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http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/marvin-rees-s-triumph-mayor-defies-bristol-s-racist-past

In a profession too often dominated by money and privilege this young Black man from Nottingham, who was educated at a comprehensive school has scooped the prestigious 2016 BBC Young Musician award.

One of the judges, the composer Dobrinka Tabakova said:

He was electric. There was something about the way he drew the audience in. A sincere and moving performance. In today’s society, which seems to be swept by mediocrity, he shows how hard work, dedicated and talent can lift you out.”

You are invited to one of the biggest EU debates in the country. And it’s all from a Black perspective.

Titan’s on both sides will come face to face and argue whether Black Britain should remain in or out.

Do we stay or do we go? Where is race equality best served?

OBV is supporting famous Diaspora Debating Society for this historic event.

In the run up to the once in a lifetime EU referendum OBV will be running and supporting a numbers of events and debates to look at all sides of the argument. Equally we use these events to urge our communities to register to vote before the 7th June deadline.

OBV will encourage communities particularly young people need to play a full and positive role in the run up to the EU Referendum on the 23rd of June.

Tackling corruption is probably one of the highest priorities many African nations face and are confronting including Nigeria.

But being lectured by the Prime Ministers with such pejorative statements -‘Nigeria and Afghanistan are the most corrupt countries in the world’ - is not only unhelpful but also doesn’t even begin to tell the duplicitous story of the UK’s own global corruption challenges.

One of Britain’s leading business women, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith wants to help Government better understand the obstacles too many individuals from BME backgrounds face in the workplace. She has begun a review to uncover what those dynamics that hold back BME progress. The starting point for the review backed by Business Secretary Sajid Javid states:

While much has been said, rightly so, about a Muslim now leading London, we must not lose sight of the symbolism and enormous significance of Marvin Rees being elected mayor of Bristol this weekend.

Rees, the working-class son of an English mother and Jamaican father, makes history as the first directly elected city mayor in Europe of African or Caribbean heritage.

And that’s important, because the city of Bristol and its governance cannot effectively be understood without seeing it, in part, through the prism of race.

The Mayoral victory by Marvin Rees, alongside Sadiq Khan winning City Hall in London constitutes an historic occasion on a par with Diane Abbot, Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz and Paul Boateng entering Parliament in 1987.

Marvin Rees, born and bred in Bristol from working class humble beginnings has had to fight tooth and nail to achieve this historic goal.

Having lost in 2012 the bookmakers made the incumbent Mayor odds on favourite to win again, but Marvin was having none of it.

Simon Woolley OBV Director stated:

Press release: Immediate
Re: Mayoral Elections 2016

Contact OBV press office: 07920057237/07584 177 529

Today, Sadiq Khan won the election to become London mayor beating his main opponent Zac Goldsmith.

Khan won despite Goldsmith’s frequently divisive campaign that attempted to pit some BME communities against others.  Furthermore, throughout the election Khan and other Conservatives made unsubstantiated allegations trying to link Labour and Khan with religious extremists.

We’d all like to be heroes, or at least think we might do the most extraordinarily brave, courageous things even if it puts our life in danger. Truth is though why we might think it in reality the vast majority of us wouldn’t, not least because we’re simply not heroes.