Wednesday, October 30, 2024 |
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Dear readers,
What's up?!
With the passage of another week, another edition of the Race Report newsletter is guaranteed to hit your inbox!
I recently informed you that a special occasion was on the horizon. Well... I celebrated a birthday!
The festivities included spending quality time with loved ones, go-karting, and seeing a comedy play starring Oliver Samuels, the Caribbean King of Comedy.
Also, I was surprised and very chuffed to be included in Glamour Magazine's list of nine Black women fighting to make the UK a more equal place.
In yet more uplifting news, the Black Curriculum founder Lavinya Stennett and DJ Ace were among dozens recently awarded the Freedom of the City of London.
First established in 1237, this ancient honour is given to people who have made outstanding contributions to London or public life.
Also in the news this week:
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Robert Jenrick has been accused of “an obnoxious distortion of history” after saying former British colonies should be grateful for the legacy of the empire.
The Conservative Party leadership hopeful said Commonwealth nations owe Britain a “debt of gratitude” for the democratic institutions they inherited after gaining independence from the UK.
Numerous activists and politicians are in uproar over Mr Jenrick’s comments, which come amid mounting calls for the UK to pay slavery reparations to its former colonies.
Yesterday, I had a conversation with Barbados' ambassador, David Comissiong, over the phone about this, and he expressed strong views on the matter.
Slamming Mr Jenrick’s comments, he called them an “insult” and a “fraudulent notion”, asking: “How does one take pride in genocide?”
He added: “While Mr Jenrick indulges himself in taking pride in the achievements of the British Empire, the remnants of the native or indigenous people of the Caribbean (...) are only too well aware of how the official British policy and practice of extermination and theft of land decimated their ancestors and utterly destroyed their civilisation.”
This follows a landmark conference on reparations, which took place in London over the weekend.
Despite Mr Jenrick’s despicable remarks, I suspect the issue of reparations isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
And I’m clearly not alone in this view. As calls for the UK to acknowledge its historic role in the transatlantic slave trade continue to grow, historian Stephen Taylor has highlighted the extraordinary story of the seafarers who helped rescue thousands of West Africans from a terrible fate. In a piece for The Independent, he noted: “As recent events have shown, the debate about reparations for enslavement will not be going away.”
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Do you agree with the government’s plan to axe Winter Fuel Payments for millions of elderly people? |
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Ministers fear up to 120,000 of the most vulnerable pensioners will miss out on money to pay their winter fuel bills after Labour stripped the payment from millions of older people.
The government is to write to the group next month to warn them they will lose out unless they apply for pension credits before Christmas.
But many face months-long delays in processing forms, meaning they still may not receive the cash this winter, The Independent can reveal.
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A footballer, an author, a child star! |
Jeriah (photo taken by me for The Independent and shared with mum's permission) |
It was a pleasure to meet an inspiring young author at the recent inaugural Black Footballers Partnership (BFP) Trailblazer Awards in Parliament the other day.
Jeriah Boateng, aged around 11, is an academy footballer and the author of Back In Time, a sports fiction book that also tackles the tricky topic of racism. The youngster’s writing has earned him the Premier League Academy Young Writer of the Year Award!
Launched in 2021, the BFP aims to give a voice to and support Black male and female professional footballers, while lobbying for greater representation in the sport. It is led by Delroy Corinaldi, Eartha Pond, and Michael Johnson.
Although 43 per cent of English players in the Premier League are Black, research from the BFP has found that only 4.4 per cent of managerial positions are occupied by former Black players, and just 1.6 per cent of executive, leadership, and ownership roles are held by Black people.
Hosted by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the awards acknowledged the contributions of former football players and managers who have broken down barriers within the game.
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Approximately 49% of Race Report readers think Kamala Harris will become the next US president. Less than a week to go until we find out... |
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