Adios to a tough year

Given how human nature functions we often revel in the fact when our predictions about what might occur are proven correct. Frankly, I take no pleasure in rereading last year's outlook, which in all honesty was probably an understatement of what actually transpired:

In the year ahead, Britain’s Black and Minority Ethnic communities will face the greatest challenge for over a decade.

Above all the year that we have just left behind will be remembered for a year in which our already fragile notion of stability in an affluent Western world has been rocked to its very core. Our financial markets tittered on the brink of collapse, and still do. Job security and pension reliability has been replaced by fear and anxiousness of an uncertain world.

It’s been a year in which we have seen certain sections of our all powerful media exposed as rampant thugs who spare literally no one to ensure they got a headline. The power of the media in our politics was also exposed when we learnt that against advice, the Prime Minister David Cameron employed one of the masters of the dirty media machine, Andy Coulson to run Downing Street media affairs. And here in London, Mayor Boris Johnson rewarded former Evening Standard editor Veronica Wadley for her dirty tricks campaign that targeted many Black Londoners with the top job at the British Arts Council.

But perhaps the greatest symbol of a nation in pain was expressed by the four or five days of rioting. Young men and women, Black and White, wreaked havoc and fear on our streets. Certain sections of the media reverted to type and unleashed a wave of Black hostility the likes we had not seen for a generation.

Using OBV’s own historical archive we’ve put together a review or the year that passed that made an impact in our communities. There’s some good news but most doesn’t make for pleasant reading.

In spite of the dire predictions, the year began with some very good news. The Black community and the Black press, particularly The Voice - joined forces to help find missing girl Serena Beakhurst. Like many, her family feared the worst. Finding her safe and well gave joy and hope of what we could do together.

Rising star Chuka Umunna made is mark in Parliament very early in the New Year by grilling one of the most powerful men in the financial world - Bob Diamond, Chair of Barclays Bank . Umunna quizzed him about offshore assets, which he argued were taunt amount to tax avoidance. Umunna’s sharp analysis and attention to detail was to be rewarded with a Shadow Cabinet post on business.

In the same month, Baroness Warsi caused a storm that nearly cost her, her job. Her crime? She demanded a stop to the casual, almost acceptable demonisation of Muslims. I campaigned with Warsi in the late 90’s when she helped establish OBV in the North. This was the Warsi I’d come to respect. We applauded her bravery in speaking out, but many in her party and beyond just didn’t get it.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom. OBV alumni Sheila D'Souza became counclilor of the year and both Lambeth and Lewisham voted for two young Black Mayors.

Just as the people of Egypt were flexing their democratic muscles for what was to be revolutionary fervor throughout the region, our own Prime Minister David Cameron gave a speech in Germany that unleashed an attack on Muslims and ‘Multiculturalism’ that left many shocked and dismayed. Journalist and writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown said at the time Cameron’s speech, given on the same day as the English Defence League were marching in Luton, was: “selective, hypocritical, calculating and woefully indifferent to Muslim victims of relentless racism”.

In March, International Women’s day witnessed Black women from around the world being honoured for their work for social and racial justice. OBV’s Jasvinder Sanghera was honoured at Downing Street for her work on forced marriages.

The untimely and suspicious death of 80’s star Smiley Culture was the first of many controversial deaths of Black men in police custody. To date, there are still many unanswered questions about Smiley’s demise. No one knew then, but Smiley’s death began the volcanic rumblings that would eventually explode on to our streets.

As domestic discontent grew the Unions organised one of the biggest rallies this country has ever seen with more than half a million people attending. Activists Lee Jasper and Zita Holborne organised a significant Black attendance through their organisation BARAC. On that day speaking about race inequality, I addressed the largest audience I’m ever likely to speak to in my life. I sought to summon the spirit of Dr Martin Luther King for all British people to stand up and fight against injustice.

In April OBV, along with Lee Jasper, finally silenced the rabid racist Terry Fitzpatrick. Hiding behind pseudo anti-fascist credentials, Fitzpatrick had plagued Black race campaigners for over a decade. A number of well-known websites gave Fitzpatrick cover. However, in April, a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court found him guilty of racial harassment. OBV had sent out a clear message: We will take on the racial abusers.

In that same month the debate about electoral reform was hotting up. OBV backed the principal that ‘every vote should count’ but the debate was an extremely dirty affair with lies, half-truths and personal vilification dominating proceedings. The chance to improve our democracy was lost for a generation as the electorate voted for no change. There was good news on that Election Day. Nick Griffin's British National Party was all but wiped out of local authorities around the country. He constantly blamed OBV for his demise. For that alone we take great pride.

Elsewhere in the world, America shamed itself by forcing the US President Barack Obama into a humiliating act of proving he was an American citizen. Weeks later his ratings would briefly soar as America rejoiced in the execution of Osama Bin Laden.

In Europe, as the Euro began to falter and the lack of public services and job losses began to bite, crude and ugly racism began sweeping across the continent. In Spain, the Spanish Nazis openly paraded their flags at football games, France was to make it a criminal offence to where the Burka in public, and the Italian Prime Minister virtually declared war on African migrants.

In May, OBV decided to take on one of the world's largest multinationals - Kraft foods. Their subsidiary company Cadbury’s had displayed an ad which portrayed supermodel Naomi Campbell as a chocolate bar surrounded by diamonds - reference to the Charles Taylor blood diamonds' trial. The Company dismissed OBV as an irrelevance and ignored our threats of a boycott. However, after the campaign was backed by Rev Al Sharpton and Rev Jesse Jackson, and the story went global, Kraft quickly issued a fourth right apology. There was a footnote to that story. In their wisdom, the Advertising Standards Authority took no action against Kraft, stating their intent was not ‘racist’. We had argued it wasn’t about intent, but about insensitivity likely to offend. Weeks later I received a letter from a very senior figure suggesting their judgment should have been more nuanced. It’s a shame the senior figure never made that public announcement.

Bradford appointed its first female Muslim Mayor Naveeda Ikram, and we celebrated many in the Black community who received Honours from the Queen including Beverley de Gale and OBV's own Winsome Cornish.

In July, Black activists marched through Birmingham to protest about a growing number of suspicious Black deaths in police custody Demetre Fraser and Kingsley Burrell were the latest two to die in suspicious circumstances.

As the summer holidays approached we thought would have a respite but the death/execution of Tottenham resident Mark Duggan and the shocking handling of the case by the police was to be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’.

A peaceful protest outside Tottenham Police station was treated with contempt as officers ignored their request to communicate. As frustration rose and large crowds gathered, an attack against the police quickly spiralled into full blown civil disturbances. The mayhem and instant gratification spread throughout the city and to other cities across the country. A number of key elements - anger, frustration, greed, opportunism, lack of hope, the summer holidays - created this inner city perfect storm.

What was to follow was almost as shocking. Within hours, radio stations were rescheduling their programmes to discuss topics such as, ‘What is the problem with the Black community? Heavyweight news programmes such as Newsnight were no better asking four or five Black people to discuss the ‘urban problem’, whilst the second part of the discussion was debated by ‘white' intellects. ‘Racial world order dominated the preceding weeks.

Out of the mayhem, activists and church leaders responded swiftly to organise an event within days of the riots entitled ‘Operation Hope and Recovery’. 700 people attended. They came to listen and suggest ways in which Black communities could be at the centre of change. Since then, a number of planning meetings have been undertaken with a leaders forum being planned for Sunday 15th January 2012.

In a bid, to make sense of what had occurred, Professor Gus John wrote probably his finest piece of work. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, he set out an acute analysis as to how parts of our society had imploded.

By September, as Libya was descending into full-blown civil war, there were growing concerns about how Black Libyans’ loyal to Colonel Gadaffi, were being summarily executed. It seemed even the liberation movements of the ‘Arab Spring’ were not without their racial atrocities.

In a year in which Black people were losing their jobs at record rates, with riots that had unleashed a latent hatred towards Black people, epitomized by the bigotry of David Starkey, a new challenge had opened on the political front that could see 10 million voters - many of them Black - fall off the register, as new boundary changes and the way we register gets underway. OBV had already lost half of its staff to Government cuts and was now facing mounting a crucial campaign with little or no resources.

As usual Black History Month gave us much to cheer about, although it was noticeable that many local authorities had scaled down their events. During that month Colonel Gaddafi was captured and executed which brought praise to the end of his regime but condemnation in the manner in which ‘justice’ was dispensed.

The eviction of travellers in Dale Farm in Essex marked the end of a long legal campaign for those fighting for a decent place to live. The Government spent many millions clearing the site, only for the travellers to move back within the area, after a few short weeks. OBV continues its solidarity with the people of Dale Farm.

The new head of the think tank DEMOS - David Goodhart - once again showed his true colours on race, by suggesting there was a new wave of Black progressive politicians. New, according to him, because they barely mentioned the dynamics of race inequality. In a scathing response, Diane Abbott MP said there is nothing new about some Black people denying race inequality.

One of the greatest boxers of all time Smokin' Joe Frazier died in November. Above all Frazier will be remembered for his memorable fights with Muhammad Ali. In the same month, the great cricketer Basil D'Oliveira also sadly passed away. D'Oliveira will not only be remembered for his fine mastery of cricket but also his stance against South African Apartheid.

In the latter part of the year English football came into the spot light for all the wrong reasons. Allegations of racial abuse from England captain John Terry against QPR defender Anton Ferdinand will now go to court. And Liverpool’s Luis Suarez was found guilty of racially insulting Patrice Evra of Manchester United. Looking at the full evidence that is now publicly available, Liverpool FC behaved in a manner not befitting such a global football club by defending the indefensible.

Thankfully, December did see some cheer: The Queen met Winsome Cornish at Buckingham Palace - I’m sure the Queen was delighted. Seema Malhotra won the Feltham and Heston by-election to raise the number of Black MP’s to 28, and Keith Vaz and Sayeeda Warsi were named as the nation's most powerful Asians in Britain.

Here at OBV we celebrated the Lewisham Civic Leadership graduates and the 70th birthday of Reverend Jesse Jackson. He returned his pride in our organisation by visiting our Bethnal Green offices and supporting the families who have lost loved ones in police custody.

As this monumental year closes we all hold our breath over the next few days for the verdict on the Stephen Lawrence trial.

What a year! As always, we remain positive about our efforts to make a difference. Thank you for working with us and sharing the challenges we have all had to confront.

Sadly, things might get worse before they get better, but together we will not shirk from what we need to do.

Simon Woolley