Black books, African heritage books, mind/body/spirit, The Ancestral Energies Blog by Zhana, author of Success Strategies for Black People and Black Success Stories. African diasporic healing, health and wellness, and success.
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.
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.
The term "woke" originated from African American communities. The meaning of "woke" is to treat groups of people and members of those groups - including African Americans - who have been oppressed, marginalised, exploited and disrespected with respect and equality of opportunity. It is closely related to diversity and inclusion.
I agree with Storm Huntley and Dr. Who actress Varada Sethu about this - woke can only be a good thing. Why should wokeness be a problem? It's only a problem for those who have a problem with diversity and inclusion.
Lincoln, in his Gettysburg Address, described the U.S. as a nation "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal". The fact that he said this in the middle of a war which was essentially about slavery and abolition is a stark contrast to those words.
Ncuti Gatwa
However, and I've said this before in various forums, anybody who is anti-woke is anti-Black, anti-women, anti-gay, anti-Latino and anti-any oppressed and/or marginalised group.
So, is Russell T. Davies woke? Let's look at his record.
He wrote two brilliant dramas about gay life - Queer as Folk and, more recently, It's a Sin. He, again brilliantly, revived Dr. Who and created two new spinoffs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
According to my (fading) memory, in Dr. Who, he put Black people in Dickensian London (they were there, but we very rarely see them), on the moon, in Victorian Scotland, and many other places including distant planets. Lots of these episodes and series included Black/African Caribbean, Asian and gay characters. Plus he gave us great storylines and great acting, which have not always been on offer from Dr. Who.
David Tennant's Doctor had, at one time, a Black companion, Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones. And, of course, we now have Ncuti Gatwa as a Black Doctor.
Davies also gave us a Christmas episode featuring Kylie Minogue which was not woke, just fun.
When Jodie Whittaker hit the headlines as the first female Doctor, this attracted a huge amount of disapproval and even outrage. Why? I understand the same thing happened when the brilliant (there's that word again) re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica featured a female pilot, Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck.
That reaction is what is called "misogyny".
Jodie Whittaker's previous role as a nurse impersonating a doctor in Trust Me was much more far-fetched.
In case you were wondering, I am a huge sci-fi buff. Always have been. Deal with it.
Woke is a good thing. And yes, Russell T. Davies is woke.
When the Week of Nonviolence (now the Month of Nonviolence) first
started, it was very focused on activities and events in the U.S.A. I
had to keep reminding us that violence happens everywhere, and that
Black Women for Positive Change is a global movement.
I am
delighted that we are now receiving reports on activities during the
Month of Nonviolence from further afield, including Nigeria and this one
from Malawi. Sisters, we stand united with our brothers in our commitment to nonviolence and peace.
Harmony for Families and Communities have held a workshop in Malawi on gender-based violence.
I
will not reproduce the entire report here, but I have focused on some
of the highlights. You can request a copy of the full report from
harmonyforfamiliesandcommuniti@gmail.com
Brief
Background
Harmony for Families and Communities (HFC) is a local Malawian organization based in Zomba and started operating in March 2021.
Harmony
for Families and Communities supports various women, girls and child
focused initiatives through a holistic approach that makes it able to
cover different challenges that affect their development in the
community. This approach identifies and addresses both mental and
physical needs that are essential for a healthy future generation.
All
projects and programs that HFC initiate are designed in a way that the
direct beneficiaries are women, girls and children. This is what is
needed to bring about positive change.
41 participants attended the workshop. It was led by local officials.
Event
Key Highlights
Participants
demonstrated increased understanding of the distinction between gender
and sex, gender-based violence forms (physical, emotional, economic,
negligence and psychological).
Facilitators
provided information on reporting procedures and mechanism such as the
toll free numbers (116), support services like the One Stop Centre and
legal recourse like the Protection Order, Whistle Blowing
Participants
discussed cultural practices and societal attitudes that perpetuate
gender-based violence such as women shielding their husbands, the
silence culture and beliefs that men are the ones that are
breadwinners.
Participants
discussed the dangers, implications and the legal framework of
gender-based violence such as the Constitution of Malawi (Chapter 4),
The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, The 50, 50 Campaign, The Child
Protection Act, and The Penal Code among others.
Community members identified local gender-based violence hotspots and pledged to establish a community watchdog committee.
Challenges
and Lessons Learnt
Limited time for in depth discussions
Need for sustained follow up and support
Importance of involving local leaders and traditional authority
For a copy of the full report, please contact Harmony for Families and Communities at harmonyforfamiliesandcommuniti@gmail.com
Well done, sistas and brothas! You should be very proud of the work you have done. Keep up the good work!
I have just watched a BBC documentary called How the Holocaust Began, written and presented by James Bulgin, an historian at the Imperial War Museum. Unfortunately, the link may not be live for much longer, so check it out while you can.
The details of the killings of Jews and others in Eastern Europe, and the true extent of those killings, is only just beginning to emerge. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people were shot, their bodies thrown into trenches, after the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. This method of murdering peple ultimately proved unsustainable, as the people doing the killing started to experience mental health issues due to the stress involved. The Nazis' goal was to wipe out all Jews in Europe.
The work of those researching this history is vital. Having said that, in the documentary, there was no mention of the fact that the first German death camp, known as "Shark Island", began operations around 1906 in Namibia, South West Africa. It has been referred to as the blueprint for what the Nazis did later. So it could be said that that was how the Holocaust began..
When uncovering history that has been buried, it is essential to tell the whole story, not just part of it.
The Holocaust is one huge example of why we must learn ways to get along together harmoniously, why we must learn to communicate nonviolently. What is at stake is genocide. What is at stake is the survival, or destruction, of our species.
We have been through one crisis after another over the past few years.
Currently, riots are sweeping the UK. They are linked with racism, Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment promoted and spready by far-right groups. Hotels that house refugees and asylum seekers are being attacked and set on fire.
In some cases, people from anti-racist groups are confronting the rioters.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) has a vital part to play, although I personally think its main impact is more about prevention. But it has been used effectively in situations of extreme violence.
NVC is based on empathy, which is about listening.
We need to understand the causes of the violence. People are very angry and have been for years now. Certain groups and certin politicians are whipping up the anger.
Why are these people so angry? Because they think they have not been listened to. They think they have been ignored by the powers that be, and at last, the violence is exploding.
We must have meaningful dialogue if we are going to put an end to the violence.
It breaks my heart to read of conflicts occurring in African countries such as Burkina Faso, DRC, Nigeria and Sudan, and others, and those among people of African heritage, including in Yemen and Haiti. Plus the conflicts we hear about every day, such as those in Gaza and Uraine. Vast numbers of people are being displaced as a result.
Although aid has a significant role to play, my focus is on preventing and resolving conflicts.
We need to find solutions, and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) can be part of the solution.
NVC is based on empathy.
Please help me to spread the word, helping more people to learn and apply NVC skills to prevent and resolve global conflicts. Please submit a blog post to the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2024.
Conflict often begins in the home, and children who experience violence in the home are more likely to get involved with conflict outside the home. Go here to download my NVC Worksheet for Parents.
What are your thoughts about preventing and resolving global conflicts? Please comment below and please share this with your networks. Thanks.
You may have heard of Ruby Bridges. At the age of six, she single-handedly integrated her all-white school in New Orleans. Single-handedly, but with help. On her first day of school, she was met by an angry white mob.
That was in 1960. In this NPR piece, Bridges describes the loneliness she experienced because she never saw another child in the school. She found out later that the white children were being hidden. She also talks about her white teacher, Mrs. Henry, who advocated for her. Go here to listen.
If
you think you know Black history, you may need to have a re-think.
There is always more for us to learn. Brother Tony
Warner’s talks are always
jam-packed full of information, and he updates them so that each time
he gives any given presentation, it’s never the same. Like his talks, this book is loaded with information and fascinating facts.
I have attended these talks for many years and I
was very excited to learn that Black
History Walks in London Volume I had been published. Holding it is like
holding history in my hand. This is a very strong experience.
If
you are a parent, a teacher or educator, a Black history buff or just
someone who wants to increase your knowledge about Black history, you
need this book. And Brother Tony’s work makes it clear that Black
history is world history.
If
you buy it from one of these links, I will gain a small commission.
In addition to the many Black history talks by Brother Tony Warner which I have attended over the years, I have also attended many of the African
Odysseys films he helps to curate at London’s Southbank Centre. I
have thoroughly enjoyed loads of them, although some were very challenging because of the subject matter.
Brother
Tony's presentations are always packed full of useful and intriguing
factual information. He is making Black history accessible to us
through his detailed research and his presentations, which are always
very engaging. His
work, although London-based, gives a global perspective on Black
history.
Like
his talks, Black
History Walks in London Volume I very
much reflects Brother Tony’s ongoing commitment to seeking out,
researching and sharing detailed Black history information. In other
words, he is a griot.
Brother
Tony’s work deals with slavery, pre-slavery and post-slavery issues in Africa,
the Caribbean, and all of the Americas, as well as London, Britain
and Europe.
Of
particular interest is his section on the Second World War, which he
covers from several angles. Again, it contains loads of useful and
fascinating factual information.
For
example, did you know that.during the Second World War, German submarines targeted the waters
around the Caribbean? Or that Trinidad was home to the largest oil refinery in the British Empire?
Or that, during the First World War, Black troops from the Caribbean were put into cold accommodation and made to stack boxes, while German POWs - the enemy - were housed in heated rooms?
Or that, in 1919, Black troops in Washington, D.C. fought against mobs of racist white sailors who were attacking Black people?
If
you want to know more, buy the book today. It will also make a great
present for the holidays or anytime. As we know, every month is
Black History Month. Bring your copy along to the next Black history walk or talk and get it signed by the author (he has already signed mine).
I have recently been interviewing entrepreneurs who can help you to raise finance for your business.
If this is of interest to you, go here for my conversation with Steve Mosley. Not just a tax consulltant, Steve is offering loads of services that can help your business. He can help you raise finance.
For more about how you can grow your business, my Kindle ebook Affirmations for Business can help. It includes an interview with Stacey. You can download it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. And if you are an Amazon Associate, you can sell it to earn a litle money.
My Buddhist teacher, the Venerable Urgyen Sangharakshita, has said that anyone can be friends with anyone, that this is his religion and that he would rather die than give it up.
This may well be true, but I don'r necessarily think this is a good thing. I have strong feelings about explaining racism to white people. And yet, I find this story very inspiring. This is challenging some of my opinions, assumptions and views.
An African American man by the name of Daryl Davis decided he wanted to go along to Klan rallies and meetings, befriend Klan members and teach them not to be racist. So he did.
Unlike Ron Stallworth, the person Spike Lee focused on in his film BlackkKlansman, it was not his job. He was not an undercover police officer. He was just someone who wanted to make a difference.
I personally would not have seen the point in doing this. But Davis states that 200 Klan members have left the Klan as a direct result of his befriending them. Food for thought. As I say, I find this truly inspiring.
This just goes to show that anyone can make a difference. One person can make a huge difference.
Unfortunately, this is a very, very sad time. I am beginning the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence on a tragic note, once again.
My guests on today's show were Dr.
Lynne Muhammad, founder of the
STREAM Labs, and Pastor
Charetta Hodge, who is on the ministerial staff of
Christhood International Ministries of St. Louis. Both of my guests attended the recent HWPL Peace Summit in South Korea, as did my Executive Producer Naimah Latif.
TRIGGER WARNING: We talked about two extremely violent incidents which recently occurred in South London, and strategies for preventing these types of attacks in future.
October is Black History Month here in the UK. And it is
also the annual Month of Nonviolence which is held by Black Women for
Positive Change, and is open to EVERYONE.
And that means this is month is the annual Blogging
Carnival for Nonviolence. So stay tuned for all the blogs I’ll be
publishing this month. The link for the Blogging Carnival for
Nonviolence 2023 is above.
What are your thoughts? Please share this with your networks and please comment below.
According to this short film, the Ku Klux Klan have infiltrated all areas of public life in Colorado, including politics, education and health. This has been going on for many years. Who knew?
Far-right white supremacist groups are on the rise in the U.S.A.
While it is important to be aware of this, it is more important for us to dwell on the positives. The Law of Increase states that whatever we dwell on increases. Whatever we focus on expands. Therefore, we need to focus on our own power.
Those of us who are conscious frequently dwell on the negatives, on our history, which is full of trauma and has been for the past 500 years. But we are a glorious people. Our history need not define us or our future.
The world reflects our thoughts, feelings and emotions. If we dwell on the positives and what we are striving to achieve, nothing and no one can hold us back.
The recent film Oppenheimer is guilty of one crucial omission: the involvement of people of the Congo in the development of the atomic bomb.
As is well known, the Congolese were forced to harvest rubber after the country was made the private estate of King Leopold of Belgium. They were subjected to amputations if they failed to meet their quotas, as well as other horrific punishments. I talked about this history here.
What is probably less known is that the Congolese were also used to mine the uranium which Oppenheimer used to create the first atomic bombs. The highest quality uranium in the world came from Congo. This was a top-secret operations in which the workers were exploited.
As the author says, "I kept seeing what was missing: Black miners hauling earth and stone to sort piles of radioactive ore by hand". Go here to read more.
Were you aware of the role Congo played in the creation of the atomic first bomb? Please comment below, and please share this with your networks. Thanks.
I've just seen this very interesting article about slavery misconceptions. I know that in school, children used to be taught that the enslaved were docile and "happy on the plantation". But does this belief still persist today? Please post your thoughts in the comments section below.
I am delighted that Brother Tony Warner of London Black History Walks will be joining me as my guest on my Success Strategies podcast/online radio show on 4th March. Please join us for this show, as I am sure he will be dropping many, many fascinating Black history facts and telling us about his new book, Black History Walks in London Volume 1.
The recent death of the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has caused many to reflect on the legacy of violence of the British Empire. The Empire, and the violence associated with it, continued into the reign of Elizabeth II. Millions of people in Africa, India and many other places were on the receiving end of this violence, and had their homes destroyed and their lives disrupted. Many lost their lands and their livestock, as the British settlers took them by force. And many lost their lives.
.
One important question which arises at this time is, how much did the late monarch actually know about what went on? Churchill is quoted as saying, in the early 20th century, that it was a good thing the House of Commons don't know what they were doing [in Kenya]. "If they did, our East Africa programme would be under a cloud".
Kenyans had written to Parliament many times, but received no response. For more about this, see the documentary, Kenya, White Man's Country.
Check out this piece on Wangari Maathi, The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees. As a child growing up in Kenya, she saw the colonial settlers chop down trees in order to grow cash crops such as tea. Later on after colonisation effectively ended, she saw Kenyans do the same thing in order to survive.
At that time, girls were rarely educated, but Maathi's mother made sure she got an education.
I found this piece very inspiring, and I trust that you will, too.
Trees connect us to something elemental in nature, and to our own elemental nature.
Go here for Coronavirus Resources. Above is a
very interesting panel discussion about how we are being lied to by
the media and the government, this film has a very strong unity
message. We are being turned against each other – those who have
chosen to have the jab and those of us who have not. We need to show
unity within our community. Even though we have made different
choices, that is not a reason to fall out. We still need to have
unity.
Dr.
Christina Parks, a cellular and molecular biologist, says that a lot
of information is being censored. The science is not being
allowed to be shared.
Go here for my previous blog about her: What the Media Won’t Tell You. She is showing amazing courage, knowledge and understanding.
That video was taken down, as YouTube claimed that Dr Boyce Watkins
and Dr. Parks were disseminating false medical information. But when
Dr. Watkins explained to them that Dr. Parks is a cellular and
molecular biologist, they put the video back up.
Other
panellists include Maj Toure, Jay Morrison and Tee Khaaliq.
The
points made by the panel members are in bold below. The
non-emboldened comments are my own. I have not recorded every
comment here.
Point
1: Dr. Parks says the cancelling and the censoring tells us
everything. See below for Point 3: Media manipulation.
Point
2: Dr. Parks says the vaccine does NOT prevent transmission. You
can still have a high viral load and still be spreading it after
being vaccinated. You can still have the virus and have no symptoms
Point
3: Dr. Parks says natural immunity is much better than a vaccine
because it creates a response to the whole of the virus, so the
immune system recognises the virus when it mutates and creates more
variants. The immune system recognises this, whereas the vaccine
only recognises part of the virus [i.e.,
the spike protein]. The immune system gives a fuller, more
robust response than the vaccine does.
What
she does not mention in this video is that the way we get natural
immunity is to catch the virus, and the virus is killing people. So
this is a risky strategy. Not arguing with the factual information,
however.
Point
4: Media manipulation: anyone who speaks against the mainstream
narrative is censored. Isn’t censorship illegal in the U.S.?
Doesn’t the Constitution guarantee freedom of expression?
Apparently not.
Point
5: Tee Khaaliq says: This situation is creating unnecessary
division among Black people. There is a lot of shaming of other
African Americans who speak out against the jab (as we can no longer
use the v-word). See censorship above. We need to be bringing on
the dissenters and the dissenting views.
Point
6: Dr. Parks says: Black people produce twice as many antibodies as
white people in response to RNA viruses as well as certain jabs that
contain the RNA.
The
vaccine induces a hyper-inflammatory response. In Africa, as it is a
very sunny climate, the sun killed all the RNA viruses, so we did not
need the same type of defences as Europeans. We can take care of the
co-morbidity. A drug can control metabolic syndrome in Black people
and has been used as an anti-malarial for 70 years. Inflammation can
be caused by metabolic syndrome. This drug can control metabolic
syndrome. Obesity can be driven by inflammation. This biochemistry
needs to be addressed.
Michael
Jackson said it: They don’t really care about us.
This
drug would reduce the underlying predisposition to the inflammation
of Covid in our communities. Yet, we are being told it is unsafe.
But they have been giving it out in Africa for 70 years.
Dr.
Parks is banned from most media. She is dropping science, but most
people don’t get to hear it because she is being heavily censored.
This
was an absolutely fascinating discussion. Dr. Parks has given us a
lot of technical information. It might be a little hard to follow,
but this is information we need to address serious health issues in
our communities.
