Happy 22nd Birthday OBV

Twenty two years ago today we dreamt of changing our world.

With so many Black men and women dying in police custody,  such as Wayne Douglas and Cynthia Jarrett,  or being murdered at the hands of racist thugs, as were  Roland Adams, Stephen Lawrence and Ali Ibrahim, we knew we needed political power:  Political power, not to ask for protection and justice, but, as is our right,  to demand it.

Our political scope has gone way beyond holding the police to account police and tackling racist thugs.  Over two decades we've  targeted all our civic and political institutions both locally and nationally. Furthermore, during that time we’ve nurtured a generation of BME leaders many of whom are sitting in positions of delivering equality for all. They include directly elected Mayor, Bristol’s Marvin Rees, elected Mayor Sanchia Alisia in  Barking and Dagenham, Leader of Haringey Joseph Ejifor, Minister Helen Grant MP, , Shadow Minister Marsha De Cordova MP , former shadow Minster Clive Lewis MP , Tan Dhesi MP, and the first Asian female for Cabinet Office Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.

Of course we’re proud of all these individuals, but we’re also proud of the 130 magistrates we’ve  helped nurtured to deliver and dispense justice through our leadership schemes. They alone will have given over a 1000 years of public service to the courts of over a ten year period. We also celebrate the  40 or more councillors, the millions  who have been  encouraged to register to vote and engage in democratically demanded equality.

But the fight must continue. Our work with the Race Disparity Unit Advisory group is driving policy change in key areas at the highest level - Downing Street. And our nurturing of the next generation of new leaders continues with 80 individuals being given national and local leadership training OBV.

Help us to continue to serve our communities and  transform our world by driving forward a proactive positive race equality agenda.

£22 for 22 years- one pound for  each year is surely not a lot to ask.

Donate: http://www.obv.org.uk/donate

Simon Woolley
OBV Director