News

David Lammy has urged the Labour Party to concentrate its efforts on reducing barriers to entry for black men in the party.

The MP for Tottenham made the remarks at a Labour Conference fringe event in Brighton. Lammy, one of only three black or mixed-raced with black male Labour MPs, is quoted as saying:

"There are so many barriers to entry and when we’re talking about black men the barriers to entry are huge.

“The party has been slow to pick that up and understand that and we need to do considerably more.

In June this year, gov.uk published figures on the demographics of children in care in England, as of 2019. The statistics painted an unfortunate picture.

The decision to change the name of Cecil Rhodes House to the Park View House was been marked in a public event on Monday. The Camden estate was renamed after a vote to find consensus on the issue earlier in the year. Among the options available to local residents were Bill Richmond Court, named after the 18th century Black Boxer, and Inayat Court, a nod to Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, a female British special operative of Indian descent who served during the second world war. 

OBV’s Simon Woolley was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award at the 2020 National Diversity Awards last Friday.

The 2021 Pathway to Success residential has come to an end but the experience at the University of Oxford Magdalen College brought with it a number of picture worthy moments. Here are a pick of the highlights from this year’s Pathway to Success scheme.

The group take in the sun at Magdalen College.

OBV's Pathway to Success residential has come to an end but the overwhelming feeling among staff is one of pride.

The programme is run in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Magdalen College and Blavatnik School of Government as well as Lloyds Bank and the House of Commons. Following the online sessions in the spring, the March and April cohorts met for the first time at the University of Oxford's Magdalen College.

A Home Affairs committee has heard of the racist online abuse received by Rio Ferdinand with the former England captain revealing the extent to which the abuse has affected his family. 

Ferdinand, who has been vocal about the need to clamp down on online abuse, gave evidence of his experience with the Online Safety Bill still in its draft stage. 

The former England captain revealed that the impact of the abuse extends beyond any one individual.

Given the scarcity of black talent at the highest echelons of power in the UK - as highlighted by The Colour of Power 2021 - news that Simon Hepburn has been appointed as CEO of UK Cyber Security will likely be welcomed.

Hepburn, an OBV alumni, will succeed Don MacIntyre who had been serving as interim chief executive since January.

With yesterday having marked the end of summer's parliamentary recess the controversial Elections Bill will have its second reading today.

Controversial is putting reception to the bill lightly. Over the recent months, both OBV and countless other organisations have made their opposition to the proposed introduction of voter dentification clear. 

The Voice will soon welcome a new editor after it was confirmed that Lester Holloway will lead the UK's only black national newspaper. Following Lester's spell at OBV as a media manager, the news has understandably been greeted positively. The veteran writer and campaigner announced his return to the paper yesterday and for OBV's COO Ashok Viswanathan it would appear to be a fine pairing.