselves feel good. By Joel Campbell

ULLIED BECAUSE of her height and made to feel uncomfortable in a host of everyday social situations most of us take for granted, Miss Erica Storm had enough one day and literally turned her pain into her purpose by creating the Strut Masterclass, Featured on the Channel 5 TV show 10 Years Younger, helping the programme subject recapture her confidence and selfesteem, Miss Erica, a former International Dominatrix, showed women how to walk correctly in their high heels whilst owning their space. Some talk the talk, but Miss Eric tells Lifestyle that after meditating on a way to use the very thing that had been the bane of her existence in a positive manner, she decided it was time to walk the walk, or rather, strut the strut. “Everything that I have always done in my business has always been a reflection of what I am personally going through in my life, hence the Strut Masterclass, which was a huge success,” Miss Erica said. “We got featured in national papers, I then became the face of Ann Summers, which was absolutely amazing.

PLATFORM

“I did a show called 10 Years Younger, In Ten Days, where I taught this beautiful Black woman how to own her space and how to walk correctly in her highheeled shoes. It was a great platform to show the power of my Strut Masterclass. “But the reason I created that was because I went to seven different schools and I was always the tall girl, so I always stood out. “I learnt from a very young age that it is always about how you hold yourself when you walk into a room. And I’ve realised that so many other women are afraid of taking up space, and that was how my Strut Masterclass was born.” Miss Erica believes every woman should feel sexy and confident, and she continues to empower women one strut at a time. “Before I embarked on this journey I was living a very, very different lifestyle,” she said. “I was successful but I

wasn’t happy. I read a book once that said, ‘do the one thing that comes natural to you’. That’s supposed to be the thing that you are supposed to do. “So I went through this whole list and I continue to do it now; what is my purpose? What comes really naturally to me? “So many things came to me, and the one thing that really resonated with me is the way that I walk. “When I used to go out, whether it was a restaurant or walking down the street, people would always compliment me on my walking. “So I thought, what is so impactful about my walking? “And I realised it was because I walk into a space like I deserve to be there. The more I spoke to women about it, the more they resonated with my story and the more they were like, ‘I feel really shy to take up space. I’m too short, I’m too tall or I’m too big.’ “I was like, I need to create something, I need to create a safe space where all of these different types of women, from all different types of backgrounds, can come together and celebrate taking up space. But I wanted to do it in a really fun way. “We all love heels, and I am the type of woman that loves her heels, and I know so many women that do love heels and don’t wear the because they don’t feel comfortable or confident enough to wear them. Where do you go to learn how to walk in

SHOWING THE WAY: Miss Erica Storm’s methods have proved to be an inspiration heels? We see all of these fabulous stilettos but there’s no one to teach us how to walk in heels and it is a skill.” Formerly Madam Storm, Miss Erica first came to notoriety when her infamous Mistress training was featured in a Louis Theroux documentary on channel 4. She has rebranded herself as she evolves to the next level of her career as a qualified yoga teacher and clinical sex and relationship therapist. Her new YouTube Channel, Ask Miss Erica, showcases her work as a qualified confidence coach and sex educator. Subscribers send or call in their questions, which range from how to introduce kink into your

“There was no one out there to teach us how to walk in heels, and it is a skill” relationship to how to walk into a room and own it. “I’m working on a few things,” she tells Lifestyle. “The main thing at the moment is to become a psychosexual therapist, which has been a very challenging and interesting journey. I’ve faced some difficult

challenges being a Black woman in this area, but I am learning how to work through that and I am going to stick with it because I feel that Black women and women of colour need to take up these spaces. “I’m not just doing it for me, I am doing it for my nieces and I am doing it for those other young women coming up after me.” She added: “I also just qualified as a yoga teacher, which is an amazing accomplishment for myself. “It’s been a real personal journey because being a yoga teacher and practising yoga allowed me to delve into my own feminine energy, and it was a great way for me to heal.”

EMPOWERMENT!: Miss Erica Storm has done so much to help women feel confident again

“I am healing my womb from fibroids at the moment, which I know a lot of women, especially women of colour, are facing at the moment. So many women are getting hysterectomies and suffering really badly with fibroids of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and I’ve found that through my own healing journey, doing yoga has really helped me.” The last few years have been a bit of a whirlwind for Miss Erica. You may have seen her in the recent My5 programme How To Have An Orgasm, where seven women share what improved their experience of orgasms.

POWERFUL

A powerful motivational speaker; she has shared the stage with Mayor Sadiq Khan and is regularly booked to appear on panels for women’s events, radio shows and podcasts. She’s on a mission, and far from finished yet “I remember saving up and spending the last bit of my money and going into the Strut Masterclass studio and doing all of these individual struts that I had visualised during my periods of meditation, not knowing if it was going to work but knowing that it felt really powerful to me. “If I felt powerful doing it, I thought it’s all about energy, so if I come into this with a clean heart and my intentions are to empower these women, then that’s what they are going to get from me.”

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |

Lifestyle

Loss, love and family are centre stage

Creative director Corey Campbell’s new play is shaped by tough times. By Joel Campbell

GRIEF

He explained: “The first thing I want to say is that the work comes from where we are at the moment personally. “I’m going through a lot of grief and I felt as a global community and as a country we’ve been through some stuff that we’re trying to glaze over. “I felt it was important to do a piece of work that gave space for an audience to really express themselves as well as seeing us do the graft on the stage.” He added: “We do that through a Caribbean family, three estranged siblings that have to come together to bury mum. “They have to come back together and get past the drama, past the things that split them apart in the first place and I think that’s where the positive side of the work is. Love brings us together, right? So, the matriarch

passes away, there is always drama, who’s getting what in the will, who’s been left what. Mum’s in Jamaica, so we have to fly there and deal with the family and find out how they feel about us, that diasporic experience. “So, the show looks at it from the lens of a Caribbean family

“We look at how you reconcile and find love again through grief” but ultimately, it’s a family that has lost their matriarch and in burying their matriarch, they bury the hatchet and we look at how you reconcile and find love again through grief.” Appointed Belgrade creative director in 2022, after holding the post of one of three co-artistic directors of the theatre for 2021 for Coventry’s City of Culture Year 2021, Campbell is also artistic director of Strictly Arts Theatre Company, formerly supported by the Belgrade’s Springboard talent development programme. In Big Aunty, Campbell reconnects with Birmingham-born McIntosh who trained at the Birmingham School of Acting, and then went on to enjoy success as part of the Queedom playing Anna of Cleves in Six on the West End and then on UK tour. Another friend and former colleague, Hamilton-Amos, was also born and raised in Birmingham and studied Applied Performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Speaking on working with the two on the lead up to the production kicking off, Campbell said:

“It’s been real intense, we’re an intense group. There is a lot between us but we’re very different characters as people and we have had very different experiences, both in life and in our careers. Alexia and Kieran were in the original ‘Freeman’, so they were a part of building Strictly Arts Theatre’s first two shows and then they went and did their own thing.” He added: “We lost our friends, and in mourning, we all came back together. Everybody is bringing their lived experience to the table and it’s all valuable.” Produced by The Belgrade Theatre, directed and devised by Campbell with Sarah Githugu as assistant director, Big Aunty is the first home produced show of the 2023 spring season. And Campbell can’t wait.

NEW DIRECTION: Corey Campbell is inspired by his experiences (photo: Nicola Young)

IDLANDS-BORN PERFORMERS Alexia McIntosh and Kieran HamiltonAmos join Belgrade Theatre creative director Corey Campbell in Big Aunty this month. Directed and devised by Campbell, the production will also feature a seven-person ensemble choir, drawn from the talent in the local community. Centring on the death of the family matriarch, a mum to some, a ‘second’ mum to others. Big Aunty’s funeral is back in Jamaica, where she returned some years ago. Campbell told Lifestyle that losing 11 members of his family and close friends in 2022 left him feeling like he needed a way to process how he felt. He also knew that he wasn’t alone in how he felt and wanted to do something about it.

MOURNING

“As a devising artist, I often use theatre to help express who I am, but right now I see so many people in the same place as me. A lot of us have experienced loss over the last couple of years – it feels like the whole country is mourning,” he said. “But as the character Big Aunty, might say, ‘There is no resurrection without death’, and I’m now reaching a place where I can experience some joy through the pain of loved ones lost. “I hope Big Aunty will offer hope to people who are also on this journey forward, and that it will give all of us an opportunity to come together and share the experience in the unique way only theatre can provide – to laugh and cry, to heal and forgive. Live, laugh, love.” Big Aunty is at The Belgrade’s B2 auditorium, Coventry, until May 6. Read the full interview at voice-online.co.uk

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48 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Lifestyle

Tate Britain celebrates 40 years of Isaac Julien

PIONEER: Sir Isaac Julien (photo: Thierry Bal)

Museum is presenting the UK’s first ever survey exhibition honouring the influential work of British artist and filmmaker Sir Isaac Julien. By Joel Campbell

IR ISAAC JULIEN, one of the most innovative artists and filmmakers of our time, will be the subject of the UK’s first ever survey exhibition at Tate Britain. The exhibition, titled: What Freedom Is To Me, will feature a selection of key works from Julien’s ground-breaking early films and immersive three-screen videos made for the gallery setting, to the kaleidoscopic, sculptural multi-screen installations for which he is renowned today. Born in 1960 in London, Julien is a pioneering artist who lives and works in the capital and Santa Cruz, California. He received a BA in Fine Art Film from Central St Martin’s School of Art in 1984 and completed his post-doctoral studies at Les Entrepreneurs de L’Audiovisuel Europé Spanning four decades from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious solo show exhibition will chart the development of his pioneering work in film and video, revealing a career that remains as fiercely experimental and politically charged as it was 40 years ago. “I think it’s really very exciting to be able to show my work that I have been working on for some time, all in one place at Tate Britain,” Julien told Lifestyle ahead of the exhibition. “A lot of my works have been made and shown abroad, especially over the last 20 years, so it’s great to bring all of the works of which several have been made here in London or the UK and share those in your home city.” He added: “I’ve been up to quite a few things, so it’s great to be able to share all of those works with everybody and I’m

quite excited to see the response. “I haven’t had a solo show since I exhibited my work since just before the Turner Prize at the South London Gallery, so it’s quite a long time not to have an exhibition in a museum context. “To have it in a museum like the Tate of course, where everybody goes, and to be assembling works across 40 years, both The Voice and I have that in common I guess, in terms of the years we have been making our presence felt.”

BARRIERS

Julien is internationally acclaimed for his compelling lyrical films and video art installations that explore how he breaks down barriers between different artistic disciplines by drawing from film, dance, photography, music, theatre, painting and sculpture. His use of these varied disciplines is evident in his pivotal film exploring Black, queer desire – Looking for Langston (1989) – which brings together poetry and

image to look at the private world of the Black artists and writers who were part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. The exhibition will open with Julien’s earliest experiments in moving images, produced in the context of the Sankofa Film and Video Collective. Four works from this period will be brought together at Tate Britain, including his first film, Who Killed Colin Roach? (1983) — conceived as a response to the unrest following the death of a young man at the entrance to a police station, Territories (1984), which focuses on the Black British experience in the early 80s, and This is Not An AIDS Advertisement (1987), an important work of LGBTQIA+ history that continues to resonate powerfully today. Julien said: “I think what people who visit are going to get is the possibility to experience lot’s of different works from different times. Works from the eighties and real early works, such as Who Killed Colin Roach?, which I made in 1983 when I was a stu-

dent at Saint Martin’s School of Art,” Julien said. “That work became very pertinent for me, especially thinking about 2020. When I made Lessons Of The Hour in 2019, which was a work about Frederick Douglass who was a freedom fighter abolitionist who lived in Scotland, there was a way in which it all linked back to the question about human rights and the question of freedom that black people have been fighting for.” He added: “There are lots of different works and the eighties is a whole area. It’s when I was in the Sankofa Film and Video Collective when I first started making work. That period was also when my work started to get reviewed by The Voice actually, and dare I say, we weren’t happy about the reviews we got.” He added: “The kinds of things that we thought in the Sankofa Film and Video Collective then, doesn’t escape me now, they are still similar thoughts. Of course, The Voice has matured, I have matured and I think that it’s really

COMPELLING: Mazu Silence (Ten Thousand Waves) 2010

great that today there is a much deeper appreciation of the arts.” Those who are lucky enough to attend Julien’s exhibition will notice his use of dance to articulate the movement of peoples across different continents, times and spaces, which is reflected in the pioneering three-screen film installation Western Union: Small Boats (2007) and the spectacular Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement (2019). In Western Union, a series of vignettes choreographed by the internationally renowned Russell Maliphant create a poetic reflec-

“This is an opportunity to celebrate what he’s achieved over four decades’ tion on African migration histories and the effects of trauma on people, buildings and monuments. A Marvellous Entanglement, meanwhile, features a stunning performance from Balé Folclórico da Bahia filmed at the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia in Brazil, meditating on the legacy of visionary modernist architect and designer Lina Bo Bardi. What Freedom Is To Me is curated by Isabella Maidment. Speaking to Lifestyle about the process of whittling down the options of what to include in the exhibition, she said: “This was a long overdue opportunity to really survey Isaac Julien’s work across the full 40 years of his career. The first exhibition to do that.

“There has never been an exhibition that looks back over his full career to date. This is an opportunity to do that and really celebrate what he’s achieved over those four decades and really look at his influence and just how important he is as a filmmaker and also as an artist working in installation. “So that’s the starting point essentially, it’s really to chart his career from the eighties to the present day.” Speaking on selecting the works, Maidment said: “From the outset it’s been a really close dialogue with Isaac. It’s been such a pleasure to work with him. Of course, he’s based partially in London, this is his hometown, so it’s been very special to have that conversation with him. It’s a personal selection but also a concise edit, essentially, It would be impossible to show every work that Isaac’s made because he’s been so prolific. “But this feels like a concise edit that feels representative of the arc of his career as a whole.” In addition to Julien’s earlier works, the exhibition will also premiere the artist’s latest film, Once Again...(Never Die) (2022), exploring the relationship between US collector Albert C Barnes and the famed philosopher and cultural critic Alain Locke, known as the ‘Father of the Harlem Renaissance’ The film examines their storied relationship, its mutually formative critical dialogue, and its significant impact on their work as educators and activists on behalf of various African American causes. Julien’s critically acclaimed ten-screen film installation Lessons of the Hour (2019), a por-

MAY 2023 THE VOICE

Lifestyle

O N N AT I O N A L T O U R

A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 23

trait of the life and times of the self-liberated freedom fighter Frederick Douglass, will also be on display, representing Julien’s 40-year long commitment to cultural activism, the politics and poetics of image, and the moral and social influence of picturemaking. “My newer work like Statues Never Die looks at the whole question around the returning of stolen African objects, and also the way in which in the 1920s these debates were ignited by Black philosophers like Alain Locke, who in conversation with Albert Barnes, was one of the

catalyst collectors assembling African art at the time and putting that next to Matisse and Picasso’s work during that whole point in modernism.

RENAISSANCE

“I guess in my work what I am trying to do, as I did in Looking For Langston, is to go back to the whole renaissance and look at this high point in Black modernist artistic production and say, we were there. “And that there was this critical Black, queer presence, that was really at the forefront of constructing a Black arts move-

ment, of which Alain Locke espoused.” He added: “I think some of these debates are haunting the present and I think that’s what will happen a lot when people see the works, hopefully. “I think what Isabella has done is choose different works that she feels will resonate with audiences and I am just really excited to see how that develops.” Isaac Julien: What Freedom Is To Me, Tate Britain, April 26 August 20, 2023 Full interview: www.Voice-Online.co.uk

‘ I T G R I P S F R O M S TA R T T O F I N I S H ’ BIRMINGHAM PRESS

BOOK NOW rsc.org.uk The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: Installation view of Once Again... Statues Never Die, Barnes Foundation 2022 (photo: Henrik Kam); below left, The Lady of the Lake (Lessons of the Hour) 2019

50 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

This is Brukout!

by Seani B

Don’t mess with ‘The Boss’ Reggae Sumfest’s chairman on why he has remained committed to Jamaica

STAYING THE DISTANCE:

Joe Bogdanovich will again be showcasing local talent at this year’s Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay

NE OF the great things about dancehall is that it is filled with many flamboyant characters that keep you entertained and interested even when the lights, cameras and mics are not switched on. It reminds me of growing up in my mum’s yard, if you were the silent timid one you would get forgotten about and you can often disappear into the background unintentionally. This flamboyancy is not reserved to just the entertainers either! Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Records and chairman of Reggae Sumfest, who I met up with on his most recent trip to London, certainly fits that bill. On first sight you would wonder how “The Boss”, as he is called by his team, fits into the day-to-day hussle of Kingston City Jamaica, but through my various meetings with Joe you soon get to realise that he knows how to look after himself.

ROCKING

Joe is a tall, slim built white man, with slick back hair usually rocking black sunglasses who kinda reminds me of what Fonzie from The Happy Days may look like in 2023. And guess what, Joe has got that smooth exterior about him too. Joe’s latest project, Reggae Sumfest, has kept him busy over the past few years. Before he acquired the rights to Sumfest in 2016, he had been very active in the Jamaican music Industry. He surprised me by revealing he had briefly managed The Scare Dem Crew in the mid 1990s along with Luki D. I had known about Fantan Mojah, Ishawna, Harry Toddler, Ninjaman and a few others that Joe, alongside his trusted partner Skatta Burrell (Coolie Dance producer), who had had a hand in managing over

the years. For a few years he also looked after the muchloved Sting stage show that was a staple in the Christmas events calendar. But Joe tells me that Fantan Mojah has been his biggest success when it comes to the music industry in Jamaica. “When I met him as a kid, he was a window washer,” Joe says. “We got into a conversation that ended up with me recording him and I made some really really big records with him.” On our few encounters, it’s very easy to see that he is an individual that has to be kept busy. He is not the easiest person to keep focused, and I think this is why he has his hand in so many pies. Joe was

“I love the Jamaican people. I like their sense of competition” eager to tell me about what he has in store for his current project, Sumfest 2023, which takes place from July 16 to 22 in Montego Bay. “It’s a full-on festival kicking off with a family day which is free to the public, plus we will be focusing on many community affairs including environmental concerns,” he tells me as he jumps into full marketing mode. I was excited to find out that

Marion Hall – aka Lady Saw – was closing the show on Saturday night as Joe explained all with a twinkle in his eye. “She’s closing Saturday night that goes into Sunday,” he says, suggesting there may be a bit of a gospel dancehall twist to her set. I did think gospel remixes to some of her biggest hits!! “Other acts confirmed so far include Tommy Lee, Kabaka Pyramid, Valiant, Richie Spice with lots more to follow,” he added. The inquisitive (fast) journalist in me wanted to know if it was gonna be Marion Hall or Lady Saw that was turning up as I fell for the bait from Joe. “Well, you can’t take Lady Saw out of Marion Hall and vice versa. She has the passion, the

confidence, the lyrics, the love inside of her and she is gonna blow you away. “I’ve also recorded three songs with her produced by Gramps Morgan, and Morgan Heritage will also be performing that night.”

DEDICATION

Since taking over as chairman of Reggae Sumfest, Joe has made a point of not focusing on international acts for the show, but more looking at the local acts such as Beres Hammond, Chronixx and Buju Banton to headline the event as he has done in the past. His commitment and dedication to investing in Jamaican music that at times does not bear fruit is one to be

commended. I wondered why he had stayed the distance? “I love the Jamaican people, especially those with little and no opportunity. “I love where the music comes from! It comes from the root; it comes from the ghetto and humble beginnings. I like their sense of competition, humour and drive to succeed and to send a message out to the world. And I still love it.” His passion for the culture is very evident as he sits with his teenage son watching on, who is a young entrepreneur with a T-shirt line seemingly taking notes from The Boss. For more info on Reggae Sumfest 2023 check out www.reggaesumfest.com

MAY 2023 THE VOICE |

Lifestyle

Tale of love and Haiti... and voodoo

IRECTOR OLA Ince has told Lifestyle she aims to deliver the musical Once On This Island with a dose of Voodoo reality that has been missing from previous productions. The award-winning musical kicks off the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s 2023 season this month. A story of love, grief, faith and hope, Once On This Island tells of peasant girl Ti Moune, a boy called Daniel, and a union which prejudice forbids. Ince, right, admits she wasn’t familiar with the story prior to being introduced to it but quickly became captivated by the narrative, and not for the reason most might think. “I didn’t know the musical at all before Regent’s Park Theatre sent it to me. When I heard it, I found it really intriguing and quite jarring,” Ince said. She added: “Why were these people singing so happily about colourism, what is this? I’d never before heard or seen a musical that spoke about colonialism and colourism, especially within the

Director Ola Ince’s new musical Once On This Island aims to challenge perceptions. By Joel Campbell Caribbean so frankly. And I wanted to find out more. “The story is set in Haiti, when the island was referred to as the Pearl of Antilles. “It was a French colony for a very long time and this story is about a dark skinned young woman who falls in love with a light skinned young man, and how forbidden that romance is and what she decides to sacrifice in order to try and pursue a relationship with him. “It’s also about what she ends up losing because of pursuing this relationship, which is not being supported by the community. That all comes from the French involvement in Haiti, that all comes from colonialism and colourism.” Based on a novel by Rosa Guy, the original West End production won Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards when it premiered in

10 May – 10 Jun

openairtheatre.com

1995 and the most recent Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 2018. Paying homage to the original author, Ince said: “It’s quite a deep story. Rosa Guy is a Trinidadian woman, I used to read her books as a teenager. “She lived in New York and she wrote a book called My Love, My Love: or The Peasant Girl, which is a much more visceral and spiritual version of this musical, which I’ve read a lot and I am trying to sow as much of the book back into the musical as possible. “The big thing that was important about this particular love story is Ti Moune’s belief system and how she tries to achieve her love and that’s through Voodoo. I think a lot of productions have shied away from that. Not that I have seen them all, but I thought that we should really embrace that. That is the heritage, that

is the culture of Haiti and it has been demonised. I want people to watch the show and go ‘Voodoo is a religion, that’s it’. “Just like everyone is able to be respectful towards Christianity, Hinduism or Sikhism, why not have the same amount of respect for Voodoo?” Ince’s work is known for challenging perceptions and presenting ‘facts’. Excited to be taking on the award-winning story, she enthused: “Once On This Island is a poignant, moving and politically charged story. “I’m thrilled to be working with an extraordinarily talented team at Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre; a place where true magic happens. It’s a dream come true.” Catch the full video interview on our website. May 10 – June 10, 2023 Assisted Performances: Mon-Sat 8pm, Thu & Sat 3pm BSL Interpreted: June 6, 8pm Captioned: June 9, 8pm Audio Described & Touch Tour: June 10, 3pm, Tickets from £25 www.openairtheatre.com

PRESENTING THE ‘FACTS’: Ola Ince is excited to be taking on the award-winning story

52 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

Lifestyle

Why being different is a strength and not a weakness

Fats Timbo is hoping others will gain inspiration from her book and follow her lead by facing their challenges head-on. By Joel Campbell

ATS TIMBO’S new book is a triumph of resilience and self-acceptance, a heartfelt call to arms for anyone who has ever felt out of place in the world. Through her own journey of self-discovery, Fats has learned to embrace her differences and use them as a source of strength, rather than weakness. Her ten commandments for living fearlessly are a roadmap for anyone seeking to do the same. “My new book is inspired by my life story and what I have gone through in my life in terms of my disability and the challenges that come with it. “It’s called Main Character Energy: 10 Commandments for Living Life Fearlessly, and the reason I have that name is because we are all main characters in our own lives. We often forget about that because we are too busy caring about others, what they think and what they feel. “We’re born alone, apart from twins, we die alone and fearlessness is something that I have definitely been doing my whole life. Every time I step out of my house, every time I step into a new building, every time I meet new people, it’s fearlessness. “So I just wanted to share that sentiment with people. When I was trying to be more confident, what helped me was reading self-help books. So my book is a mix between a self-help book and an autobiography.” Growing up with achondroplasia, Fats faced numerous challenges that many of us can

only imagine. She was constantly reminded of her differences, whether it was through the stares of strangers or the insensitive comments of peers. But instead of hiding away, Fats learned to stand tall and face the world head-on. “It started even before my life began,” Fats explains. “My mum and dad found out that I would either have Down’s syndrome or Dwarfism, because doctors called my mum into hospital when my mum was six months pregnant to tell her that my head was growing bigger than my body. They asked her if she wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but my mum had already fallen in love with me as I was growing inside her, so she said no. “It all starts from there and it shows the love that they have always shown me throughout my life. So I came out with Dwarfism, and with Dwarfism it’s a lack of

cartilage in my joints that affects the way my body grows, so my torso is average height but my arms and legs are shorter than usual. “About 75 per cent of people with Dwarfism have achondroplasia. Dwarfism as a whole happens to one in 30,000 births, so it’s very, very rare.” She added: “I grew up with achondroplasia and, when I realised I was smaller than everyone else, I realised that I couldn’t run as fast as everyone else. I couldn’t reach things the same way everyone else could. “That really affected me because I was thinking why am I not growing the same way that everyone else was. “I was so confused, I didn’t know, I didn’t understand it. I was about five-years-old and people were way taller than me and I was tiny. It made me realise that I was different.”

EXERCISES

In her new book, Fats shares her personal journey of self-acceptance, offering practical advice and exercises for readers to follow. Each chapter includes a section for personal journaling, encouraging readers to reflect on their own experiences and discover their own superpowers. But this is more than just a selfhelp book. It is a call to action, a demand for greater acceptance and understanding of those who are different. Fats wants readers to take her message and use it

ROLE MODEL: Fats Timbo has not allowed her disability to get the better of her, and she is now firmly reaping the rewards and looks to help others (photo: Linda Blacker) to create a better, more inclusive world. Through her work as a comedian and disability advocate, Fats has become a role model for millions of young women around the world. Her infectious personality and quick wit have won her a legion of fans, but it is her unwavering commitment to authenticity and self-love that sets her apart. “As a teenager, I think those were my worst years with achondroplasia. “I think that’s when I was very suicidal, I didn’t want to be on this earth any more. I had very low self-esteem, I hated going out, I hated social interaction. I was at a very low point, but I think when I started getting tired of that version of me I started the self-help books and I started manifestation, I didn’t know what I wanted to manifest but I knew it would be great. “What was important to me at that time was to try and gain some confidence from some-

first ever modelling gig and it’s

“I was suicidal, for underwear, ok. “That was a massive challenge but I started because I threw myself right into deep end, but afterwards I getting tired of the felt absolutely amazing, I felt regood about myself, I felt like that version of ally I was representing, and when me so I started I posted it on Instagram that’s when it went ‘boom’, things went with self-help insane.” At its core, Main Character books” Energy: 10 Commandments for thing. I saw an advert for people who had Dwarfism, albinism, alopecia, and for me I thought, wow, they are calling my name. It was about inclusivity and I felt that I needed to do something like that so that I could come out of my comfort zone. “As well as not feeling confident at the same time, I would want to challenge myself. So when they accepted me and said ‘oh, by the way, the campaign is for underwear’, I was like, wow, ok. “Even more of a challenge, my

Living Life Fearlessly is about finding the courage to be yourself in a world that often seems designed to crush individuality. It is a testament to the power of resilience and the importance of self-love. And it is a message that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can benefit from hearing. “I can’t wait for people to read it, get the feedback and feel the love that I am trying to give,” Fats enthused. Watch the full interview: www.voice-online.co.uk

Share the legacy of 40 years of Black British Lives with loved ones in 2023

With a foreword by Sir Lenny Henry, this book shares the Black British experience reﬂecting on what has changed and what remains the same. It is a great read for the family.

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54 | THE VOICE MAY 2023

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OF SPORT NEWSPAPER

‘They understand me’ Judo star Ashley McKenzie on why he decided to represent Jamaica. By Matthew Chadder

HREE-TIME OLYMPIAN Ashley McKenzie has enjoyed a fruitful career in judo and will now take his talents from Great Britain to Jamaica. He has made the switch because he is of the opinion that the Caribbean island has greater ‘understanding’ of his needs. During his career, Ashley has competed at three Olympics, made his Olympic debut at London 2012, and has since won two European bronze medals in 2013 and 2018. The athlete has featured on various reality shows, such as Celebrity Big Brother and Ex on the Beach. Ashley will represent Jamaica with immediate effect during the upcoming International Judo Tour and spoke of his excitement at the switch. MC: Why do you think more athletes are making the switch to represent Jamaica? AMc: I think it’s down to the understanding. Being Jamaican, they have given me full support. I can do whatever tournaments and competitions I want to do. I can go to the World Championships, the Olympics, with my coach that coaches me every day, who knows me inside out. I think a lot of athletes get a

TALENT: Ashley McKenzie has competed at three Olympics for Great Britain

lot of freedom when they switch and that alone makes someone happier and want to train and succeed. It does mean a lot to me because my dad’s Jamaican and they’ve welcomed me with open arms, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted, to have a bit of understanding. MC: How much pride and excitement do you have to represent Jamaica? AMc: I’ve got so much pride. My dad has been a big part of my life, he has supported me so much in the early stages of my career and I’ll happily say I’m mixed race and half Jamaican. I will hold that flag up high. I like reggae music, Caribbean food, it’s just me so I’m very proud to represent Jamaica. I’m not doing it because it’s easier, I’m doing it because I want to represent them. MC: Talk to me about your judo journey so far? AMc: When I was born, I had a hole in my heart, and I have ADHD. I

wasn’t allowed to do boxing because I used to have epileptic fits, so my mum didn’t want me to get into boxing. When I was 11, I was playing Pokemon cards and a guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to swap but he wouldn’t give my card

back. I went to hit him, and he just threw me so I ran home and told my mum, and we found out about judo, and I asked if I could give it a go! Don’t get me wrong, it’s been very hard, doing judo and having ADHD. I came fifth in the Youth Olympics and Mark England came up to me and said: ‘If you just keep your head down, you’ll make it,’ and I was like ‘Yeah right, do you know who I am?’ I remember coming in from

judo, and there was a letter that had arrived and my mum giving it to me with a smile on her face, but she was also crying, and it said Ashley McKenzie, you’ve made it to the 2012 Olympics! I was very grateful for my mum and dad’s support and my family. However, I was 22, I was still very young. Years later, in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, I managed to get to the finals, and it was one of the best moments of my life because I was around the people that

I had given hell to when I was younger. Just to give back to them was special and things just snowballed, and I managed to go to another Olympics. It is now at a point where my final Olympics will be in Paris next year. Paris is important to me because in one of my first major tournaments, the Paris Grand Slam, I got a medal, in front of my daughter who is French. So, I thought to myself, I could easily just quit, but I decided to go and fight for Jamaica.

Boxing icon Lewis admits to being in ‘some mentally tough places’ By Rodney Hinds LENNOX LEWIS, former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world, has confessed that he has been in some mentally tough places during his illustrious career. Lewis, the 1988 Olympic champion, believes that having the right mentality drives success in boxing, drawing on his own personal experiences growing up and throughout the sport. On mentality in boxing, he told Laureus.com: “Boxing is an individual sport, so the outcome really depends just solely on you. With a team sport like basketball or football or soccer,

you’re depending on other players. So, that’s why boxing, if you’re focused and mentally strong, you’ll succeed. “There’s been a lot of mentally tough places in my career, and, you know, if I didn’t have good people around me, I probably don’t know where I would end up on that. But I had great people around me talking to me, and, you know, great people to go and speak to. “I know, even seeing, nowadays, boxers dealing with mental challenges, some of them can’t take it and they implode. And, I’ve seen the results of the imploding in the ring, you know, and it’s not a nice thing and you don’t want to be that guy.” The highly respected Lewis also had

his say on the current generation of heavyweight fighters and believes that Fury v Usyk needs to happen. The 57-year-old believes that WBC title-holder Fury is the best heavyweight boxer of this era and that he must take on WBO, WBA and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk. When discussing the current status of heavyweight boxing in the world, Lewis, said: “The crop of heavyweights that we have now, we’ve got Tyson Fury at the top, a great heavyweight for this era. He’s southpaw and orthodox, he boxes both ways. “He loves Muhammad Ali, like me… he loves me. And he was able to draw energy from me, Muhammad Ali, and

EXPERIENCES: Lennox Lewis the fighters that he loves and put them on himself. “So, when you talk about eras, he’s definitely the top man in this era. And if you talk about the last era, you’re only talking about me, Evander Holyfield

and Mike Tyson. So, this era’s definitely got three top guys.” Lewis, who became the last male fighter to claim the undisputed heavyweight title after defeating Evander Holyfield in November 1999, is now a commentator in the sport and believes that Fury v Usyk, which is currently ‘off’ according to promoters, is the most sought-after fight in the sport. He added: “The two guys that I want to see right now probably would be Fury and Usyk. That would be a great fight. Plus, I believe they have to meet me because I’m the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world right now. So, in order for one of those guys to have my crown, they have to fight.”

MAY 2023 THE VOICE | 55

Sport

Duo helping to conquer swimming fears head on Visionaries’ SOUL CAP brand aims to improve drowning rate statistics among Black people. By Rodney Hinds

ITH BLACK children being three times more likely to drown than white children, SOUL CAP, the swim brand, conducted a series of focus groups looking into the challenges and barriers behind the lack of Black people taking part in swimming both leisurely and professionally. The results of the focus group found that the barriers stopping Black people from swimming or learning to swim centred around a range of issues. These included: • HAIR – The maintenance of Black hair and skin, especially for women. With this being conducive to body confidence, swimming’s daily inconveniences outweigh its long-term reward • FEAR – An inherited fear of water and large bodies of water • PRIDE – Pride and shame of having to learn a new skill while already having the innate belief that swimming is something they just can’t do • MYTHS – Cultural myths about Black people being unable or less able to swim due to physical attributes like bone density • REPRESENTATION – The lack of representation at a professional or personal level leaving no affinity with swimming and undertones of swimming not being a safe space for Black people Within the UK Black community, only four per cent of adults and 21 per cent of kids swim regularly, with only two per cent of all UK swimmers being Black. It’s important that measures are put in place to educate and encourage this community to confront their fears and the stigma head on, get in the water and find the joy in swimming. Now there is pride in the fact that SOUL CAP has now been approved for use in Olympic competition by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation), supporting Black swimmers’ goals at the

most elite level. SOUL CAP has launched the SWIM PROUD campaign and fund to help increase participation and improve the non-swimmer and drowning rate statistics among Black people. Swimming is an essential survival skill, one that has traditionally been very inaccessible for the Black community to learn due to the many deeply rooted barriers. A crucial first step to overcoming whatever is holding Black people back from learning to swim is the realisation and conviction that swimming is in fact for them too. SOUL CAP want to give the Black community confidence in the water by showing them that the pool is an arena they too can inhabit. SOUL CAP have launched SWIM PROUD in a nationwide campaign and across digital channels. The campaign was created by Octagon, with researched by Studio Exception and is supported by advertising corporation JC Decaux. “We feel there’s no better source to pour into than grassroots – the hard work and dedication we’ve seen from teachers,

IMPACT: SOUL CAP founders Michael Chapman and Toks Ahmed

coaches and athletes behind the scenes inspired us to create The SOUL CAP Foundation,” says co-founder Michael Chapman. “As part of our charity, we’ve created a dedicated Swim Proud Fund to support UK-based projects that create a positive impact on Black swimming. “We’re so proud to be a part of facilitating impact and change

in communities through our platform – we can’t wait to see the projects come to life through this initiative.” According to statistics from Swim England, 95 per cent of Black adults and 80 per cent of Black children have not been swimming in more than a year. The SWIM PROUD Fund is committed to supporting swim-

EXPOSURE: SOUL CAP’s campaign is supported by advertising giant JC Decaux; left, Olympic swimmer Alice Dearing wearing a SOUL CAP

ming programmes, pool access and water-safety initiatives throughout the UK. The fund will help mobilise grassroot initiatives across the UK and provide financial support for swimming equipment, teacher training, swimming education and water safety. Founded in 2017 by Chapman and Toks Ahmed, the Blackowned business has helped over 120,000 swimmers find their fit and has spent the last few years campaigning for greater accessibility in swimming, with an emphasis on swim education and encouraging under-represented communities to learn and compete. Understanding Black swimmers needs, as two men who went from non-swimmers to active swimmers, they took pride in removing an obstacle that stopped Black people from getting in the water, with the launch of their swimming cap designed to fit swimmers with afro, curly, and thicker hair types. Ahmed said: “We became inspired by a story, then our story inspired other stories.

Since launching SOUL CAP in 2017, one of our favourite parts has been connecting with others over their swimming stories and personal relationship with the water. “We love the positive success stories of learning as an adult or going from leisure to competition training – but there’s a reality of deep-rooted barriers that disproportionately block access for Black people to thrive in the water. “It’s been amazing for us to be a part of the research to dig beyond the stats and use conversation to identify the key barriers and specific themes behind the disparity. “By sharing our results, our hopes are for all change-makers in the swim space to have more insight into what areas need responding to. This is a collective problem, and we know the power community has to create change.” Applications for the SWIM PROUD Fund are now open. For details on how to apply, eligibility and T&C’s visit www.soulcap.com

TOP SPORTS COVERAGE 24/7 VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK/SPORT

OF SPORT NEWSPAPER

MAY 2023 | THE VOICE

TEAMWORK: Rugby Polo Clubs instructors James Stanwick, Alex Choma and Angus Willison with the South Central Youth participants at the end of the course celebrating their mini tournament (photos: Power of Polo)

Power of Polo kicks off new year of programs Charity’s mission is to utilise the sport to positively impact the lives of young people By Rodney Hinds

OWER OF Polo’s first charity polo camp of the year was held at the Rugby Polo Club and hosted seven young people and two youth leaders from South Central Youth (SCY), a Lambeth-based charity working to improve the life chances of young people in some of London’s toughest communities. The four-day camp saw boys and girls aged 12-15 learn all about the game of polo. Power of Polo is a UK charity whose mission is to develop programs utilising the sport of polo to positively impact the lives of anyone facing social, economic or health challenges by improving selfconfidence, teamwork, and additional life skills. The model is one of partnership, collaboration, and facilitation accomplished by bringing together charities, polo clubs and other relevant organisations with the common aim of making these programmes a reality.

POSITIVE CHANGE: South Central Youth participants and instructors Through participation in the camp, the young people not only learned about working with and caring for horses, riding, and strategy of the game but gained valuable insights into working as a team, building self-confidence learning patience, and growing leadership and communications skills including social media.

“We are so excited to have such an incredible group of young people participating in our first camp of 2023 with our original partner SCY,” said Katy Hayward, founder and CEO, Power of Polo. “I am always amazed at how they dive right in, challenging their fears and how much positive change we see in them in such a short time – gaining confidence, coming

out of their shells, interacting with the wonderful team here at Rugby Polo Club as well as the horses and each other. “It really is so powerful to see and be a part of. I can’t wait to continue to build the charity for our June Change Your Line Tournament and beyond reaching more vulnerable populations across the UK. It is so important for us as a club to be able to provide this opportunity for these boys and girls who wouldn’t normally have access to our sport. For them to engage with our club, our staff and our horses and for us to introduce this sport to them is such a privilege.” Phil Baker, owner and HPA coach, Rugby Polo Club, said: “You can see a change in them from the very first day and it’s inspiring to see the impact this sport has on these young people. We look forward to working on future programmes increasing the accessibility of the sport.” With the generous support of major sponsor OSUK, a subsidiary of OUTSOURCING Incorporated, Japan (OSI) and our annual donors Amelie Draper and Richard Farmiloe, Power of Polo

is developing a series of spring camps that will prepare youth and adults from various different charities across the country. Working in conjunction with the Guards Polo Academy, the participants will participate in the Change Your Line Charity Cup, an exhibition tournament that will be played the morning before the semi-final of the prestigious OUTSOURCING! Royal Windsor Cup at Guards Polo Club, Windsor on June 23. The tournament will showcase the work and successes of the Power of Polo program, its partnering polo clubs and charities as well as the participants who have successfully completed this year’s camps.

The Voice Newspaper: May 2023

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