Exiled to Poland for 28 Years

George Lee, Windrush Scandal Survivor

When George Lee approached MPs and the UK Home Office for help with his immigration status, they failed to assist him.  This was in 2018, when the Windrush scandal was emerging.  

Mr. Lee was among the thousands of British citizens from Africa and the Caribbean who had lived in Britain since childhood, but were misidentified as illegal immigrants after the Home Office destroyed their immigration documents.  Mr. Lee was working as a teacher in Poland at that time.  

Last November, he approached Desmond Jaddoo, a Windrush campaigner in Birmingham, who helped him to access the assistance he needed to return home.  He still has not received the pension payments which he was entitled to claim from the time he turned 65, eight years ago.  

Mr. Lee reckons there are many more people stuck in different countries who have not been able to return to Britain, and are largely unknown.  They continue to be ignored by the UK government unless they receive help from campaigners like Mr. Jaddoo, as the Home Office appears to be deaf to their pleas.  

Mr. Lee is now struggling to adjust to life in his home country, which he has not seen for nearly 30 years.  Go here to read more.   

 

 

Labour Search for Candidate for Diane Abbott's Seat

The Guardian reports that moves to find a successor to Diane Abbott in the parliamentary seat she has represented since 1987 are under way, prompting concern a decision has already been made regarding her membership of Labour before an investigation into her latest suspension has concluded.   Go here to read more.  

Diane Abbott was suspended from the Labour Party again over her remarks about racism.  

I expect she is considering joining Jeremy Corbyn's new party.  

As we all know, the racism and discrimination experienced by those of us who have Black and brown skins, i.e. those who are identifiable as Black, Asian or brown-skinned people,  is different from discrimination experienced by those who have white skin, including Irish people and some Jewish people.  

She was first elected to Pariament in 1987, before which time she had been a local councillor for many years.  After Tony Blair's "New Labour" election victory in 1997, she was considered to be one of "Blair's Babes".  

Ms. Abbott, the Mother of the House (longest-serving female MP), has been suspended for stating what is blatantly obvious.  

Go here to read more.  

Diane Abbott, the first Black woman ever to be elected to the House of Commons, is one of the achievers I interviewed in Black Success Stories.  

 

Dawn Butler: It’s Time We Stopped Downplaying Racism in the UK

Dawn Butler MP

I found this article by Dawn Butler MP very interesting.  I agreed with a lot of what Dawn Butler said, but disagreed with other things.  She raises some important points. 

Butler states that, as a young person, she was told by her brothers never to phone the police - if there were a problem or an incident, she should phone her brothers instead.  This reflects many Black people's reality.  She then recounts an incident in which, threatened by a white neighbour, first with a brick and then later with a knife, she calls the police, who turn up and arrest her brother.  And she states, "That is why I was always told never to call the police".

Having said this, when I was threatened with a baseball bat by a (Black) neighbour, I called the police and was impressed by the swiftness of their response.  However, after their initial visit, I heard nothing further.  I eventually wrote to my MP, Harriet Harman, about this, and she helped me, as she has done many times over the years.  After that, the police finally took action, but it was too late as the evidence had disappeared.

I would have expected Dawn Butler to know, and recommend, that we contact our MPs for help if necessary, if the police have not taken appropriate action.  Of course, some MPs are more responsive than others.

And of course, I should not have had to do this in order to get an appropriate response from the police.

Butler also states that people have told her "people say to [her] that racism isn’t as bad in the UK as it is in the US".  I have had Black people say the same thing to me.  This is a stupid and naive response.  Having lived in both countries, I would argue that racism in the two societies is both better and worse in some regards.  Racism and racist attitudes, practices and behaviours in the UK and in the U.S.A. are different and not necessarily able to be compared.  They are like apples and bananas.  But they are also the same.  Racism in both countries, and others, is the fruit of centuries of white supremacist conditioning and racist violence.

The reason so many people, Black, white and members of other races, have taken to the streets daily here in London and the UK is that they know, as we all know, that racism is a problem and is sometimes lethal.  Racist attitudes and actions by the police in this country have been involved with deaths in police custody of Black people including, for example, Joy Gardner, Smiley Culture and Cynthia Jarrett, to name but three, not to mention a whole host of other incidents such as the killing of Stephen Lawrence and the mishandling of it by the police.

We discussed some of this in my radio broadcast, "How Can We Create a Peaceful World?". 

At the moment, two documentaries about institutionalised racism in Britain are available for screening:  Justice for Joy on All 4 and Sitting in Limbo on BBC iplayer.  I watched part of Justice for Joy yesterday morning and Sitting in Limbo yesterday evening. Sitting in Limbo covers the recent "Windrush scandal" caused by the "hostile environment" towards immigrants that began under a Labour government and was fulfilled by successive Tory governments.   It focuses on Anthony Bryan, one man who was threatened with deportation after living here his whole life.  Be warned:  I was even more stressed and upset after watching these two documentaries.  It is a commentary on the current state of affairs that Joy Gardner's family have never achieved justice regarding her death.

And a reminder:  Baroness Lawrence, when she entered the House of Lords, stated that the police in Britain are characterised by institutional racism and institutional corruption.

I have seen white police officers take a knee in recognition of the horrendous slaying of George Floyd.  I have been very moved by this.  But even when they enter the force with good intentions, police trainees are entering a hostile environment with a culture of institutional racism and institutional corruption.

There are examples of big racist incidents in this country, as well as small ones.  As Butler says, we need to call out racism when we see it.  And this will benefit everyone.

We can change things.  Each and every one of us can make a difference.  

Go here for the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2020.

Go here for more about the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2020 and how you can submit your blog post. 

Patrick Vernon on the Importance of Black History Month

In this video, a panel including activist and campaigner Patrick Vernon discuss the importance and relevance of Black History Month/African Heritage Month.

If you have seen the documentary More than a Month, you know that this debate continues in the United States, where it was found that the way Black history was taught in schools focused on a few signicant figures.  People such as Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks featured prominently, as so they should.  But Black history did not begin with slavery.

Although this approach to Black history is wholly inadequate, when there was no attempt made to recognise Black History Month, Black history was not acknowledged or taught at all.

Therefore, Black history is still very relevant, and although there is no need to confine it to one single month, Black History Month/African Heritage Month serves as a signpost towards greater knowledge and understanding, both here in Britain and in the United States.  . 

I am keen to share Black history as far and wide as I can.  Therefore, please share this with your networks and please leave your comments below.

Please also share these Black history links.

Please also share my short film about Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Tubman.

Black Lives Matter: Death of Kevin Clarke

Did you know – it was reported Monday that Kevin Clarke, a young Black man, died in police custody in Catford, Southeast London after being detained by NINE police officers. 

Clarke had mental health problems.

One more reason Why I Am Committed to Nonviolence.

See also: Rashan Charles's Death.

Please leave your comments below, and please share this with your networks.  Thanks. 

Increase in Gun and Knife Crime

London Metropolitan Police 2018

If you have been reading and listening to my blog posts, you know that my work is about solutions. 

As I am sure you know, there has been an increase in violent crime, including knife crime and gun crime, in London. Black communities have been dealing with this crisis for many years.  

What is the response to this from the police?   

Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, has said that there needs to be an increase in stop-and-search, and The Metropolitan Police are planning to do just that.  

 

As we know, the stop-and-search is deployed overwhelmingly against Black African-Caribbean people, particularly young Black African-Caribbean men.

Given that British prisons are already disproportionately incarcerating Black people, something is definitely wrong here. Several things, actually.

The police conducting their stop-and-search incidents are finding larger numbers of weapons.

http://www.itv.com/news/2018-04-07/london-knife-crime-met-police/

This would suggest that stop-and-search is not working. Stop-and-search is not preventing young people from carrying knives. The ethos has been described as making young people more afraid of being arrested than they are of carrying knives. Given most young Black men are aware that the police may kill them with impunity, and this has happened numerous times, making them more afraid of police is a tall order.

What needs to happen is for young people become confident in their ability to reduce or prevent violet crime without needing to carry weapons. Our young people need to become skilled in methods such as NVC (Nonviolent Communication) that can PREVENT violent incidents and PREVENT situations escalating into violence.

By the time a young person starts carrying a knife, ostensibly for protection, the situation is out of control. We need to PREVENT young peoplle believing they need to carry guns in order to protect themselves,as they know other people who are carrying weapons.

For more about this, see  Children and Knife Crime.

See also: Which Children Are More Likely to Bring Weapons to School? 

Please share this with your networks, and please leave your comments below.  Thanks.  

50th Anniversary of Kwanzaa

As you may know, 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Kwanzaa.  And once again, I am listing Kwanzaa events on my website.  

Click here for my Kwanzaa event listings.  I am listing Kwanzaa celebrations being held in Johannesburg, South Africa; Canada, Britain and all over the U.S.A.  Enjoy!  

Please share these with your networks and please leave your comments below.  Happy Kwanzaa!  

 

The Calais Jungle

The Calais Jungle, London Southbank

I am sure you have heard of the “Jungle”, the name given to the camp in Calais where many refugees have gathered hoping to cross the Channel and enter Britain. A lot of them are African people.

I saw The Calais Jungle, an exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall, London Southbank, on Sunday. It was included in the Africa Utopia festival, which has now ended, and the Love Festival, and continues until 2^nd October. If you have not seen it, I recommend you see it.

The exhibition includes loads of photographs of people who live in the Jungle, as well as homes, shops, churches and mosques. The Jungle is a vast complex.

What I really like about this exhibition is that the photographs show people's faces. They are not just a faceless mass of refugees, which is how the current crisis is often reported in the mainstream press.

Part of the Jungle was recently demolished, making many people, including children, homeless. Well over 100 children simply disappeared and the French police, according to what is said in this exhibition, did nothing to try to help them, protect them or investigate their disappearance. The children of the Jungle, who have escaped a war zone and the unimaginable terrors they have witnessed, are afraid of the French police.

There have been loads of stories coming out of the Jungle, and French lorry drivers have taken  action this week because they want their government to close it down. The Jungle's residents have become pawns in a very dangerous game being played between and within France, Britain and other European countries. Many lorry drivers feel under pressure from refugees demanding that drivers allow them to stow away in their vehicles. 

The UK government is reported to be building a wall near Calais to further deter The UK government is reported to be building a wall to further deter migrants from entering Britain.   

These refugees are clearly desperate and my heart goes out to them (not making excuses for any intimidatory behaviour).

It is important that we bear the refugees in mind. I am fortunate to live in London, a place that is relatively stable and peaceful, and I feel helpless to do much for them. The one thing I can do, besides blogging, is publish the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence. Please support the blogging carnival.

Kwanzaa 2015 Celebrations

It's that tme of year again!  I am listing Kwanzaa celebrations on my site.  These include Kwanzaa events across the United States and in Canada, Britain and Johannesburg, South Africa. 

I also have background information on the origins and meaning of Kwanzaa.  Enjoy! 

Please share this with your networks. 

Happy Kwanzaa! 

War on the Black Community?

Militarised Police - Does This Reassure You? 

Listen below to this blog post.  Please also check out the links below.

I believe the Black community, and Black communities around the world, are under attack and have been for many years. That is my opinion. And I want to know what you think. So please add your comments below after you have listened to this post. 

When our Black communities are thriving and prospering, every community will thrive and prosper.  Everyone will benefit.  Listen below for more.  Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks. 

We need to use PRACTICAL solutions to bring about positive change and transformation.  

Check Out Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Success Strategies for Black People 

What They Don't Want Us to Know 

More about What They Don't Want Us to Know

Why We Need to Heal 

590 Black Deaths in Police Custody 

Cancer Journals  

The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence  

Anonymous Says Sandra Bland Was Murdered. 

 

590 Black Deaths in Police Custody

Marcia Rigg Protest about the Death of Sean Rigg, London

Check out my previous blog posts:  Protecting Our Communities

We Need Solutions That Work. 

According to this article, 590 Black people in the UK have died in police custody.

This article fails to mention that some of the 500 people killed by the police, with impunity, were women. Some were disabled. Some were probably both. 

Call their names:  Cynthia Jarrett, Joy Gardner.   

Also, Cherry Groce was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life after being shot by the police in London.

This post appears to be pitting disadvantaged groups against each other. We need to stand together. I am Black, a woman and disabled. I have a problem with the way this site has posed the question, “If it was 590 women or 590 wheelchair users, would there be a national outcry?”.

All deaths in police custody need to be highlighted, awareness needs to be raised, but racism is something that affects Black people in every area of our lives, whether or not we are women or disabled. We need to keep highlighting this. 

These are just some of the many reasons why I am hosting the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2015.   

Plus check out this blog from Naturally Moi:  The Woman Who Filmed the Eric Garner Killing Is Suing the NYPD.   

Please leave your comments below.  And please share this with your networks.  Thanks. 

Is Black Really Beautiful?

Below is my review of the new documentary Beauty Is, from director Toyin Agbetu of Ligali.  

Beauty Is explores the relationship people of the African Diaspora, and all African people,  have with beauty.  

Our quest for beauty influences:  
- our health
- our economics
- our relationships and
- our self-esteem

and the film explores all of those areas.  

This is a very important film, and we need to keep having these conversations.  

There is a link to the Ligali anti-skin-bleaching campaign below.  

I will be interviewing the Director of Beauty Is, Toyin Agbetu, soon, so stay tuned!  

You can listen to my review below.  

Find Additional Books Podcasts with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

 

Click here for Natural Hair/Nappturality. 

Click here for The Key to Confidence and Self-Esteem.  

Click here for the Ligali anti-skin-bleaching campaign. 

 Click here for my Black Success audios. 

Click here for my analysis of the film 12 Years a Slave.

Further Thoughts on the Riots

There was a lot of destruction caused by the riots across London and the UK a few weeks ago. As ever, my first thought is, why did people feel the need to riot, loot and burn?

Obviously, as I said in previous posts, people are angry. There is a lot of anger being expressed in these situations. I believe a big contributing factor is that the government has refused to listen to what people want. And it is still refusing to listen.

Why is there so much anger and disssatisfaction? We can only find out by asking the people involved.

There has been an enormous amount of speculation. And an enormous amount of stereotyping.

We need an alternative. We need to turn this situation around.

The media have blamed "young people" for the rioting and destruction, although only about 20% of the people involved have been under 18 years of age.

The media have stereotyped the Black community as rioters and looters. The Evening Standard was full of photos of African people being taken to court. But the truth is somewhat different.

Black community leaders have taken it on themselves to try to address what have been long-standing problems between young Black people and the police. These problems certainly may have contributed to the events of a few weeks ago.

The shooting of a young Black man, lies and rumours about this incident, and the assault by police officers on a young woman on a peaceful demonstration may well have contributed. But people of many different racial and cultural backgrounds took part in the rioting and looting.

Orthodox Jewish people were filmed at the riots in North London.

The fact that white people have been rioting in London since last year has been all but forgotten.

In Nonviolent Communication (NVC), we say that people's actions are always an attempt to meet a need.

In order to get someone to do what you want, you first need to give empathy to that person. That is, you have to connect with that person's feelings and needs. For more about this, click here to read my article on Nonviolent Communication.

I have not heard any empathy at all from the government or the media, although I have heard empathy from some of our community leaders.

Mostly what I have been hearing is "bring in the Army", "bring in water cannons", "impose harsh sentences". This is the opposite of empathy. This is a fear reaction and does not address the causes of the rioting.

At a recent meeting in London of the African People's Parliament, which had met to discuss issues arising from the riots, the police sent a helicopter and shined a light on the door of the building.

We need to use different methods, as I said previously. I saw this coming, as I said on a previous post. And I predict more rioting as long as the government continues with this blame game, and continues to avoid dealing with the underlying issues.

It takes an enormous amount of courage to say, "we will not give in to fear. We will not give vent to our violent impulses". But this is what we need to do.

People need to stop posturing, stop pointing the finger and start using more effective methods.

Click here for my workshps in London.

We have been presented with a golden opportunity to turn things around. Let's use it.

Please leave your comments below.

Breaking into Britain

I saw this documentary on the BBC last week. "Breaking into Britain" tracks people travelling into Britain from two parts of the world: Afghanistan and Nigeria.

They are people who would not be able to enter the UK legally, so they have to find various means, dealing with shady people, journeying through war zones, and doing whatever they can to get here.

The documentary depicted the ordeal they go through.

People leaving Afghanistan may have to pay a people smuggler several thousand pounds to get them here. The journalist, himself from an Afghan background, met fellow Afghans everywhere he went. They often have to travel via Iran and Turkey, sometimes taking serious risks. Some have no money and no food. Many, having made it into Europe, find themselves stranded in Athens, sleeping rough and relying on charities to feed them and their children.

I guess they did not realise that Greece was in economic meltdown.

Those coming from Nigeria may have started their journeys anywhere on the continent. They travel through the desert to get to Morocco, where they try to get into Italy.

The documentary did not really explain or depict the reasons why these people are so desperate to get into Britain. It mentioned that Afghanistan has been at war for over 30 years, so life is difficult there. And seeing the risks they take shows us how determined they are to get into Britain.

People smugglers often demand sex from the women relying on them to help them get into Europe. A woman from the Congo described how she was raped at knife-point by a smuggler in the middle of the desert.

African people often travel via Niger. The journey through the Sahara is so dangerous that they have to travel in armed convoys.

Again, the documentary did not mention why Niger is so dangerous, although, coming from Congo, the woman, like many others, is seeking to escape an area of conflict.

People travel via overcrowded buses, lorries and boats; climb over fences, and cling to the bottom of lorries. They dodge the authorities and meet with hostility from from locals.

They are looking to find a better life for themselves and their children.

Some of them, however, once reality strikes, just wish they had enough money to go home.

Students to March Again Today

Students will be marching again today in London and other cities around Britain, in protest against the proposed rise in tuition fees. School children may be joining the protests.

It seems at last the youth of the majority population are becoming politicised.

The coalition government plans to remove the current cap on tuition fees of £3,000 per year.

This is something that affects everyone. It affects the entire future of this country. It could put the cost of education out of reach of most people.

Many commentators have predicted there will be a lot more protests and a lot more violence, similar to what has been seen in France, as the coalition government's plans kick in over the next few months.

I don't disagree, as people are angry, anxious and worried about the future. But it doesn't have to be this way. See also: We Can Turn This Around

Celebrating Barack Obama

People all over the world are still celebrating Obama's victory.

His picture is on the covers of Essence and GQ.

Ebony have devoted their entire issue to him as their first-ever "Person of the Year".

And Pride, a UK Black women's magazine, feature Barack, Michelle and their girls on the cover.

To read the rest of this article, please visit:

http://www.squidoo.com/Celebrating-Obama

Here is a list of some of my other recent Obama blogs:

Polling Day

I went to the doctor's this morning and he said, "Make sure you get it right this time. I've emailed all my American friends and told them to get it right this time." He also said, "It would have made a huge difference if Al Gore had won". And he is a white Englishman.

Happy Birthday, America!

This truly is a new day. A new dawn. On a level, I realise, I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. A Black man in the White House. Now anything is possible. Whole new possibilities have opened up. Things that were not conceivable yesterday can happen now. I felt like this when apartheid ended in South Africa and Nelson Mandela was elected. I feel it even more strongly now.

I Keep Crying – Great Post-Election Videos

Message from President Obama

It is so important for us as people of African heritage to celebrate our successes. To read my article, "Do You Think Like a Success", visit
http://www.squidoo.com/Do-You-Think-Like-a-Success

Have a great day!