Black Britain Issues and ideals for the Millennium BLACK BRITAIN Issues and ideals for the Millennium The generations embrace: Lord David Pitt and Dianne Abbott, one of the first Black MPS elected in 1987/Courtesy of The Guardian, London, England ©1987 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”. <For further citations, see AskJeeves, and Excite and Google>. 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.