My father was a force to be reckoned with. I always knew that!  

As a little girl, I was brought up believing that I could achieve anything and that racism was the racists’ problem, not mine. I was raised to have pride in my heritage, to always be an ambassador, shutting down any assumptions that might be formed based on my race. Every interaction was an opportunity to create change. Even if prejudiced perceptions weren’t overt, there was always a chance that latent biases might be hidden behind a welcoming facade.

Defying norms was one of my dad’s superpowers. His activism began as a politically aware teenager in Jamaica that defined his evolution into leadership within Britain’s black diaspora. It came naturally to him, to confront injustice and stand up for those who were unable to defend themselves.

In 1950’s Britain, with no race relations laws in place to protect black people in the face of systematic racism, fight or flight were the only options and he chose to fight! His weapon of choice was self help, community action and pioneering leadership in the South London neighbourhood of  Brixton, home to the African Caribbean migrants who came to rebuild Britain after the second world war.