The Voice Newspaper October 2020 by thevoicemediagroup

OCTOBER 2020 • ISSUE NO. 1911

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Celebrating Black History Month 2020

DYNAMIC DUO Leading the way on and oﬀ screen

She was captivated by luminaries such as Sir Trevor McDonald and Moira Stuart on her TV screen – and now she is a Sky News anchor.

Gillian Joseph - Page 4

Her new children’s programme focuses on educating British youngsters – and their parents – about the real impact of divisions in society.

Charlene White - Page 57

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Inside

ROUNDUP

THIS MONTH

NEWSPAPER

Spotlight Fayth Ifil

News, views, stories & videos

Gillian Joseph: 'My home is my haven'

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

David Olusoga says that we must be optimistic amid negativity p8

1. Ethiopian opens new world-class passenger terminal at Addis Ababa Bole international airport

Ethiopian Airlines Group announced that it has successfully completed a new passenger terminal at its hub Addis Ababa Bole International Airport with emphasis on bio security and bio safety measures.

2. Ex Reggae Boyz skipper seeks new club Adrian Mariappa is still searching for a new club following release by recently relegated Watford.

Could Kamala Harris inspire Britain's first black female PM?

3. Ten inspirational quotes from powerful black women

From Maya Angelou to Michelle Obama – it's time to get motivated.

p16-17

4. Outrage as Matalan dresses black kids in monkey onesies

Tributes to the late Patsy Robertson p44-45

Customers complain to clothing retailer Matalan after the chain used two black children to model monkey outfits.

5. Besiktas blow for Balotelli leaves LA Galaxy in pole position

Mario Balotelli is being courted by a clutch of clubs with wealthy LA Galaxy.

6. Tooting market reverses eviction decision of black-owned food business after wrongful police drug raid

Helping kids navigate the reality of racism through TV

Two black-owned businesses were handed evictions by Tooting Market management.

7. QI Group wins 'Best Companies To Work For' HR award

p57

Aprayer's world: Meet the young girl destined for stardom p59

QI Group was recognised at the recent Hong Kong HR Asia Awards.

8. Jo Malone apologies to John Boyega after axing him from advert in China

The Star Wars actor reportedly found out he had been axed from the advert via Twitter.

9. Black Valley launches new scheme to get more black people into tech

Driving ambition: Nicola Bennett is bucking the golfing trend

Black Valley aims to improve social mobility.

10. Jamaica lifeline could rescue Morrison Ravel Morrison, a free agent after being released by Sheffield United last month, is being touted to finally make his international debut for Jamaica.

p62

This issue is 64 pages. The normal 72-page issue will resume soon.

"I STARTED singing when I was eight years old. I was inspired by my cousin Shaniah who had an amazing voice, I used to love watching her perform in local talent shows. My mum heard a vibrato in my voice and encouraged me to pursue singing further. "As well as singing, I liked the idea of acting and began going to a performing arts class on a Saturday. This helped me build my confidence, and led me to audition for the part of Annie at a local performing arts workshop which was held by my performing arts class. I was so excited when I got the part! Performing as Annie made me want to do even more acting because I loved the buzz of performing in front of an audience. I then decided to audition for the West End musical School of Rock. "I got my first role in the West End as Tomika in School of Rock, this was a lead singing role and was an amazing experience. I later joined Tina and got the role of Alline. It was only a small part, but was a great experience because I got to learn a little bit of stage fighting. I also got to work with Adrienne Warren who played Tina at the time. She is an incredible performer and I look up to her in many ways. After six months of playing the role of Alline, I auditioned for young Tina and got the part. I loved this role, young Tina has so much sass and energy, not to mention I got to play a singing icon! "Auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent was very different to my roles in the West End. I was on my own on the stage and I only had one chance to impress the judges. It was amazing to get the golden buzzer from Simon Cowell! I never imagined that would happen to me, but it’s given me the confidence and motivation to work hard and believe in myself. It’s made me realise I can achieve anything I put my mind to. "My dream is to travel the world performing for people and sharing happiness. I’d love to release an album one day and share my voice with everyone. I’m really grateful for everyone who has supported and believed in me, it means the world to me."

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NEWSPAPER

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 3

News

UK media still fails to represent BAME communities, study says

Journalism remains dominated by white men – despite the growing need for black voices to be heard THE PAST AND THE PRESENT: Fewer opportunities are available to men and women of colour in the world of journalism – but this is nothing new, as depicted in this image of the Evening Standard offices in 1975 (photo: Evening Standard/Getty)

By Ilayda McIntosh

R ECENT STUDY, entitled A Week In British News, has found that the UK media fails to equally represent BAME communities. The research conducted by charity organisation Women in Journalism examined national newspapers and prime time TV and radio across a single week (July 13-19, 2020). The study was conducted by 12 journalism students from City University of London and University of Westminster and was funded by Tesco. Eleanor Mills, former editorial director of The Sunday Times and chair of Women in Journalism, coordinated the study. In an interview on BBC 4’s The Media Show, Mills said: “There’s been a lot of talk in the wake of Black Lives Matter about how media organisations need to be more representative. “It’s known that the media is not wonderfully diverse – but we wanted to see if things have got any better. We’ve studied about 100 hours of prime time news shows on TV and radio and the national newspaper front pages for a week ... the results are shocking.”

Across the single week, not a single black reporter was featured on the front page of a national newspaper. Additionally, out of the 174 bylines studied, only one in four went to women, and not a single black woman had a story on the front take.

grounds. However, out of the 723 prime time reporters observed, 13 per cent were from BAME backgrounds, with only four being black. Mills noted that the demographic of younger generations are gradually becoming more diverse,

QUOTED

Ultimately, we know that the media at large is painfully under-representative

A Week In British News also examined those quoted on the front pages. Out of 111 people quoted, only three BAME women were quoted, one being Priti Patel. Of the three, only one was a black woman – Jen Reed who was quoted in The Guardian after a statue of her was erected in the place of slave trader Edward Colston. The findings from TV were mildly better than that of the newspapers. Thirty per cent of prime time news presenters are from BAME back-

therefore it’s “not surprising that the media is losing younger viewers and readers when they are so under-represented”. “If all the stories you read are refracted through the view of a whole load of old white posh blokes on the backbench then you end up with a very weird view of the world,” she said. Founder of digital publication gal-dem, Liv Little, pictured left, also commented on the findings on BBC 4’s The Media Show: “It’s painfully

depressing to hear these numbers because these are things that we already know because we experience and live through these things every single day. “It’s shocking, sad, frustrating and bittersweet that it takes what has happened in recent

months to actually spur on these conversations and research. “Ultimately, we know that media at large is painfully under-representative.” Little attributed the racial disparity in media, with lack of opportunity for people of colour within the industry. She added: “There are opportunities [for BAME candidates] to get in at entry level but there isn’t a huge amount of progression. “It tends to be people of colour who are on temp or freelance contracts. This is exactly the reason that gal-dem exists. There is a range of perspectives for young women and nonbinary people of colour to tell their stories.” However, the findings of

A Week In Journalism have been apparent for many years. A 2016 study, conducted by City University London, found that British journalism is 94 per cent white, 86 per cent university-educated and 55 per cent male. City’s research found that female journalists remain underpaid and under-promoted and only 0.2 per cent of journalists are black. Class also greatly affects access to opportunities within media.

MOBILITY

The Sutton Trust, an educational charity which aims to improve social mobility and educational disadvantages, found that 51 per cent of the country’s leading journalists were educated privately, and 80 per cent of its top editors went to either private or grammar schools. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the media fails to accurately and fairly represent BAME communities, the working class, women and LGBTQIA+ communities when those producing the content can hardly relate to or understand the lived experiences of them. Whether it be sub-consciously, or consciously – there’s no denying a bias would be present and subsequently alter the

way stories are told and reported upon. If anything, the above research demonstrates the imminent necessity for equal representation in British media, the consequences can be drastic. Founder of the cultivation theory George Gerbner coined the term, “symbolic annihilation”, which is “the idea that if you don’t see people like yourself in the media you consume, you must somehow be unimportant”. This is why representation is more than just a diversity quota – it can be incredibly damaging toward the self-perception within these communities. Publications and platforms such as The Voice, gal-dem, No Signal, Muslim Sisterhood, Between Borders, Plantain Papers, MESA Magazine, AZEEMA, The Floor magazine, ROOTS Journal and so many more demonstrate how powerful and empowering true representation can be for a community of colour. When you aren’t offered a seat at the table, you build your own. The report in full can be found here: https://womeninjournal-

ism.co.uk/lack-diversity-britishnewsrooms

4 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

News

At home with Gillian Joseph

SCREEN QUEEN: Gillian Joseph says her home is her haven after a hectic day at Sky News

As a young girl, she was captivated by the likes of Sir Trevor McDonald and Moira Stuart on her TV screen – and now, the Sky News anchor is reaching a milestone in the role she has worked so hard for. Here, she sheds light on her life in and out of work

TN, THE television news organisation, is celebrating its 50th year this Black History Month. And it’s apt because it has a glorious history of leading the way in diversity in front of the cameras. Sir Trevor McDonald was the first black news anchor on television. Barbara Blake Hannah, five years before, was an onscreen reporter, and Cy Grant read the news in calypso in the 1960s. But in 1973, ITN bit the bullet and put a black man (McDonald) in the anchor’s seat of its main news programme.

ICONIC

It took eight years for the BBC to follow suit with not just a black news anchor, but a female one at that. That was in 1981, when Moira Stuart became an iconic symbol for young black girls who wanted to be just like her. Gillian Joseph was one of those young black girls. Sir Trevor McDonald and Moira Stuart were her role models.

I’m constantly working, even when I’m not on air She achieved her dream and has become one of Britain’s best-known and much-loved news anchors. And when she finally met Sir Trevor he told her what a fan of hers he was – and then he introduced her to Her Majesty the Queen! On September 12, Gillian was celebrating 15 years as one of the faces of Sky News Breakfast. So how does a celebrity with a high-powered job like her’s do it with a husband and three children in tow? She gave us a sneak preview into her hectic work schedule, the domestic lifestyle she maintains and the happy family home that underpins it all. Current job: Sky TV news presenter (Sky News Breakfast 6am - 10am on Saturdays, Sky News Breakfast 6am - 8.30am on Sundays, as well as Mondays and Fridays on shifting times) Home: Stanmore, North London Family: Husband Tunde, daughters Tiwa and Dara and son Ore Salary: Six figures I wake up at 3am. Every time the alarm goes I think, ‘No, this can’t be happening

to me again’. I’ve been getting up early for work for a number of years. Despite that, it doesn’t get any easier when that alarm goes. So I get up, sit on the bed and feel sorry for myself for a few minutes before jumping in the shower. I get the stories we’ll be covering sent to me the night before and I’m briefed on the guests. But you cannot prepare for breaking news you have to react to live on air.

ADRENALINE

I don’t eat breakfast. I don’t eat anything until I come off air at 10am. I feed off my adrenaline on air, but as soon as I come off I’m ravenous. Therein lies my problem. Apparently the body cannot differentiate between fatigue and hunger. The reality is that I’m tired and need to sleep when I come off air, but I don’t recognise that, so I graze all the way home. My body is in a constant state of siege and I never know if I want to sleep or I want to eat. I’m constantly working, even when I’m not on air. In my job you have to, to keep up with the relentless pace of 24-hour news. Even on holiday. I’m looking at the Sky ticker going across the screen, even now. Being on air is like your final year exams – it is absolutely exhausting. I don’t think people realise – you’d be surprised at the number of people who think you just turn up and sit there. I wouldn’t say I’m famous, but I am constantly recognised. I always feel I have to be on my best behaviour and held on a

@thevoicenewspaper

different level of account. I was very conscious of the rules during lockdown. If a member of the public saw me on Sky News then saw me breaking the rules it would be an issue. I have a large wardrobe because I am on TV so much. I have had to add a whole floor in our house for my clothes. I can wear the same outfit twice, but not within the same month. I have a rotation in my mind so I know when it’s okay for an outfit to resurface. I do my hair myself now –

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I have spent too much time in hairdressers. At home I stress about my children – are they happy? How is my eldest performing in her new job? Did my middle child, who is going to university, get the right grades? And I worry about how missing school for six months has affected my son.

HAVEN

But home is still my haven when I close that front door on the world I start to relax. I think about things so

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much my husband says he hears me sighing in my sleep. I leave the snoring to him – he’s very good at it. My bedroom is my favourite room. I spend far too much time in it because it’s a fair size. When we watch a film together, all five of us, it’s sometimes on my bed. It’s like an entertainment room at the moment. The best thing about my house: it’s not like an English house. It’s has a veranda – like in the Caribbean.

www.voice-online.co.uk

THE WEEKLY GLEANER

SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ 5

6 | THE VOICE

OCTOBER 2020

News

PIECE OF BLACK HISTORY BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

VALUABLE RESOURCE: Just two copies of William Hall’s account of his life as a slave are thought to have survived and offer an insight into his individual experiences. Cardiff University have one of the copies, which they have made available online; below, the book preface

William Hall’s experience as a slave and his journey to Wales in the 19th Century is now available after being published online

V ERY RARE piece of Wales’ black history has been published online for the first time. William Hall’s Personal Narrative, published in the city’s Bute Street in 1862, is a graphic account of his birth into slavery in Tennessee, and his arduous journey to Cardiff. Hall describes being sold to various plantation owners, detailing multiple attempts to escape his captors, as well as his encounters with other escaped slaves. Now held in Cardiff Uni-

versity’s Special Collections and Archives, it is believed to be one of two surviving copies in the world. It is a small, fragile pamphlet

ian Tracey Stanley said: “This unique document is such an important part of the black history of Cardiff, and Wales, and we wanted to make it available to

We hope this work will inspire a new generation of researchers to explore black history in Wales which will now be available online for anyone to read and download. Director of Cardiff University Libraries and University Librar-

everyone. We’re still discovering more about William Hall and his life thanks to our ongoing research. “By publishing this work on-

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line, we hope to inspire a new generation of researchers who will go on to explore black history in Wales.” The document was originally funded by people attending Cardiff’s Wesleyan chapels, and sheds light on historic support for the anti-slavery movement in the city. Due to its rare and fragile nature, the pamphlet would normally be handled under specialist conditions at Cardiff University’s Special Collections and Archives. The lockdown period has made accessing rare books a particular challenge for researchers – and digital technol-

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ogy is providing a way for this work to continue. Alan Vaughan Hughes, Head of Special Collections and Archives at Cardiff University, pictured inset, said: “Our staff have been working hard to support students and researchers during this difficult l o c k down period. Here at Special Collections and Archives, that includes bringing some unique texts online that may be rare or too fragile to handle”. “Historic works by black authors – such as William Hall’s work – deserve a wider audi-

voicenews

ence, and we’re proud to be able to share this with the public today through the Internet Archive. “We’re also grateful to Professor William Jones and Dr David Wyatt for shedding light on this significant document through their research.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

t n e m e v e i h c Black A 0 2 0 2 e c n e r e f Con 2 0 2 r e b o t c O 1 3 y a d r u Sat Time: 10am – 1:45pm

MARCH 2020

Get inspired at our Black Achievement Conference! In celebration of Black History Month we’re inviting you to join us Send money or pay bills with JN Money onand our online webinar.

by choosing any of the following options: On the day: Closing date for applications: • Hear from a great line-up of speakers from the African/Caribbean Sunday 20 September 2020

Free to attend DEBIT CARD VISITfrom A STORE Open to students state schools and colleges, years 10-13.

We hope to see you there! Swipe your Pay using JN Visit lse.ac.uk/blackachievementconference Money Online debit card at a to sign up. directly from your JN Money Brought to you by LSE’s Widening Participation debit Team.card location

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8 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Column

WHY WE MUST EMBRACE OPTIMISM AMID TURMOIL 2020 has been one of the most difficult years we have ever had to endure. But, says David Olusoga, despite this, the anger and frustration we feel can only benefit us in the long term – and we’ve already started to see that

S WE enter the final months of 2020 - the year of Black Lives Matter, toppled statues and an unprecedented national conversation about race and racism – how should we feel about it all? Should we be generally optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Should we conclude that what happened this summer here in Britain and across the world – was an historic moment of change, loaded with potential for yet greater transformation? Or should we draw the opposite conclusion and assume that what we have just witnessed was merely a passing moment, an event rather than the beginning of a process?

INGRAINED

As so often the case for pessimism is the easier of the two to make. Pessimism is justified because of what it is we are up against - the idea of race. Centuries-old and deeply ingrained within our society race casts a heavy shadow over the modern world. Like many of the most powerful and most toxic ideas it has become so normalised that many of those who are advantaged by it are unaware of their privilege. To make the case for optimism is to ask that millions of people who live their lives under the shadow of race to believe that

Companies big and small now acknowledge the structural nature of racism in the near future they might escape into the light. That is quite an ask. Optimism is often dismissed as wishful thinking but this year the case for optimism has to be made because in 2020 events have taken place that no one would have predicted back in January. If, for example, someone had told me nine months ago that by Black History Month 2020 the statute of the slave trader Edward Colston, that had stood for 125 years in the centre of Bristol, would be lying on its back in a council lock up covered in graffiti and scratches, having been torn

down by protestors, I would have dismiss them as a fantasist. Yet in June we all witnessed Colston’s bronze effigy, all eight foot three inches of it, dragged to the pavement and thrown into the harbour from which over 2,000 slave trading expeditions set sail. From that moment onwards 2020 has been a year of impossibilities made possible. Another unimaginable event took place in September when the Colston Society, which for 275 years had celebrated and memorialised the reputation of Colston voted for its own dissolution.

WORSHIP

After the events of the summer the excuses and self-rationalisation that for so many years had been successfully deployed to justify the worship of a man who traded in human flesh were simply no longer viable. The game was up. The cause was lost. But perhaps the most significant changes of 2020 have been those focused on changing the future rather than reassessing the past. At the beginning of 2020 thousands of British companies, corporations and institutions talked-the-talk about diversity and inclusion but could not find the institutional will to change their internal cultures and recruitment practices. Now, in the final months of 2020, companies big and small and whole sectors of the economy now acknowledge the structural nature of racism and have committed themselves to new courses of action on diversity and inclusion that in some cases are radical and potentially transformative. Some did much more than

@thevoicenewspaper

PANDEMIC PROTEST: Bristol’s statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down in June issuing statements in support of Black Lives Matter and launched internal audits of their processes in order to better understand how their cultures

condemned the dance troupe Diversity for performing a routine inspired by Black Lives Matter on Britain’s Got Talent. ITV not only offered their

year something like that might have been the outcome. But not in 2020. In an interview in June the legendary American activist Angela Davis described 2020 as the year in which “we are finally witnessing the consequences of decades and centuries of attempting to expel racism from our societies”.

In 2020, a year unlike any other, the arrival of Black History Month should inspire us MOMENT to seize the possibilities Davis The rise of Black Lives Matter, speaks of and demand change she argued, has created “a moand practices incubated structural racism. Schemes to bring black people into jobs and into leadership positions are being launched across the economy. More is needed but the commitments made in 2020 exceed what anyone realistically expected might be achieved at the beginning of this year. In my own industry TV a host of new initiatives have been launched and just this month ITV stood up to the critics who

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backing to Ashley Banjo, pictured far left, and his dancers, the broadcaster took out full-page advertisements in national newspapers affirming their determination to and defend the rights of this group of young black people to use dance to express their feelings about the historic events we are all living through. The easier route for ITV would have been to distance itself from the affair. In another

voicenews

ment of possibility”. “What we are offered,” Davis counselled, “is the possibility of reimagining and recreating” the future. In 2020, a year unlike any other, the arrival of Black History Month should inspire us seize the possibilities Davis speaks of, and demands, change that up to now we have dared to even imagine. If ever there was a year to put pessimism aside and embrace optimism this is it.

www.voice-online.co.uk

t n e m e v e i h c Black A 0 2 0 2 e c n e r e f Con 2 0 2 r e b o t c O 1 3 y a d r u Sat Time: 10am – 1:45pm

MARCH 2020

THE VOICE| 7

t n e m e v e i h c Black A 0 2 0 2 e c n e r e f Con

Get inspired at our Black Achievement Conference! 0 2celebration 0 2 r e b o t c O 1 In of Black 3 y a d r u Sat History Month we’re m p 5 :4 Time: 10am – 1 inviting you to join us on our online webinar.

Closing date for applications: Sunday 20 September 2020

Free to attend Open to students from state schools and colleges, years 10-13. We hope to see you there! Visit lse.ac.uk/blackachievementconference to sign up.

Closing date for applications: Sunday204September October 2020 Sunday 2020

Brought to you by LSE’s Widening Participation Team.

Free to attend Open to students from state schools and colleges, years 10-13. We hope to see you there! Visit lse.ac.uk/blackachievementconference to sign up. Brought to you by LSE’s Widening Participation Team.

Get inspired at our Black On the day: Achievement Conference! from a great line-up of speakers • Hear the African/Caribbean In from celebration of Black community including academics Learn what Month you need towe’re do • History to ace anyou LSE application inviting to join us out about student life • Find on our online webinar. If you have any questions: Please contact Nikita Gibbsday: at On the widening.participation@lse.ac.uk • Hear from a great line-up of speakers from the African/Caribbean community including academics

• Learn what you need to do

to ace an LSE application

• Find out about student life If you have any questions: Please contact Nikita Gibbs at widening.participation@lse.ac.uk

10 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

ADVERTORIAL

Compensation for Child Abuse Survivors

ambeth Council has enlisted the charity Voice4Change England and Black Thrive, a local grassroots partnership, to support the Black community’s access to a Redress Scheme that compensates those who survived neglect and abuse in the borough’s former children’s homes. The Lambeth Children’s Home Redress Scheme provides compensation and support to victims of child abuse, and those put in harm’s way, whilst at the homes which were open from the 1930s until the ‘80s and ‘90s. The two non-proﬁt organisations are working to reach people of Black African and Caribbean heritage, as they are currently underrepresented amongst those who have claimed redress. The Lambeth Children’s Homes Redress Scheme has been extended to the new closing date of 5pm on 1 January 2022.

Lambeth Council invites Black African and Caribbean people to claim Redress in a safe and conﬁdential space

COUNSELLING

In January 2018, Lambeth Council launched the Lambeth Children’s Homes Redress Scheme, a first of its kind in England. It aims to support individuals who were abused or were at risk of being abused at Shirley Oaks and other former Lambeth Children’s Homes. The Redress Scheme was set up to avoid re-traumatising survivors by offering an alternative to going through the courts – which is the usual route for compensation claims. As well as financial compensation survivors are offered independent legal representation funded by the council, a formal apology from the council, a meeting with a senior council representative and free counselling support. There is also specialist advice available to help with housing, welfare, benefits, further education and employment. By June this year more than 1,600 people had applied to the

“

Black Lives Matter shows us that systemic Redress Scheme, and England, racism and inequality Voice4Change the national voice for over £46.4 million has the black and minority been paid out in comfor black people is still ethnic third sector says: pensation. “Recent events and the a persisting issue global focus on Black Lives Matter shows us that sysSUPPORT both abroad and temic racism and inequality But the council has obfor Black people is still a perserved that people with in the UK sisting issue both abroad and in Black African and Caribbean backgrounds, who are eligible, have not come forward to claim their compensation in

”

expected numbers. Potential barriers identiﬁed include insufﬁcient clarity of information on how to apply, concerns about how Redress could impact other support claims and put personal information at risk, fear of re-traumatisation, and other factors.

APPLICATION

In response following their appointment Voice4Change England and Black Thrive launched a new website on 24 June to help improve access to the scheme by supporting people with their redress application, clarifying any concerns and addressing barriers people may have when applying. Kunle Olulode, Director of

the UK. “The underrepresentation of Black people accessing this Redress Scheme is more than likely to be the result of structural barriers and lack of proactive action to engage with the community.

ENTITLED

We must do better and ensure that everyone receives the compensation they are entitled to.” Natalie Creary, Director of Black Thrive, a mental health ini-

tiative set up to address institutional racism in Lambeth, says: “Many victims and survivors of the abuses that happened between the 1930s to 1990s may no longer live in Lambeth. Whilst we at Black Thrive have experience engaging communities across Lambeth and will use our expansive network to get the word out locally, we need to do much, much more. We must ensure any survivors who are no longer in the borough, who may have fallen under the radar of care and support services, and who may have limited access to digital media are reached and encouraged to come forward.” Go to the Lambeth Redress website to ﬁnd out more: https://lambethredress.co.uk/ Disclaimers apply - full details at www.lambeth.gov.uk/ email-disclaimer

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE| 11

Lambeth Children’s Homes Redress Scheme Extended deadline. Applications for compensation now open until 1 January 2022. Lambeth Council has set up a Redress Scheme for people who, as children, were abused or feared abuse at a Lambeth Children’s Home and/or Shirley Oaks Primary School. There are two types of compensation payment available: n

Harm’s Way Payment

Individual Redress Payment

To find out more about the Scheme, eligibility and to make a claim, visit lambeth.gov.uk/redress or email redress@lambeth.gov.uk

Below is a list of children’s homes that were run by Lambeth or its predecessor authority (and which subsequently transferred to Lambeth), either within or outside of their area, that provided accommodation for children in care. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

Shirley Oaks Almond House Hostel Angell Road Calais Street Chestnut Road / Robson Road Chevington House Cumberlow Lodge Garrads Road Gresham Place Highland Road Ingleton House Ivy House / Warham Road Knowle Close Lancester Avenue Lancaster Road Leigham Court Road Lorn Road

The homes were open from the 1930s to the 1980s and 1990s.

18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

Monkton Street Mount Villas Nottingham Road Rathmell Drive Rectory Grove / Elaine Claire House Samuel House South Vale Southwood Southwood Discharge Hostel St Saviours Stephany House Stockwell Park The Elms Thornwick Nursery Tivoli Road Woodvale

12 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Dotun Adebayo

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

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THIS IS A DECISION I JUST DON’T ‘GET’

Why Barbados is removing the Queen as their head of state has left me baffled

HY, OH why, oh why has Barbados decided now to remove Her Majesty the Queen as its head of state by this time next year? I mean, do they not know the words of the national anthem – “Long may she reign over us”? After more than half a century as an independent nation with Her Majesty ruling over them, could they not have waited just a few more years by which time she would no longer reign over them? I mean, the lady is 94 years old. She won’t reign over them for ever – I guarantee that in a few years’ time her reigning over them will no longer be an issue. Then they can do whatever they like. What difference would a few years have made? Okay, let me declare an interest. Her Majesty gave me an MBE just over a decade ago and, despite my reservations (too black, too strong, too mindful of the history of enslavement by Britain whilst they fight for the right to sing “Britons never ever shall be slaves” for the words Member of the British Empire to not stick in my gullet), my mother-in-law (Mrs Fyffe) made me accept it.

SERIOUSLY

And in accepting it, I saw another side of the Queen. I can safely say that there is no other nonagenarian white woman who has done as much for the Commonwealth as Her Majesty. Having met her now on three occasions, I can tell you her role as the head of that voluntary association of 54 independent and equal nations with somewhat conflicted historical links to the UK, is something she takes very seriously. She loves black people. She loves the way we are and the

She loves black people, and the way we are and way we’re not way we’re not and she gets us. No, really, she GETS us. Not surprising, because she has been amongst us since she was a teenager. But we don’t always GET her. That won’t matter to a lot of people. It is what she represents that repulses the more militant of us – white or black, from the Caribbean or Africa, the subcontinent or the UK. And no doubt we are unable to separate the woman from the role she has dedicated her entire life to.

SYMBOLISM

I get that. I really do. Irrespective of my gong, I feel for people who can’t see beyond the symbolism and the crown jewels. But in the case of Barbados they have lived with that for 54 years. It’s not like they suddenly woke up one day and realised that they were not a republic. With all due respect to Bajans, it’s not a biggie. Barbados is a ‘smallie’, and removing Her Majesty’s head from the local currency is not going to make much difference to the average citizen. But announcing publicly that you’ve had enough of her as your ceremonial head of state (for that is all it is), I know, will hurt the Queen greatly. The Barbados government’s decision may not be personal, but they know how much it would hurt her personally. Why would anyone want to hurt a near-centenarian in that way? What has she done to de-

IN BETTER TIMES: The Queen inspects the Barbados Regiment during her 1977 Silver Jubilee tour of the Caribbean. serve that? Can anyone be so cruel? Look, the fact of the matter is that Her Majesty has not been bad for the island. The tourism industry on which it relies has benefited from her patronage.

when it has its own sovereignty, but why cut off the Queen’s nose to spite your face, when she can continue to champion that tiny island that you can circumnavigate in just a matter of hours (as I have done)?

Removing Her Majesty’s head from the local currency won’t make a difference And, no doubt, so has the status of the country around the world. It is able to punch above its weight because of the Queen. Like Brexit Britain, Barbados will no doubt be able to continue bobbing and weaving

It is no skin off my hooter to say it, but the Queen has her uses. Why do you think that Canada still has her as its head of state? And even Australia, which wants to have its own president, has decided to kick that constitutional can down

the road until Her Majesty’s departure from this mortal coil or her abdication in the event that she can no longer continue to reign over us. The Aussies and the Canadians are no mugs and, frankly, what’s good for them is good for Barbados. Wouldn’t you agree? Having said that, no country wants its people to swear allegiance to some remote figurehead thousands of miles away.

HERITAGE

That in itself leaves an indelible mark on the psyche of a nation, and its citizens become discombobulated by this circumstance of history that is anathema to their sense of being of African heritage albeit in the Caribbean.

I won’t be the first one to ask the question “Who are Bajans?” It’s not a question I would ask of Grenadians because they are quite happy to have a British head of state, though that will all change after Her Majesty’s tenure. Because no one, NO ONE seems to want Prince Charles ruling over them. There is little appetite for it in the United Kingdom let alone in the few satellite outreaches of what was once the Empire. Again, I ask, why should a 94-year-old woman have to suffer the indigestion brought about because nobody wants her son to inherit her legacy? To put it bluntly, in language that every Bajan will understand, that’s just not cricket.

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

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OCTOBER 2020

News feature

THE VOICE | 13

SECURING OUR FUTURE HISTORY In Black History Month, as well as learning lessons from the past and celebrating our heritage, we must use the issues thrown up by Black Lives Matter to change the present, says Lawrence Davies

VERY OCTOBER, we celebrate Black History Month (BHM) in the UK. This celebration was inspired by the original BHM event in the US, which was officially recognised by president Gerald Ford in 1976, after a 50-year battle for the United States to recognise the achievements of black Americans and other people of African descent in a formal celebration. BHM itself evolved from “Negro History Week” which commenced in 1926 and was given support and momentum by college students during the US civil rights movement in the 1960s. In the US, BHM is held every February. However, the relevance of BHM has been called into question, further to racist events of seismic importance which have occurred this year.

cally subsequently died of that People illness on April 5, 2020. Mujinga became a symbol for Black took the Lives Matter movement in the UK demonstrations. The British knee around Transport Police and the CPS the world in subsequently found that no crime had been committed in solidarity. the death of Mujinga. George Floyd’s POSITIVE name was Amidst the grief and mourning, and out of the tragedy of the immortalised killing of Floyd, many positive by universities events took place. Black people spoke up about naming their lives mattering and governments across the world, departments from Japan to the US, listened. People took the knee around after him the world in solidarity.

demonstrations in the US, UK, and elsewhere. Worldwide, there was an outpouring of black people speaking up, often for the first time, about the racism they had experienced in their lives. In the UK, alleged racial profiling by So it was, a few months af- the police in respect of Bianca ter a successful BHM focusing Williams, MP Dawn Butler, and on “African Americans and Inspector Charles Ehikioya was the vote” in February 2020, identified and put under the an event again replaying the spotlight, but denied by the importance of the fact that a Metropolitan Police. black man, Barack Obama, had Kent Police were accused of become president, the US col- the same on March 29 by Dr lective identity rediscovered Andrea Charles Fidelis. Dr Firacism with the horrific and delis, who sits on the Violent tragic killing of George Floyd on Crime Prevention Board as diMay 25, 2020. rector of communications, said That killing led to demon- she was “dehumanised” by an strations against police racism officer in Swanley, Kent. and the excessive force used This alleged racial harasson black suspects and members ment occurred during the coroof the public by the police. The navirus pandemic, a period of Floyd killing became emblem- our history in which a disproatic of racism across the world portionate number of black and led to Black Lives Matter people have died, due to a variety of still to be investigated multifactorial reasons, but all of which I believe are underpinned by the racism in our society. So it was that a white man, who announced that he had COVID-19, spat in Belly Mujinga’s face at Victoria train station TRAGEDY: Railway worker Belly Mujinga on March 21. with her husband Lusamba Gode Katalay Mujinga tragi-

HORRIFIC

Floyd’s name was immortalised by several US universities naming departments or buildings after him and the owner of Netflix donating $120 million (£94 million) to improve black access to education. Many companies suspended

IN FOCUS: Bianca Williams claims that she was racially profiled earlier this year Blake, in the US on August 23, 2020. Mr Blake was shot seven times in the back, in front of his three children, by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Despite being left paralysed in

BET speech by the Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams: “I don’t want to hear any more about how far we’ve come when paid public servants can pull a drive-by on 12-year-old playing alone in the park in broad daylight, killing him on television and then going home to make a sandwich…”

Although we should honour the achievements of black people, these are overshadowed by the POTENTIAL Tell George Floyd how it’s so destruction of black talent much better to live in 2020 than trading to honour the Black Lives Matter movement with Epic Games, the owner of the global phenomenon online computer game Fortnite, suspending the release of its new season to honour Black Lives Matter.

VIOLENCE

Regrettably, a very small minority of the demonstrators, or infiltrators into those demonstrations, resorted to violence and criminal activity. There was also a “white backlash” and counter-demonstrations which allegedly led a 17-year-old white teenager, Kyle Rittenhouse, breaking a curfew and shooting dead two demonstrators and seriously injuring another. That event followed a demonstration about the shooting of another black man, Jacob

hospital, the police felt it necessary to handcuff him to his bed until the state governor spoke out about that further injustice. And with that, further tragedy the cycle of racism, denial, demonstration, commemoration, counter-demonstration, and retaliation began again. These historic and tragic events will rightly overshadow this month’s BHM. The present and future is always far more important than our history. These events and how we react to them will become our future history. What we need now is a Black Future History Month, a path towards a tomorrow’s world in which equality has been established and the racist killings of black people by police and others are once and for all consigned to our past history. To apply the inspiring 2016

it is to live in 1620 or 1820. Tell that to Jacob Blake. Tell that to Belly Mujinga. Further, although we should honour the previous achievements of black people, these past achievements are vastly overshadowed by the destruction of black talent in that time. We should therefore also mourn the incalculable loss to our world of the achievements that would have been made by the black Albert Einsteins and Marie Curies whose talents and

skills were never realised, due to endemic and stifling racism. As Williams put it in 2016: “We’ve been floating this country on credit for centuries, and we’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil – black gold, ghetto-ising and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. The thing is though… the thing is that just because we’re magic doesn’t mean we’re not real.” We need to construct a new world in which black people create future history, to replace the one in which we live where black people die before their time, and where they are too often prevented from fulfilling their potential.

Lawrence Davies LLM is the CEO at Equal Justice Solicitors, UK Discrimination Law firm of the Year (2016). The firm has pioneered “affordable representation” to better enable its clients to afford the fight for justice.

14 | THE VOICE

OCTOBER 2020

News feature

WHEN WHITE BECOMES BLACK Rachel Dolezal and Jessica Krug – white women – both chose to live a lie in identifying as black. But now that they’ve been publicly outed, how many more privileged individuals are using and abusing our culture for their personal gain? By Dotun Adebayo

IRST RACHEL Dolezal and now Jessica Krug. How many other white people in prominent positions are pretending to be black? Jessica Krug is as black as the stars and stripes. Yet for years she posed as a person of colour. She got away with it, too – until a few weeks ago when the whole charade came crashing down around her ears and she was forced to resign her post as a distinguished professor of black studies (no, you couldn’t make it up) at the highly regarded George Washington University stateside. It’s an almost identical story to that of Rachel Dolezal who, five years ago, was exposed by her white parents as being a fraud – no more black than the Union Jack. At the time, Dolezal was the head of her local branch of the NAACP, the National Association of the Advancement of Coloured People stateside. No, you can’t make it up. But why would a white person choose to be black? In her confession, Krug puts it down to some psychological trauma she suffered as a child: “To an escalating degree over my adult life, I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in suburban

she ‘passed’, but on the whole the idea that any white person would want to pose as black, with all the prejudices that would incur, was unimaginable to many. So it went largely without question in an America where a single drop of African blood demarcated you as black. And when it was questioned, on job application forms or otherwise, Dolezal would lie and say her dad was a black man.

It’s taken my entire life to negotiate how to identify... I wouldn’t say I’m African American, but I would say SLAVE Crucially, neither Dolezal or I’m black, Krug can claim to suffer Post and there’s a Traumatic Slave Syndrome, the ideas that the legacy of difference enslavement still impacts on Kansas City under various assumed identities within a blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African blackness, then USrooted blackness, then Caribbeanrooted Bronx blackness,” she says, admitting to being a culture leech. Rachel Dolezal’s story of passing as black is similar but not the same. She too claims to have been diagnosed with some form of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and maintains: “It’s taken my entire life to negotiate how to identify... I wouldn’t say I’m African American, but I would say I’m black, and there’s a difference in those terms.” Different from Krug, Dolezal, pictured left, had apparently seen herself as black since she was a child. In the cauldron of race that is America today, her colour was something a permanent tan and a series of Afro-centric hairstyles could easily rectify. Plus, she paraded one of the black children her parents had adopted as her ‘son’. Her racial claim would raise a few eyebrows here and there in the decade that

black people today, which Dr Joy DeGruy first identified as a condition of African Americans. “It’s a theory,” she says, “that explains the etiology of many of the adaptive survival behaviours in African American communities throughout the United States and the diaspora. “It is a condition that exists as a consequence of multi-generational oppression of Africans and their descendants resulting

COMPLEX: Jessica Krug with her controversial book; inset, Krug as a youngster James Baldwin. She connected with black history and black culture so much she knew “in her heart” she was supposed to be born black. Eventually people started regarding her as bi-racial, except for her African-American husband whose standard of beauty was the actress Nicole Kidman, and who kept asking her why

It’s a condition that exists as a consequence of multigenerational oppression of Africans and their descendants from centuries of chattel slavery. A form of slavery which was predicated on the belief that African Americans were inherently/genetically inferior to whites. This was then followed by institutionalised racism which continues to perpetuate injury.” Dolezal says that ‘blackness’ was informed by having adopted black siblings and reading black literature such as

she was wearing her hair in braids and reading so much black pow-wow literature. It is hard to quantify how much damage Dolezal caused by trying to be black. She led Black Lives Matters marches and benefitted from affirmative action in the employment market. She would almost certainly not have ascended to being in charge of her local NAACP of-

fice if they had known her true identity. She had to resign the post as soon as her cover was blown. Jessica Krug’s ‘blackness’ is more complicated and, arguably, much more damaging. Not for her the fake tan and braided hair, she chose to be ‘black’ on a much more intellectual level, with the occasional stereotypical ‘jive talk’. Not only was she a professor of black studies at a major university, her book Fugitive Modernities: Black Political Imagination and Radical Silence elevated her to the status of world expert on black people.

PRIZES

The book’s nomination for two of America’s most prestigious black prizes – the Harriet Tubman Award and the Frederick Douglass Prize – suggests that some believed she knows black people, arguably, better than we know ourselves. And yet she got away with it for years. No one willing to question her conflicting biographies of being this kind of black or that kind of black and of La-

tino heritage to boot. She went so far as to suggest the correct pronunciation of her name was ‘Cruz’, her true family name, but an immigration official spelt it incorrectly on her family’s arrival in the United States from South America. And she coopted the entire black community of “bruthas” and “sistas” by her “WE/OUR” discourse of “us” against “them”. Try as hard as they did to be black, Jessica Krug and Rachel Dolezal could never BE black. Who FEELS it, KNOWS it. The most they could do is feel what it’s like to know it. And that’s not the same thing. Jessica Krug went further. By claiming the intellectual high ground, she is now responsible, as her publisher Duke University and her colleagues at George Washington attest to, for having skewered a generation of black studies and black thinking to her fabricated point of view. Who knows how much black intellectual thought is predicated on her falsehood and for how many years it will penetrate black history.

28 | THE VOICE MARCH 2020

16 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

News Feature

VICE KAMALA COULD SET THE PRECEDENT As the US gets ready to elect its next president, Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s choice for vice president, Kamala Harris, could make history as the States’ first-ever black woman to hold the role. But which black female political stars have what is takes to become the UK’s first black female prime minister? Dotun Adebayo takes a look at the possible candidates...

N HEARING the news that the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had chosen a woman of colour as his running mate, there was a buzz in socially distanced Westminster among women MPs and, particularly, amongst black women MPs. Harris, who identifies as black and Indian, was like a beacon for all black politicians in Britain (those who can see the light and those who wish to extinguish it) that it is possible for a woman of African heritage to ascend to the pinnacle of American politics even during the racially divisive presidency of the current president. Where is our Kamala Harris? Well, watch this space. A Westminster insider reliably informs The Voice that some of the fantastic women that you see in these pages are currently setting up a formal BAME caucus in parliament, after years of informal groupings. Such a caucus would make the prospect of a black British woman prime minister just that much more achievable, whichever side of the political spectrum they may come from. So proud to see Kamala Harris make history as the first Black woman to accept the vice-presidential nomination. An inspiration to women across the world — Taiwo Owatemi MP As another woman of mixed Indian and Caribbean heritage, I’m so proud to see what she has achieved, despite all the division in politics right now. Next stop, the White House — Janet Daby MP 48 years ago amidst tremendous cynicism, sexism and hate, Shirley Chisholm became the first black women to make a run for the White House. On her shoulders Kamala Harris now stands. Joe Biden has picked

MAKING HERSTORY: Kamala Harris could become the first ever black female US Vice President alongside Joe Biden when America goes to the polls next month – and it could pave the way for our own black female politicians

If they play their cards right, there’s no reason why we won’t see a black woman at No. 10 a great running mate to be his Vice President. I pray they win in November — David Lammy MP By next month – November 3 – the JamaicanIndian-American politician Kamala Harris could be just a heartbeat from the presidency of the United States. It would be a dream come true for her, a dream come true for all righteous African Americans (of any persuasion) and a dream come true for South Asian Americans and women in America and the world over.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The ripples of her achievements have already been felt in the UK. And if she were to become a two-term president, were she to be on the winning ticket come November, she would be at the top of the US political scene for the next 12 years. The impact of that is incalculable. Donald Trump says it would be an “insult to America”, but most of the world seems to be relishing the prospect with both thumbs up. Should the 2020s be the decade of Kamala Harris, the likelihood of the 2030s being the decade of the black woman politician in Britain is a very real prospect. The thought of one of the current crop of black women in parliament being the next

woman prime minister is salivating. If they play their cards right there’s no reason why we won’t see a black woman at No. 10. If they accept that the next few years will be dominated by a male prime minister

to set out their stall – whether Labour or Tory. It is now that they need to start building up their parliamentary and grassroots support. It is now that they need to get their media training locked

Should the 2020s be the decade of Kamala Harris, the likelihood of the 2030s being the decade of the black woman in Britain is a very real prospect and a male leader of the opposition, our black female MPs must wait patiently for their turn to ‘run tings’. But it is now, during this waiting time, that they need

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down so that they appeal to the television camera. And it is now that they need to start building alliances in the way their male counterparts have done since birth. But we

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don’t need to tell them how to do their job, they KNOW. Because of the lessons of history. None of them, for example, will make the catastrophic mistakes (one after the other) of their male counterpart Chuka Umunna, who would now be the leader of the Labour Party, possibly only one election away from entering Downing Street if he had stuck to the script. Which one of the sistas we feature here will grab the mantle of leader of their party when Messrs Johnson and Starmer are done and dusted is anyone’s guess. But which one of them has got what it takes? It’s up to you to decide. But first, let us remind ourselves of the high price these brave black women pay in doing their civic duty and in trying to bring about positive change to their

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communities and the people who live there. For to achieve the country’s top job, they will have to overcome the inevitable abuse – racist and misogynist – that black women face every day.

POSSIBILITY

For, while people over in America came to terms with the very real possibility that they could soon see a black woman in a post that no woman has ever succeeded in being elected to, here in Britain one of parliament’s veteran black female politicians, Dawn Butler, was pulled over by the police, in what she describes as racial profiling, while travelling by car. It would seem then that black women MPs are not awarded the respect that their counter-

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 17

News Feature part Kamala Harris has been awarded Stateside, and that an equivalent job promotion for a black woman here would be too high a mountain of prejudice to climb. The reality is that Kamala Harris also faces abuse. Not least from the current president who claims it would be “an insult” to America if she became president and refuses to pronounce her name correctly. That, you could argue is politics. A dirty game if you are black AND a woman. It is with this double-whammy in mind that the next woman prime minister of this country will have to campaign. This and a speedy alliance with Ms Harris, if she were to become vice-president. It was such an alliance or caucus that Lord Woolley tried to pull off with black MPs over here during Barack Obama’s eight years in office. It never happened.

ENDEAVOUR

She has not yet made a bid for the leadership, but keep an eye on her when the right time comes herself from him. She subsequently jumped ship from frontline politics before she would, most likely, have been summarily shoved to the backbenches by Sir Keir Starmer. But Abbott is the great survivor of British politics. Never say never. She is unlikely to accept elevation to the House of Lords so, as Arnie should have said, she “might be back”. Unlikely, but you never know.

The majority of black MPs in Britain don’t see eye to eye. Not even on the question of being black. Which is why the possibility of a caucus, focusing on what these MPs have in common as black women, to meet Kamala Harris if she is on the winning ticket come the American elections next month, will be a much more straightforward endeavour. As we said, The Voice can tell you exclusively that such an alliance is being formerly crafted as we speak and could be a real game changer for the politics in Westminster if unity is strength still means anything. While some black MPs may dither about colour, none can prevaricate about gender. Black women comprise a caucus whether they like it or not. Whatever side of the political spectrum they belong to. They would benefit hugely from a black woman in the White House. If they unite. So which one of these women could do a Kamala Harris in the UK?

Dawn Butler ran for deputy leadership of the party earlier this year but, like so many others, hit the buffers and was not retained for inclusion in Starmer’s new Shadow Cabinet. The former Shadow Secretary for Women and Equalities would be an ideal conduit for a tete a tete with a possible Vice-President Harris. Should Sir Keir stumble and fall, Butler would likely throw her hat in the ring again and, who knows...

Diane Abbott It would seem her shot is spent. As Shadow Home Secretary, she rose to the highest position of any black woman in parliament ever. Had Labour won the 2019 election she would have been just two heart beats away from No. 10. And that ain’t bad. Alas, it was never to be, the Great British public could not stomach the thought of a Jeremy Corbyn government, and she had hitched her star too closely to the former Labour leader to be able to extricate

Kate Osamor, former Shadow Secretary of State for Overseas Development, hails from a radical political dynasty and was a notable absentee from the Labour leadership ballot due to well publicised family issues. She is a shrewd political operator, however, and is doing the right thing in keeping her head down and concentrating on her constituency work. Exactly the sort of form you need to take on the leadership of your party should there be a vacancy.

Helen Grant A graduate of the Operation Black Vote ‘academy’, for years she was the Tories’ only black woman MP and, as such, was rapidly elevated to Minister for Sport and Tourism. A little too quickly for some Tory grandees, who considered her not up to the job. But politics is a funny old game, as the multi-millionaire Adam Afriyie, once tipped for the top, can testify.

TRAILBLAZER: She was one of the Tories’ only black female MPs for years – but now Helen Grant has shown she has what it takes to get the top job one day

Chi Onwurah is the real unknown factor among the Labour women. She is popular among the grassroots of the party and her parliamentary colleagues. That’s all it takes to get to the top. She has not yet made a bid for the leadership, but keep an eye on her when the right time comes. Kemi Badenoch, pictured below left, was once upon a time the black woman most likely to in the Conservative Party but came unstuck as a Vice-Chair of the party after admitting using her skills as a systems analyst to hack into Labour MP Harriet Harman’s website. But, hey, if Boris Johnson can become PM with all the skeletons in his closet... Marsha de Cordova was liked enough by Keir Starmer to make her his Shadow Secretary of States for Women and Equalities (which seems to be the default Labour Shadow Cabinet position for black women), succeeding Dawn Butler. If she plays her cards right she should rise to somewhere near the top of the party. Florence Eshalomi, pictured below right, was only elected at the end of last year, so give her time to make her name. But what she’s said so far makes her seem like a candidate to watch out for in future Labour leadership elections. She’s going to have to step up, though. A b e n a OppongAsare is another south London politician from the class of 2019 intake.

effective she will be, but she is one of the many women politicians in Britain who have been inspired by Kamala Harris’s rise to the top of the Democratic party and should be thinking now: “If Kamala can do it, why can’t I?”

She and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, above left and right respectively, were the first women MPs with a Ghanaian background to be elected into parliament. And right now Ghanaians (Stormzy et al) are carrying the swing, so not beyond the stretch of the imagination to consider them

future leaders of their party and, hence, future PM candidates. Taiwo Omatemi, pictured below centre, is another of the class of 2019 in the Labour Party and MP for Coventry North West. It remains to be seen how

C l a u d i a Webbe in Leicester rose from being a very effective and eloquent councillor in Islington on her path to becoming an MP, replacing the disgraced Keith Vaz MP in that seat. If Labour were to lurch to the far left again or she were to veer to the centre (unlikely), she would definitely be one of the favourites to lead the party. And, who knows, if the coming recession sends the country hurtling towards some form of socialism she might be what they are looking for.

18 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

ADVERTORIAL

“you are too creative to be here”

onke Fashola who now lives in St Albans is originally from South London. She studied fashion, business and marketing at London School of Fashion. She spent 10 years as a buyer and while working she was told ‘you are too creative to be here, why don’t you just leave’ and that was her motivation to become an entrepreneur. Her company LoveURLook clothing was launched in 2013 while she was travelling in India and her company currently has 31 stockists in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia; in addition to 18 pop-up shops including one in House of Fraser flag ship store in Oxford Street. Ronke is currently taking part in the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator programme, at the London hub and shared the following with us. Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur? A. I was bullied at work from the day I graduated, however I stayed in my workplace for five years until I could no longer take it. I was one of 3 black girls in my office and HR did not help when I approached them, they simply told my boss, and this made it worse because she was the bully. I took time out after I left and then set up my own company in 2006 as a personal stylist. In 2013 I launched my own company. Q. What is your business? A. Sustainable nostalgic inspired clothing brand that empowers our customers through colour and prints. I want to change the high street and champion the return of individual style. People want change, I would like someone to invest in my brand so we can scale up and take it to that next level. Q. What is your ultimate goal? A. My goal is to become an international success through online and pop-up shops during each season. I want a brand that does not prescribe to the catwalk trends but will be part of your wardrobe for as long as a vintage design lasts and is loved. A brand that will make people stop and say ‘I Love UR Look’ and will give my customers confidence; make them feel great about themselves. I also want a brand that tackles the use of dead stock, which is a problem that is in abundance in India and even more now due to Covid19.

Q. What is your businesses Unique Selling Point (USP)? A. Fantastic prints and colourful designs. As vintage becomes more rare, we fulfil our customer’s need to become more nostalgic about clothing. Our prints are inspired by the 1950s and 40s and we also design for sizes 10 to 24 which enables even more customers to wear our designs. During Covid19 we have seen an uplift of 200% each month with online traffic every single DAY! Q. Have you had any investment in your business? A. In 2014 I won £6,000 in a competition. That is all the funding I have ever had. Q. What is your experience as an entrepreneur? A. Being an entrepreneur has enabled me to understand how to treat people, and how to support those who are starting their own business journey so that they can also feel confident to achieve like I have. I believe that black females receive less investment then black males. We are sadly the last ones on the list in the UK. That is why I have also explored options for investment in the US. It would be great to talk to other BAME people who have had investment and funding, especially within the creative sector, but sadly they are very rare. I hope to change this in the future. Ronke thinks that it is important for businesses to have a positive impact on local communities and proudly supports several charities in India.

■ Helping the UK’s entrepreneurs get their business off the ground and to thrive in their communities is central to the bank’s strategy. We want to help more people start and grow their business than ever before, helping them achieve success and contribute to a strong national economy. Now more than ever, it is vital to have the right tools and support to help you and your business succeed. NatWest Business Builder has been developed to support businesses and entrepreneurs at all stages (whether you’re just starting out or an established business looking to make a change).

It’s free and you don’t even have to be a NatWest customer to join. Business Builder is entirely self serve and can be accessed 24/7 through the dedicated online portal. It was designed to support entrepreneurs and business owners to upskill and develop themselves and their business at a time and pace that suits them. Users can access a blended programme of support consisting of three key pillars; Digital Learning, Online Community and Wrap Around Events.

To ﬁnd out more visit: natwestbusinessbuilder.com

MARCH 2020

THE VOICE| 19

20 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

WINDRUSH SPECIAL FEATURE

THE TRUTH ABOUT The Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme

OME PEOPLE from the Caribbean, or countries such as Ghana or Nigeria who settled lawfully in the UK before 1988 have the right to live and work here, but do not have the correct documents to show their legal status.

As a result, they may have found it hard to demonstrate their right to work and access services in the UK, and lost out on things like jobs, housing and healthcare. This has become known as the ‘Windrush issue’ as many of those affected are people from the ‘Windrush generation’ and their families. The Windrush Help Team has been set up to help eligible people get the documents they need to demonstrate their right to live and work in the UK. They can also help people claim compensation.

Here are some of the most common misconceptions associated with applying for the Windrush Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme, as many people don’t realise they are eligible to apply for support or to seek compensation. You can only receive help if you are from the Caribbean.

This isn’t true. If you have settled lawfully in the UK from ANY overseas country before the end of 1988 and have been affected by the Windrush issue, you should call the Windrush Help Team to confirm if you are eligible for support. You can only apply for support if you have the correct paperwork You can still apply even if you don’t have the correct paperwork. The UK Government recognises that those affected by the Windrush issue did not have documentation to prove their lawful status and so has set up the Windrush Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme to help affected groups get the documents they need and compensate them for the impacts and losses they suffered.

It can take years to receive support or compensation

“

It is essential that people who have been affected by Windrush get the support and compensation they deserve

Getting help is quicker and easier than you think. The Windrush Help Team is a dedicated group of individuals, committed to guiding eligible people through the application process to secure the support they need – be it acquiring the correct paperwork to prove their right to remain in the UK, or receiving compensation.

If you call the Windrush Helpline your details will be passed on to Immigration Enforcement

This is absolutely not true. The Windrush Help Team was set up to help those that have been affected by the Windrush issue. All active Windrush cases are dealt with sensitively by the Windrush Help Team. The information provided by callers to the Windrush Helpline is not shared with Immigration Enforcement. • The process is expensive • The helpline is free, and any applications made for support are free.

You cannot apply if you have a criminal record

The Windrush Help Team is focused on supporting people that were affected by the Windrush Issue. You may still be eligible to receive help if you have a criminal record.

All claims for support have been put on hold due to the COVID 19 Pandemic The Windrush Help Team has continued to process applications during the pandemic and is working tirelessly to make a difference to the lives of those affected by the Windrush issue.

You will be forced to accept the ﬁrst offer of compensation

If you are offered compensation and aren’t happy with the amount offered, you are entitled to have the offer reviewed by another team in the Home Office. If you are still unhappy with the offer, you can have it reviewed by the independent Adjudicator.

You cannot apply if you are based overseas

You are still able to apply for support from the Windrush Help Team, but the process is slightly different. If you are applying from outside the UK, you must use the online application form. To learn if you can receive help from the Windrush Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme, even if you are unsure of the documents you need, visit https://windrush.campaign.gov.uk/ or call the FREE helpline 0800 678 1925 for assistance.

Anything you tell the Windrush Help Team will be treated with sensitivity and won’t be passed on to Immigration Enforcement.

AUGUST 2020

Start here to see if we could help you confirm your legal status and claim compensation. Did you come to the UK before the end of 1988?

Yes

Yes Have you struggled to prove your legal status in the UK?

Have you suffered losses because you couldn’t confirm your legal status?

Yes

Here to support you and your family We’re here to help you apply for the Windrush schemes. Call the free helpline: 0800 678 1925 Visit: gov.uk/WindrushHelpTeam

Your information won’t be passed on to Immigration Enforcement.

THE VOICE | 5

22 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

WINDRUSH SPECIAL FEATURE

‘People are reluctant to come forward’

Quality Assurance manager Joanne B talks about the Compensation Scheme

OANNE HAS worked as a Quality Assurance Manager for the Windrush Compensation Scheme since July 2019, and is part of the team responsible for ensuring that all compensation claims are assessed

holistically. Prior to this role, she was a member of the Windrush Help Team. I initially chose to join the Windrush Help Team because my parents are part of the Windrush Generation and I felt an immediate connection to the positive work being carried out by the government to help those that had been affected by the Windrush Issue. Being of Caribbean heritage, I understood that if my mother hadn’t resolved her status in the1980s, then members of my family might have been one of the individuals calling the Windrush Help Line for support. I was involved in the creation of the Vulnerable Persons Team, a unit which provides support for individuals who as a result of not being able to access the right paperwork, lost out on job opportunities, healthcare, housing, and other services.

INSPIRED

I also worked as part of the Engagement Team, where I travelled across the UK to meet and advise members of the Windrush Generation who were from the Caribbean and countries such as Ghana and Nigeria who had faced serious financial challenges as a result of their status not being recognised. Hearing their stories inspired me to join the Windrush Compensation Team, as I wanted to be part of the group that addressed the wrongs these people had experienced. If someone is reluctant to engage with me, I don’t take it personally and just give the caller the space they need to offload, let off their anger and frustrations. And if they aren’t ready to share their story, then I always try to explain that this service was set up purposely to help people in their situation, and advise them to call back whenever they feel comfortable to talk to a member of the team. From conversations held, I have been informed that people are reluctant to come forward because they mistrust the authenticity of the scheme. Believing that contacting us will lead to some other negative action against them, for example their details being passed on to the Immigration Enforcement team. Which is not the case, as everything discussed is kept in confidence. Like many jobs, this one has its high and lows; a high could be when we as a team, reap the rewards of all of the hard work we have put in by forming important relationships with customers and organisations, resulting in individuals receiving their status and getting compensation.

AFFECTED

The lows can be as simple as taking a call and listening to a harrowing story that has not only affected the life of the caller, but the lives of their entire family. If I have to give one piece of advice to anybody that has been affected by the Windrush Issue, I’d say pick up the phone; just pick up the phone and call us for

“

The helpline is free, and any applications made for support are free

”

help. Even if you don’t have the correct paperwork, or are having difficulty recalling the correct historical events to verify your claim – just call, we are here to guide you through the process. To learn if you can receive help from the Windrush Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme, even if you are unsure of the documents you need, visit https://windrush.campaign.gov.uk/ or call the FREE helpline 0800 678 1925 for assistance.

Anything you tell the Windrush Help Team will be treated with sensitivity and won’t be passed on to Immigration Enforcement.

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE| 23

WINDRUSH SPECIAL FEATURE

The aim is Windrush outreach to provide co-ordinator David L. practical talks to The Voice support

avid L., whose Jamaican parents were invited to Britain as citizens of the British Empire and Commonwealth in the late 1950s, has worked as a Windrush Outreach Coordinator at the Home Office since 2018. Over the last two years he has worked closely with various partners, including faith groups, charities and community organisations across the UK, to organise and deliver a series of outreach events to raise awareness of the Windrush Schemes to the black community. “The rationale of my outreach work, “he explains, “is to provide practical support, reassurance and restore confidence in the government amongst those affected by the Windrush Issue, and to demonstrate the steps the Home Office is taking to address how their lives have been impacted.” With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in the closure of many events and activities, when asked to describe a typical working week, David refers to his working life pattern as – “before COVID-19 and after COVID-19”.

SOLUTIONS

“Before the pandemic, I would spend much of my time travelling across the UK meeting people individually or in groups to learn more about

how their lives have been affected by the Windrush Issue, and to work with them to provide real solutions. Even when their experiences don’t fall under the Windrush remit, I’ll help where I can, and signpost them to the correct immigration route.”

ENGAGEMENT

“In order to build trust, and to ensure I can do my job effectively, I encourage open and honest dialogue at all times. And I’m always clear to emphasise the confidentiality side of our conversation, with the absolute guarantee that their information will not be shared with the Immigration Enforcement team. Which is often a concern of many of the people I meet.” “After these sessions I provide feedback to senior colleagues, making suggestions based on anything new that I’ve learned, to help us improve the service we want to provide.” Nowadays his working life consists of numerous phone calls to Windrush partners, which mainly take place outside of normal working hours to accommodate their diaries. These meetings give David and his partners the chance to discuss the latest activities and to develop plans for when the restrictions will be lifted. “Our Windrush partners have been incredibly supportive of the work we do, and often give us opportuni-

“

I provide feedback to senior colleagues

”

ties to set up outreach events that help us reach impacted individuals and communities. I am incredibly grateful and appreciative of the relationships I have managed to build with our partners. David also spends time engaging with Windrush customers that he has met previously at events or meetings, both virtually and in person, as he is keen to honour the commitments he made to provide support. During this period, he has developed closer working relationships with the Engagement Team, regularly providing support at their online events, and always tries to make himself available where possible, to contribute to ideas which seek to increase communication opportunities for those impacted by the Windrush Issue. When asked about some of the key obstacles faced when doing outreach work, he cites mistrust and fear of Home Office as being two of the

biggest challenges. “Our motives are always initially questioned so we must put in the leg work to overcome a group or an individual’s misgivings.” “Negative perceptions of the Home Office and the perceived delays in how the compensation scheme works, can cause people to wrongly assume that the schemes are not a genuine offer of support, which isn’t the case.” David understands people’s misgivings, and says misconceptions like these are what makes the work his team does so important, “being on the ground and hearing people’s first-hand experiences gives us the chance to work towards alleviating their fears and concerns and to help find real solutions that will have a positive impact on their lives.” To learn if you can receive help from the Windrush Scheme and the Windrush Compensation Scheme, even if you are unsure of the documents you need, visit https:// windrush.campaign.gov.uk/ or call the FREE helpline 0800 678 1925 for assistance.

Anything you tell the Windrush Help Team will be treated with sensitivity and won’t be passed on to Immigration Enforcement.

24 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Midlands News

by Veron Graham

VIRUS NOT STOPPING BHM CELEBRATIONS Despite a second wave of infections across the region, organisers of events for this year’s Black History Month are going full steam ahead with their plans – even if it means that people won’t be able to get together to get involved

GAINST THE backdrop of the pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests and annoyance that the focus on black history remains largely confined to October, Black History Month (BHM) celebrations are underway in the Midlands. In the Second City, The Blackstory Partnership (BSP) are taking the lead on the festivities, having won a commission to deliver Birmingham’s official BHM programme – as it had since 2016 and will do until 2022.

AWARENESS

Though scaled back and taking place online – via birminghamblackhistorymonth. co.uk – it aims to “raise awareness and understanding of the importance of black history and culture through advocating, education, knowledge, participation, engagement and collaboration.” BSP’s calendar includes a fascinating exhibition, The Black Chronicles, Black Victorians which showcases the black presence in the UK stretching back long before Windrush, to the 19th Century. BHM as an entity has rebounded over the last several years, a casualty of austerity

We will explore over 60 years of black British theatre, reflecting on seminal work and government cutbacks: with groups in areas less known to have large black populations now taking the lead on festivities: Black History Month Rugby is gaining traction on Facebook to help synchronise events in the Staffordshire town, while organisations like The Wesleyan Youth UK accept commissions to provide 20-minute to one-hour black history-themed assemblies for schools and colleges. BHM’s links with educative settings do not stop there: the University of Wolverhampton is to hold a BHM conference on October 19 – featuring lectures, workshops and discussions covering the role of black people in today’s society and throughout history. A key theme will be looking at the role that black people play in today’s turbulent politi-

cal climate: political journalist Stephen Bush will speak on the implications of the result of the most recent general election. The university will also be exploring how staff and students, as well as members of the general public, can support its efforts to improve the university experience of non-white staff, students and visitors.

TENURE

Over in the East Midlands, Leicester’s diversity-led arts organisation, Serendipity, will again co-ordinate the city’s BHM activities as it has since 2012, when the organisation, led by CEO and Artistic Director Pawlet Brookes, was awarded the tenure by Leicester City Council. Pawlet, who successfully switched Serendipity’s annual Let’s Dance International Festival to a purely virtual format in April, said: “Each year our BHM programming centres around a unifying theme. The theme for 2020 is black British theatre. We will explore over 60 years of black British theatre, reflecting on seminal pieces of work.” Serendipity’s programme of

events is already underway: visit www.serendipity-uk.com

WORKING TOGEHER: Main, Serendipity CEO and artistic director Pawlet Brookes is focusing on black British theatre this year; right, BSP’s Mykal Brown, Audrey Parkes and Garry Stewart

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 25

Midlands News

LATEST BODIWELL BOOK FOCUSES ON COVID-19

Joan Blaney’s series teaches kids about health and diseases

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Joan Blaney’s latest creations focus on spreading information about health and wellbeing

MAZON HAS given a boost to help Birmingham-based activist and educator Joan Blaney CBE continue in her rich literary vein in addressing health issues. Joan has turned her attention to COVID-19 with Vile Virus – the latest in her Adventures in Bodiwell series of children’s picture books. A Staffordshire-based branch of the online retail giants have ordered 1,000 copies of the books for distribution to neighbouring schools. Its Rugeley outlet has also pre-ordered copies of Joan’s forthcoming book on Childhood Cancer which is due out within the next two weeks. The books are part of the Adventures in Bodiwell series, named after the fictitious town in which they are set. The adventures begin when residents of neighbouring Sickville – which are poor lifestyle choices

Family affair as arts centre opens WHILE many in the voluntary and entertainment industry suffer the impact of coronavirus more than most, a mother and daughter directorial team have taken the brave step to open a new arts centre in Aston, Birmingham. The Eloquent Arts Centre, is the newest name on the regional entertainment block, following its recent launch.

SPACE

Situated just off the Aston Expressway, the Centre was set up to be “a multi-purpose hub, committed to providing a safe space for creative arts development, business and community. This will be an open space for creatives to grow artistically and unleash their full potential,” as explained by codirector Romanah Malcolm. “On the back of the work that we have been doing in the community for the previous six years, we also recog-

NEW VENTURE: The newly opened Eloquent Arts Centre nised a need for a space/home away from home for those who want to explore and develop their creative arts, build business ideas and other opportunities.” Speaking of the Centre, which will comprise several studios for dance and music, classroom teaching and photography, Romanah added: “Not only is the arts centre a pivotal part for the arts community, it is also built with a focus to create new and ex-

citing opportunities for the BAME communities within the area. “At a time where people have become more culturally sensitive, due to the disproportionate way COVID-19 has affected BAME communities and the more widely spread awareness around Black Lives Matter, it is important for us to open up our doors to engage the BAME community within Eloquent Arts Centre.”

and diseases visit Bodiwell but fail to make the locals sick due to attention paid to healthy diets and practices in Bodiwell. The series is aimed at primary school children and takes a unique approach to health literacy by animating and naming parts of the human body and explain what needs to be done to keep them fit and healthy. Vile Virus follows on from titles including Goodbye to Cansie Cancer and Mr Smokey and Miss Chemi-Cal. In 2017 the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health estimated that by now, half of all children will be obese as adults and are then more likely to develop non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. Blaney, pictured inset, told

The Voice: “It is more important now, perhaps more than ever that we maintain a healthy lifestyle – eating a balanced diet, exercising and making correct choices. We know that healthy children are more likely to become healthy adults, and hope that Adventures in Bodiwell will help children to build healthy, lifelong habits like the characters in the series of books.” A number of African governments have shown interest in the series, with Kenya being first out of the block. Joan has been commissioned to convert Vile Virus with its nation’s readership in mind, also to create a workbook that is meant for teachers and so includes a brief and learning outcomes. Joan has also taken aim at prostate cancer, through the Play Dom-

ino, Talk Prostate, Save Lives video, released in conjunction with Leicester University – aiming to raise awareness of the disease’s predominance among African/African Caribbean men compared to those of Caucasian/European heritage.

DIAGNOSED

Studies show that a quarter of black men will be diagnosed with the condition, compared to one in eight white men, among whom the death rate is half that of black men. The 12-minute animated video is based on a comic book Joan wrote after being approached by Pamela Campbell-Morris of Leicester’s Play Domino, Talk Prostate Cancer organisation. The Play Domino, Talk Prostate,

Save Lives video can be viewed

at https://youtu.be/auASa-R12BY

West Midlands Mayor defends controversial local lockdown, saying ‘we must control virus’ THE controversial call for Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull to re-enter lockdown in mid-September following a rapid spike in new coronavirus infections has been defended by the West Midlands Mayor. The Conservative Party’s Andy Street, pictured right, said of the “Government’s carefully considered decision: “It’s vital that we all do our utmost to keep control of this awful virus and ensure our efforts over the past few months are not wasted. “If we step up our fight against this virus in the ways proposed we can continue the gradual return to other aspects of normal life. “If we don’t do this now, we risk more loss of life, even

stricter measures in future, and more job losses. “So whilst not seeing family and friends is tough, we must think of them, our responsibility to them, and to the whole community. “If we all come together to follow the new rules in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull, we can defeat the virus, save lives, and protect livelihoods.”

STATISTICS

Official statistics have found Coronavirus to have adversely affected people of Black African/ Caribbean heritage to a greater extent than White and Asian people and has been the subject of a dedicated taskforce and a series of online engagements to offer assurance and explain the reasons for its increased prevalence in Black communities across the greater Birmingham area.

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

ADVERTORIAL

26 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

‘Black Britain and Beyond’ virtual symposium

CL Culture has partnered with the Black Britain and Beyond ‘virtual’ symposium on ‘Being and Belonging’ to be hosted on 24 October 2020. The symposium’s ethos is to provide a wider understanding and relevance to the meaning “Black Britishness”, to take stock of its achievements and challenges. The symposium will inspire participants, provoke thought, and catalyse progress, creating a forum that initiates and facilitates conversations across Black communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Future

“We believe that change starts with a conversation and through the ampliﬁcation of the voices less heard’, said Simon Cane, Executive Director, UCL Culture. “This is a critical conversation about the future that we want to create, a future where Black lives are valued as much as any other, a future that

British Black communities’ are able to invest in, inﬂuence and shape as equal stakeholders.”

Britons

The organisers of the symposium are UCL Culture’s Revd Professor Keith Magee, a senior fellow in culture & justice and global social justice scholar, public intellectual and visiting professor of social justice at Newcastle University; Ms Sheryl Nwosu, a public speaker, senior barrister at a leading defence barristers 25 Bedford Row, and an advocate on issues of race at the Bar; and Mr Andy MundyCastle, a documentary ﬁlmmaker, producer and director, Managing Director of DocHearts Films. During UK Black History Month, October 2019, the three began to collaborate on convening Black Britons to engage in and critically assess the significance of their unique culture, heritage and identity. The goal became to galvanise Black Britons, to acclaim their space in the

ever-changing globalised world, to understand disparities whilst strengthening commonalities – looking backwards (Africa) and sideways (Caribbean & USA), and to continue moving forward and beyond.

“

We’re here, we’re embedded here, through history, culture, and contribution

is created as a reminder, and perhaps another timely starting point” The theme and title of the symposium, ‘Being and Belonging’, is the golden thread which weaves together the world-renowned plenary speakers, performances, and the moderated panel sessions featuring intergenerational leading experts. Participants will have the opportunity to celebrate blackness and being Black in Britain now and beyond these times, to identify and articulate their shared and disparate challenges, and to determine future-facing strategies in a setting designed to ultimately strengthen Black personal and professional networks.

”

Co-organiser Sheryl Nwosu said: “We’re here, we’re embedded here, through history, culture, and contribution; building and solidifying institutions, and the very fabric of a society that we can sometimes forget that we have, should we want it, the ultimate stake in, i.e. its future. This symposium

Histories

“There are few things as important and as necessary as the need to better understand the history, the impact and the Contemporary challenges faced by black Britons,’, said Smithsonian

Secretary Lonnie Bunch. “This symposium makes a major contribution by illuminating how expanding our knowledge about this community will help all see that the histories and experiences of black Britons are both the story of a people and a nation.” For continuing information about speakers, performers, sponsors and registration please visit the events website at www.blackbritainbeyond.org.uk.

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE | 27

SAVE THE DATE

24 October 2020 Black Britain and Beyond “ Being and Belonging ” A Symposium for our Future IGNITE INSPIRE PROVOKE THOUGHT PROGRESS To register, please visit: www.blackbritainbeyond.org.uk Photo by Lucas Gouvea on Unsplash BBB_268mmx340mm_TheVoice_advert.indd 1

27/09/2020 20:02

28 | THE VOICE

OCTOBER 2020

Northern Nigerian Independence News

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

From oil to Nollywood to Afrobeats, Nigeria has a lot to be proud of as it reaches a milestone

HE 60TH anniversary of Nigerian independence is cause for celebration – but for the obvious COVID reasons the party will not be happening at the High Commission as is tradition. So the country’s diamond jubilee will come and pass without the usual feast of jollof rice and Afrobeats. The government has announced that they will not let COVID defeat them and have declared that this jubilee anniversary celebrations should run the entire year right up until September 30, 2021, rather than the normal 24-hour knees up and done. After 60 years of self-government most Nigerians will not be unduly surprised. They have come to expect that when it comes to Naija, expect the unexpected. Even though Nigerian news-

Every artist from Beyonce to Ed Sheeran uses the musical style

1970 The Nigerian civil war comes to an end. 1980 Nigeria beats Algeria 3-0 in the Nations Cup final.

paper cartoonists are saying there’s little to celebrate, there are some unexpected reasons to celebrate the last 60 years...

1990 Nollywood becomes the world’s biggest film industry, just a decade after Bollywood films dominated the Nigerian cinema landscape. The camcorder movie business churns out more feature films than anywhere else in the world and sparks off an entire cottage industry.

1960 Nigeria gains independence despite discovering oil in the Niger Delta region seven years earlier. Three years after that discovery, on Sunday, January 15, 1956, the first commercial field started producing oil.

2000 Aliko Dangote becomes the richest African in the world with a fortune today worth $8.3 billion (£6.4bn) built from a small trading firm in 1977 to a global empire trading in commodities such as flour and

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sugar. Unusually for an economy based almost entirely on the production of oil. If he carries out his desire to own Arsenal football club, there will be even more reason to celebrate for Nigerians in their jubilee year.

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2010 Afrobeats take over the world with Nigeria and its artists at the forefront of the musical explosion. Now every artist from Beyonce to Ed Sheeran uses the musical style in their music.

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2020 The Nigerian army, the world’s fourth largest, seems to be winning the battle against the insurgents of Boko Haram in the north-east of the country.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

OCTOBER 2020

The Nurse and Midwife Behind the

Mask

30 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Special supplement: Nurses Behind The Mask

Faces and voices

Here we speak to some of the incredible nurses and midwives dedicated to keeping Britain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic – with backing and support from the Florence Nightingale Foundation

‘I have been inspired and impacted’ of BAME nurses on boards to reflect our communities. As the saying goes, “Variety is the spice of life”, equality in our diversity lies in strength and beauty. And it’s about harnessing all these values or characteristics in order for us to achieve our intended goals.

Ethel Mumba, Rheumatology Research Nurse, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust I HAVE been working in the NHS for 16 years in various departments. It’s a great Institution. As a BAME Nurse working in the NHS and Healthcare, I feel privileged that I can contribute and continue building on the legacy of BAME pioneers. It has recently been an unsettling tumultuous period, impacting everyone’s lives including mine. It has not been easy, I felt anxious about my vulnerability at work, a deep distress at the loss of friends and others, and on-going govern-

BLESSING ment decisions and now we face the prospect of a second wave. I feel privileged and proud to be working for the NHS, contributing to the on-going work of great BAME men and women. Therefore, it’s imperative that we have an equal number

FNF has been a blessing and a platform that provided me with a unique opportunity, to understand and experience what I wouldn’t have otherwise. I have been inspired and impacted by hearing many great stories. The skills and knowledge gained have been invaluable and have boosted my confidence.

‘I’m fortunate to be in a BAME team’ Emily Kinyanjui, Community Psychiatric Nurse, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust IT HAS BEEN a challenging journey and I would agree that there is systematic discrimination which I experienced on wards where my white colleagues were given preferential treatment. Due to BLM, these issues are heightened and people are more vocal in being racist.

CHOICE

Being BAME I have made a choice not to notice and get on with my job – after all I’m qualified and am here to work. It should ideally not be an issue as no one chooses the colour of their skin. I am aware the Government have implemented policies to support BAME staff. Currently I’m fortunate to be working in a team with BAME colleagues

and I felt supported. I am, however, scared as BAME people are the most affected. This is a worry and despite being vigilant with PPE, I worry about my family. FNF came into my life at the right time. I had changed jobs several times due to personal circumstances and I lacked confidence. FNF gave me this confidence and self-awareness which in turn has made me embrace challenges and be adaptive to change. I am more confident in the way I work and relate to others. It has given me the ability to speak up in my professional and personal life.

‘Diversity makes the NHS better – but there is a journey ahead’ midwives, that not even for a second, questioned their purpose and commitment to supporting their communities. Despite the frustration and disheartening of seeing that once again, the BAME community is most harmed, we still show up and do our jobs. The NHS is taking actions to address the BAME health and workforce inequalities, but there is a long journey in front of us!

Nayol Santos, Midwife, Whittington Health NHS Trust IT IS EXCITING to be a midwife in London and be part of a multicultural and multi-ethnic workforce! Diversity makes the NHS better. As a midwife, I focus on the wellbeing of the women I care for.

REFLECT

When we are working on our maternity wards, supporting families through their parenthood journey and childbirth experiences, we don’t think about the colour of our skin. We don’t have time to reflect on how it might be perceived to be different, unless someone highlights our differences to us, or we are confronted with the statistics (and the reality) that shows the inequalities in ca-

PROACTIVE

reer opportunities and treatment in the work environment. That’s when it hits us. I am inspired by the incredible, selfless, compassionate

Throughout the whole COVID-19 crisis, the Florence Nightingale Foundation has been proactive in supporting me and my fellow alumni with practical resources to strengthen our resilience and leadership in response to the pandemic. I am grateful for FNF’s commitment to elevating every single nurse, not leaving anyone behind.

‘I challenged myself to be the best I could be’ Arlene Wellman, Chief Nurse, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust IF SOMEONE would have said to me 30 years ago that I would be a Chief Nurse in the NHS I simply would not have believed them. For a start I was raised in the Caribbean and secondly I was a trained teacher, happily coaching the next generation that with hard work, focus and dedication. They could be anything they chose to be. My journey to the UK and the NHS began with a few colleagues successfully

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applying to become nurses in the UK then kindly booking an interview for me too! The rest, as they, say is history. I challenged myself to be the best I could be and my continuous learning journey led me to the Florence Nightingale Foundation, where I was awarded a scholarship on the Aspiring Nurse Directors’ Fellowship program. The Fellowship inspired me to achieve my full potential and provided the platform I needed as a senior BAME nurse to gain the confidence to successfully obtain my Chief Nurse role. I am hugely proud that I am

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an NHS nurse, particularly in this moment in history. One of our key strengths in nursing is our diversity and recognition of its importance in delivering care in every setting.

HUMBLED

I am humbled by the dedication shown by BAME nursing and midwifery colleagues in the NHS who have continued to deliver compassionate care to patients and families during the COVID-19 pandemic; whilst being away from their own families and ever conscious of their own risks. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we need to look after our own health and wellbeing and support colleagues from all backgrounds. Most importantly COVID-19 has reminded us that caring for each other will enable us to continue to deliver the excellent care we aspire to.

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 31

Special supplement: Nurses Behind The Mask

behind the masks ‘FNF taught me how to succeed’ Lianta Downes, Dermatology Clinic Sister, Whittington Health NHS Trust MY EXPERIENCE of being a black nurse within the NHS has been a positive one. I do have colleagues who have had negative experiences. I think I have been fortunate that I have worked in the same Trust for more than 10 years with many of the same colleagues. Before the BLM movement, I experienced micro-aggressions – touching of my hair, being told I speak really well or being praised for general intelligence. My upbringing meant that I would usually reply with a ‘thank you’ and change the subject, because past experiences of challenging such comments have led to being labelled aggressive or ‘playing the race card’. There was always the unspoken glass ceiling as many very senior members of staff do not look like me. It was daunting being on the frontline when the data revealed those from ethnic minorities were at a higher risk of dying from COV-

ID-19, especially when healthcare staff began to pass away. It sounds silly but you almost always feel protected from things when you put on your uniform. Suddenly the dilemma was looking after very sick people and leaving my young family at home. It felt like being drafted into war with no end in sight. It was very emotional.

CHANGING

I love being a black nurse, I love caring for people and helping them to understand both the diagnosis and the treatment. Nursing is constantly changing as a profession and I love contributing to it. Being a black nurse means I can sometimes give insight into cultural misunderstandings that are not easy to document. FNF has provided me with the tools and knowledge to actively seek opportunities and put in place development strategies. My grandmother always taught me you have to have to work twice as hard being black and female to be seen as equal. FNF taught me how to succeed at a strategic level.

‘I aim to influence lasting change’ Nicola Johnson, Infectious Diseases Midwife, Whipps Cross Hospital BEHIND THIS mask is a midwife. Proud of my black heritage. Proud of my profession. Proud to be a part of the NHS. Proud to care. 2020 has been a challenging year for all but a substantially pivotal year in the lives of BAME people. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the profile of inequalities that have a direct impact on BAME individuals and the urgent need for these to be addressed. Working during the pandemic posed a personally stressful time. BAME workers are immediately vulnerable to COVID-19 based on ethnicity alone and so working to protect the public but being very mindful to reduce risk, protect and care for vulnerable loved ones at home is a

difficult balance to maintain. However, it has been a time where the essential work of others meant that I was then able to go to work. Essential workers also deserve the highest commendation for their significant indirect contribution to the NHS. This has been team working at its finest and at the most difficult of times.

PROUD

I have always been proud to be a midwife. As a black midwife, I feel that it is important that the public can see a wide range of healthcare professionals and leaders that are representative of the population in every way. This can lead to a better understanding of diversity which enables more holistic care to be given to individuals. This same BAME representation is to be further addressed in the institutional

‘The foundation has increased my confidence’

Mary Kambafwile, Clinical Research Nurse, Leeds General Infirmary WORKING DURING the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my work in so many different ways. However, I received great support from my manager which I found to be helpful and I cannot thank her enough for this. It’s challenging at times to be a BAME nurse especially now with everything going on around the world and the UK, but it brings me comfort to know that I am not alone and that all BAME people are going through the same experience. I have accessed great support at my hospital and they have invested in BAME staff which is fantastic. It makes me proud to be a part of history. I will be able to tell stories to my grandchildren

or they will hear about the pandemic and the effort of NHS staff and say my nanny was one of those that worked during this time. Had it not been for FNF I would not have known what to do or who to speak to. They gave me a voice. FNF has increased my confidence and I feel I can speak with authority now. Being a FNF Nurse has allowed me to be a part of an outstanding national infrastructure.

‘I lived away from my family to protect them’ Mildred Musami, Staff Nurse, Princess Royal University Hospital

of time. I learnt that BAME nurses and midwives were more susceptible to COVID-19 compared to non-BAME colleagues. I had a higher risk of catching the infection and this worried me.

WORKING AS a BAME nurse in the NHS and healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a stressful experience. I had to learn new skills and acquire the knowledge needed to care for high dependency patients and support colleagues, in a short space

I also feared for my family who could catch it easily from me, which caused them anxiety, too. I had to live away from home to protect them. Thankfully the NHS was very supportive and understanding. We had enough PPE and

SUPPORTIVE

the public also came together to support us. We had a wellbeing hub within the hospital where staff could go to meet up with colleagues and get psychological support from specialists. I feel proud working for the NHS and to be a part of history. I can relate to Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole who worked tirelessly in difficult conditions during the Crimean war. FNF gave me the courage to work hard and to focus on caring for patients during the pandemic.

‘BAME is more than just an acronym’ leadership positions. The FNF is one that equips and enables NHS nurses and midwives with the tools needed to achieve their potential and to break that ‘glass ceiling’ into leadership. The foundation invests and empowers band 5 and 6 nurses and midwives with comprehensive training that includes public speaking to having an understanding of self and others personality types. With this training I aim to lead and influence lasting change.

Rebecca Gilbert, Midwife, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust I FEEL PROUD to be a mixedrace midwife working in the NHS and feel that it is important to recognise that BAME is more than just an acronym. Placing so many different ethnicities and cultures into just one category, can be so dismissive of the different experiences and needs of our women. I believe having a workforce made of up different races is so important to ensure that the families we

look after can identify and feel that they are represented. Having a diverse maternity team ensures that discussions can be had, and we can urgently start to reduce racial

disparities that happen in this country. Completing the FNF leadership course introduced me to some inspiring people. It is so encouraging to see that while senior level opportunities are still limited, changes are happening, and I am proud to work at Guys and St Thomas’ where this is evident. I am about to start a Master’s in Enhanced Midwifery Care, and I hope in the future that I can use my voice to promote cultural competency and ensure that all women are given a voice and positive pregnancy experience.

32 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Special supplement

How Windrush helped inspire a career in care

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD: Ross taking part in the annual Florence Nightingale Foundation Westminster Abbey Commemoration Service, where he was a lamp carrier

Ross Anderson, deputy charge nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, feels a special connection to his roots after his grandmother, Eugene, travelled from Jamaica to carve a career in the NHS – and he has followed in her footsteps

EING A BAME nurse within the NHS who is also a Windrush descendant gives me a huge sense of pride and a real sense of identity. Coming from a Jamaican background, my nan, Eugene, was born and raised in Clarendon, Jamaica – a small village. She came over to England in 1962 at the age of 25, to pursue a better life for herself and her small children, choosing to work as a nursing assistant for the NHS having been told that there were jobs that needed to be done to help build up a post-war Britain. At this period in time due to these invitations and promises of work, there was a large amount of immigration from the Caribbean and with it came a great amount of prejudice which was experienced by many. Fast forward to 2014 when I myself, also in my mid-20s decided to apply to Kingston University, where my older sister was in her third year of her Nursing BSC. This is where I began my own journey into nursing. I graduated in 2017 with a BSC in Nursing and accepted my first nursing post at

A SPECIAL CONNECTION: Ross’ nan, Eugene, a Windrush nurse

She came to pursue a better life for herself and her children Kingston Hospital. I felt that what helped and inspired me throughout were the caring attributes which were passed down to me through my nan and the legacy of her hopes and dreams.

SKILLS

Having worked as a staff nurse in the NHS and with the help of the Florence Nightingale Foundation Windrush Leadership Course, I was able to gain the necessary and integral skills and knowledge to enable me to progress within the NHS. I am now proud to say that I work as a deputy charge nurse for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. With the recent and sudden emergence of COVID-19, it was my great honour to have been called upon at the begin-

ning of April 2020 to work on the frontline at St Thomas’ Hospital on the COVID-19 intensive care unit. This was obviously a very difficult time and as a BAME NHS nurse it was also a concerning time given the emerging news about the increased risks to people from BAME backgrounds.

FRONTLINE

Working on the frontline during a pandemic is something I never imagined I would be called upon to do. It was important for me as a BAME nurse to be on the ward during the pandemic. BAME nurses have always been an integral part of the NHS during challenging times. BAME nurses run through the bloodstream of the NHS, which was built on the shoulders of the Windrush nurses who came over on the SS Empire Windrush on June 21, 1948 to work in the NHS that came into being on July 5, 1948. This is the very legacy which inspired my nan to come to England and pursue a career within the NHS. This gives me an immense feeling of pride. Today’s generation of Windrush descendant nurses stand on the shoulders of giants. The Florence Nightingale Foundation provide a range of courses to support all nurses including BAME nurses, one of which being the Windrush Leadership Course. Being able to participate in the Florence Nightingale Windrush Leadership Course has meant a great deal to me personally as it is also a part of my heritage. The course has afforded me some fantastic job opportunities within the NHS

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and I have had some amazing experiences such as having the honour of carrying the lamp for the Florence Nightingale commemoration ceremony in Westminster Abbey. I feel that I have gained confidence in talking to people at a very senior level and have developed my skills within the profession. The course has been a vehicle which has propelled me to a whole new world of opportunities, which I would otherwise not have been able to access. As I look back on this journey I feel that this has been so much more than just a course.

POTENTIAL

The Florence Nightingale Foundation provides coaching for BAME nurses to unlock potential and enable career progression within the NHS. They pool their resources from alumni to facilitate networking events for Florence Nightingale BAME nurses. They support their BAME nurses to empower themselves by giving them the tools and resources to be able to tackle the many challenges they may face. During the pandemic, the Florence Nightingale Foundation have continued to offer support through the use of virtual sessions, adapting their delivery model in order to enable support to their nurses throughout this unprecedented time. I am proud to be a Florence Nightingale Scholar. I am proud to be a nurse and, above all, I am immensely proud to be a Windrush descendent and to continue this legacy as a BAME nurse.

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CONTINUING A LEGACY: Clockwise, from above, with health secretary Matt Hancock at an event earlier this year; with mum Charmaine at Westminster Abbey; Ross’ sister Tara, who is also a nurse

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 33

Special supplement: Nurses Behind The Mask

News

‘We need to hear the voices of our BAME staff’ Florence Nightingale Foundation CEO Professor Greta Westwood says now is the time to listen

HE NHS is a great symbol of pride for the British public and so it should be. There is no other health system in the world that resembles the NHS. Free care at the point of delivery. Who would have thought, in 1948 when the NHS was established, that the contribution of the BAME workforce would play such a significant role over the last 72 years? This year we celebrate the bicentenary of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, pictured below. You cannot celebrate such a milestone without acknowledging the contribution of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) nurses and midwives in building the NHS.

PROUD

As a registered nurse and CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF), I am proud of the contribution that FNF is making to support the leadership development of BAME nurses and midwives. Last year 43 per cent of our leadership programme participants were from a BAME background. We have supported BAME nurses and midwives through specific programmes and scholarships. The Windrush Leadership Programme, launched in 2018, to mark the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush Generation in 1948, has gone from strength to strength. The

The foundation must stand with its BAME colleagues programme supports Windrush descendants and other BAME NHS England nurses and midwives. To mark the birthday of the NHS on July 5, I was proud to launch the Nurse Behind The Mask campaign recognising the BAME contribution to the NHS, highlighting that the nurse or midwife behind the mask is BAME. This has become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our BAME nurses, midwives and other health and social care staff who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The first doctors to die from COVID-19 related illnesses on the frontline, were BAME and people from BAME backgrounds appear to be more likely to develop severe COVID-19 symptoms.

RISK

Of all BAME people, those with Bangladeshi heritage were approximately twice as likely to die when compared with white British people. Those with Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, Caribbean and other black heritage faced between a 10 and 50 per cent higher risk of death than white British people. Recent analysis reported in the Health Services Journal (2020) revealed of the 203 health and social care staff known to have died from the COVID19, 63 per cent were from a BAME background, despite these groups only making up 16 per cent of the workforce. Of the 63

nurses and midwives who have died, 48 (76 per cent) were from a BAME background compared with the 20 per cent BAME nursing and midwifery workforce. This is why we need to hear the voices of our nursing and midwifery BAME staff, and why this special supplement is so poignant. Throughout the supplement you will have seen the faces behind the mask, and I hope that you have enjoyed reading their stories and why their contribution matters.

COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE: Professor Greta Westwood says the Florence Nightingale Foundation continues to support and celebrate BAME nurses, midwifes and care staff; inset below left, Florence Nightingale

EXPERIENCES

What have we done at the Foundation to mark this contribution? At the start of the pandemic, we launched the Nightingale Frontline Support Service, providing emotional and wellbeing support to all nurses and midwives working on the frontline of COVID-19. The last worldwide pandemic was the Spanish Flu in 1918, so the experiences of frontline nurses and midwives now is novel, not encountered for over a century. We were delighted this year to receive funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation to support our new BAME Frontline Support Service. It will provide much needed emotional and wellbeing support to BAME staff working in social care. Why is it important to a Foundation established in honour of Florence Nightingale to mark the work of BAME nurses and midwives? Because Florence was an advocate of social justice and fought for the working rights of women, improved health and living conditions of soldiers in the British Army and other disenfranchised members of society. There is a myth that she didn’t get on with another great figure – Mary Seacole – whose contribution to the Crimean War was equally important. The two women met once and for five minutes. During the War, there was no time for rivalry and the priority for both women was tending to those in need. This year we honour Ko-

foworola Abeni Pratt, the first black nurse to train and work in the NHS, by awarding a scholarship in her name to a BAME FNF scholar.

heard and it is fitting that we now acknowledge her contribution to the NHS. As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to gain

The NHS continues to thrive on the shoulders of immigrants and BAME staff Pratt was also a pioneer of nursing in post-independence Nigeria. In 1950 she graduated from The Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital that was established by Florence Nightingale in 1860. Her name has seldom been

momentum, the Foundation must stand united with our BAME health and care colleagues and pay tribute to the sacrifices they have made and continue to make. The NHS continues to thrive on the shoulders of immigrants and BAME staff. Long may it

continue and may the Foundation continue to celebrate the immense achievements of our BAME nurses and midwives, always giving them a platform to be heard. You can find out more about our Windrush Leadership Programme by visiting florence-nightingalefoundation.org.uk/

windrush-nurses-andmidwives-leadership-

programme-2020/. More details about the Nightingale Frontline Leadership Support Service can be found at florence-

nightingale-foundation.org.uk/ nightingale-frontline-

leadership-support-service/

34 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Special supplement: Nurses Behind The Mask

My 43 years in the NHS A CHAMPION FOR THE NHS: Yvonne Coghill was awarded a CBE in 2018 for commitment to equality and diversity in the NHS

Despite setbacks and periods of self-doubt, she has gone on to become one of the NHS’ biggest heroes. Here, Yvonne Coghill reflects on what has been an incredible career dedicated to helping others

N OCTOBER 10, 1977, along with 23 other young hopefuls, I stood in the hall of the school of nursing at Central Middlesex Hospital to be greeted by Mr Adigun, a proud Nigerian man who was at the time head of nursing. It was the beginning of my 43-year career in the NHS. I wish could tell him now how very much I admired him. In truth he must have been pretty spectacular to have risen to the heights he did as a black man at that time in the ‘70s. I guess I knew that racism existed but it had not filtered into my psyche at that time and I was largely ignorant and unaware of the profound effect it has on people and would ultimately have on me during my career. If I knew then what I know now, I would have afforded him much more respect. My three years as a student nurse were relatively happy ones, I was grateful to have secured a place in London after applying to several of the wellknown hospitals and not being accepted, reasons unknown, living in the nurses home on Barretts Green Road, NW10 was a blast. There were nurses from all over the world there, the smell of delicious and exotic foods always permeated the corridors and there was always someone to talk to. Getting the second and then third stripe on my hat was a big deal and I remember the pride I felt completing my total ward

I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me management assessment and being able to ‘hold the keys’. Looking back, those were wonderful days full of light and laughter, the odd exam aside, it was relatively stress-free. In 1981, I left Central Middlesex after being a staff nurse on wards A2, a female orthopaedic ward and D4, cardio thoracic.

DIFFERENT

I was a staff nurse and had been accepted to do my post registration mental health training at St Bernard’s Hospital Ealing. It was here that I met my husband of 36 years, Derek. He was a post registration student nurse and I had just qualified as a staff nurse in psychiatric nursing. The NHS was very different at that time – there were no Trusts or commissioners. It was a time when we had nursing officers and senior nursing officers, we had clinical teachers and nursing schools not universities. I was paid to be a nurse; I did not incur huge debts to go to university to become one. I was not aware at that time the NHS was only 35 years old, a relatively young

institution. I followed the path of most duel qualified nurses and decided to move out in the community as a Health Visitor, this was where I believe I learned so much about life about how people live and the support that many families need just to get by. I worked in the North West London area for many years as a health visitor, family planning nurse, community practice teacher and locality manager. I was the board nurse for Harrow West PCG and so enjoyed working with my GP colleagues to make a difference for the population of Harrow West. Along with my clinical work, I acquired my Master’s degree. It was only when I decided that I wanted to be a senior nurse and started to apply for posts that I began to realise that there was an issue about me. After applying for five senior posts and being unsuccessful for each, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me. My self-esteem and confidence took a real nose dive and after a lot of soul searching I decided to leave the NHS. Two things happened that changed the shape of my career. I was selected by the then CEO and permanent secretary of the NHS, Sir Nigel Crisp, to be his mentee and private secretary and I went on the King’s Fund senior managers programme. Together these experiences changed the course of my career and my life. Nigel Crisp, now Lord Crisp of Eaglescliffe, had just launched

the Leadership Race Equality Action Plan and was looking for a black person to mentor. I was fortunate enough to be chosen – and this is where my career at national level began.

INFLUENCE

At the same time I was a participant on the King’s fund senior managers programme, which taught me to see exactly who I am. For the first time I understood influence and power, inclusion and exclusion. I began to understand race and the inequalities inherent in our society. The last 16 years of my career have been spent leading various programmes and projects designed to help people

from non-white backgrounds to have a better experience of the NHS, programmes like the National Breaking Through Programme and the Workforce Race Equality Standard implementation programme. The path took me slightly away from nursing – however, I am a nurse to my core and was happy to work along three of our chief nursing officers, Dame Chris Beasley, Jane Cummings and Ruth May in various roles, and in 2018 I was elected to the position of deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing. As I am set to retire this year, I see that there is still work to be done. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the country

the true value of our non-white staff. They are at the forefront of the outbreak, selflessly taking care of others, knowing full well that they are more susceptible to the virus than their white counterparts. Thanks to the work that has been done, I am hopeful that our voice will be heard, I look back on my career with pride. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but it has been a very interesting one – and one that I am so glad I had. I am so pleased to be leaving the NHS in the hands of thousands and thousands of inspirational people, people that work tirelessly day after day to ensure our population receives a high-quality service.

CARING AND COMMITTED: From left, Yvonne as a young child; with Lord Nigel Crisp; at the Royal College of Nursing’s Annual Congress in 2018; celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Windrush landing in 2018

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 35

‘What Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole mean to me’

Special supplement

News

Here Holly Henry, 2020 Project Officer at The Florence Nightingale Museum, explains how a BA in History was the catalyst for a career in celebrating two of history’s most iconic nurses

T WAS whilst studying a BA in History that I first considered a career in museums. After graduating I started front of house at the National Portrait Gallery and fell in love with visitor engagement. After various front of house roles I left the sector to gain administrative and project management experience, fully intending to come back. Upon returning to the sector I knew I wanted to help others to overcome hurdles that I first encountered when starting my career, rather than feeling forced out due to lack of opportunities. The lack of diversity amongst people progressing within the sector made me determined to do what I could to change this. I am passionate about widening access to the arts and involving communities. My final year study focused on how museums can create genuine long-lasting relation-

My mum is a nurse and I have always been inspired by her ships with diverse communities. When I saw a role at the Florence Nightingale Museum co-ordinating volunteering and community engagement, it sounded perfect.

CELEBRATE

The museum was embarking on a National Lottery Heritage Funded project to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s bicentenary and the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife in 2020. This project would shine a light on the life, work and legacy of Florence Nightingale, celebrate nurses through time

and the nursing profession today. More importantly, Mary Seacole would also be celebrated. I was excited to be a part of this coming from a BAME background and understanding the BAME contribution to nursing. My mum is a nurse and she views her career as a vocation and is incredibly passionate about nursing and caring for people in the community. I have always been inspired by her.

LEGACIES

Coming from a BAME background, I am so glad that Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole are now on the school curriculum. The lives and legacies of Nightingale and Seacole were brought to my attention during my front of house role at the National Portrait Gallery. Mary Seacole caught my attention as the only black portrait in a room of white faces. I was moved when I learnt how Seacole travelled independently to the Crimean War and set up a base to treat soldiers.

AWARE

A SPECIAL SACRIFICE: Mary Seacole travelled independently to the Crimean War to help wounded soldiers

Having worked in galleries, I have always loved Jerry Barrett’s The Mission of Mercy, Florence Nightingale: Receiving The Wounded At Scutari. I knew of Nightingale’s achievements during the Crimean war and that she went on to become the founder of modern nursing. It was not until starting at the Florence Nightingale Museum however that I became aware of all of

A PASSION FOR THE PAST: Holly Henry takes great joy in teaching others about nursing history her other achievements; starting a training school for nurses, designing hospitals, pioneering statistics, improving sanitation conditions in the British Army and in workhouses. I see both Nightingale and Seacole as great role models and enjoy telling their stories in the museum, although it frustrates me that many people think they were enemies. This was not the case. They barely

sector. Where there were parts of the application process that I was told could be a barrier, I removed them. I made it clear that we could be flexible to all needs. In the end I successfully recruited a volunteer team of all ages, genders, ethnicities and backgrounds.

DIVERSE

I have worked to bring the museum to the local and hugely

We could not have predicted that the year of the nurse would be such an unprecedented and challenging time for workers knew each other. Nightingale did not block Seacole from joining her and both deserve to be celebrated during this momentous year. My first task at the museum was to set up the volunteer programme. I made it my mission to recruit diversely and to change the way people saw both Nightingale and Seacole. I spoke to volunteer centres in different boroughs, volunteer manager networks, community leaders and friends and colleagues in and out of the

diverse community. I have represented the museum at community events and developed relationships and collaborations with community groups and local history societies. I helped with community consultation, design and distribution of our pop-up Nightingale in 200 Objects, People and Places exhibition which has toured hospitals, and arts and community venues across the country. It has been a privilege to tell the story of Florence Nightin-

gale and Mary Seacole and celebrate nurses. Many of our planned bicentenary events have been affected by the pandemic. We could not have predicted that the year of the nurse would be such an unprecedented and challenging time for nurses and healthcare workers and I continue to be so appreciative of them all. We need to remember that BAME nurses and midwives have been at the forefront of the pandemic much like Mary Seacole was during the Crimean War and like her, they are selfless in their sacrifice to care for others.

IMMENSE

We are working hard at the museum to ensure that despite COVID-19 affecting our plans to celebrate Florence, we can still shine a light on the incredible NHS and healthcare workers across the world, as well as celebrate the immense contribution of all nurses during 2020. To find out more about volunteering at the museum contact hollyh@florence-nightingale. co.uk. Learn more about both Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole at florence-nightingale. co.uk/200exhibits

36 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Special supplement

The NHS: Our experiences Here Dorcas Gwata, clinical nurse specialist in the Westminster Council Multi-Agency Integrated Gangs Unit, speaks about her phenomenal career

URSES HAVE a great advantage in having direct contact with members of society and I am proud to say that nursing knows no colour. In London the demographic of our patients is wide, this reflects the amazing diversity we have in this great city. In mental health services many of our patients are from a BAME background, additionally the frontline of mental health services is invariably staffed by BAME nurses and yet we lack this representation in senior management positions.

VULNERABLE

The truth is that as a BAME nurse, I am as vulnerable as the mental health patients I look after. Over the years that I have been a nurse, I have experienced great moments of happiness and satisfaction. I work in the Integrated Gangs Unit (IGU) that was set up in 2011 following the national riots that spread following the death of Mark Duggan. It became apparent then that many of the adolescents who were involved in crime had significant mental health problems and were vulnerable to exploitation. IGU is a multi-agency service comprising police, social workers, youth

HONOURED: Dorcas Gwata has used her experiences to excel in her current role

Youth violence and gang culture is a reflection of inequalities workers and community leaders who work tirelessly to ensure young people are safe. I joined the team in 2013 as a clinical nurse specialist. I am honoured to have worked with this phenomenal team, I also pay tribute to all the young people I work with. We also work with mothers who will forever grieve for their teenage children, refugee families who moved from war torn countries to London only to lose their children to knife crime. I am a better nurse having worked with them. I would not have achieved the outcomes that we achieved if I were not a BAME nurse. In this role I relied on all the skills that I learnt in the field of HIV, the Ebola crisis, female genital mutilation (FGM), the arts and the charity sector to engage with some of the most vulnerable and excluded families in our communities. Youth violence and gang culture is a reflection of structural inequalities in our society.

Knife crime decreased during lockdown. However, it is slowly increasing again. We must treat youth violence with the same urgency as COVID-19 and other pandemics. This is a pandemic on our doorstep and in the London context it is mainly affecting young people from BAME backgrounds.

TRAUMA

Our mental health services are not designed with these vulnerable groups in mind. I would like to see more BAME nurses stepping into these specific roles. The Florence Nightingale Foundation’s Travel Scholarship has been life and career changing for me. It allowed me to travel home to Zimbabwe, and carry out research on the Friendship Bench Programme, an HIV-mental health programme that used culturally adjusted interventions to improve mental health outcomes in communities that are exposed to HIV. I brought these lessons back to London to improve engagement with young people involved in gangs. The Florence Nightingale legacy is alive in the work that we do with disenfranchised communities, I am hugely honoured to be part of that legacy.

‘I have left ajar the doors that have been opened for me’

PROUD: Kendra Schneller

I FEEL incredibly proud to be a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) nurse in the NHS. I am continuing the legacy started by my mother and others from the Windrush Generation. The NHS is a diverse organisation requiring a diverse workforce. I have achieved highly in my career, which was not afforded to my mother – it feels like my successes are her successes. Being part of a workforce made up of many BAME colleagues, many of whom are in senior roles, is not only inspirational but aspirational.

Being BAME and working during the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to consider my family and whether continuing to be on the front line would increase my and their risk of coming into contact with the virus.

PASSION

Once it became apparent that a significant number of BAME workers were dying from the virus, I had to weigh up my passion for my profession and the need to protect myself and my family. It was scary but I knew I would continue working on the frontline.

BAME nurses and midwives working on the frontline during the pandemic are positive role models. Our stories should be told, to help other BAME colleagues. I am extremely proud to work in the NHS during such unprecedented times. This is an historical event and my children/grandchildren will be able to talk about it. Florence Nightingale Foundation’s Windrush leadership programme meant a lot to me. The programme has helped me to focus my mind on how I can develop my career and achieve goals

which I initially thought were out of my reach, and to champion equality in care for my marginalised clients. My highest achievement to date is that I am now working one day a week in my Trust’s chief nurse office, on the Nursing and Midwifery Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy. I have left ajar the doors that have been opened for me, for others to follow. Kendra Schneller is Nurse Specialist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

You can support our Foundation and our BAME scholars by visiting https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/support-us/donate/ For more information contact: aysha@florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk @thevoicenewspaper

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Support the future of our youths

United we stand - Divided we fall

38 | THE VOICE MARCH 2020

OCTOBER 2020

Faith

LOOKING BACK AND MOVING FORWARD

History has inspired heroes. But now we must utilise its power, says Rev Dr. Joel Edwards CBE

HERE ARE two great things about October: its my birthday, and it’s also Black History

Month. Not everyone is bothered about my birthday, but it turns out that not all black people are keen on BHM. Morgan Freeman, for one, thinks we need a BHM about as much as we need a white history month. His point is that, US black history should already be integral to American history. But as we all know it’s not quite like that anywhere in the world where white people write the history. Recently, I was approached by an initiative lobbying the British government to introduce black history into the school curriculum. It’s something the black intellectual, WEB Dubois would have saluted. How the nation educates itself is fundamental for a society wishing to celebrate equality.

REFLECTED

Until this is seriously reflected in our social and cultural life something like BHM is needed to counter a narrative which avoids the success stories of black people – past and present. And as I overheard someone say on a radio programme recently, our future is in our past. Black history helps to create a healthy equilibrium – especially for young black minds. I can still remember schooldays when anything described as black cast a negative and menacing shadow over my psyche. I knew that black folk were good at sports, but to learn of black innovators in science, music, the arts and Christian mission was culturally liberating. But I am looking for something more from black history. Nostalgia and positive images from the past are only a part of the journey. Black history has a greater existential task to perform. Buried deep in black history has been the idea that, like everyone else, black people are made in the image of God – what theologians call the imago dei. A relationship with the heav-

Black history helps to create a healthy equilibrium – especially for young black minds ens has always been part of our self-portrait. This idea provided the counter narrative to Christian slave owners on the plantations and ignited the fires of Sam Sharpe’s Christmas revolt in 1832. It propelled black abolitionists like Mary Prince, Ottabah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano. It was the impulse behind the abolitionist slogan, ‘Am I not a Man and a Brother?’ It’s why Marcus Garvey, pictured inset, was both a preacher and advocate for black self-determination, Martin Luther King Jnr talked about a ‘sense of somebodiness’ and James Cone has written so powerfully about the Cross and the Hanging Tree. Black faith will forever be associated with black freedom because being made in God’s image is still our strongest and purest power in the pursuit of freedom. From a Christian perspective then, BHM is a note to the black self that the revolutionary idea of God’s image moves us beyond nostalgia to action. The question is, what does this look like?

REVOLUTION

The list is endless. But it should start with a revolution in what we teach our children in Sunday school and youth groups. For example, what does it mean for an eight-year-old black girl to be taught that she is a bit like God? How should this idea inform our university students as they

make sense of a world in which the odds are stacked against them, or our Windrush Generation struggling with the atrocities of a ‘hostile environment’? Black Christian leaders captivated by this radical idea, should recognise that it empowers them to call out racial injustice in the UK as an integral part of our ministry. But it also demands a revision of the stifling denominational relationships in which white privilege based in the USA designs teaching material which has no bearing on the social or political realities of life in the UK, and ministerial credentials are determined by white leaders who clearly have no vested interest in black folk reaching the top of their movement.

INEQUALITIES

This is called institutional racism and it fiercely opposes the image of God in people of colour. I suspect that thousands of black Christian leaders turn a blind eye to such inequalities out of loyalty and respect. This kind of submission is a contradiction of the image of God which summons us to build positive partnership rather than paternal relationships. All of this means challenging white leaders to realise that patronising jokes about black culture or cuisine can no longer act as a smoke screen for institutional avoidance which perpetuates white superiority at the expense of black or Asian leaders within their own organisations. An existential awareness that everyone is made in the image of God is an enduring basis for Christian partnerships because it avoids a polemic existence in which black individuals define themselves in opposition to racism. The struggle against oppression should never seep into our soul and the recognition that ‘we’re all God’s chil’ren’ is still the most powerful way of being a black person.

THE VOICE | 39

RIGHTING THE WRONGS: Both Martin Luther King Jr and Olaudah Equiano fought for widespread change

40 | THE VOICE MARCH 2020

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE| 41

National Adoption Week

More adopters from BAME communities urgently needed across London

often experienced difficult early experiences and losses. They need unconditional love and support to help them thrive in life. For this group of children, adoption provides the most successful route to the long-term stability and emotional security most children can thankfully take for granted. There are currently over 200 children awaiting adoption in London alone*, and there is a shortfall of approved adoptive families for APPLICATIONS “All them to be matched This year’s National enquirers with. In particular, Adoption Week coadopters incides with a new can be assured more are needed from nationwide camBAME commuthat there has paign, #YouCanAnities, with childopt, which aims never been a dren from black, to raise awareness Asian and other better time to about adoption ethnic minority and the continuconsider backgrounds often ing need for adopters waiting longer to be adoption” to come forward. Deplaced with adoptive spite the disruption from families. the pandemic and lockdown Sue Lowndes said: “We hope measures, agencies are open for applications and Sue Lowndes, Manag- that the inspiring real-life stories ing Director of Coram Ambitious for shared through this year’s National Adoption says that “all enquirers can Adoption Week and wider #YouCanAbe assured that there has never been a dopt campaign, will convey the positive impact that adoption can have on better time to consider adoption.” Children awaiting adoption have children’s lives and really encourage

s National Adoption Week (12 – 18 October) approaches, children’s charity Coram is highlighting that more adopters from BAME communities are urgently needed and appeals for those considering adoption to get in touch. Coram leads the regional adoption agency Coram Ambitious for Adoption and welcomes enquiries from across London and surrounding areas.

matching children with families who can respect and promote the child’s ethnicity, culture and identity.”

HERITAGE

Veronica and David adopted their son Ethan** through Coram in 2017 when he was 15 months old. As black adoptive parents, they felt it was important to adopt a child of African or Caribbean descent so they would be best placed to understand and promote the child’s cultural heritage as they grew up. Veronica said: “In our culture, adoption isn’t something that’s alpeople to come forward. ways considered and I think we need “Whilst we have seen a rise in en- to dispel myths around adoption. quiries in recent months, we still ur- There are children who need a home gently need more adoptive and there are regular people families, particularly out there ready to adopt. I from Black Caribbethink that’s something “Children an and Black Afrithat everyone in our awaiting communities could can communities, resonate with. who can provide adoption have These children safe, secure and often experienced need families that loving families can raise them to for vulnerable difﬁcult early know their heritchildren. We help experiences and age and instil conto find adopters fidence and a sense for children from losses” of self. Giving a child different ethnic backa home and family is grounds, and focus on

such a rewarding and life changing experience for both parties.” Coram provides support and training to adoptive families at every step of the process, and afterwards whenever it is needed. The first step for anyone interested in adopting is to join one of Coram’s free online information events. These take place monthly and give prospective adopters the opportunity to learn more about the adoption process and hear from adoptive parents about their experiences. To find out more about adopting with Coram and upcoming information events, please visit: coramadoption.org.uk. Coram Ambitious for Adoption is a Regional Adoption Agency, a partnership between leading voluntary adoption agency Coram and local authorities across Greater London, working to find permanent families for children: coramadoption.org.uk. *Data from the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (Q4 2018-19): https://corami.org.uk/resource/local-level-dataquarter-4-2018-2019/ **Names changed to protect anonymity

ADVERTORIAL

In the midst of a pandemic, adoption is firmly in the hearts of our communities Results from a recent survey show that black people have positive and altruistic views around adoption as a new campaign urges potential black adopters to come forward.

t is widely known in black communities that informal adoption is part and parcel of the fabric of our communities; we raise and nurture children that are not our biological children as if they were. Now new data from the cross sector National Adoption Recruitment Steering Group reflects this truth, showing that black communities have positive and altruistic views around adoption, with 80% stating that they have either adopted, considered or would consider adopting a child in the future. The data coincides with the launch of the first National Adoption Recruitment campaign, an initiative urging people who are considering adoption to take the next step.

FINANCES

The drive comes as the survey reveals that whilst motivations regarding adoption are overwhelmingly positive amongst the black community, there are a number of barriers and misconceptions that deter people from taking the next step. This includes concerns around people feeling that their housing is not adequate (35%); finances not being in a good enough position (30%) and worries about their age (20%). At a time when national statistics reveal that black and mixed-heritage

children are disproportionately represented in the care system, a factor that one in six respondents was aware of, the National Adoption Recruitment campaign is raising awareness that the key attribute for adopting a child is providing a loving, safe and stable home and that factors such as occupation, salary, the size of someone’s home, home ownership or age are not important.

RECRUITMENT

The data also revealed that there are a number of incorrect assumptions about the type of person who can adopt. Contrary to beliefs outlined in the survey, those for whom English is not their first language, single people and those who are not married can adopt. Bishop Joe Aldred, broadcaster and writer, said: “People think that if you’re in a low income job or on benefits, you cannot adopt, this is not the case. The National Adoption Recruitment campaign reminds people that not only is the adoption process quicker and simpler than it once was but that the chances are, if you’d like to adopt, it’s very likely you can. Over the years we have seen the fulfilling challenge of adoption at work in several people, including close family, who have benefit-

“

People think that if you’re in a low income job or on benefits, you cannot adop

ed from being adopted and some who have adopted. Every child deserves a loving home and I urge anyone who is considering adoption to come forward and take that next step to put a stop to our children waiting longer for an adoptive family.”

JOURNEYS

Sinitta, singer and mum of two, said: “I would definitely encourage others to consider adoption. I always knew I wanted children and I tried everything from IVF to surrogacy to have them. All of those journeys led to heartbreak, except adoption. The feeling of finally becoming a mother was almost inde-

”

scribable; it’s just everything. It was everything I wanted and more. I love my children more than anything and I always say that love is thicker than blood.”

HONOURED

Reflecting on her experience, adopter Fran says: “The best thing about adopting is knowing that you’ve made a constructive change to someone’s life and that they have done the same for you. My daughter has made my parents grandparents, my brother an uncle and my friends Godparents. I’m honoured to be her mum, she is such a blessing. To anyone in the black community considering adopting I would say absolutely go for it. There are children out there who need support and love and you can add so much value and make a difference to their lives. Your situation - if you are single, married or older for example – won’t matter, if you can provide a loving and nurturing home, I’d say go for it.”

Further information can be found at: www.youcanadopt.co.uk/blackadopters

MARCH 2020

THE VOICE| 43

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44 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Tribute: The late Patsy Robertson

The Jamaican-born diplomat who helped fight Apartheid Debbie Ransome reflects on the extraordinary and inspiring life of the late Patsy Robertson

H AT’S THE Patsy I knew – warm, personable and never afraid to share her extensive experience with those she knew. She spoke truth to power. And while some people who have worked for so long in the corridors of power might tone down their comments, Patsy did not. And, because of her Caribbean warmth – her perspective would be shared as she held on to your arm and stared you

FOR THE PEOPLE: Clockwise, from top left, with the Obasanjo Group in 1980; Patsy Robertston in her younger days; alongside Nelson Mandela; Robertson played an integral part in securing the rights of Commonwealth nations; meeting the Queen; inset bottom left, meeting Alexander Bustamente, who became Jamaica’s first PM in 1962 warmly in the face – everybody would take her comments on the chin. I saw many, from top Commonwealth executives to world diplomats, listen attentively to her comments because they understood that Patsy knew what she was talking about.

STANDARDS

Born in the Malvern district of St Elizabeth in Jamaica in 1933, Patsy Pyne represented the high educational standards that Caribbean countries still retain with pride. Her father was the headmaster of Glengoffe secondary school. He also started a loan bank and used some of his spare time to coach the children of poor families to help them attend US colleges. Patsy attended Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls in Kingston before studying journalism and English at New York University. Her time in 1950s New York moved her into liter-

In her heart, she was a crusading journalist ary and intellectual circles that included a friendship with James Baldwin; her admiration of Baldwin was to last a lifetime, but she never boasted in a name-dropping manner about the writer. Her New York experience also gave her a lifetime hatred of racism. However, it was Apartheid-era South Africa that gave her a mission. Patsy returned to Jamaica, where she worked as a young reporter for the Gleaner. Her son John told the Gleaner after her death: “In her heart, she was a crusading journalist. Even though for many years she worked as a diplomat and as a media director, rather than a journalist, she never lost touch with the press and with its im-

portance. Those relationships that she started at the Gleaner, she carried them on through the Commonwealth and through the United Nations. Those were the foundation of her life and her work.”

POACHED

From the Gleaner, Patsy moved to become information officer at the then newly established Jamaican High Commission in London, where she worked for three years before being poached by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Established in 1965, the Secretariat under its first Secretary General, Canada’s Arnold Smith, set out to reflect its widening membership with the dismantling of the British Empire and the joining of newly independent nations. Patsy fitted the bill, reflecting the modern multinational Commonwealth Secretariat. However, it was under the next Secretary General, Shridath “Sonny” Ramphal of Guy-

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ana, that the Commonwealth developed a major shift in outlook from 1975. The members of this newlook Commonwealth took on UK policy and prime minister Margaret Thatcher, particularly on the issue of Apartheid. She left in 1994 to work at the United Nations as senior adviser for the World Conference on Women in Beijing. She also served as senior adviser at UNICEF in 2001. In later years, Patsy remained a formidable force in Commonwealth and diplomatic circles. Patsy was the Chair of the trustees of the Ramphal Institute and the Commonwealth Association (Commonwealth former staffers). She was also a trustee of the Thompson Foundation for journalistic training and the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust. Sir Shridath Ramphal said in tribute to Patsy: “The Commonwealth sky clouded over as Patsy Robertson left us an hour ago. She had given her life to

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the Commonwealth – from the Secretariat’s beginning to her own end. I shared many years of the Commonwealth story with Patsy and attest to her unbounded devotion to the truest causes for which the Commonwealth stood.” St Lucian Ambassador Edwin Laurent, a former director at the Ramphal Institute, told The Voice: “Developing countries have lost a great champion who was often at her most effective when she operated behind the scenes.” Patsy was active up to her death on August 18, 2020 at the age of 86. Her husband Calum Robertson died in 2012. She leaves behind three adult children, John, Sarah and Neil, and grandson Jesse. Debbie Ransome has worked in the Caribbean and the UK as a journalist and editor. In the UK, she has worked with the BBC, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Round Table think tank.

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 45

Tribute: The late Patsy Robertston ‘She supported the cause of freedom’ Nomatemba Tambo, South African High Commissioner to the United Kingdom IT IS WITH great sadness that the South African High Commission in the United Kingdom learnt that Ms Patsy Blair Robertson had transitioned on August 18, 2020. On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of South Africa, I pay tribute to an individual who distinguished herself by lending her voice to stand up for the South African people who were oppressed and, who relied on those committed to freedom and democracy to speak on their behalf. She used her journalistic network to support the cause of freedom. The issues she fought

then are more relevant than ever today. As long as there are people who are not free, as long as the scourge of poverty remains, and for as long as misinformation jeopardises the truth, the values that Ms Robertson embodied and lived her life against, provides an example we should emulate, in solidarity with the peoples who endure all forms of oppression. In celebrating the life and contribution of Ms Robertson, I am reminded of words spoken by Steve Bantu Biko, “It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die.” And in Ms Robertson’s words, “...you simply had to fight against inequality, with strong feelings against unfairness, strong feelings that you’ve got to do something about injustice.”

‘She was one of a kind – pure joy’ Dorothy Mikki Pine-McLarty OJ PATSY ROBERTSON – a woman of exceptional talent and wisdom who exuded great confidence. I, along with other family members in Jamaica acknowledge and salute her for her singular achievements at the Commonwealth Secretariat, also in Journalism and Humanitarian Rights. Yet, she was, to us, one of a kind, pure joy, always charming, vivacious, outgoing, welcoming, the life of any gathering, whether sober or celebratory. Not to speak of her unmatched wit. Always the consummate hostess or guest who facilitated after dinner conversations par excellence on current affairs or indeed any topic, often into the wee hours of the next morning. Patsy’s visits to Jamaica were heralded with excitement and anticipation among my family and friends. Somehow, she found time to connect with each and every one and to explore areas of Jamaica unknown to the rest of us. Indeed,

IT WAS WITH deep sadness that we learnt of the passing of Mrs Patsy Robertson, an outstanding daughter of Jamaica and stalwart of the Jamaican Diaspora. Miss Patsy, as we fondly came to know her at the High Commission, had a deep love for her homeland, Jamaica. She supported many community initiatives, including serving as a trustee for several charities and as President of the Friends of the Georgian Society of Jamaica. Mrs Robertson was a true asset to Jamaica and did her country proud by representing us at the highest levels of the international arena

Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC HOW DO we find the words to express the loss we all feel by the passing of someone close and dear to us? Patsy Robertson was a dear friend whom I sorely miss. For those who knew her, the name Patsy Robertson evokes memories of a warm, softspoken, charming and always impeccably dressed woman who rarely missed a Commonwealth function. Her former colleagues will perhaps describe her as the legendary communicator who, as the Commonwealth’s official spokesperson and director of information, transformed the UK’s narrative on white minority rule in South Africa into messages of equality and peace. Whose steely determination helped take on the might of the Thatcher Government over Apartheid and won. She was a beautiful enigma in so many ways. Despite travelling the world over and soaking up a rich diversity of cultures, she remained quintessentially Caribbean. Her voice, her mannerisms and her perspectives still carried the tone of her Jamaican heritage, and told the story of the mesmerising landscapes and crisp, unpolluted air of the Santa Cruz Mountains that cradle the close-knit town

of Malvern where she was born. She still loved to move to the rhythm of calypso beat, which she described as ‘better than a tonic’. As I reflect on her story, I wonder about the exact sequence of events - the setbacks, the defining moments of reflections and milestone decisions that gave us this legendary woman.

IMPACT

Because of the sheer depth and breadth of her impact and influence, and the millions lives she touched, it is hard to find the words to do her justice. Every Secretary-General in her time will tell you that when they were on the battlefield staring across at a line of formidable obstacles it was always a relief to know that Patsy was on their side. Her advice and encouragement made the onward journey possible. One of the last things she said to me was “Patricia, we stand in the gap. We are all made of sterner stuff and we don’t know how to turn tail and run.” I will never forget these words or this legendary woman who worked her way into the heart of the Commonwealth and left us a living legacy that will continue to shape our ideas and actions for years to come.

‘Wherever she went, she carried the Jamaican flag with distinction’ Patsy was busy even when she was supposed to be doing nothing. My dear cousin Patsy will never be forgotten. She endeared herself to us all and we will always be hoping the Dear Lord will send her back to us just for one more visit to Jamaica. We send love and hugs to her grieving relatives in the UK and elsewhere. We miss her terribly and pray for her eternal rest and peace and that perpetual light may always shine upon her.

‘An outstanding daughter of Jamaica’ His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, CD, High Commissioner for Jamaica

‘A beautiful enigma in so many ways’

as both a journalist and an international civil servant. She was a champion and strong campaigner for racial and gender equality and social justice. She also used her voice and influence in support of efforts to end Apartheid and in defence of the rights of women, children and youth. Although she formally retired from the Secretariat in the early ‘90s, she remained very active in its work. The Government of Jamaica and the staff of the Jamaican High Commission in London, extend heartfelt condolences to Mrs Robertson’s children, John, Sarah, and Neil; her sister Kathleen; her brother Cuthbert; her extended family and her many friends and colleagues.

Most Hon. P. J. Patterson, ON, OCC, PC, QC, former prime minister of Jamaica (1992-2006) PATSY ROBERTSON began her decades of service to her people by joining the staff of the FWI London Office, which responded to the needs and welfare of our early Caribbean migrants. From there, she moved to the Commonwealth Secretariat and served the first Secretary-General, Arnold Smith, as press officer. Under Sir Shridath Ramphal, Patsy became the director of information and was elevated to the post of the Commonwealth’s Official Spokesperson where she remained under Chief Emeka Anyaoku until her

retirement. Mrs Robertson began the task of building the image of the modern Commonwealth. She was a key player in the Commonwealth’s decisive, focused and principled campaign against the brutal Apartheid regime in South Africa. She was insistent that the voices of the smaller nation states were heard as equal within the Commonwealth Nations. During so many critical international challenges, she won great admiration for her diplomatic flair and journalistic agility. After official retirement, Mrs Robertson was instrumental in establishing and chairing the Commonwealth Association that brings together former staff of the Secretariat and Commonwealth Civil Society organisations, as they continue to promote the Commonwealth and its values. Mrs Robertson was a true patriot. Her commitment to her homeland never waned. Wherever she went, she carried the Jamaican flag with distinction. She was President of The Georgian Society of Jamaica for many years. Her energy and fundraising skills

protected our architectural heritage. As the founding Chair of The Ramphal Institute, she conducted the study and produced that seminal report on Migration and Development in The Commonwealth. The output of the Institute under her able guidance has been remarkable in assisting Commonwealth member states in areas of social and economic policy, governance and environmental concerns.

STAMINA

For over seven decades, Patsy promoted our nation across the Commonwealth and global stage. Her stamina and commitment represent a rule magnificent example about what Jamaican women can do and achieve. Deepest sympathy and sincere condolences are extended to children John, Sarah and Neil, grandchild Jesse and the entire bereaved family. Patsy’s earthly journey ended on August 18, 2020 – a worldwide journey – from which mankind benefited immensely and for which we give grateful thanks. May her soul rest in perpetual Peace.

46 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

News feature

FROM UPTOWN GIRL She helped overthrow the Grenadian government in 1979. But the extraordinary late Phyllis Coard’s life has left us with more questions than answers, says Dotun Adebayo

HE DEATH of Phyllis Coard in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica recently leaves more questions than answers. Was she a force for good or a force for bad in her adopted home of Grenada? And was she the brains behind the assassination of the Grenadian prime minister, Maurice Bishop, for which she was sentenced to death, or a scapegoat for the American invasion of the island in 1983? The 76-year-old had been suffering from a longtime illness and, according to reports, her devoted husband Bernard, pictured right, was by her side to the very end. They had been resolutely side by side through good times and bad times, and really rough times, in their 53-year marriage. Is this then ultimately a story of love? Of star-crossed lovers who loved not wisely but too well?

STUDENT

To answer these questions you have to go back to the marriage of the Coards, in London

The couple’s focus was on returning to the Caribbean in 1967, when he a Grenadian student, who came to Britain in September 1966 to do a Master’s degree at the University of Sussex, fell in love with her, a Jamaican studying in the British capital. It was a fairy tale that they quickly made official and legal, but the fairy tale would not last forever. This was a time of revolutionary dreams for people of African heritage the world over. By this time most African countries had gained their independence from their ‘motherlands’ of primarily Britain and France. The Portuguese held on to their vast territories of Angola and Mozambique for as long as possible (1975) doing their best to mine these colonies of their rich, natural resources. In the Caribbean, too, the sun was setting on the British Empire as island after island lowered the Union flag that had stood over them, reigning supreme. There was a spirit in the air amongst black people that the day of liberation was nigh for the entire African diaspora. A decade later the Twinkle Brothers would sing “If Africa nuh free, black man can’t free...” – but that sentiment was

POWER COUPLE: Phyllis and Bernard Coard overthrew Grenada’s government in 1979 – but they paid the price being aired by black people in America, Africa, the Caribbean and Britain for years previously as South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) remained thorny issues of white resistance to black independence. It was in this spirit of change in the world that the Coards set out in married life. He worked full-time while signing up for a part-time PhD in development economics.

FOCUS

The couple’s focus was on returning to the Caribbean to serve their people once Bernard had completed his doctorate. He taught full-time at two so-called schools for the ‘educational sub-normal’, at which he gained first-hand experience of what was happening not just in these schools, but in the education system as a whole. He concluded that the system was using these schools as a convenient dumping ground for black children who were anything but ‘educationally sub-normal’. Looking across the ocean to

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Cuba for revolutionary inspiration and eventually leaving London to go and settle, initially in Trinidad and then to Phyllis Coard’s home island of Jamaica Bernard published, what is still today regarded as a seminal book: How The West Indian Child Is Made Educa-

like a revolutionary book, but it would be the subplot, at the very least, for what was to become the Grenada revolution in which Phyllis Coard would be handed the brief of education. In Jamaica, the Coards lived a relatively quiet life, having become parents. He lectured

Bernard Coard would have been something of a revolutionary act in itself, and one can only imagine how that went down when she announced on returning home, ‘Guess who’s coming to dinner?’, or words to that effect. The Jamaica that they initially settled in after their studies was itself in the throes of the revolutionary spirit.

Catch A Fire was the soundtrack that accompanied REFLECTIVE could hear it in the music the Coards’ socialist tendancies You that was at that time switching tional Sub-Normal In The British School System. It outlined the racist policies and practices of the education authorities at the time, racism within the curriculum itself and the poor self-image, self-esteem and self-belief which the vast majority of black children experienced and its consequences for their school (and later life) performance. From its title and subject matter, How The West Indian Child Is Made Educational Sub-Normal In The British School System, it may not seem or sound

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at the University of the West Indies up in Mona Heights in Kingston. She was not wealthy, but she came from ‘good’ stock. Her uncle was the entrepreneur who gave the world Tia Maria, the chosen liqueur of the upwardly mobile. As a light-skinned Jamaican she was immediately elevated to the ‘uptown’ scene where ‘lighter and lighter’ every generation was the creed and she was brought up being told to stay away from her darkskinned friends and playmates. Marrying the darker-skinned

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from the ‘dance the night away’ rock steady beat to the slower, more reflective rhythms and more militant lyrics of reggae. The Wailers, the foremost band on the island’s release of Catch A Fire, set a template that would dominate the music and the thinking of people in Jamaica and the world over for decades to come. It was the soundtrack that accompanied the Coards’ socialist tendencies. Across the Caribbean Sea, Cuba was a beacon in the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist reasoning among intellectuals,

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OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 47

News feature

TO A REVOLUTIONARY

ONE LOVE: Clockwise, from top left, Phyllis Coard in her younger days; a New Jewel Movement billboard sits proud on the island of Grenada; Bernard Coard became deputy prime minister of Grenada to Maurice Bishop; an NJM poster many of whom were returning from their learning overseas to a region still known as the West Indies. Fidel Castro’s revolution was still standing strong more than a decade on, during which time the leader of this relatively small country had stood up to the might of the United States, in what the US called its backyard, and had held its own. Just as Samora Machel was doing in Mozambique, in the spirit of Toussaint L’Ouverture, who took on Napoleon’s Army and defeated it a couple of centuries earlier. Castro, pictured far left, was an inspiration to all would-be revolutionaries and was willing to lend support to the overthrow of the imperialists anywhere in the world. To what extent he is behind the Grenada revolution, is still not clear. He supported it. But did he

instigate it? That still remains to be confirmed. What we do know is that the tiny Caribbean island had endured the rule of prime minister Sir Eric Gairy, pictured below, who had dominated the island’s politics since the early 1960s.

COLONIAL

By the time the island was independent and he became its first prime minister, he held an iron-grip on the runnings there. An iron-grip, some would say, in the old colonial style. Bernard Coard returned to Grenada in 1976, with his wife and dreams of change. It was a new dawn, a new age and the o l d

elite would have to be overthrown to realise a new Grenada. On his return, Bernard linked up with his childhood friend Maurice Bishop, whose newly formed New Jewel Movement (NJM) became the leading opposition on the island. Bernard Coard and his wife

ica’s backyard and Washington was not about to allow another ‘Cuba’, albeit on a smaller scale, to develop anywhere in the Caribbean. What happened next is anyone’s guess. Did the CIA infiltrate the NJM and cause a classic ‘divide and rule’ rift between

Was it Coard’s wife who, like Lady Macbeth, urged her husband to usurp Bishop? soon rose up the ranks of the openly Marxist-Leninist party with its slogan Forward Ever, Backward Never. When they overthrew Gairy’s government in a bloodless coup in 1979, the old school friends took charge, with Bishop as prime minister and Coard as his deputy. The revolution would last four years, in which time the NJM leaders styled themselves in khaki safari suits and anti-colonial rhetoric. Remember, this was in Amer-

Bishop and Coard? Or was it Coard’s wife who, like Lady Macbeth, urged her husband to usurp Bishop and grab power for himself? For Shakespearian scholars, the Macbeth analogy fitted like a glove. It suggests that Phyllis Coard, was now a central figure in the NJM. With a portfolio on education and women’s rights was behind the coup that led to Bishop being put under house arrest and her husband declaring himself head of the government. A court would later find

in favour of that line of thinking and sentence her to death for her culpability in what would result in the assassination of Bishop, which triggered the American invasion six days later on the pretext of restoring law and order on the island at the request of the Grenadian people. Phyllis would linger in jail for the next 17 years, only released on compassionate grounds so she could get treatment for her health issues. She never returned to Grenada, however, despite the country’s efforts to have her brought back to continue serving her sentence. Indeed, as an ‘uptown’ girl she received support from

the great and the good of Jamaican society, including the late prime minister Edward Seaga, who kicked the can of the Grenadian extradition requests further and further down the road. With her death now, it remains to be seen whether we will ever know the true story of this ‘uptown’ girl from Jamaica and her part in the rise and fall of the Grenada revolution.

48 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

News

Teaching the diverse, rich history of Wales

Professor and award-winning writer Professor Charlotte Williams to lead focus group to ensure BAME presence in nation’s school curriculum

IMPORTANT ROLE: Professor Charlotte Williams will help the Welsh government improve the teaching of BAME issues

ROFESSOR CHARLOTTE WILLIAMS will lead a new working group which will help the Welsh government improve the teaching of themes relating to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in all parts of the school curriculum. Professor Williams accepted an invitation from education minister Kirsty Williams to chair the new ‘Communities, contributions and cynefin: BAME experiences and the new curriculum’ group. The group will present their initial findings in the autumn, and a full report in the spring. In 2007, Professor Williams was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for services to ethnic minorities and equal opportunities in Wales. Professor Williams said: “I’m delighted and honoured to be leading the working group in advancing this step change towards integrating black and minority ethnic history, identity and culture into the everyday learning of every child in Wales. “The goal is that the new curriculum will become a shining example of resourcing and enabling broad engagement in learning and teaching with BAME contributions past and present. “The challenge is to ensure that black and minority ethnic peoples have a presence across the new Welsh curriculum, so that within all of the areas of learning and experience we can

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It is about reimagining learning and teaching across all elements hear the sound of their voices, know of their experience, history and contributions. “This requires appropriate resourcing because we want all teachers in Wales to be able to rethink their materials and feel confident in the ways of delivering them in order to reflect this presence. It’s a very exciting prospect. In this way our curriculum in Wales will ultimately be reflective of our common experience of a vibrant, inclusive, multicultural society. We have a rich history in Wales, built on difference and diversity.

PROGRESSIVE

“This isn’t about adding an element of black and minority ethnic history here and there in the new curriculum, but about reimagining learning and teaching across all the elements of the curriculum so that it reflects a Wales that is, and always has been, ethnically diverse, internationalist in its outlook and progressive in its aspirations.” Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Our diversity is one of our strengths as a nation and our many histories have combined to shape Wales

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today. I’m delighted Professor Williams will be leading this important piece of work and I look forward to seeing the group’s recommendations. “The working group will complete a review of learning resources currently available to support the teaching of themes relating to BAME communities and ‘cynefin’ across all parts of the curriculum.”

EXPERIENCES

The Welsh word ‘cynefin’ loosely translates as ‘habitat’ or ‘place’, but also conveys a sense that human interactions are influenced and determined by personal and collective experiences, such as through stories or music. Education minister Kirsty Williams said: “I’m very pleased Professor Williams has agreed to chair the working group. I look forward to receiving the group’s recommendations on learning resources to support the teaching of themes relating to BAME communities. “We must understand and analyse our own cynefin, and make those connections across our communities, nation and the world.” In 2003, Professor Williams won Wales Book of the Year for her autobiographical novel Sugar and Slate. In 2014, Wales Arts Review published an essay by Dr Lisa Sheppard of Cardiff University examining the importance of Professor Williams. She wrote: “Charlotte Williams has done much in recent years to inscribe the black voice on to the literary and cultural map of Wales.”

www.voice-online.co.uk

Lifestyle Changing face of BAFTA p50

Meet two female founders p58

Still GRM, still daily, still delivering

POSTY

Miss Fix-It: Sharon Burke

p60

50 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Lifestyle

Screen

The changing face of BAFTA

Over 120 wide-ranging changes are being introduced to voting, membership and campaigning processes to urgently address a lack of diversity in the BAFTA Awards BY JOEL CAMPBELL

HE BRITISH Academy of Film & Television Arts has announced over 120 wide-ranging changes to its voting, membership and campaigning processes as it published the findings of its in-depth, independently verified seven-month Awards Review. The Review began as a direct response to the lack of diversity in the 2020 Film Awards nominations, but its remit soon expanded to encompass all aspects of BAFTA and its awards. The changes, which have been unanimously approved by the BAFTA board, signal the beginning of a significant cultural shift in BAFTA as it also challenges the industry to address the serious lack of opportunity and equality.

WATERSHED

BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, pictured below, said: “This is a watershed moment for BAFTA. The Academy has never opened itself up like this before. “The sessions with contributors were tough, chastening, captivating and very moving. Many colleagues from underrepresented groups bravely shared their experiences of racism and discrimination in their careers. “They also shared their ideas and hopes for BAFTA’s future, which we have embraced. There is a real wish and support for BAFTA to continue to be an industry leader on diversity and other issues. Representation matters and we’ve all been starkly reminded of this with the rise of the global anti-racist movement. “This creative renewal is not just about changes to the awards and membership – this is a reappraisal of our values and the culture of BAFTA. We want long term and sustainable change throughout the industry. “ W e

“One of the key issues raised was that too much deserving work was not being seen”

know how far we have to go and how difficult this is especially due to the profound impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our industry. Today’s announcement marks just the first phase of our process as we evolve as an Academy.” BAFTA Film Committee Chair Marc Samuelson said: “It became very clear during the Review how vital it is to level the playing field across all that we do as an organisation, not just the awards. “One of the key issues raised time and time again throughout the process was that too much deserving work was not being seen. “The changes we are implementing are designed to ensure these films are seen and judged on merit alone. “The ambition is for BAFTA to evolve into a more inclusive organisation, one representing and celebrating the full breadth of talent in our industries.” BAFTA chief executive Amanda Berry OBE said: “I am incredibly grateful to the vast number of people who have given their time and shared their wisdom and experiences throughout the Review to help us determine what we can do better as an organisation. “The ongoing passion and expertise of our members is the lifeblood of BAFTA and I am constantly inspired by their incredible contribution.

“The first phase of findings in our Review gives us a fantastic opportunity to build on BAFTA’s strong foundation, as we look to make substantial cultural and organisational change.” The Review has been led by Mr Majumdar, Film Committee chair Marc Samuelson and a specially formed steering group. It was convened from all sectors of BAFTA as well as independent specialists drawn from the creative industries, other industries and diversity & inclusion experts. Its members include chair of BAFTA LA and head of TriStar Television, Kathryn Busby, filmmaker and actor Noel Clarke, academic and co-founder of RizTest, Sadia Habib, Film London’s Film & TV executive/ founder of the Equal Access Network’s Nahrein Kemp, ITV group director of Diversity and Inclusion, Ade Rawcliffe, the BFI’s Head of Inclusion Jennifer Smith and thinkBIGGER!’s talent manager and disability specialist Samantha Tatlow.

FOCUS

The steering group scrutinised all areas of BAFTA, with a particular focus on its Film Awards for changes in the first year. They spoke with over 400 people, including members, senior industry figures, guilds, industry bodies, currently underrepresented groups, press and a significant number of prominent figures within all aspects of the filmmaking community in the UK, US and internationally. Following the implementation of this first phase of the Review, the steering group will continue to meet quarterly to ensure change is being delivered swiftly and on a continuous basis. Several areas that require further examination/exploration include genderised performance categories and supporting deaf and disabled practitioners in order to find long-term and meaningful solutions to these important issues. Significant changes to the Television Awards will also be announced next month, and separate Games and Children’s Awards Reviews are being conducted later this year.

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BAFTA BROMANCE: Daniel Kaluuya and Micheal Ward after Ward won the 2020 BAFTA for Rising Star. Kaluuya won the same award in 2018 after starring in Get Out

The key changes announced include: Membership • An unprecedented expansion to further diversify BAFTA’s membership and meaningfully target 1,000 new members from under-represented groups • Membership survey to be sent out later this month – completion is a requirement for voting – to allow BAFTA to set targets to address areas of under-representation • Clearer contextualisation of ‘Excellence’ in reference to BAFTA’s mission and other measures for voting members will be put in place to ensure an informed voting process EE British Academy Film Awards 2021 • A new longlisting round of voting in all categories to achieve greater diversity in nominations • It is now compulsory for all voters, chapters and juries to watch all longlisted films before Round 2 voting, to level the playing field across all titles • Major rule changes and increase in nominations in the acting and directing categories to address a continuing lack of diversity in the performance categories and a historic lack of

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female representation in the directing category • Outstanding British Film – an increase to ten nominations to ensure a stronger focus on British film within the Film Awards and the ceremony itself • Changes to campaigning aimed at ensuring a fairer consideration of all films regardless of marketing budget • All entered films to be available on the new BAFTA View portal (with titles added over six months prior to the ceremony) to allow for better voter access to all entered films and wider viewership across all films • BAFTA continues to endorse the BFI Diversity Standards as an effective tool for driving meaningful change in the industry, and will continue to work with the BFI to expand the use of the BFI Diversity Standards as eligibility criteria across a wider range of categories • BAFTA is supporting the BFI’s review of the BFI Diversity Standards and its work with other UK partners, and with AMPAS, to strengthen and develop the framework for maximum impact

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www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE | 51

Lifestyle

Music

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Posty features in Together We Rise: The Uncompromised Story of GRM Daily, an incredible story of London’s music scene, streaming exclusively on YouTube

Posty’s still delivering Over 10 years since GRM Daily was established, its CEO believes the future of grime is bright BY JOEL CAMPBELL

“P

OSTY AND his team are at the foundation of a scene that has taken over the mainstream.” Those are the sentiments shared by Kate Shepherd, MD, Warner Music Entertainment ahead of the first episode of Together We Rise: The Uncompromised Story of GRM Daily, which sees Koby Hagan, aka Posty, at its centre. It’s an understandable summising of the remarkable feat achieved by the Nigerian-born Londoner who told Lifestyle that hitting the dizzy heights his platform has managed to attain was a long way off from the thinking of a young entrepreneur who set out to simply “assist and help the genre to grow”. Building on an underground culture of early pirate radio and UK rap DVDs, GRM Daily was founded in 2009 (then Grime Daily) by Posty, Matt ‘Sketchy’ Thorne and Pierre Godson-Amamoo as an online music platform to champion new artists in hip hop, drill. grime, garage and Afrobeat. Established over a decade ago, the first year went fairly smoothly, apart from earning little money. Posty explains:

“Some of the best Grime Daily times were in the first year because it was something new and fresh. “It was something super exciting and the artists were really excited about it because they had now found a home, somewhere to put their message out and have their music listened to without any restraints or favouritism.” He adds: “Like Lethal Bizzle said in the documentary, GRM gave the power back to the artist. I’m glad he said that because I feel that’s what the first year was really all about.

SUPPORT

“The artists just really took to it and loved it because they had never seen anything like it before and we just wanted to help and support them and try and be part of their team, if that makes sense. “I would love to tell you it was really difficult to get everyone on board in the first year ,but it really wasn’t because there was such a gap in the market for it, and because me and my business partner were actually students of the game in terms of music and our depth of knowledge in terms of the artists, the music they were making and who everyone was, we were viewed as trustworthy people to work with because it all came

from a clean hearted place.” With 3.21 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.7 million Instagram followers, GRM Daily continues to give new voices a platform with Posty still very much at the helm of the business But along the way there have been a few bumps in the road. Posty recalls: “The first difficulty was our business not generating any income, so that was obviously a difficulty just on a personal level, it was difficult on a day to day in your personal life

YouTube channel got deleted with all of our videos and our history on there and we still don’t know the reason why until this day. “We were given several reasons but none of them actually make any sense. “So those were the big hurdles in the initial years. “Then we saw our competitors taking off and we weren’t a part of it, seeing UK artists dong well, their careers taking off, people like Tinchy Stryder,

“We were viewed as trustworthy people to work with because it all came from a clean-hearted place” and even in your business life to try and execute things and make things as good as possibly want them to be because of a lack of funding. “Then the second hurdle, we had a party in the first year to celebrate our anniversary and there was a shooting at the party and then after that brands didn’t really want to touch us and we seemed irresponsible because something like that had happened at our event. “In the papers it was Grime Daily this, Grime Daily party …. And it was just really harmful to us. “A few months after that our

Chipmunk, Tinie Tempah, they were doing extremely well – and we wanted to be a part of it, but we couldn’t because we had no clout or anything. “We couldn’t’ support the genre anymore because we didn’t have a channel. We had a website which was really strong, we had a brand but we didn’t have anything to support the genre, so that was a really difficult time.” The platform has supported the whose who of British artists over the years providing a space that allows artists to easily record, produce, and release music without the need of sup-

port from traditional media or the music industry. Together We Rise: The Uncompromised Story of GRM Daily is a four-part documentary looking back at the growth of the medium and the solidifying of its place in British music history. Explaining what it was like to look back and chart his growth Posty enthuses: “It was really fun actually, it was good to connect with people that have been a part of our journey that are not necessarily still with us and just to see how everyone has grown and how everyone is doing their own thing and being successful in all of the things they were supposed to be successful in.”

RELEVANT

Did he ever expect GRM to still be here, relevant and delivering in 2020? “I definitely thought it would be here in 2020,” he says. “In terms of what I thought it would look like, I’d never really thought that far in terms of like, how successful people would be now and all of that kind of stuff. “I mean, I hoped that people would be as successful and as big and as affluent and doing as well as they could be but I didn’t know necessarily what that looked like. “Since we joined the music industry we just wanted to make

UK music the biggest thing in the UK. In France their rap music is the biggest in their country, in America their rap music is the biggest in America and we just wanted the same thing here. “And that’s where all of our passion and our goals really stem from.” So what does the future hold? Where to next for GRM Daily? “The future for GRM is just to be the best GRM it can be. We’re here to assist and help the genre to grow. We don’t necessarily need to be the biggest YouTube channel in the world, that’s not our goal. “We don’t need the most money, we don’t need to be the biggest thing in the country if our music isn’t the biggest thing in the country, we just need to be what GRM has always been, which is authentic, cultural and try to take people from poverty stricken backgrounds and try to give them opportunity to make music, make money in music, change their families lives and be better role models for people that are growing up and want to aspire to have a career in music. “So whatever that best GRM Daily can be is what the future holds.” YouTube Originals: Together We Rise: The Uncompromised Story Of Grm Daily is available to watch now.

52 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Lifestyle

Enterprise

Drink pulls no punches Drip Punch may be inspired by a recipe from yesteryear – but it’s taking the streets by storm BY JOEL CAMPBELL

F YOU’RE of a certain age then all is forgiven if you didn’t get the memo about the Drip Punch wave that’s taking over the streets right now. The brainchild of a group of young teenage entrepreneurs from London, Drip Punch is a tasty alternative beverage Josh, 18, says, “wasn’t available on the market”. Still only 24 months since it hit the road, a big push from the team across the country has seen Drip Punch placed in over 40 independent shops and stores as well as being available online. Developed from an age-old recipe he got from his grandma, Josh Louis Hall explained to Lifestyle that both him and his

friends had become dissatisfied with the options available to quench their thirst and when the opportunity came about, they did something about it. He enthused: “Me and my friends entered a competition at my local youth club to win £100 for a good business idea.

MARKET

“There was three of us, and two who are involved with Drip Punch, and we were thinking, ‘What can we do that would make a good idea?’ and then I thought about the recipe. “I thought about the recipe that my grandma uses, and that maybe I should just bottle it and sell it because there aren’t a lot of juices on the market that are like that. “We all agreed that the juices available were dead, they are either fizzy or don’t taste great, especially after the sug-

ar tax came in. With the money we won, we set up a stall and sold a few bottles in Notting Hill. People loved it and were telling us to try and sell it in a mass amount and take it seriously.” They did take it seriously – and all the cool folk know about it. The likes of Stefflon Don, Nines and man of the moment Chunks have all showed love for the juice and the young guys behind it and the Drip Punch Instagram account boasts a who’s who of popular influencers that have all caught wave. The future looks bright for the collective as they continue to corner not just the younger consumer, but the more senior pallet looking for an alternative flavour to the traditional options out there. Most would think the Drip Punch team would want a supermarket to support them next – but while Josh doesn’t rule

A COOL CONCOCTION: Josh and the Drip Punch team; right, two young fans of London’s hottest new beverage it out, he has his eye on other mainstream and non-traditional spots. He enthused: “Places like Nando’s, Five Guys, Taco Bell... those are places we’d like to see

Drip Punch stocked. We’ll see. Next year I’d love to smash Notting Hill Carnival. “We did it two years ago, but the next one I’d love to see Drip Punch all over it.”

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Content made in partnership with Tu Clothing to celebrate Black History Month

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE | 53

“My designs are bright, bold and cheerful” By Leah Mahon

The designer behind African-Caribbean inspired homeware showcases her work for Black History Month

race Ikomi is the up and coming designer behind the new homeware brand, Village and Home. The 46-year-old started her ﬁrst business in October 2019 whilst working a full-time job in the City, and now hopes her African-Caribbean inspired designs are relatable and catch on during this year’s Black History Month. The mother-of-three says: “I’ve always loved beautiful homes and I used to read a lot of these home magazines.

CULTURE

“It just built up from there and I saw a gap in the market with the homeware that was already out there, because none of it really represented black people or our culture. “So, I started to look at the most popular foods we eat like the plantain and the scotch bonnet that we use in our everyday cooking to represent us as a people.” Grace, who used to sketch her designs on the way to work, is the sole creative designer behind Village and Home’s “bright and bold colours” that she says have been received well by the public and continue to “puts smiles on people’s faces.” Her business is going from strength to strength with her UK customer base and is now DESIGN SHOWN: Village and Home okra collection beginning to expand further within the European and American market.

SUPPORT

She is now even developing her buying platforms to be more even e-commerce ready. Following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, she believes it is more important than ever

DESIGN SHOWN: Village and Home plantain collection

to support black British fashion during a time she describes as “challenging” for her business. “Black people as a whole are very creative people,” she says. “But knowing that there are a lot of black people ready to spend money supporting other black businesses gives them that increased conﬁdence. “If they see something that represents them as a people and their culture, they will spend their money on that.” Her designs spark conversation due to the cultural food symbols represented and consumers often use them when cooking with the very ingredients themselves, they also serve as being educational for those from other cultures. Grace continues to be inspired by her upbringing when looking for future homeware designs for Village and Home. She says, “I was born in South Africa and came here almost twenty-years ago and grew up visiting my grandparents in the village. “I know some people where embarrassed to say they were from the village, but for me

when you enter the village, everyone knows your name, everyone knows your family, you feel a lot of love and you eat wholesome good food that’s been freshly picked.”

represent your culture and cultural foods, so why not use that in your home.” To shop Grace Ikomi’s designs, her products are available on Village and Home:

AVAILABLE

There are plans to extend her homeware brand into bedding and crockery lines, with her designs being recently featured in Homestyle’s August issue. “My designs are bright, bold and cheerful, they bring life to your kitchen,” she says. “they

DESIGN SHOWN: Village and Home scotch bonnet collection

www.villageandhome.com

54 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Content made in partnership with Sainsbury’s to celebrate Black History Month

ADVERTORIAL

Chef Anthony Cumberbatch shares his Caribbean food favourites for Black History Month

By Leah Mahon

ARIBBEAN cuisine is on the rise in the UK food scene and is being highlighted during this year’s Black History Month in October. Talented chef Anthony Cumberbatch is behind the three recipes that he calls “a true taste of the Caribbean.” Cumberbatch, from Dulwich, south London, propelled his culinary career after training at the Savoy Hotel and with Antony-Worral Thompson in his London restaurant. However, it was the chef’s time spent cooking with the traditional Caribbean ﬂavours of his heritage that sparked his love and curiosity for the palette. The 51-year-old said: “My mum sent my brother and I to live in Barbados with my grandparents when I was younger.

WINDRUSH

“My grandfather used to butcher meat and my grandmother was a great cook. “With Caribbean food – those flavours, the taste and smells - it takes me mentally back home to Barbados and conjures up meal times.” These flavours of the Caribbean, which are embedded with African and Indian influence and beyond, became prominent in the UK in the years following the arrival of the Windrush generation at Til-

bury docks in 1948. It was in a post-war and 1960s Britain that some of the most loved and celebrated Caribbean dishes, such as curry goat and oxtail, could start to be found in local takeaways and food shops. However, it was the start of celebrating Caribbean culture through Notting Hill Carnival in 1966 that continued to put the islands’ cuisine at the forefront of British culinary life right up until today. Anthony, who has also

“Rich

history of flavours present in Caribbean food” worked with the likes of celebrity chef John Torode, wants to change the way diners consume and perceive the rich history of flavours present in Caribbean food. He began “experimenting and changing up Caribbean food” and described his newly created recipes for Black History Month as an “explosion in your mouth” with traditional Caribbean spices. These are found abundantly in his soused mackerel with ackee salted cured fish moneybags, served with elfort farm

apple, chilli jam and baby pickles, which is packed full of tropical ﬂavours.

FLAVOURS

His first main dish takes inspiration from some of the best of British food, and boasts a hearty Bourbon Estate chicken infused with the flavours of jerk spice, stuffed with candied plantain and spinach, and topped off with chicken butter, carrot, truffle parsnip purée, which pays homage to a mix of British-Caribbean fused ingredients. His second main dish is a miso Scottish salmon which has a similar approach, with fiery pangs from the famous scotch bonnet pepper, finished off with sweet potato dauphinois, borlotti beans and sea vegetables.

AWARDS

The ﬁnal dish is a mouth-watering mango baked cheesecake, drizzled with a fruit of the forest glaze, followed by vanilla bean ice-cream to melt through the blend of fruity ﬂavours. His passion for Caribbean food and its origins has led him to become a two-time winner of the Best Caribbean Chef in the UK, and twice again for the Best Caribbean Restaurateur from the Caribbean Food Emporium Awards. Anthony hopes that his work in the culinary sector will inspire a new generation of aspiring head chefs and continue to elevate Caribbean cuisine in the UK and internationally.

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Content made in partnership with Sainsbury’s to celebrate Black History Month

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE| 55

How to Make Chef Anthony’s Caribbean Inspired Miso scotch bonnet Scottish salmon, sweet potato dauphinois, borlotti beans with sea vegetables: Miso scotch bonnet Scottish salmon

Dauphinoise Potatoes

Ingredients 30ml sake 30ml mirin 2 tablespoons white miso paste 2 tablespoon white sugar 2 scotch bonnet, pierced 500 grams salmon, ﬁlleted, pin boned and descaled

Ingredients: 250ml double cream 250ml milk 2 garlic cloves 2 King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes 2 grey sweet potatoes 6 sprigs thyme 1 rosemary 100g grated gruyère cheese

Method: 1 day beforehand, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso paste, and whisk. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Pat the salmon fillet thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. To cook the fish: Preheat oven to 205°C. Heat an oven-proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off. Film the pan with a little oil, then place the fish skin-side-up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Method • 1 Heat oven to 190C/170C fan.

• 2 500ml double cream, 500ml milk and 2 garlic cloves into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.

• 3 Peel the sweet potato and the Morris Piper potatoes very ﬁnely, about 3-4mm, add them to the cream and simmer for 3 mins until just cooked. • 4 Gently stir to separate the potato and stop it sinking and catching on the bottom of the pan. • 5 Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in a wide shallow ovenproof dish so that they are about 5cm in depth.

• 6 Pour over the garlic infused cream (discarding the garlic) – just enough to seep through the layers and leave a little moisture on the surface.

• 7 Scatter over 100g grated gruyère cheese, if using, then bake for 30 mins until the potatoes are soft and browned – increase the heat for 5 mins if not brown enough.

■ To see more of Chef Anthony’s recipes for Black History Month, please visit: www.voice-online.co.uk

56 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Lifestyle

Books

Helping authors fulfil their destiny A

BY JOEL CAMPBELL

Winsome Duncan has been inspired by books since she was a youngster – and now, as part of Peaches Publications, she gives aspiring writers across the world the tools they need to tell their stories...

ON A MISSION: Winsome Duncan helps aspiring authors realise their dreams

S A so-called ‘book confidence coach’ for five years, Winsome Duncan has been equipping newbie writers with the belief to enable them to write their stories. In the current climate, our world is going through a major shift. Self-preservation skills are required and people are realising the importance of telling the black narrative in order to preserve their legacy. Black authors matter right now, and Duncan’s mission to teach budding authors how to put their narrative out there in book form may never have been more important. Lifestyle: Talk a bit about what you provide as a service? Winsome Duncan: At Peaches Publications we work with new writers worldwide to cultivate their ideas and concepts into a physical book. Every author is different, each story has light and shade inside them. Some are traumatic like, kidnap, sexual abuse, gambling addiction, incest, alcoholism, manslaughter, domestic violence, and body dysmorphia. Whereas others desire to tell their life story, share poetry written 20 years ago, write a book about their passion for God, share sci-fi fiction stories, and Jamaican fables. Dedication is the key because writing a book is a labour of love that has pressure points that can bring you to tears. Our mantra in our classes is ‘I am an author, an author am I’. We provide Just Write It online masterclasses, which includes an 86 page Just Write It workbook. A small group of

10 come together for half a day and begin writing the embers of their books. We work on Zoom video conferences, TeamViewer, Skype and telephone. L: Talk about the Look Like Me book challenge... WD: This is an innovative project that focuses on telling stories from the black child perspective. With only four per cent of black main characters in children’s books, I felt compelled in October 2019 to set up a GoFundMe campaign and

“I want to be remembered for being a driving force of change in the industry” change this narrative. During lockdown we worked with 30 black and Asian children aged seven to 12 years, to create a story called The Popcorn House which is about the importance of teamwork. For three months my team and I have led three workshops on Zoom, where we looked at character development, storylines, artistic drawing, creative concepts and storytelling. We created a community book together with our youngest workshop facilitator, 16-year-old Sam-Jay Robinson, author of Still I Rise – No Dad Big Deal who previously published with Peaches Publications. We launch on October 3 at 2pm. L: What are some of your own favourite books? WD: Crystal Swain-Bates: Crystal is a bestselling children’s author who is featured in

Forbes and on Amazon homepage. I am a part of her Six-Figure Income group, which mentors authors to write journals and create colouring books for children. Crystal is best known for Big Hair, Don’t Care. Maya Angelou: The book Still I Rise was a gift to me when I was being bullied in secondary school. It gave me my first love for poetry. We went on a visit to see Maya Angelou at Saddlers Wells; this outing seeded my poetry career. Michelle Obama’s Becoming was so soul-inspiring. You get a full sense of Michelle’s love and passion to educate and inspire young girls. She speaks positive truths and empowers the reader to be great. L: How would you like to leave a legacy? WD: Black Panther powerfully demonstrated, that our narrative is richly diverse, layered, and filled with texture. I want to be remembered for being a driving force of change within the mainstream publishing industry and educate the world on how to be more diverse and inclusive of black stories. The Popcorn House by Winsome Duncan & the Look Like Me Book Challenge Authors will be available at Waterstones online and Amazon. If there is a story inside of you bursting to get out, then contact them today at peachespublications. co.uk.

Youngsters hit screen to tell stories of Our Black History Heroes LOOK OUT for Our Black History Heroes airing throughout October on the BBC. Co-created by executive producers Talia Paul, 10, and Zion Owusu, seven, both pictured right, the show will be a 31-piece series highlighting significant contributors to black history from all over the world. Both youngsters sat down with Lifestyle to explain how their idea was turned into an animated show... Lifestyle: That’s quite a big achievement for someone of your age, how did it make you feel when you heard the BBC liked your idea? Talia: It felt amazing – I didn’t believe it at first. The idea started during lockdown and to see it come to reality has been exciting.

Zion: It felt good to work on this – coming up with ideas for the things the people were doing on the screen. L: Who are some of the people featured on the series? T: There are young people from all over the country aged nine to 13 who have selected their black history heroes – mine was the Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole, but we have people like Barack Obama, Jay Z, Serena Williams, Martin Luther King Jr and many more to come.

L: Why do you feel it’s important that everyone learns about black history? T: I feel that it is important to mark the contribution of black people from around the world and what they have added to everyday life. It’s not fair or right that many of the amazing people do not get the credit or recognition they deserve. Z: Because it’s about celebrating black people who have done so many amazing

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things that should be told to everyone. L: Who are some of your own personal inspirations? T: I have many inspirations, from my family members to the hero I selected, Mary Seacole, who showed great bravery and courage to do all the things she did. Z: I like Malcolm X, Mary Seacole, Chadwick Boseman and Kobe Bryant. L: When will people be able to watch the series? T: The series will be run during October and also during the year next year. Each one is animated so it isn’t just for a particular day, and we are hoping that people enjoy the final pieces. L: Do you think you will go into have a

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ON SCREEN: Talia Paul career in TV, creating other shows? T: I am interested in working in TV, especially as a presenter but I also just like having good ideas and trying to make them happen. Z: Maybe, I’m not sure – but this was very fun to do.

www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE | 57

Lifestyle

Television

‘We can’t ignore racism’ Charlene White’s new children’s programme focuses on educating British youngsters – and their parents – about the very real impact of divisions in society BY JOEL CAMPBELL

HAT ABOUT the children? Who’s taking the responsibility to talk to them about this pivotal time in history which is seeing discourse around race and racism discussed like never before? That’s the question Charlene White has posed and wants to address with her new children’s programme, IRL With Team Charlene. “Joel, the likes of you and I when it comes to talking about race within families, we have the race conversation pretty early on,” White, News presenter for ITV, explains when we sit down for a chat about the show which is aimed at informing and explaining racism to young audiences. She continues: “I think my parents first spoke to me about it when I was about five or six years old, and then I first experienced it when I was seven, and there seemed to be a lot of instances that year where it seemed to happen. “It was at school, it was when we were on holiday in Spain. “I remember being in a pool at a waterpark and there was a little boy refusing to be anywhere near me or even play with me because I was black. “All of these things, your parents pre-empt that, talk to you about it and try to explain why people do that so it’s not such

TEAM EFFORT: Charlene White with co-presenters on IRL With Team Charlene

“As a child on holiday, a little boy refused to be anywhere near me or even play with me because I was black” a shock to the system when it happens.” Created by White and produced by ITN Productions, IRL With Team Charlene is set to transmit simultaneously on CITV and ITV on October 3. The half-hour programme will also feature short animated stories of real-life racism experiences by children, interesting facts and top experts who will be on hand to answer questions from children across the UK to break down the science behind our diverse human race.

DISCUSSIONS

White enthused: “Children have been left out in discussions about racism and Black Lives Matter which doesn’t make sense, because kids experience it, too.” She adds: “All of us are having conversations regarding Black Lives Matter, and I’ve been talking to a lot of parents and you get a lot of responses from white parent like, ‘Ooh I don’t need to talk to my children about race, they don’t see race. They’re that generation aren’t

TELLING OUR STORIES: Presenter Charlene White believes equipping kids with information in a fun and effective way is key

they, they don’t see race’. Then trying to explain to them that they can say that, because they have never experienced it. “Their child will never experience it but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist and pretending it doesn’t exist isn’t the answer either. “So, I just suddenly thought that actually what has to happen here is a programme that kids and their parents can sit down and watch and in a fun way teach them about race and racism.”

SCIENCE

She adds: “The science behind skin colour, for example, so they can watch a really packed product – which isn’t that long – and have discussions about it afterwards, honestly, as a family, rather than ignoring the situation, because ignoring the issue of racism doesn’t make racism go away. It’s the opposite.” From explaining the aftermath of George Floyd’s death to asking how friends can help, the topics on IRL With Team Charlene cover the most common themes of our recent times for a young audience. With music from young talented musicians, films and honest discussion, the show aims to begin to cover all the relevant questions on racism. White says: “We had to look at it from a really fun perspective because kids aren’t going to watch anything on TV where they feel they are being lectured to. “We wanted to use as many

elements as possible that you don’t really see on TV at the moment, but elements which are really shareable online. So that’s where the music comes in. We trawled Instagram, YouTube and other platforms looking for incredible performers who were writing and performing their own

about can them look like they know all about it, so we wanted to make sure that we include that element, too.” White is adamant that disengaging with youngsters is a recipe for future complications and only serves to compound the situation.

“If children are armed with the knowledge of what racism is then they can stand up for victims” content and who were within that age demographic and slightly older and we wanted them to perform for us. “Where do you see kids performing their own stuff on TV? You just don’t see it that often. “We also wanted to involve cartoons, as well. Kids love colour and they love cartoons. What better way to explain a serious topic than through cartoons, through colour, through characters? That’s why I wanted to use that element, too. “I know from my nieces and nephews that giving them nuggets of information and facts that they can come away with and show off to their mates

“People who assume you can’t tackle difficult topics with fun, laughter and colour, don’t really know children at all,” White tells me. “A large chunk of my early years of being a journalist was spent with Radio 1 and 1Xtra, breaking down stories for a young audience – that’s what my training was. “Understanding how we can talk to kids about stories and engaging stores is what I did for 10 years. “So for me, my head is always looking at ways which we can engage those audiences because to forget those audiences runs the risk of them not

engaging in current affairs or topical discussion – and they want to do that. I think kids are probably more opinionated now than when we were younger. “Where else could we discuss things apart from sat in a playground? Now kids can discuss things with other kids from all over the world.

INFORMATION

“So you arm them with the right information and they can do that, and they perhaps don’t feel like they’re treading water in something because you arm them with stuff. They then feel more confident to have discussions and to also shout out things online as being wrong when they see it. “So if they see a kid online being bullied because of the colour of their skin and they are armed with the knowledge of what racism is, then they can identify that and they can stand up for that person and tell the bully that they are wrong. “But if you don’t educate them on that how are they supposed to know that?” Watch IRL With Team Charlene on CITV and ITV on October 3.

58 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

Lifestyle

Business

It’s no horsing around Sandra’s revolutionary equine product finally solves a problem that’s existed for over 850 years

LEADING FROM THE FRONT: Equidiet founder Sandra Murphy has earned the right to be a major player in her particular field; below, Sandra with her product patent for EquidGel (main photo: Mountain Photography)

BY ALANNAH FRANCIS

ANDRA MURPHY’S product, EquidGel, disrupts the horse nutrition market – a liquid feed, it “tricks” horses into drinking to get their feed. “It solves a problem that was over 850 years old, which is, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Now I can do that with my product,” Murphy told The Voice. Despite her product’s innovative nature, being a black woman in an overwhelmingly white, middle-class sector has meant Murphy, the founder of Equidiet, has faced increased obstacles. “One of the challenges I’ve

had is getting it out there because the doors always closed. These big feed companies are always sponsoring the retail outlets; they sponsor the riders, with big money,” she said.

EXPERTISE

The single mother, who lives in Lincolnshire and has been in the equine industry for around 50 years, faces regular questioning of her expertise, micro-aggressions and displays of unconscious bias. “I’ve had to make sure I’ve got a degree so they can’t knock me for not having knowledge. I’m actually doing my masters degree now in animal nutrition so I’ve got a broader spectrum of knowledge,” she said. “Knowledge is a great way of overcoming issues like this.”

“I’ve had to make sure I’ve got a degree so they can’t knock me for my knowledge” On one occasion, when Murphy went to see the Queen’s horses in the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, she was subjected to extra security checks while her white friend wasn’t. And once inside, staff assumed her white friend was the owner of the business, introducing her as such. “It was, like, they weren’t expecting this in the slightest,” she said. “This is the sort of thing I

have to deal with on a regular basis because – of the fact that they assume that she is the one who’s got the knowledge because she’s white.”

LIFELINE

Support from the Department for International Trade coupled with Murphy’s fierce perseverance has been a lifeline for Equidiet. “I worked with the Department for International Trade and I’ve got trade-mission funding, so I can go out and open up my markets overseas,” she said. “We have got an opportunity to carry on doing what we’re doing. “I don’t need to go to the retail outlets to be able to keep my business afloat because I’ve got distribution contracts with Dubai

and South Africa, and all these other places.” Murphy has a trade mission planned for Dubai to tie in with the International Horse Fair in March. And she also wants to get her product out in the Caribbean where she already works closely with the equine community in countries including St Lucia and Barbados. She also has plans to increase production and make EquidGel a more commercial venture now she has secured a patent for it. Her advice for young entrepreneurs is to “try and find a role model that can actually help to steer you in the right direction” – and to not give up. “Don’t stop. If you’ve got a dream and you’ve got something that’s in your heart that

you want to do, just keep going because you never win a race if you stop half way through,” she added. As for her legacy, Murphy wants to be a role model for black women and young people; and for her product to enable horses all over the world to be healthy. Visit equidiet.org.uk for more information.

Grace makes maths fun with new board game

NUMBERING UP: Grace Olugbodi

GRACE OLUGBODI is determined to help kids enjoy and excel at maths. Olugbodi is the founder of BeGenio, the maker of Race to Infinity, a mathsbased board game for children. “My mission is to turn mathematics into a game that every child would love to play,” Olugbodi told The Voice. “I would want my legacy to be that I came, I saw children who were struggling with maths and having mathematic anxiety and low confidence as a result of mathematics and that I changed that through games and

gave children confidence that they can get good at mathematics.” Achieving this is no easy task.

CHALLENGES

“I’m quite literally used to being the only black person at an event or at a show within the games industry,” she said. “It makes it harder because I don’t have people that are black females that I can easily find that have gone before me and done really well in this industry.” Despite the challenges, Olugbodi

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has benefitted from recent efforts to support black-owned businesses, which she says gives her hope. She’s also been given advice and assistance from the Department for International Trade, which has helped her to expand into international markets. For those considering launching their own business, Olugbodi has this to say: “My advice would be to step and go for those opportunities that are out there that it doesn’t look like we’ll get anywhere with, because you never know.”

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This month, Olugbodi will be launching four new maths games, including those for early years, and there are plans to launch an app, too. Visit racetoinfinity.com to find out more.

www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE | 59

Lifestyle

Books

Welcome to Aprayer’s world Meet the six-year-old Londoner taking over the airways who is believed to be the UK’s youngest black female radio presenter BY ALANNAH FRANCIS

PRAYER GRANT is taking over the airwaves – and she’s just six years old. The London schoolgirl, who hosts a monthly radio show on The Beat London 103.6FM is using the her voice to spread positive vibes, uplift and inform. Aprayer, who is believed to be the UK’s youngest black female radio presenter, started her show, The Kids Crown Show, on July 25. Melinda, Apray-

er’s mother, told The Voice her daughter expressed a desire to host her own regular radio programme after the death of George Floyd. The determined youngster told her father, Shawn, that she wanted to tell other children about the importance of affirmations and also discuss black role models. “She said to her dad that she wants her own radio show so that she can empower the young black children because I tried to keep George Floyd away from her, as much as I could. “I didn’t know how to tell her about police brutality but in school they showed her Newsround and the Newsround was about what happened to George so I had to sit her down and explain to her.” The Kids Crown Show features a range of segments, including Aprayer’s Affirma-

tions, Aprayer’s Challenge and Aprayer’s Black Role Model of the Month. At the centre of it all is Aprayer’s mission to use her platform to educate young people to believe in their dreams and realise that they can become whatever they want to be.

POSITIVITY

Aprayer has a monthly slot on Beat FM on the last Saturday of every month. The frequency of the show means that it doesn’t impact negatively on her education and gives her time to enjoy being a child. Hosting a radio show at such a young age is an impressive feat, but Aprayer’s achievements don’t stop there. With Cocoa Girl magazine, a new bimonthly publication that celebrates black girls, Aprayer’s messages of positivity will be reaching a whole new audience of children that look like her. The creator of Cocoa Girl

magazine, Serlina Boyd, responded to a picture of Aprayer that was shared on Facebook saying that she wanted her on the cover of the September issue of the publication. After meeting Aprayer and her family, Boyd offered Aprayer the opportunity to have a feature in each edition. “She will have her own page on every edition... Aprayer’s World... so what ever Aprayer’s world is about so she can talk about black affirmations, black role models, health, whatever’s going on in Aprayer’s life at that time,” Thompson said. “The good thing is Aprayer’s all about positivity so the contents of that page will always be positivity,” she added. Catch Aprayer on The Beat London 103.6FM on the last Saturday of every month. Follow her journey on Instagram @aprayersworld and on YouTube @aprayersworld

TALENT: Aprayer hosts a monthly show, inset left, on The Beat London 103.6FM where she uses her voice to uplift listeners

60 | OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE

This is Brukout!

by Seani B

Truly a master of all trades Publicist, management, booking agency, consultant and much, much more... Sharon Burke is a name synonymous with the biggest names in the business and always seems to come through with the goods

EING ABLE to hold the attention of Sharon Burke is not the easiest thing in the world to do. Once you have her attention, having her fully focused on you is another hoop to jump through. Sharon has been getting the jobs done for over 35 years. I say “jobs” as, in her own words, she is pretty much like a fruit punch – everything mixed into one. A publicist, management, booking agency, consultant and more. To her name she has looked after the affairs of the music’s biggest stars like Bounty Killer, Damian Marley, Popcaan and Konshens. If you talk about stage shows that left a mark, her “Fully Loaded” series in the late 1990s introduced people like DJ Khaled and Wyclef Jean to sound system culture. Not a bad accolade to have on your CV. More recently it was her involvement in the Bounty Killer/ Beenie Man “Verzuz” that ensured the event taking place. So how did this long career begin? It was through her friendship with Althea and Donna that Sharon was introduced to the busi-

“This is the lady that goes out to fight for dancehall and reggae” ness. The singers of Uptown Top Ranking were managed by legendary reggae figure Tommy Cowan at the time. Sharon recounts how she would go to Tommy’s house with the duo and one day she saw a pile of letters sitting on a table.

REASON

The letters turned out to be mail from Jimmy Tucker’s fan club. Sharon asked for permission to open the letters and reply. Cowan’s response was, “Listen, God brought you into my life for a reason.” Cowan loved Sharon’s initiative and offered her a job which didn’t go down too well with her

‘SPECIAL WOMAN’:

with Seani B; inset bottom left, Sharon with Beenie Man and Bounty Killer; Sharon is a key part of staging the biennial Shaggy and Friends concert

parents as she was already in a stable job working with an insurance company. But she continued into this new-found love even with the threat of being sent to London by her parents. This new passion continued to bear fruits of fortune in the early steps of her career. Someone that Cowan worked closely with was Olivia “Babsy” Grange who is now a min-

ister and serves in the Jamaican Government. Minister Grange was working on a local show called CariFest, and part of her team was the person who would close off

ing under the Sunplash banner and has all the memories to go with it. “Do you remember Sunsplash at Clapham Common in London 1985 with 150,000?”

“The work I did with Josey Wales and Papa San is where it all started” the triangle of mentors for Sharon. Ronnie Burke was the final piece in the puzzle for Sharon. He held the same surname as Sharon, but was also the producer of Reggae Sunsplash. He and Sharon worked on the CariFest show and once again Sharon told me of the opportunity that she had created. “Ronnie Burke said to me, I don’t have any money to pay you, but why don’t you come and work for me on Sunsplash, and the rest is history.” True to form, Sharon wanted to blaze through this story but I had to slow her down. She had spent 15 years work-

“I did that,” she mentions casually. Even though I remember the event, It was a little before my time. It was her Fully Loaded events in the late nineties that made me question the name Sharon Burke and her own company Solid Agency. It was a name that I used to hear Bounty Killer mention in his performance all the time. Sharon quickly puts me straight. “Yes, Bounty made my name prominent in the era, but the work I did with Peter Metro, Josey Wales and Papa San is where it started in the 1980s. “Papa San was a huge deal on the international market. I remember Dougie Fresh seeing us at the door of Grammys and he was like, “Come. We are going in”. She dropped a few more

names in there like Luther Vandross, but then cheekily added that she wouldn’t “bore me with the details”. It was just recently that I saw Sharon stunting in one of DJ Khaled’s many luxury cars. I wondered what her drive is that has kept going for so long?

AMBITION

“The ambition that one day I can own my label, to be known as the lady that did Verzuz, the lady that brought so many artists to the streaming platforms, this is the lady that goes out to fight for dancehall and reggae,” she explains. For once in our long-standing friendship I saw a side of Sharon that I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t realise this thought process concerned her day by day. If you watch how she went about her business you would think nothing could move her. In all the years that I have known this special woman, her ability to get things done in a manner that doesn’t know failure has always astounded me. I’ve seen her in pressure situations and she always seems to come through with the goods. She is without doubt one of the backbones of this industry we love and I salute her.

OCTOBER 2020 THE VOICE | 61

Motoring

by Rodney Hinds

Car of the month: Kia Picanto 1.25 MPi 2 Price range: £10,220 – £15,270

POWERFUL PICANTO

Kia has proven that its latest take on its city model is simple yet effective... BY RODNEY HINDS, MOTORING EDITOR

’VE HAD one or two Kia Picantos in the course of test driving. To be honest, my memories could not be described as sensational as Kia struggled in the highly competitive city car sector. However, the latest edition of Kia’s most diminutive vehicle recently came up trumps for me after a seven-day evaluation. Today’s city-car class is more fiercely contested than ever and Kia has kept the Picanto relevant by paying attention to what buyers want. This is immediately obvious when you look at it – the latest Picanto has a far more individual look than its predecessor. It incorporates the brand’s distinctive ‘tiger nose’ style, while its angled headlamps carry more than a hint of visual aggression. There’s a good range of engines that will not have you competing against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, rather taking you on your journey at a more sedate pace and comfort. Kia’s cheapest model comes with five doors as standard, and you can choose

between three petrol engines and a manual or automatic gearbox. There’s even an SUV-aping X-Line version, although it’s more about looks than real rough-andtumble driving. Whichever engine you choose, you’ll find the Picanto an easy car to drive around town where its compact size and accurate steer-

“Its extra pull from low revs is useful when overtaking” ing make it agile on crowded roads. The Picanto handles itself with aplomb, thanks to its impressive grip and well-controlled body. I was pleasantly taken aback by the pace of my test drive. The 83bhp 1.25 MPi is lively to say the least. You get to 0 – 70mph with little effort. Plus, it revs keenly and its extra pull from low revs is useful when overtaking. It really is all you need in a car of this size. Also, it’s the only engine that’s available with the choice of an automatic, as well as the standard manual, gearbox. In the cockpit, you’ll find the driver’s seat

is comfortable and supportive, with enough side bolstering to stop you sliding around in corners, and thanks to well-aligned pedals and driver’s seat height adjustment (on all but the entry-level trim), it’s easy to get a comfortable environment. Meanwhile, the dashboard layout is simple to understand and the well-placed buttons are big enough to spot easily on the move. On the practicality front, the new Picanto impressed, too. There’s plenty of storage, including two cup-holders between the front seats, plus a tray for your mobile phone, and front door pockets big enough to hold a small water bottle. The sliding centre armrest – a very rare thing in this class and fitted from three trim upwards – opens to reveal an extra cubby beneath. The few passengers I had, made sure they had a good look around when they got in and were keen to say: “It’s bigger inside than it looks.” That judgement really sums up the Kia Picanto. You get a lot more than you bargained for and the manufacturer should take great credit for that.

 Lively and compact yet spacious – the Picanto ticks many useful boxes  We’re hard-pressed to find any negatives with this nimble and nifty motor

POINTS & PLUGS

DEMAND for rented driveway parking has rocketed post-lockdown, even outstripping pre-lockdown numbers, as office workers choose to drive back to the office. The latest research by online parking portal YourParkingSpace. co.uk reveals that new customers have increased by 40 per cent on February before lockdown was imposed. Furthermore, new booking customers have increased by 70 per cent since July.

PREMIUM brands are dominating searches for cars online as buyers continue to choose more expensive cars, the online car supermarket BuyaCar. co.uk has revealed. The trend of splashing out more than usual on cars, which began as Britain began to unwind its initial coronavirus lockdown measures in June, shows no sign of slowing as MercedesBenz, Audi and BMW dominate the searches made by online shoppers.

62 | THE VOICE OCTOBER 2020

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

OF SPORT NEWSPAPER

DRIVING AMBITION

Professional golfer Nicola Bennett wants to make the game more accessible to women

By Harriet Shephard

ICOLA BENNETT has had a busy summer. Balancing her job as a senior Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) professional with playing on the Rose Ladies Series has taken up every moment of her free time. But she remains more excited than ever about the progress the women’s game is making. In a recent interview with womenandgolf.com, she said that as a golf coach, attracting more women and people from BAME backgrounds into the game is her top priority.

EXPENSIVE

“I’d like to encourage more women from all different backgrounds, no matter what age or race they are, into the game of golf,” she said. “You don’t see many people from BAME backgrounds out on the course, and I think there are a couple of reasons for that, both social and economic. “One big issue is the cost. Golf is an expensive sport for an athlete to compete in and this puts a lot of people off. “Golf has minimal exposure in the ethnic community too, and that needs to be addressed. “On top of this, there’s also a lack of BAME representation within the senior official and board level in the golf industry, so until this changes I think it will be a slow process for the level of diversity in the sport to really improve.” Following the death of George Floyd in America, many from the golf industry have spoken out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. This included the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) releasing a statem e n t declar-

“I hope that I can be an example and role model for black girls and female golfers” ing that it is against ‘racism, sexism, violence and injustice’, and prominent figures such as Tiger Woods, Cheyenne Woods and Henni Zuel have commented on the issue. And Nicola is proud of how her sport has responded. “I’m excited by how the golf industry has reacted,” she said. “I hope that I can be an example and role model for black girls and female golfers and demonstrate to them that things are changing and progress is being made.”

COACHING

She is certainly making a difference at grassroots level. Every Tuesday she runs a group ladies’ coaching session in North London for 30 women, and it is becoming more popular by the week. “When I first started at the club I had no women wanting lessons, so I handed out leaflets out, gradually built it up and now it’s

become so popular,” she said. “I have women aged from 18 all the way up to 76 and I really enjoy teaching them.” Nicola wants to show that golf is fun and accessible and, like many people, she thinks that the dress code is one thing getting in the way of that message. “Golf is still quite old-fashioned in general,” she said. “I tell the ladies to wear what they want to wear and what they feel comfortable in. I’m not into the collared shirts or anything, I try to be trendy and wear what makes me feel confident. “Young women in particular won’t get into the game if you can’t even look good or feel good about themselves. The dress code has to be relaxed really.” This year she is playing in every event on the Rose Ladies Series and she is so grateful to have the opportunity to take part in a consistent schedule of competitions.

TO THE FORE!: Nicola Bennett runs a group ladies’ coaching session every Tuesday

RECOGNISED

“Women’s golf in general is still very much falling behind the men’s, and Justin Rose is great because he recognised this and realised it had to change,” she continued. “Having such a big player support us means so much and he’s already had a huge impact. “I’m so glad that it is happening now because it has given me the opportunity to have a consistent schedule of tournaments to play in. I struggle with tournament golf and this is the perfect time to see what it is that makes me play differently and try and improve. “In general, the ladies’ standard isn’t anywhere near as high as the men’s so it’s hard to build any interest and momentum. But, at the same time, I think if every female player had the same opportunities as the men do, the same consistency and tournaments then naturally everyone would improve and the standard of the women’s game overall would be raised.” Like many of us, it is the

@thevoicenewspaper

mental side of the game that she finds the most difficult to tackle. “I’ve always wanted to play on Tour, but in the last two years I’ve had a few bad experiences and haven’t really had the chance to play much,” she added. “I’m not a good tournament golfer, I perform better when I’m more relaxed. “For me, the first tee shot is always nerve-wracking. I do a lot of meditation to try and help me handle these emotions. “I like to watch Beyonce talk

@thevoicenews

about how she handles her nerves, because even now she is still so nervous every time she performs and that’s why she always puts on an alter ego so you would never know. “I’m trying to do a similar thing and teach myself to shut off at the right time. It’s all about concentrating on the shot you’re about to play and not thinking about

voicenews

the one after that or the next hole. With golf a lot of it is about what’s between your ears.” Visit womenandgolf.com for more.

www.voice-online.co.uk

OCTOBER 2020

THE VOICE | 63

Sport

A 2020 vision

A CUP FULL OF VITALITY

New sponsor of the Women’s FA Cup pledges to breathe fresh life into the competition By Rodney Hinds

ITALITY HAS become the new sponsor of the Women’s FA Cup. The partnership, which will run for three years through to July 2023, will see the world’s best women’s cup competition rebranded and referred to as the Vitality Women’s FA Cup. The relationship officially kicked off from the start of the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 competition, which took place on September 26 and 27.

WEMBLEY

A peak TV audience of 2.2m watched Manchester City beat West Ham United in last year’s final, with over 43,000 inside Wembley Stadium. The announcement reflects Vitality’s continued commitment to women’s sport and to

“This new deal shows the growing interest there is for the women’s game in UK” addressing the significant difference that exists in physical activity levels between men and women. Working together with The FA, Vitality will help drive visibility of women’s football and inspire many more girls and women to take up football or other sports, and to keep and stay active in line with its core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. The Women’s FA Cup is the largest cup competition for female footballers in England, with 376 teams entering this season. The 2020-21 final is due to be played at Wembley on Saturday, May 22 next year. Kelly Simmons, The FA’s director of the women’s professional game,

WINNING TEAM: Vitality director of commercial and marketing Kathryn Swarbrick with Vitality ambassador Alex Scott and CEO Neville Koopowitz

welcomed the news of the new partnership. “I’m delighted that a recognised brand such as Vitality has signed up to partner with us and sponsor such a prestigious

competition as the Women’s FA Cup,” she said. “We recognise that during a very difficult time for everyone, this is a big commitment Vitality has made in becoming primary sponsor of

the Women’s FA Cup, and I’m really looking forward to working with them as we look to grow the competition. “This partnership not only highlights the affection that so

many have for the Women’s FA Cup, but it also demonstrates the growing interest in the women’s game in the UK, which is something I know Vitality is keen to develop alongside us.”

Time for our coaching heroes to take centre stage By Rodney Hinds

FIGUREHEAD: Emma Atkins

AS PART of UK Coaching Week 2020, UK Coaching has announced a new public-driven awards initiative to recognise those coaches who delivered sport and physical activity during the UK’s coronavirus lockdown. Through UK Coaching Heroes, the British public will be able to nominate coaches who implemented great coaching ideas and made a considerable difference to others, despite the adversity we faced because of the pandemic. One such coach, dubbed The Nation’s PE Teacher, was Joe Wicks, who delivered 18 weeks of his fitness show, helping millions of parents and children stay active whilst schools were closed and raising hundreds of thousands of pounds

for the NHS. Nominations are open until October 11. Then from October 26 to November 8, the public will be able to vote for their favourite coaches from the shortlist of finalists.

SUCCEED

Two supporters of the initiative are charities Coach Core Foundation and Dallaglio RugbyWorks – the former delivering inclusive and impactful sports coaching apprenticeships across the UK for 16-24 year olds not in education or employment and the latter offering young people of secondary school age (either excluded or on the verge of exclusion from mainstream education) a chance to succeed and progress on to further education, employment or training. Both charities will benefit from any

voluntary donations made through the nominations or public vote process. UK Coaching’s Director of Coaching Emma Atkins said: “As part of this year’s campaign, we wanted to implement a unique way in which coaches could be celebrated and recognised by the public for the unparalleled role they’ve had in helping communities stay happy and healthy in this coronavirus era. “UK Coaching Heroes is for those of us who have benefited from great coaching during lockdown to show our appreciation for what coaches have done for us and our wider communities. “We have seen coaches go online to keep us connected, active and healthy, and have seen coaches step up to run around their local neighbourhoods to ensure those shielding

from Covid-19 have food parcels and other everyday essentials. “There is also a wonderful opportunity to donate money to two amazing charities, which are ensuring that young people who are often in vulnerable situations can excel through coaching apprenticeships and development programmes that will help them succeed in life – and ensure the next generation of great coaches!” Visit: ukcoaching.org/coachingweek for more information.

OCTOBER 2020 | THE VOICE

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

OF SPORT NEWSPAPER

DRIVING FOR CHANGE

Lewis Hamilton teams up with Royal Academy of Engineering to inspire diversity across Formula One

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT: Lewis Hamilton wants more black stars to take centre stage in the world of Formula One

The Hamilton Commissioners

• Karen Chouhan, lead equality officer with a specialism in race policy for the National Education Union • Jeremy Crook, chief executive of the Black Training and Enterprise Group • Tracey Crouch MP, former Sports Minister and Conservative Party politician • Dr Nike Folayan, co-founder and chair of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers, AFBE-UK • Professor Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London • Mark Hamlin, chair of Project 44 • Dr Zubaida Haque, former interim director of the Runnymede Trust • Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, co-founder of Stemettes and trustee at the Institute for the Future of Work • George Imafidon, pictured right, co-founder of Motivez, One Young World Ambassador and Royal Academy of Engineering scholar • Glen Lambert, head of School of Construction, Science and Engineering at College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London • Professor David Mba, Pro-Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise, and Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media at De Montfort University • Izzy Obeng, managing director at Foundervine and non-executive director for Capital Enterprise • Chi Onwurah MP, Member of Parliament representing Newcastle upon Tyne Central and also Shadow Minister Digital, Science & Technology • Martin Whitmarsh, former CEO of the McLaren Formula One Team, Chairman of BAR Technologies Limited

By Rodney Hinds

IX-TIME Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton MBE and the Royal Academy of Engineering have announced the Board of Commissioners for The Hamilton Commission, a research project that will work to identify the key barriers to recruitment and progression of black people in UK motorsport, and provide actionable recommendations to overcome them. The Hamilton Commission will be co-chaired by the

world champion himself and Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Board of Commissioners is an independent group made up of 14 experts and industry leaders from within the UK who represent a range of perspectives on the challenge. The Commissioners have been specially selected to represent a wide range of expertise spanning critical areas of influence including motorsport, engineering, schools, colleges and universities, community and youth groups, as well as major

UK political parties. Each of the Commissioners will bring valuable expertise, knowledge and experience from their re-

search findings and help identify the key challenges and opportunities facing young black people entering STEM careers, particu-

“Since I began my professional racing career in Formula One, 14 years ago, I was the only driver of colour. Sadly, that is still the case” spective fields to The Hamilton Commission. Their responsibilities will be to review and inform the research methodology; to examine the re-

larly in UK motorsport; and to advise on the final actions and recommendations that result from the research. Record-chasing Hamilton

said: “Since I began my professional racing career in Formula One, 14 years ago, I was the only driver of colour and to this day, sadly, that is still the case. However, what is more concerning is that there are still very few people of colour across the sport as a whole. “In F1, our teams are much bigger than the athletes that front them, but representation is insufficient across every skill set – from the garage to the engineers in the factories and design departments. We are dedicated to this cause and together, we will make a change.”

The first meeting of the Board of Commissioners took place last month, where the Commissioners shared their initial insights and thoughts on the research plan with Hamilton and Sillem. The Board will meet quarterly to discuss and inform the latest Commission research.

The Voice Newspaper October 2020

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