News

The death of Black Lives Matter activist Erica Garner, aged just 27, is heartbreaking.

Her heart was broken when her father, Eric Garner, died after a policeman held him in a chokehold in 2014.

It helped sparked a movement, Black Lives Matter, and gave rise to the slogan “I can’t breathe”, which were Garner’s last words.

Erica spoke about the severe stress caused by her father’s death and the lack of justice.

OBV Director Simon Woolley pays tribute to A.Sivanandan

Myself, and everyone at Operation Black Vote, are greatly saddened to learn of the death of A.Sivanandan.

Ambalavaner Sivanandan was a giant of Black intellectual thinking, and his writings are an inspiration to generations of activists and academics alike.

He led the Institute for Race Relations with distinction for almost three decades, and his Race & Class journal was essential reading for those engaged in the struggle for equality.

There are striking similarities between Rhian Brewster and Muhammad Ali. They both won gold medals as teenagers in their chosen professions- football and boxing. The media headlines for both young men have waxed lyrical about a long and successful future ahead of them. But the biggest similarity is that Brewster as emulated from perhaps the most iconic sportsman of all time- Ali- is his bravery to confront the scourge of racism.

Yewande Okuleye, who is part of OBV's current Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme, writes about the contribution of African soldiers in WW1. She is the curator of an exhibition, ending on 8th January.

Did you know the first shot of WW1 was fired by the British, in West Africa? Well, I must share a secret with you. I did not know this fact also.

Tola Akindipe is a participant on the DCLG supported award winning Parliamentary shadowing scheme. He will be shadowing Rt. Hon Norman Lamb MP.

Last month, I had the pleasure to attend the London Showcase staged production of 'A Scholar and a Statesmen’. The play, hosted by Her Excellency, Karen-Mae C. Hill, the Antigua and Barbudan High Commissioner, was written and produced by OBV alumni Pamela Roberts. Roberts, is the author of a fascinating book entitled, Black Oxford: The Untold Stories of Oxford University’s Black Scholars. The play is a bold adaption of the book and she focuses on the remarkable life of Antiguan born James Arthur Harley.

Government moves to address racial unfairness in the criminal justice system have coincided with several ethnic minority judges are suing the Ministry of Justice over racism.

The Lord Chancellor has pledged to tackle all the recommendations in Lammy Review, but David Lammy criticised the response for not setting targets to recruit more BAME judges.

Almost 19 years after the publication of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report the Bristol police force stands accused of institutional racism in failing a murder victim.

Bijan Ebrahimi was punched and kicked to death by his neighbour Lee James, but his complaints of abuse spanning several years were sidelined by Avon and Somerset police, who treated him as a troublemaker rather than a victim and sided with his white abusers.

It was revealed this week that the Tories have seen a dramatic fall in their popularity among ethnic-minority voters. A private Downing Street poll showed support plummeting to its lowest level since Iain Duncan Smith was party leader.

Like the African American actor, Morgan Freeman, success has come late to the brilliant artist Lubaina Himid. And we can only hope that winning the prestigious Turner Prize will now catapult Himid onto the world art stage. What is for sure is that her work is both beautiful, compelling and deeply political.

At the young age of 63, Himid becomes the first woman of colour to win the Turner Prize, with high praise from the judges for addressing, ‘difficult, painful’ issues.