Black Britain

Issues and ideals for the Millennium

BLACK BRITAIN

Issues and ideals for the Millennium

A timely reminder of issues and ideals that launched the millennium, and the Chronicleworld.org.

Thomas L Blair Editor and Publisher, Editions Blair

The Chronicleworld.org

Digital Reprint

Vol 1, No 1 First issue November 1997

Commentaries

Readers value the Chronicleworld.org’s support for highlighting both practical and motivational concerns and illustrating the importance of memories, reliable information, critical thought, and action-ideas

“Professor Blair's international experience is reflected in the site, which he writes and edits himself. Communication across the Black Diaspora, it's stressed, is crucial to The Chronicle's vision, and makes the Web the perfect vehicle for the magazine. With upwards of 800 hits since launch, The Chronicle has yet to make it into the mainstream of electronic media, but Blair's vision is not to compete with the mainstream. "If we are managing to reach the right people, and by the e-mails I am receiving I know we are, then I am happy," he says.” Cassie Biggs, 10/3/98 for the Teletext web site

Social scientists agree --SOSIG - World - Further Education Teaching Materials http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/furteach.html Editor: Institute of Education.

Online journalists at the New York Times on the Web nominate THE CHRONICLE: www.chronicleworld.org as “A biting, well-written zine about Black life in Britain” and a useful reference in the Arts, Music and Popular Culture, Technology and Knowledge Networks.

Editors at the British TV Channel 4 - Black and Asian History Map call the www.chronicleworld.org “a comprehensive site full of information on the Black British presence plus news, current affairs and a rich archive of material”.

German schools’ advisors on Immigrants in Britain, say “Chronicleworld.org Hier finden Sie viele News und Artikel über Black Britain”. .

British Council Germany tells its readers – “First for information, news and ideas shaping Black life in modern Britain. Chronicle is the online magazine for Britain’s Black community, with links to the best media on the web and lots of well written features”.

The 100 Great Black Britons http://www.100greatBlackbritons.com/links.html cites “Chronicle World - Changing Black Britain as a major resource Magazine addressing the concerns of Black Britons includes a newsgroup and articles on topical events as well as careers, business and the arts.”

E-mails from a Black student of commerce and marketing at the University of Birmingham asked”: Can you help identify Black communities, their media choices, and buying habits?

A college student in upstate New York asked for help “with a thesis on the death of my godmother Cynthia Jarrett and the Broadwater Farm uprising in Tottenham 1985”

The top monthly queries to the Chronicle highlight the current topics driving traffic to the website, certified by search agency Alexa.com. January 2012, roman soldier head carving, promote technology in the Black community, actors who have played Othello, the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, Black Britain stats, London Black people

About the author, editor and publisher Editions Blair

Prof Thomas L Blair PhD, FRSA brings to this resource over a decade of work in community informatics and freedom of expression. Founded in 1997, this e-Book reproduces the inaugural volume of his pioneering Black and Afro-Europe Experience web site, http://www.chronicleworld.org, (no longer on the internet). Of African American-Caribbean heritage and long- time resident in England, his major works, eBooks, Black London eMonographs are available on the British Library, Social Welfare Portal http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/community- development/pub_index.aspx?PublisherID=149777&PublisherName=Editio ns+Blair

Publishing information

Black Britain – Issues and ideals for the Millennium Vol. 1, No. 1 – pdf Reprint of first issue November 1997 The Chronicleworld.org Digest Editions Blair ©Thomas L Blair 02 December 2014 ISBN 978-1-908480-30-9

Photo: Lord David Pitt and Dianne Abbott /courtesy of The Guardian 1987

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the written permission of the copyright holder.

The greatest care has been taken in producing this publication, however the author will endeavour to acknowledge any errors or omissions.

Note: Some illustrations in the internet original Chronicleworld.org website are not included, for copyright protection.

Introduction to the Chronicleworld

Caveat canem To be utterly frank: I was tired of the false objectivity, the closed minds, the so-called “balanced view” of academics, the “blame the victim” official reports, that revealed they knew little about British Black African and Afro-Caribbean people. That’s why I went digital in 1997 with a demand for true objectivity that includes human empathy on the part of the “involved observer”. The Chronicleworld was part of something bigger By editing and publishing the Chronicleworld.org for a decade thereafter, I came to recognise that the passage of Black Britons from colonial status and emigration to stretching their muscles and minds in the Citadel of Modernisn is truly trans-millennial.

Organisation of the volumes I authored most of the texts and, in addition to guest columnists, the articles were arranged by headings such as: the Evolving Black Expereince; Regeneration time; Share the dream; Speak out on the Black millenium; and People are talking about…

Issues and ideals were the focus The Chronicleworld.org was the first Black-owned non-profit internet journal to respond to the issues, events and debates affecting Britain’s Black communities post-1997. Questions and answers were debated, social problems examined, and policy agendas promoted. For example:

. Why are the Black communites so insistent on transforming and transcending their difficulties ? . Why did poet activist John La Rose call the New Cross Massacre Peoples Day of Action March 2, 1981 historic? . Who was writer and critic Pearl Connor-Mogotsi and what was her pioneering cultural work in theatre and film? . A range of topics and questions attracted readers’ interest in Black culture.

. What book titles and websites say the metropolis is the “race” problem not Black and minority ethnic people?

. Who are the influentials and celebrities in Black politics, housing, health, employment, cultural heritage, business and industry, sports and fashion, and what power do they wield in urban affairs?

The first edition of the Chronicleworld set the benchmark for social research on the unremarked phenomena of Black life in Black Britain. o Why is London, with all its contradictory potential, the proving ground for Black advancement? o Why did Alex Pascall OBe lead the first cultural exhibition train in British history, running educational workshops and travelling to 18 cities in 21 days? o Why are the triumphs of Black communities under-reported, and what did the late Bernie Grant MPsay about it? o What are the policy requirements to build healthy and prosperous Black communities.

Common themes and differences: What are facts, the Chronicle asked? o What authoritative web sites, books and organisations reflect the Chronicle’s interests. o Who are the leaders in post-colonial Black arts and literature? o Why did the NY Times online call the Chronicle “A biting, well-written zine about Black life in Britain”? o How can profesors and students, community leaders and policy makers use the Chronicle’s studies and information? o What light does the Chronicle shed on the question: are cities oppressive or liberating forces for Black communities? o How can UK Black communitites support improved immigration policies in Britain and Europe that affect Black migrants?

These questions not only assist our understanding of the urban cauldron they also point the way to ameliorative action. As a result, many readers and reviewers say the Chroniclworld.org offers insights into their own heritages, without sacrificing their involvement in contemporary society. This endorsement gives Chronicleworld’s stance it’s character and trans-millenial perspective.

The ideas and ideals And let’s be clear about this stance and orientation. The Chronicleworld is “Black” in the sense that each topic covered is throughly researched and written to

emphasise its relationship to Black people their lives, aspirations and growth and development. This makes its coverage of the news, lifestyle and social organisations an important expression of the triumphs and travail of diasporic communities in Britain. This feature is a common attribute of every “ethnic press” in Britain. For example: The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ is “Turkish”; The Irish Post - is “The Voice of The Irish in Britain Since 1970”, www.irishpost.co.uk/; The Jewish Chronicle www.thejc.com/ is “the UK's widely- read Jewish newspaper”; and The Voice is “Britain's Favourite Black Newspaper” www.voice-online.co.uk/

Conclusion Therefore, the Chronicleworld.org fits in to a broader field of endavour. I am convinced that, despite all the negrophobia and race-based marginalisation, the Chronicleworld.org has demonstrated that the ability to mix, blend, change, radicalise, gain in status and esteem, and serve up something distinctive in a hostile urban environment is at the core of “being Black in Britain” in the millennium of change and beyond.

Prof Thomas L Blair, Editor and Publisher, Chronicleworld.org

Introduction

Welcome to The Chronicle, the international digital magazine on changing Black urban communities in Britain and abroad. Our aim is both motivational and practical. Whether you are online at home, school or at work, you'll find loads of useful information and action- ideas to benefit yourself and the wider Black community.

After decades of migration to big cities Black advancement seems a lost illusion. Deprived ghettos may signal the end of the line for many Black people, if no positive solutions are found.

Black urban experience. Professor Thomas L. Blair, the editor, says "we aim to get good information and ideas about changing Black communities to viewers -- so that they can make up their own minds about crucial issues of individual and group development". Trouble-shooting features, and reader’s comments, tackle key questions about the Black urban future.

Regeneration time is coming. Are cities an oppressive or liberating force for Black communities? Urban policy studies reveal the issues and prejudices affecting Black London and Europe's melting pot cities. Black memories keep the hopes of early migrants alive.

Share the dream. Explore Black Life Experiences with Britain; taste a bit of African Caribbean Food For Thought; and give your own comment in reply.

Expand your universe Check out new books and information resources that can. The Round-up of Basic Black Books and Booksellers covers a host of subject areas, with titles and descriptions, from publishing houses around the globe. This unique service offers easy access to the authoritative books Blacks need for success at work, study, leisure, and in community advancement. Launch your vision of routes to the future for Blacks in Britain, using a handy e-mail form. Upgrade older ways of thinking.

Speak out on the Black Millennium and what it means for Black politics, housing, health, employment, cultural heritage, business and industry, sports and fashion, and a range of issues. ©Copyright 1997 The Chronicle

The evolving Black urban experience

Now, after a half century of migration from countryside to city, Black people are urban dwellers everywhere in the world. Black communities are growing in Britain, Europe and the Americas, and are increasing daily in the rapidly developing urban regions of Africa and the Caribbean.

But Black advancement has not reached some marvellous climax in cities.

Black communities face daily pressures in London, Amsterdam and Paris as well as Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, and many are burdened by discrimination and disadvantage.

Major social, economic and environmental problems affect urban dwellers in huge sprawling cities like Lagos, in ill-serviced townships like Soweto, and in disaster-prone areas of the Caribbean.

Yet, the hopes of Black urban dwellers everywhere are sustained by their faith enshrined in many kinship and community groups, their vibrant cultural diversity, vitality and creative energies, and their determination to chart their own future development.

Questions need to be asked and answered, however. Is urban impoverishment the end of the line for Black people? Are they doomed to live perpetually as despised tenants in decaying tenements and vandalised public-housing estates? Or as denizens of ill-serviced shanty towns and squatters settlements? Must their communities always be prone to life-threatening environmental degradation and disaster?

What does the future hold -- and what issues are at the top of a new Black urban agenda? Answers will be sought in the works of Black scholars and in the imaginative diversity of Black writers and artists, philosophers and activists, and entrepreneurs and politicians. Evolving Black histories and the lyrics and rhythms of Black urban life will be celebrated.

Regeneration Time

Cities, with all their contradictory Article by potential, are the proving ground Thomas L. Blair for Black communities. Blacks and Europe’s Regeneration Time highlights new melting pot innovative approaches to Black cities: policy choices urban housing, schooling, for urban renewal working, caring, sharing and living in the city.

Expert knowledge and practical ideas are presented that can make a difference to communities in crisis. Strengthening Black leadership in the private and public realm will be a special focus.

Blacks and Europe's New Melting Pot Cities: Policy Choices for Urban Renewal by Thomas L. Blair

The policy implications for building an urban future for Black communities in Europe are clear. Today, non-European peoples, from Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia are urban dwellers in nearly all the key cities and member states of the European Community. As cities jostle for a place in the competitive arenas of the new millennium major policy questions of social inclusion and integration will have to be answered.

How to ensure that changing land uses and economic activities assist rather than retard the contributions of Black communities to the urban economy, society and culture?

How to enhance their capacity to define, express and pursue their own interests in a competitive and often hostile policy making environment?

One cause for guarded optimism in what is otherwise a grim prospect comes from observing the evolution of multi-ethnic European cities. In London, Paris and Amsterdam, and from Oslo to Lisbon and Rome, local neighborhoods of Black and ethnic minority concentration are growing in number and importance. From the streets and popular organizations come increased demands for community empowerment, equality and equity. They are chroniclers of a new vision of self-reliant communities with a firm foothold in urban economies. Identifying and formulating the planning policies and priorities needed to bring this vision into focus is required.

 Introduction and context  Capacity building for development  Racial equality of opportunity  Economic equity  Britain and international exchange

Introduction and context

Europe's fast developing cities are harbingers of a new golden age of technological and economic change. Ailing nineteenth century industries give way to high tech financial and trade centres, tourism and leisure palaces. Glass enclosed office towers, elegant housing enclaves and marble floored emporia beckon a new generation of computer bred managers and well-to-do residents.

On the darker side of this quest for wealth and civic affluence live Black and ethnic minority communities in isolated and deprived areas or quartiers en crise. Foreign born workers who helped build post war urban economies are powerless to influence change in their living conditions. Contradictions of wealth and impoverishment are startlingly clear in major cities.

In Paris, the enduring legacy of past President Mitterand, lies not in the politics, of social reconciliation but in monumental architecture such as the Louvre's pyramid of glass by I.M. Pei and the giant office complex, the Great Arch at La Defense. But, sweeping vistas of space and grandiose buildings contrast sharply with severe problems of poor housing and joblessness. Chief victims are

vulnerable groups of Parisians. Among them are the denizens of congested older quarters, and low wage immigrant African, Afro Caribbean, North African residents of "insalubrious" slums, hostels and isolated public housing estates on the urban periphery, according to a study by Jacques Barou, a French planning consultant.

In London, spectacular "flagship" projects dominate the cityscape and riverbanks of the Thames. Tower Hamlets borough, an historically deprived haven for immigrants and refugees, now features the massively funded Docklands development: the Canary Wharf office project, the Docklands Light Railway, the Limehouse highway, and the Jubilee line extension to the mass transit London underground. But, say community planning activists, though Docklands attracts more than 70,000 daily commuters to work in area offices there are few neighborhood or service oriented projects for isolated low income residents and newcomers from Bangladesh, Viet-Nam and Somalia.

One Asian local borough councillor, Mrs. P. M. Uddin, summed up the widespread feeling when she told a workshop on cities, politics and accountability:

"Tower Hamlets provides a stark case study of what can happen when the needs of local people are subordinated to market forces. Today, we have about 3.8 million square feet of unused office space in Docklands, much of it speculatively built with the support of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), a quasi governmental organization. At the same time, domestic overcrowding is the worst in London and unemployment is the second highest in the capital. The great majority of the jobs in Docklands have been of little or no benefit to the people of the Borough. Had local people been given a say in the redevelopment of the Docks, I am sure the story would have been very different." (Source: Papers of the Runnymede Trust conference The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain, 23/24 September 1994, University of Reading).

In key cities in all parts of Europe the evidence of social exclusion mounts. Poverty trap ghettos of Afro-Caribbeans and Asians take shape in London's inner city boroughs. In Paris and Amsterdam immigrant peoples from the Mediterranean, Africa and the Caribbean are concentrated in old central areas and ill served public housing on the urban periphery, In Stuttgart, with all its productive wealth, a pall of economic blight and isolation hangs over one of the major Turkish neighborhoods.

The prognosis for the future is explosive. Politicians and city builders who aspire to leadership in the new market-led global economy ignore major problems of poverty and racism. Hard pressed city managers chase high tech, capital-intensive projects, but fail to introduce long term adequately funded renewal programs. Cuts in public sector spending initiated at central government levels have a knock- on effect that intensifies social polarization and hardship in vulnerable groups.

Dangerous Trends These trends require political, economic and social analysis beyond the scope of this discussion. However, a recent tour of European cities reveals a dangerous pattern. Planners and policy makers brand districts of high Black and ethnic minority concentration as "problem areas" with "problem people" and apply makeshift poultices on serious urban deficiencies.

In London, government urban renewal policies affect social housing areas of Black and ethnic minority residence. In Lisbon it is Africans and displaced settlers from the ex-colonies, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Angola and Mozambique. In Scandanavia, not often thought of in regard to immigrants, Malmo, Sweden and Oslo, Norway aim their efforts at newcomers from ex-Yugoslav, Italy, Greece, and Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam, Somalia, Eritrea and central and South American countries, respectively. Projects in Bijlmermeeer, Amsterdam target the Surinamese and Antillean immigrants, as well as Ghanaians and other foreigners.

The renewal projects rely heavily on an aggressive mix of demolition, refurbishment and the insertion of new up-market housing and economic activities, with an occasional dash of urban art culture by landscape architects, urban designers and community workers. Typically, the projects are "one off" experiments that are failure-prone because of insecure financing, inadequate objectives and staff resources. They are often small-scale, short-term rescue actions to allay fears of social breakdown, to reclaim territory for development or pay off political patronage.

Few of the renewal and regeneration projects take into account the diversity of cultures and their potential contribution to enrich metropolitan life, political democracy and municipal administration. Evaluation and cross comparisons of projects are made difficult by confused, conflicting and inadequately stated objectives, as much as by differences in the size of areas and the scope of projects. In the end, there are questionable results: no major changes in joblessness and distress and no significant entry by Blacks and ethnic minorities into a leading role in renewal institutions and mainstream society.

Black communities, on the other hand, report increasing symptoms of social disorganization and increasing concentration of vulnerable groups. Indeed, ill conceived policies and strategies by remote bureaucracies and "we know best" technocrats simply worsen existing problems and increase ethnic tensions. There seems no alternative to slow stagnation and sporadic eruptions by frustrated and embittered youth.

Policy Implications From all reports, Black communities are in European cities to stay. London, a cosmopolitan city since the heyday of the industrial revolution, heads the league table of melting pot cities of Europe. Growing concentrations of ethnic and racial groups occur in Paris, Berlin, and rapid increases are taking place in Rome and Madrid, on Europe's southern edges. Within 15 years one third of the 7 million people in the British capital will be minorities: among them more than a million Asian and Black people. And in at least two London boroughs, Brent and Newham, ethnic minorities will become the undisputed majority.

The implications have widespread significance. On the one hand London's cultural and linguistic cosmopolitanism is a potent attraction. The city faces the new millennium with a large potential multicultural workforce and an immense range of ethnic shops and restaurants. There are whole food purveying and shopping centres like Soho's Chinatown and Southall's Indian markets, and the Notting Hill Carnival, a unique Afro-Caribbean contribution, attracts a million Londoners and tourists each year. Yet, there is the stark reality of continuing discrimination, unequal opportunities, and mounting racial attacks and violence.

Nevertheless, local neighborhoods of immigrants and ethnic minorities are flexing their muscles. Together with a new wave of hard headed realism among community workers and dedicated professionals they have raised the ante in the regeneration game. They herald a new vision of urban regeneration, vibrant multi-cultural diversity and self managing communiuties as a firm base for prosperous urban economies. In planning urban renewal for the future, major policy questions of social inclusion and integration will have to be answered.

Capacity building for development

Do the urban regeneration policies seek to build up the capacity of Black communities for participation? Is there coordinated, productive development of under utilized local assets people and their social institutions, as well as land and property?

In Britain, decades of fragmented, short term policies and projects have produced patchy and disputed results in large housing estates and obsolescent housing areas. Property development led by private investors and non-elected planning boards has heightened the stark contrast between fast track development areas and side tracked neighborhoods in today's "two speed" cities.

Empowerment of local groups is a necessary antidote to the present monopoly of external political and financial interests. So, "How can we get residents to have not just a say, but a do?" One answer is through a revived focus on community action. Citizen power organizations are incubators for community development corporations to achieve neighborhood revitalization. Lord Scarman's prophetic words in the wake of the 1981 Brixton disturbances remind us that: "A 'top down' approach to regeneration does not seem to have worked. Local communities must be fully and effectively involved in planning, in the provision of local services, and in the managing and financing of specific projects." (Source: The Brixton Disorders, 10-12 April 1981. Report of an inquiry by the Rt. Hon. The Lord Scarman. London: HMSO Cmnd. 8427 November 1981).

Another answer focuses on effectively building up the contributions of the community voluntary movement. Beneath the structured urban economy of developers and corporate conglomerates lies the less formal support networks that Black communities and voluntary groups have erected for themselves. They provide a rich mosaic of dedicated effort from young and older people, the employed and the unwaged that has not only a beneficial but also an economic impact.

They raise most of their own money with few paid staff. One hour of paid community work can attract up to fifteen hours of voluntary commitment. Not only are voluntary groups best placed to provide services at the local level, they generate an estimated half of all their funds themselves, thereby making them an extremely attractive and cost effective means of urban policy and program delivery at the local level.

Racial equality of opportunity

Are regeneration plans effectively linked with anti discriminatory and racial equal opportunity policies? Do successful bids include adequate institutional structures to integrate Black and minority ethnic concerns and participation?

Discrimination and exclusion are common experiences among many inner city Black and ethnic minorities, according to a report Poverty in Black and White by the Runnymede Trust and the Child Poverty Action Group. For urban regeneration to be relevant to them policies must be expressly targeted to ameliorate social and racial inequality in housing, education and employment practices. Reports from Black community groups, and there may be more than a thousand of them in major cities, have raised serious concerns. One major grievance is exclusion from negotiations for funding under the Single Regeneration Budget, initiated under the Conservative Government, according to reports from SIA, the Black voluntary sector support group.

Explicit race equality commitments should be introduced in all SRB funded projects, say chief officers of leading race equality organizations such as the Runnymede Trust and the Commission for Racial Equality. They insist that renewal authorities should be given a clear community remit, supported by adequate structures and monitoring procedures, to consult with and assess the needs of ethnic minorities and their voluntary organizations.

Economic equity

Do the economic policies emphasize fair distribution of benefits, offer access to capital and revenue expenditures, and support the growth of the new community enterprise sector with Black communities?

Scores of innovative community enterprise projects are in the field already ranging from community banking, credit unions, charities and voluntary service groups to legal tactics of direct action. There are projects for "jobs without bosses" and "health without doctors," as well as direct buying food coops, urban farms, community transport, and self build housing projects. Coming into prominence in recent years have been Black-led housing associations and tenant participation in revitalizing and managing their own housing and environs. New initiatives have also occured in minority business networks and local economic trading schemes.

These initiatives demonstrate that community economic development can move from rhetoric to reality and revitalize local economies in a changing global environment. A view confirmed by a growing number of researchers in the UK, USA, and the Third World. "The great shift we need to make in the UK in the next ten years is to see a transfer of assets to local communities and to make money work for them," says John Matthews of the British Association of Settlements' Urban Community Network; and he concludes "This means giving local people control over substantial capital and revenue and ending their dependency on grants."

Building upon these efforts will help Black communities to share more equally in area economic growth and enable the vital elements of cooperation and participation to take hold and flourish. There is a potential for a community enterprise agency, undertaking or sponsoring a comprehensive range of community regeneration initiatives, especially in areas of significant Black and ethnic minority concentration.

Britain and international exchange

Whether these ideas will gain currency across urban Europe cannot be accurately gauged at this moment. Certainly the Council of Europe committees on migration and social integration can provide a start. At the top of the agenda would be in depth analyses of ongoing projects, case study materials and innovative design scenarios. Particular attention should be given to equality of opportunity, empowerment of women and youth, and town planning and housing issues.

Some nations and municipalities have announced ambitious plans. Early in 1996, the French Prime Minister put forward a plan to boost 700 deprived areas with a subsidy of 15billion francs, making it one of the largest French state projects in history. Reports says that the riots and unrest in the suburbs and some of the worst slums of Paris and French cities were crucial factors in this decision.

In Brussels, Belgium's capital and seat of the European Community, fears of growing pockets of poverty and racial despair have stimulated negotiations for "integration and harmonious existence" with immigrant groups: Zaireans, North Africans and Turkish people. The goal is co-ordinated work with more than 150 immigrant associations in self run schemes in targeted communities.

New initiatives for national and trans-European collaboration are emerging. The task is not easy, however. International exchanges and co-operation on urban renewal policies among national and municipal officials is underdeveloped. Language and cultural differences are often held to blame, as are the differences in town planning rules and land use procedures. Major conflicts occur in shaping priorities for action and implementing urban policy for social integration. Nevertheless, informally, significant progress is reported among networks of non governmental organisations, concerned with minorities in Europe, including youth and women, minority policy, exclusion, protection, self organisation, multi-cultural society, and future urban strategies.

In conclusion, there is a trend of feeling, certainly in Britain, that community empowerment, equality and equity can make a difference in the city initiatives that consume billions of public resources. This potential for beneficial change can be tested by pilot projects in major funded project areas of Black concentration, like London's Angell Town, Brixton recipient of more than 30 million, Lewisham’s Milton Court Estate in Deptford granted more than £35 million, and the Peckham Five Estates awarded 60 million government funding.

Beyond these efforts, agendas for change in Europe’s melting pot cities must be developed based on "visions of urban regeneration" in collaboration with Black communities. This would encourage sharing of new experiences and practical solutions at metropolitan, national and inter-European levels. Swift and positive action in this manner would be seen as an important contribution to the agreement among the world’s nations that sustainable communities and an improved urban habitat are key goals for the millennium.

Back to contents list

Share the dream

The great post-war migration and Black experience with Britain has a double meaning. It is one important trans- continental seam in Black world history. It also offers a different way of perceiving and reflecting upon social and racial relations in modern urban societies.

In ordinary lives and through prominent figures - like Lord David Pitt of Hampstead, a and the first Black parliamentarian elected in 1987: Diane Abbott M.P. for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Bernie Grant M.P.for Tottenham, and Paul Boateng M.P. for Brent South elected in 1987- one can glimpse both the journey and the dream.

New voices unheard The powerful traditions and the contested centrality of the Black presence in cosmopolitan society are evident in the voices of:

 Black writers and artists,  Philosophers and community activists,  Media and sports personalities,  Trend setters and prominent leaders,  Black elders and young achievers  Preachers and parliamentarians, and many others.

Keep the dream alive

Get started with some Food for Thought by Alex Pascall, "ambassador of the Caribbean presence in Britain".

Share Life Experiences with Britain through the observations of John La Rose, essayist, publisher and film maker, and his colleagues.

Share the Dream and respond to the themes presented here. Fill in the form. Express yourself!

Click to register your comment via the boxes below

Please enter your name

Your organisation

E-mail/Web address

I am responding to

Please record your comment in the box below

Clear Send

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment

Food for Thought by Alex Pascall OBE

Sometimes it's good to take time off to take stock. It's amazing how much food for thought these moments yield.

For Caribbeans who came to Britain as immigrants this is an appropriate time to look back, analyse and map the way ahead as a beacon for our future generations.

I was one of the many who came in the late fifties with a set goal - to spend five years studying modern communication and African rhythms and then to return to assist the development of my country, Grenada. There were thousands of others who arrived before and after me. We were young - women and men - full of drive, hope and aspirations. Britain was then called the "Mother Country". We were all subjects with British passports,

Fifty years on After five decades it is important that we now act as curators in gathering carefully historical documentation of the areas we came from, what we left behind, the objectives we each had, so our offspring and history will have a vivid picture beyond what others may write. This is particularly timely as the excitement of the new Millennium mounts.

There is so much we can tell of life previous to our departure, the routing of the voyage, the arrival, existence and changes in Britain. What we each achieved may not be analysed by others in the same vein,

The obstacles which confronted us and the ladders we climbed need careful scrutiny. First-hand experiences must be documented for succeeding generations and for those who even today cannot

evaluate the contributions we made and the prices we paid in reshaping Britain from its war-torn situation to the flourishing economy it now enjoys.

The smog is gone. What or who has replaced the fearsome Teddy Boy? Seldom do you hear the name "West Indies". Today we are a Caribbean nation - no more people from "the colonies". We have managed to achieve independent status as individual countries. Our West Indies Cricket against England and the rest of the world placed our sporting stars into international fame and gave tourism a new look for better or worse.

Just imagine! Race became an industry! How is that for economic advancement? Think of the places we now own that we can call home; new businesses we have developed, our struggle to change the British education system which was, to us, an inferior one for our children but sold previously as the education with deep superiority.

What 'Multicultural'? To those from the Caribbean reading this, as your mind yields more and more food for thought, ask yourself whether you are part and parcel of this British 'multicultural society'; or has Britain been forced to change because of the many challenges we posed?

How was the first Christmas you spent here, the first winter, the first time you went to church? How did we meet each other as folk from different lands but all labelled together from the same 'Caribbean'? What is it that we have given, for which no recognition has been highlighted? What was your first wage packet? That will be funny, looking at the buying power of the wages of today.

Then, just for now, could you recall sitting to write the first letter home?

To stimulate your thinking even more, here is a poem I have written, recalling a few of the things many of us chose to write home about.

The Letter by Alex Pascal

Me De'ar Grace Me reach ah England, me live ah London. Me get ah work, cleaning muck. De Bank funny, but me save little money. Me goin' buy a house, without cat or mouse, Me go ah night school, as a golden rule, To learn 'bout the nation and colonisation. The cold ah bite, from me left to me right. The place full ah darkness, and plenty fastness. Me miss the sun and all the fun. Me miss you cooking and Knockabouting, You sweet embrace, gosh! ah miss you Grace; the fresh tittiri and lambi stew, with chive and thyme, yes du, du. The calypso and the Julie mango, the moonlight walk and de ole talk. In a year or two, me goin' send for you Grace du, du, darling whatever you do - Never forget, I love you Tell everybody me send how-de-do, Sweet sugar plum, may God Bless you, Yours forever and ever and ever, Please drop me a line to say all is fine.

Your Love Devine

It is these questioning thoughts that have been the formation of my creative and cultural outlook as I pioneered avenues in British broadcasting and communication, bringing oral history and African Caribbean folk arts into today's education arena nation-wide.

My postman, on delivering letters to me addressed to "Alex Pascall OBE", questions whether my title on the envelope is a joke, This provides me with further food for thought,

Those who know me, and my work, give a wry smile as they think of an alternative: "Order for Black Excellence".

Information about Alex Pascall

Alex is a major African Caribbean Commuinicator. Born in the spice island of Grenada, he has been a voice for the Caribbean community ever since he was invited to present Black Londoners, the first daily Black radio programme in British history in 1974.

His notable achievements include:

 Chairmanship of the Notting Hill Carnival Arts Committee that rose like a phoenix out of the tragic racial attacks of the 1950s.  National coordinator of Caribbean Focus 1986 for the Commonwealth Institute and the Governments of the West Indies. Involving fifty-five committees across Britain, he led the first cultural exhibition train in British history, running educational workshops and travelling to 18 cities in 21 days.

His efforts attracted European interest in Caribbean cultural development. Alex helped found The Foundation for European Carnival Cities in 1985, and with fellow carnivalists he launched a new European culture train to the Viareggio Carnival in Northern Italy.

The roots of his Caribbean childhood were nurtured when, still advancing his innovative work, he linked European carnival cities and the Caribbean in 1987, taking a delegation of ninety European carnival dignitaries to the Islands.

Today Alex is a leading Carnival arts educator. In addition, he is currently Chair of the Black Members' Council of the National Union of Journalists, a member of the Commonwealth Institute Education Advisory Committee, a Trustee of the Tabernacle Arts and Community Centre in Notting Hill, and National Representative for the Foundation for European Carnival Cities.

Alex is available for activities by local bodies and aid agencies supporting equality and development.

For details on how Alex can bring some Caribbean warmth and humour into your community and educational activities

Life experience with Britain by John La Rose

At the heart of my own experience is the struggle for cultural and social change in Britain, across Europe and in the Caribbean, Africa and the Third World.

Of course, my life did not begin here. I came from Trinidad, where I had already been engaged in youth politics and trade unionism, and arrived in Britain in 1961 to make my home in London.

In 1966 I founded New Beacon Books, the first specialist Caribbean publisher, bookseller and international book service. In December of that year, I was the co-founder with Edward Kamau Braithwaite and Andrew Salkey, of the influential Caribbean Arts Movement, which later gave birth to the influential journal, Saracon.

Later I became the chairman of the Institute of Race Relations in 1972/73, during the period when the IRR was establishing its independence. I was also chairman of Toward Racial Justice, the vehicle for publishing the campaigning journal Race Today.

I took my place with others in the Black Education Movement and was part of the significant social and educational struggles of the 1960s and 1970s: The fight against “banding”, or the wrongful placing of West Indian children in schools for children with learning difficulties. The founding of the George Padmore Supplementary School, the first of its kind, and subsequently the national association of supplementary schools. The creation of the Caribbean Education and Community Workers Association, which published How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Sub-normal in the British School System.

Out of these events and circumstances came the Black Parents Movement, and I was involved with the Black Youth Movement and the Race Today Collective, in a formidable cultural and political movement fighting against arbitrary police actions and for better state education. All this culminated in the largest and most effective demonstration of Black political power in Britain over the last 40 years – the New Cross Massacre Black Peoples Day of Action on March 2, 1981.

I can remember the magnificence of that day when 15-20,000 Black people and their supporters, under the banner of the New Cross Massacre Action Committee, demonstrated through the streets of London. They were mobilised to protest the mishandling by police officers of investigations into the fire which claimed the lives of 13 young Blacks at a birthday party in January 1981 at the home of a West Indian family in New Cross Road, South London.

But my experiences are not necessarily unique. There are many others who have been involved in the struggle for cultural and social change.

I have tried to highlight these various experiences through a series of talks and conversations, held at the George Padmore Institute, in which prominent figures spoke of their experiences of life with Britain.

Pearl Connor-Mogotsi on her pioneering cultural work in theatre and film. Garth Crooks on being prominent in football and sport. Courtenay Griffiths on the interaction and dynamic between the experiences of his youth and his development into a young professional barrister. Linton Kwesi Johnson on his early experience in Britain and his first moves into poetry, public performance and music. Michael La Rose on the rise of the sound system in popular culture and social life. Alex Pascall on the historic BBC radio programme “Black Londoners”. Colin Prescod on becoming an academic sociologist and social analysts.

What is important about all these experiences and contributors, is that they, like myself, have a long track record of personal involvement in the struggle against racism and to overcome racial disadvantage. Confident in resisting, transforming and transcending these difficulties, we are contributing to the humanisation of our society.

About John La Rose

John is well-known as a poet, essayist, publisher, and film maker. He has been editor-in- chief of New Beacon Books from its inception. He is also chair of the George Padmore Institute, an educational library and research centre housing materials relating to the Black community of Caribbean, African and Asian descent, in Britain and continental Europe.

“As a writer, publisher and cultural activist,” says the Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o, “John La Rose has helped in the growth of many writers in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and America. Rarely has anybody come into contact with him without being affected by his generous, searching, modern renaissance spirit.”

Expand your universe

Thinking about new On-line ways of "seeing", Books working, living and Booksellers learning? Expand Your Universe offers online access to educational and high- tech information that can make a difference in your work, study, and community advancement. A Round-Up of Basic Black Books brings you up to date on strategic policy issues and the best-selling, award-winning works on Black people and by Black writers. A List of Key Black Booksellers and Suppliers offers a helpful service to individals, academics, students, universities, libraries, schools and colleges.

Round-up of Basic Black Books

Round-Up of Basic Black Books keeps you updated on major books reflecting the evolving Black urban experience, in all its diversity and commonality. The titles reflect the imagination and creativity of Black writers and artists, philosophers and activists, entrepreneurs and politicians.

Current Choices for the general and academic reader are drawn from books about Black Britain and Europe, as well as the USA, Africa, and the Caribbean. Books from South America, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and India will also be cited.

Non-Fiction Berthoud, Richard, Tariq Modood et al, Ethnic Minorities in Britain, Diversity and Disadvantage: The Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities. The results of a large and wide-ranging study of ethnic minorities and their status in British society.

Facing the Challenge. Report of the 1st national convention of Black Asian and ethnic minotiy local government councillors in Britain. Published by Hansib in association with the Local Government Information Unit. Green, Charles (ed.), Globalization and Survival in the Black Diaspora. A vivid portrayal of urban Blacks in the contemporary world across five global regions --North America and South America, the Caribbean, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. Haynes, Aaron. The State of Black Britain: Volume one and volume 2. The first volume published in 1983 looks at the postwar immigration of Black people and issues of housing, jobsand schooling. Police-community relations are discussed with observations of the Scarman report after the Brixton disturbances of 1981. The second volume reviews the period 1979-1990 (the Thatcher years) and issues of law and order, and Blacks and the media. He concludes that there is a lack of policies directed at the needs of Black communities, and that the gains of the 1970s have lost momentum. Vol. one: 976 8163 01 1

Vol. two: 976 8163 04 8

Olowe, Sarah, ed., Against the Tide: Black Experience in the ILEA. Views the Inner London Educational Authority, a pioneer in equal opportunities, multi-cultural and anti- racist education, through the eyes of Black employees. 0 7085 0022 6

List of key Black Booksellers and Suppliers

Get in touch with On-line major providers of Books the books that cater Booksellers for your needs for individual achievement and collective advancement. Their well-stocked booklists save you endless hours of searching. On tap are titles from publishing houses in the UK, and around the globe, written by authors from Africa, America, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, England and Europe. Services are provided directly to individuals, teachers, librarians and parents. Note: Enquiries for catalogs, current prices and ordering procedures should be directed solely to the addresses listed.

Here are the first entries

New Beacon Books was founded in 1966 in North London by activist intellectual John LaRose. Paublo Books is the brain-child of Paullette Jean- Jacques andBlossom Jackson. and carry more than 4,000 titles on a range of subjects.

NEW BEACON BOOKS

The Chronicle's emphasis on new Black communities is complemented by the independent vision of John LaRose and his colleagues at New Beacon Books. New Beacon Books specialises in books that highlight Black life in Britain and their links in Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and African America. There are also books on India, Asia, the Middle East and South America. And a large Children's Section with extensive Black, Asian and multicultural books and materials. Founded in 1966 by editor-in-chief John LaRose, New Beacon Books provides a service to individuals, academics, students, universities, libraries, schools and colleges. Further details and specialist lists are available on request.

For further details contact: New Beacon Books 76 Stroud Green Road London N4 3EN, England Tel: 0171 272 4889 Fax: 0171 281 4662 Internet: http://www.newbeacon-books.com

PAUBLO BOOKS The Chronicle's attention was drawn to Paublo Books by its clear aim to promote Black and multicultural books in mainstream Britain. Paullette Jean-Jacques and Blossom Jackson, joint managing directors, founded the company at a launch in September 1995 at the Jamaica High Commission, London. Now one of Britain’s largest suppliers of Black and multicultural books, Paublo Books produce a host of catalogues listing over 5,000 titles in 40 subject categories. Titles cover Key Stage 1&2 and 3&4 (especially useful to schools), adult fiction, audio books, biographies and autobiographies, cookery, mythology and folklore, cultural studies, dual language, education, music, sociology and sport.

For further information contact: Paublo Books Tel: 0181 422 7954 Fax: 0181 423 6713 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.blink.org.uk/paublo/paublo.htm

Back to list

Speak Out on the Black Millennium

Put your voice on the Internet-- talking about revitalising Black communities on themes that are important and of interest to Black people. Speak out gives you Interactive Communication World-wide with students and teachers, trend-setters and community leaders, scholars and researchers, entrepreneurs and activists. You can share an experience or deliver an opinion on issues that concern Black communities. Be an advocate for your particular point of view!

Please enter your name

Your organisation

E-mail/Web address

What’s your main theme, chosen from the list below?

Please record your Speak out in the box below

Clear Send Thank you for taking the time to Speak out

People are talking about...

...the successful launch of The Chronicle, Britain’s first Internet digital magazine monitorin life in Britain’s Black urban communities. “After decades of marginalisation, we want to focus on strategies for development based on the integrity of African Caribbean communities in Britain,” says Prof. Thomas L. Blair, the editor and urban scholar. “Meeting the needs of students and young professionals is an immediate aim but part of the idea is to encourage Internet access at centres in every community.” The Chronicle launch coincided with the Ethnic Minorities and the Media Forum organised by PressWise Sat. 29 Nov. in London. Prof. Blair also moderated a debate about media regulation at the Forum.

...Mme. Ayande Diop, who has put together this year’s 50th anniversary commemoration of Presence Africaine, a social and literary review of the Black intellectual world. Founded in Paris and lead for many years by M. Alioune Diop, the influence of Presence Africaine has spread throughout Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and North America, particularly in French-speaking areas. A conference 3-5 December will focus on African and Diasporan literature and linguistics, as well the conditions in Black settlements in Britain and Europe.

...how New Deal work schemes for 18- 24 year olds seem destined to fail if the plight of Black males is not on the agenda. Pilot schemes sponsored by the Government and the Employment Service start in January 1998 and the New Dealgoes nation-wide in April. Youth unemployed for six months will be tutored to choose from four training options: on a job, in voluntary or environmental work, or full-time study. It is clear, however, that “Black males are the vast majority of

the Black unemployed,” says Sajid Butt, in the latest policy paper of theBlack Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), “and local delivery plans should reflect this factor”. Employment Service Regional Directors should challenge “barrier number one – racial discrimination in the job market.“ The necessary action should be taken “to ensure the involvement of local Black organisations in the New Deal development and delivery.”

Black Britain – Issues and ideals for the Millennium

Origins and goals: Redress the balance: Over the years, the Chronicleworld.org published hundreds of articles, thousands of Internet pages and more than dozen volumes of Prof Blair’s online magazine The Chronicleworld http://www.chronicleworld.org from 1997 to the first decade of the millennium. Issues focus on the Black experience, in arts, life styles, economy, politics and culture, among other topics

One reported interview throws some light on my aims as well as character and achievements.

"Run a search for Afro-Caribbean cultural Web sites and you'll pull up a number of options," writes Cassie Biggs, 10/3/98 for the Teletext web site.

"Among them you're likely to find Yush (an urban youth e-zine), Blink (the Black Information Link) and The Chronicle. Written and edited by Professor Thomas Blair, an academic and urban planning adviser, the site is dedicated to improving the lives of Black urban communities.

Online since November 1997 and now into its second quarterly issue, the site has a different agenda to its cultural contemporaries. "The focus of The Chronicle is on the achievements of Afro-Caribbean people in urban areas, to look again at the barriers blocking achievement and to affirm longevity of Black heritage," Professor Blair tells Teletext on the Web.

“A subscriber to the concept of a technology-aware society linked through community centres, schools and libraries, Blair is a great fan of the Net. "What excites me about the Internet is the democratising potential," he says. "It allows those who have been ignored to speak without fear of failure and allows for a proliferation of small interests. I wouldn't have been able to publish in the same way through traditional media as I am through the Internet."

Professor Blair's international experience is reflected in the site, which he writes and edits himself. Communication across the Black Diaspora, it's stressed, is crucial to The Chronicle's vision, and makes the Web the perfect vehicle for the magazine. With upwards of 800 hits since launch, The Chronicle has yet to make it into the mainstream of electronic media, but Blair's vision is not to compete with the mainstream. "If we are managing to reach the right people, and by the e-mails I am receiving I know we are, then I am happy," he says.

"There is a distinct lack of voices on the Net dealing with the material existence of Black people," says Blair. "Treatment of Black people in the media has marginalised their existence - focusing on a few prominent figures in the areas of sports, fashion and music.

"Where are the Black artists, the thinkers, the scientists?" he asks. "Where are the Black journalists?"

To redress the balance, The Chronicle acts in much the same way as a community centre might - drawing people together, making educational literature available and provoking discussion. "I see myself as an educator, encouraging people to develop their interests," says Blair.”

Cassie Biggs, 10/3/98 Teletext on the Web

Note: I expand this aim in my Editions Blair e-book series and the Black London e- monograph series available to download from the British Library Social Welfare Portal http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/community- development/pub_index.aspx?PublisherID=149777&PublisherName=Editions+Blair

The Chronicleworld.org Digital Archives

Prof Blair’s Chronicle is Britain's first Internet magazine monitoring African Caribbean British and Afro-European communities. Founded in November 1997, it delivers authoritative information, book reviews and ideas to readers. His E-book series and Black London eMonograph series are lodged in the British Library's Social Welfare Portal http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/community- development/pub_index.aspx?PublisherID=149777&PublisherName=Editions+Bl air

His work is recognised in Library’s digital web archives as “social, historic and culturally significant web-based material from the UK domain” See his web sites Cyberaction for Social Change http://www.webarchive.org.uk/tep/15810.html ; & Chronicleworld.org Changing Black Britain http://www.webarchive.org.uk/tep/15811.html Editions Blair

Here, for example, is the Archive 01 list of articles in the Chronicleworld.org up to the year 2000

 9.101 Black media collective: Powering into the media future Joy Francis and fledging journalists in the Media Trust voluntary group challenge Britain's media leaders – in film, television, radio, newspapers and the Internet to introduce diversity in employment, stories and images reflecting the multicultural nature of society.  9.102 It's not easy: Getting "a good Black story" into the media. By Henry Bonsu Radio presenter and journalist, Henry Bonsu, says some progress has been made to combat media racism but there is still evidence of "Collective failure"...appalling recruitment practices, unwitting prejudice...and stereotyping of "asylum seekers".

9.103 Media justice Call to action. By the Media Trust and the Creative Collective Black journalists say it makes good practice and business sense to offer racially integrated news coverage. Reporters can detect the exciting stories, significant trends and miscarriages of justice tha will lead to well informed writing about modern-day Britain.

9.104 Legalise our name: Black "pirate radio" helps free up the airwaves. By Donald McTernan The RadioCommunications Agency spends over £1 million per year on chasing pirates. Surely this money could be put to better use, i.e. showing new stations how to broadcast and organise themselves, or training young people in the various technical and engineering aspects of broadcasting? This would genuinely broaden listener choice, extend democracy, and assist in bringing communities together whilst simultaneously celebrating cultural diversity.

 9.1051 Tapping media publicity Handy tricks for beginners If you want to successfully get your message or event across to the media, this article tells you what you need to do, and how to write press releases and conduct interviews

8.101 Revealed: How UK media fuelled race prejudice Decades-old essay by Britain's best known sociologist gives vital clues

 8.102 Media Trust and Black journalists urge positive media response to Lawrence inquiry report Bold new action plans needed to meet the challenges of diversity and democracy.

 7.101 Trevor Phillips, Black independent broadcaster, journalist and candidate for London's mayor answers a key question for Blacks in the TV millennium. Are there colour bars in a digital universe?  7.102 Our Correspondent reports on Flawed Press Coverage of Race-hate attack in East Germany  7.103 Britain's favourite newscaster honoured Sir Trevor McDonald "Stunned" at Queen's Birthday Honours  7.104 Black Filmmaker seeks "reel-changes" in Cinema and TV

 6.101 We show how issues of race go to the heart of British journalism in "Reforming the media"  6.102 We document how media systems are part of the problem of social exclusion in "Notes from a reporter's casebook"  6.103 Media ills and solutions are outlined in "Write-on, Dr. Ainley"  6.104 How militant journalists fought to enrich press reporting and employment for Blacks is revealed in "From little acorns" by Mike Jempson  6.105 Choices for change in media practices are discussed in "Blacks in U.S. News and Newsrooms"  6.106 Teen-age Black journalists target UK racism and power abuse in "So young, so street-wise"

 Features - archive  10.101 "Western classical music flourished in hands of forgotten Black musicians"  10.102 On Naomi: "Ain't Nobody's Business if she does" Our correspondent discusses pros and cons of super- star model's stormy career

 9.201 McQueen's ?20,000 Turner Prize Win Makes it 2-1n-a-row for Black British Artists  9.202 FTSE 100 top companies show poor record in employing Black Managers  9.203 "Palatable Negresse". Naomi - Playboy's Chocolate Jungle-bunny. By Janet Momo Critique of glamour model publishing and what Frantz Fanon called the demand for the 'Negresse' ... ' but only if...(she) is made palatable in a certain way'.  9.204 Challenge to London's New Mayor: Commit to a "bias toward betterment"  9.205 Strategy for a Black Agenda Public leaders and academics must collaborate in saving Black communities  9.206 Focus forward to Y2K25 for Black Britain and Africa Some startling millennial hopes and predictions  9.207 Caribbean Americans face battle to improve status. By Basil Wilson and Carib News, NY  9.208 Rap on Race in America By C. Gerald Fraser He expresses his deep concern for one of the most talked about, but least honestly discussed topics of modern society.  9.209 "Racial Democracy" eludes Brazilians By a Correspondent Explains why with Brazil approaching in April 2000 the anniversary of the Portuguese colonization the theme was "500 Years of Black Resistance."  Venceremos Race and Identity in Cuba By AfroCubaWeb

 8.201 Who'd be a public servant? Government services must adapt to attract Black graduates  8.202 Mentoring: Movement to salvage Black youth sweeps inner-city  8.203 The state of Black Britain in key professions and public services Some selected statistics, with a brief over-view of key sectors in the professions and public services.

 7.201 Lessons for Race equality gains threatened by rising tide of institutional racism  7.202 Lawrence family advisor joins small band of Black peers in the House of Lords  7.203 Immigrants' advocate wins seat in European Parliament

 3.201 Do Blacks Need a New London Mayor?  3.202 "Blind-to-Blacks" Millennium

 2.201 What Future for Black Londoners? - English  2.202 What Future for Black Londoners? - French

 1.201 Blacks and Europe's new melting pot cities - English  1.202 Blacks and Europe's new melting pot cities - French

 FIRST CHRONICLE WRITERS  Tales of Being Black in Bristol, England. Malcolm Massiah  Armani Suits and Timberland Boots: A story of A.W.O.L. Homeboys in the 9 to 5 battle. Words by Asante  "Black race and reparations for Slavery - "That's Insane!"": A Conversation in Montreal by Tokunbo Ojo  Carolina Writers/Rites/and Rights - We seek the truth of our own existence by Victor Blue  New South African Literature

 4.401 Cross the digital divide  4.402 Cyber - Patrols threaten internet liberties  4.403 What is wrong with Internet Rating Systems and Filtering Software - by Yaman Akdeniz

Press articles on Chronicleworld.org

LA Times sees New Star on the Net "Another 1998 newcomer is the Chronicle, an Internet magazine for British Black achievers: http://www.thechronicle.demon.co.uk" William D.

Montalbano, Times Staff Writer Los Angeles Times, front page Monday, March 23, 1998

Reaching out to Africa "Professor Thomas Blair, who wrote about "negritude" in West Africa of February 2, has been telling me all about The Chronicle Changing Black Britain which he edits as well as publishes. Blair says: "The focus is on African and Caribbean peoples and the skills and ideas needed for success at work, home, study and community advancement." The online journal features several interesting topics. Blair told Matchet: Regeneration Time identifies the urban policies that bring positive changes for Blacks in major European cities. Share the Dream draws lessons from profiles of life experiences with Britain. The Chronicle also features a Euro-Africa-Diaspora highway of ideas linking English and French speakers across regions and continents. Another feature is People are talking about...which shows how Lord Gifford's amazing apology to the Queen Mother of the Ashanti people for his forefathers' crimes serves to highlight (MP) Bernie Grant's call for African history teaching in inner city schools." Ready to surf? Then try The Chronicle on its website http://thechronicle.demon.co.uk Matchet's Diary West Africa London, 9-15 February 1998, p.181

Médiation - Changer la vie des citadins noirs NEW Thomas Blair veut redonner aux citadins noirs d'Europe une place dans la société. Il a créé un journal sur Internet : The Chronicle. Proposer, aux citadins noirs d'Europe, un point de rencontre où ils pourraient trouver des informations les concernant et chercher des solutions à leurs problèmes, tel est le but du travail de Thomas Blair. Il a créé, il y a un an, The Chronicle, un journal trimestriel sur Internet. The Chronicle est une publication gratuite, à laquelle participent journalistes et chercheurs. Ce qui les rassemble ? La volonté de pallier le manque d'informations sur les Noirs qui habitent dans les villes. Les rédacteurs du Chronicle effectuent ainsi des enquêtes minutieuses où les espoirs et intérêts des citadins noirs sont mis en avant.

La diffusion de la culture, mais aussi de l'histoire,

propres aux membres de la diaspora africaine, sont deux autres objets d'attention des auteurs. S'y est désormais ajouté un centre d'intérêt répondant aux attentes des lecteurs : internet, pour " savoir comment l'info-technologie se mélange à l'expérience des citadins noirs ", explique Thomas Blair.

Enfin, dans le but d'élargir le dialogue et de " partager les idées entre les héritiers de la diaspora des communautés africaines ", certains articles sont écrits dans la langue de Molière.

...Mais son ambition s'inscrit aussi dans une perspective historique : " Les tracts politiques des radicaux de la classe travailliste du XIXè siècle, comme Robert Wedderburn, et la revue anti-esclavagiste North Star de Frederick Douglass sont des modèles classiques.

De nos jours, The Voice, The Carribbean Times (...) ont tous été francs dans leur condamnation de l'injustice raciale. Aussi, je ne fais que suivre les pas marqués par d'autres avant moi. Mais, peut-être, avec quelque chose de nouveau ", suggère-t-il.

Compte-tenu de l'évolution sociale de la diaspora noire, The Chronicle s'adresse donc à un public spécifique : " Après un demi-siècle de migration des campagnes vers les villes, les Noirs sont des citadins partout dans le monde; (...) mais les communautés noires doivent faire face à des pressions quotidiennes à Londres, Amsterdam, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto ou New York. Plusieurs doivent supporter le fardeau de la discrimination ", déclare Thomas Blair, avant de prévenir que dans les villes, " la pauvreté de l'information [sur les Noirs] pourrait facilement devenir une autre barrière au progrès individuel et collectif". Céline Boileau L'Autre Afrique No.76 Du 20 Au Janvier 1999, p.34

The Independent For an article about The Chronicle in a leading British newspaper, The Independent Tuesday 27 January 1998, Network, page 4,in our archives.

Our Friends on the Internet

Surfing the Internet via the search engines Alta Vista and Infoseek shows that The Chronicle is a site of choice in major gateways to the social sciences, research, social welfare, careers, women, migration and immigration. We are grateful and proud of this achievement. Alta Vista SOSIG - UK - Secondary Education Teaching Materials http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/UK/secteach.html SOSIG - Europe - Sociology http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/Europe/sociol.html Editor:Exeter University SOSIG - World - Higher Education Teaching Materials http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/highteach.html SOSIG - World - Social Welfare http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/socwel.html Aviva - European Resources http://www.aviva.org/eurores.htm CCGMAG - Careers -- Black and Hispanic Engineers http://www.ccgmag.com/index.htm RDDEF--French --Social Research http://www.uhb.fr/urfist/rddef.htm RESSOURCES et DOCUMENTS Moteurs de Recherche. A propos des Forums. http://www.dejanews.com. http://www.fdn.org/fdn/doc-mis /index.html SOSIG - World - Migration, Colonisation http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/migrat.html Editor:British Library of Political and... SOSIG - UK - Higher Education Teaching Materials http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/UK/highteach.html Editor:Institute of Education... AFROCENTRIC NEWS AND INFORMATION http://www.swagga.com/news.htm SOSIG - World - Further Education Teaching Materials http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/furteach.html Editor:Institute of Education.. SOSIG - Europe - Social Welfare http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/Europe/socwel.html SOSIG - World - Secondary Education Teaching Materials http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/secteach.html Editor:Institute of. Education.. ExtensioNet : L'article principal. http://www.extension.com/extensionet/1998/articles/a310398.htm Ethnic Studies & Minority-Majority Relations Links http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8945/ethnic.html SOUNDBYTES: Thomas Blair(10/3/98) http://www.teletext.co.uk/couk/search/blair.htm SOSIG - World - Sociology http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World/sociol.html Editor:Exeter University Library. SOSIG - Europe - Migration, Colonisation http:// www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/Europe/migrat.html Editor:British Library of Political and Infoseek - Hammersmith And West London College - Careers -

http://www.hwlc.ac.uk/links/tlc/testweb/whatsnew/whatsnew.htm Geocities - Ethnic Links - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8945/links.html Yahoo! Regional:Countries:United Kingdom:Society and Culture:Cultures http://www.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/United_Kingdom/Society_and _Culture/Cultures_and_Groups/Cultures/Black/index.html Sociology Internet Resources--Culture--Society--Women--Research http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/socialsci/socres.html

Titles in Editions Blair eBooks series

Editions Blair E-book Series offers readers information and commentary on serious topics in the public realm. The Audacity of Cyberspace – on Black communities crossing the digital divide Pillars of Change – Black youth and intellectuals challenge to la belle France 978- 1-908480-00-2 Les Piliers du Changement – French translation of Pillars of Change 978-1- 908480-01-9 FAIR MEDIA – on campaigns to end racism in the newsrooms and boardrooms of the media industry 978-1-908480-02-6 Decolonising Knowledge -- centring the Black Experience in Britain’s heritage ISBN 978-1-908480-03-3

Titles in The Black London eMonograph Series

The Black London eMonograph promotes research and education on urbanisation, social planning and race relations issues. Current titles range from Caribbean and African settlers in Georgian times to today’s aspiring urbanites. The Shaping of Black London, is a timeline of Black London’s origins, problems and prospects. Further titles range from the first Caribbean and African settlers in the 18th century to today’s denizens of the metropolis.

Other titles includes; Designing renewal on Europe's multi-ethnic urban edge: the case of Bijlmermeer, Amsterdam Designing renewal of large high-rise and often multi-ethnic housing estates is a major challenge facing planners of post-Maastricht urban Europe.

 Read More Du Bois and the century of African liberation: the man - his mind, philosophy and morals Increasingly Dr W E B Du Bois is seen by observers as having had an extremely prophetic view of the black man in the twentieth century.

 Read More

Urbanism and poetics: the role of Europe's black intellectuals in the African digital diaspora This pamphlet explores the role of black intellectuals in a possible process of black re-engagement with the modern Western world.