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I had to look twice when I saw the photo. Her Majesty the Queen was introducing important and powerful people to China’s President  Xi Jinping on his State visit to Buckingham Palace earlier today. Of course I noticed The Prime Minister and Prince Philip, but there in an elite group of seven or eight individuals, was this Black man, smartly dressed in high ranking officer attire.

The Government has announced that the UK’s equivalent to the FBI, The National Crime agency is now to undertake a major investigation into allegations that corrupt police officers shielded the murderers of Stephen Lawrence. The investigation will focus on the first police investigation carried out in 1993 murder of Stephen by a racist gang.

Perhaps the biggest tensions between many within Black and minority ethnic communities and the State has been between us and the police. It’s not just the too often negative physical interactions with the police, particularly ‘Stop and Search’, it’s also about the symbolism which can be categorized as, ‘them against us’.

Across the country, October holds a special significance as it heralds Black History Month (BHM). No better was the importance of BHM marked, than with Downing Street's BHM celebrations. Last week, a host of dignitaries were invited to No. 10 including Cabinet Minister Sajid Javid, OBV alumni and former Sports Minister Helen Grant, England footballer Sol Campbell and legendary designer Ozwald Boateng.

Fresh from his Party conference address, Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the select audience.

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Over a twelve month period, that none of more than 240 complaints of racial discrimination faced by the Metropolitan Police Force have been upheld - beggars belief.

As Detective Sergeant Janet Hills, chair of the Metropolitan Black Police Association, has said, these figures are not credible.

She continued: “It is disappointing that the Met are not learning from previous lessons. It’s not good for community confidence.”

OBV’s General Election photographer, Shahid Bashir recently launched his exciting photographic exhibition, ‘Diversity is ...’.We at OBV wish Shahid well with this project that sets out to move the issue of diversity beyond samosas and curried rice, and into an area of excellence, dynamism, and above all humanity.

As part of KPMG's internal Inclusion Week 2015 they will be hosting an exhibition of portraits which will focus on diversity within business, and feature thoughts and images from business leaders, managers and agents of change.

Unless you are a kind of bookish person, you like me perhaps would have never heard of Marlon James, and his novel ‘A brief history of seven killings', set in the 1970’s Jamaica, about the assassination attempt on Reggae legend Bob Marley.

But now we do, thanks to James winning one the most prestigious book prizes in the country if not globally. The Man Booker Prize.

Now James, with his dreadlocked hair will be featured in every British newspaper and news channel across the country and beyond.

The dynamic Swedish Minister for Culture and Democracy Alice Bah Kuhnkes turned to me with a face of resignation, when I enquired why she needed two security men with her during her public engagements. ‘Simon, I’m a Black woman in power. Truth is there are some people out there who would wish to do me harm’. And then with a warm smile, she added, ‘But we’ve got work to do, I want to play my role to help defeat racism in this country. Will you help us?