Black Scientists and Inventors

It is so important to celebrate Black achievers and role models. Black young people often do not think about careers in the sciences when considering their career options.  

Many of them think studying the sciences is not "cool", and experience peer pressure to avoid studying, as Henry Bonsu pointed out in Black Success Stories. 

Click here to read my new article on Black Scientists and Inventors.  

The article includes an interview with Keith C. Holmes, author of Black Inventors, Crafting Over 200 Years of Success.  

Black Inventors is now available in over 800 national, state, university and public libraries, including museums, research centers and schools as a paperback in 30 countries

Cameron Gets It Wrong

Prime Minister David Cameron recently stated that Oxford University had only accepted one Black student last year. As we all know, this statement was incorrect, as Oxford accepted 27 African and Caribbean students last year - he was not counting the students from the African continent.

Wow, a whole big 27.

The broadcaster Henry Bonsu, himself an Oxford graduate, has been working for years to encourage and support Black students to apply to Oxford and Cambridge. He takes groups of young people to Oxford for a one-week intensive programme. As he says in Black Success Stories, his teachers encouraged him.

The funny thing is, if you're one of the few Black people in a majority white school, you'll either be the best or the worst. Because if your teacher spots that you are good at something, they'll see you all the time. That's what happened to me. So I was pushed in my Latin, I was pushed in my German, to the point where they said to my parents when I was 15, he could go to Oxford....

The universities are now under pressure to get in students from non-traditional backgrounds. So if you do the work, you'll get a fair hearing now.

So if the teachers spot that potential, they will encourage Black children - at least sometimes. But I still think it's mainly up to the parents.

Mind you, Henry was later sacked by the BBC for being "too intellectual". But that's another story.

Worried about how to pay for university tuition? Check out my new ebook Shaking the Money Tree.

Black People 26 Times More Likely to Be Stopped by Police

Saw comic Stephen K Amos on The Wright Stuff on Monday reveal the recent report that Black people are 26 times more likely to be stopped by the police than members of other groups.

26 times!!!!

TWENTY-SIX TIMES!!!

We’re not even one percent of the population!

I knew we were more likely to be stopped, but, say it with me:
TWENTY-SIX TIMES!!!

Is this really the best use of police resources????

Plus, I have recently seen Matthew Wright question why there has been so much coverage of the police’s shooting of barrister Mark Saunders when shootings of Black people are substantially more frequent, yet barely get a mention.

In fact, I’ve heard him say it twice!

Well done, Matthew. Right on. You have obviously learned something.

What a pity Henry Bonsu has disappeared from your shows after being a regular panelist for so long. To read more about this, see my interview with Henry in Black Success Stories.

Ian Wright 'axed from Live From Studio Five'

Presenter and former footballer Ian Wright is claiming he was fired from Live at Studio Five. I reckon he was the best thing about that show.

Click here to read more.

This reminds me of when Henry Bonsu was sacked from the BBC because he was "too intellectual". He talks about this in Black Success Stories. He was also a regular panellist on Five's The Wright Stuff at the time, but soon disappeared from that show as well.

Moira Stuart was later sacked by the BBC reportedly for being "too old".

Ludovic Kennedy once said there were too many Black people on TV - looks like Five are doing something about it.

Carol Thatcher and the Gollywog Remark

Apparently, Carol Thatcher made a remark at work, at the BBC, comparing someone's hair to that of a gollywog. This was being discussed on The Wright Stuff this morning. Carol Thatcher is a frequent panel member on the show. Remember, this is the same show on which Henry Bonsu used to be a panel member before they got rid of him with no explanation. He talks about this in my book Black Success Stories.

The panel pretty much agreed that this is a storm in a teacup, as Thatcher's remark was made privately. Sanjeev Bhaskar is making jokes about it.

These kinds of grotesque images were widely circulated in the African colonies to reinforce negative stereotypes about African people, as the the late Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives explains in Black Success Stories.

I don't think anyone should have to work in a workplace where these kinds of remarks are being made.

One of the key areas in which Black people were taught to have negative thoughts and feelings about ourself was around our hair. To read more about this, read The Key to Confidence and Self-Esteem. See also What They Don't Want Us to Know.