News

This time last week I literally felt sick to stomach. I’d already been awake 6 hours having set my alarm for 3am with the hope that the new dawn would bring, well, a new dawn, a brave new world, with a Biden victory. But as news broke from the early US election results nothing could be further from that truth.

Normally on election night a nation hold’s its breath; the blood sport of politics plays out its final act. Winner takes all.

But the American elections tomorrow with the Republican Donald Trump in one corner and Democrat Joe Biden in the other, is all together different.

A global audience will collectively hold its breath tomorrow waiting to see who the American voting public will choose. I’ll be one of those in the global audience deeply worried about what another 4 years of Donald Trump will bring?

Operation Black Vote warmly congratulates Paulette Simpson on being awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for service to the Caribbean community in the United Kingdom (UK).

For many years Paulette has been a business and community role model for many Black both here in the UK and in the Caribbean. To OBV and to me personally she’s been a great friend.

Operation Black Vote's Pathway to Success programme has been featured in an Oxford Publication. The appearance comes in the 18th Issue of the Floreat Magdalena. The programme which aims to nurture the country's future Black and Minority ethnic leaders and takes place next spring, is the second edition of the scheme after 2019's launch.

The scheme allows participants to engage with leading figures in political and civic governance in the UK as well as a number of academics and experienced practitioners in the political and financial world.

The Sunday Times: Letters to the Editor published 27th Sept

You report featuring Benjamin Zephaniah’s refusal of an OBE, and that the word “empire” may be dropped from honours such as OBE (News, last week).

Philippines-born Cynthia Barker, who was destined to break barriers, and become a leader respected both here in the UK and in her native Philippines, has sadly passed away following a short period of illness.

In June this year Cynthia was appointed the Mayor of Hertsmere, and we believe the first to ever be appointed in the UK of Filipino descent.

LAST week marked the 57th anniversary of perhaps the greatest speech ever given – by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr in 1963.

The fact that the most well-known part of the speech – ‘I have a dream’ – was almost an afterthought that one of his colleagues implored him to use is almost another story in itself.

(Read Gary Younge’s brilliant book ; The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream)

Yesterday saw Google commemorate Jamaican born physician and activist Dr Harold Moody with artwork emblazoned across its front page. Moody, who was born on 8th October 1882, in Kingston Jamaica, was the eldest child of a retail chemist.