THINK PROGRESS

New Models for

Black History Month

Political Action, Comics and Black Studies

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THINK PROGRESS

New Models for Black History Month

Political Action, Comics and Black Studies

Thomas L Blair

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PUBLISHING DETAILS

THINK PROGRESS - New Models for Black History Month Thomas L Blair © 04 January 2017 978-1-908480-58-3 Published by Editions Blair e-Books 2016© 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 prior written permission of both copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

The greatest care has been taken in compiling this book. However, no responsibility can be accepted by the author and publishers or compilers for the accuracy of the information presented. Opinions expressed do not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of author or copyright holder Edition Blair.

Editions Blair has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Every effort has been made to reach copyright holders. The publishers would be pleased to hear from anyone whose rights have been unwittingly infringed. This eBook adds a critical perspective to the British Black History Month celebrations. Prof Thomas L Blair publishes the Editions Blair series and edits his pioneering Black Experience web sites archived in the Social Welfare Portal of the British Library http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/community- development/pub_index.aspx?PublisherID=149777&PublisherName=Editions+Bl air

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CONTENTS

Preface: THINK PROGRESS - New Models for Black History Month

1. Black History — From Culture Crisis to Liberating Action No one can ignore the common challenge.

2. Making Black History Month Political People have begun to dream of winning

3. Popular Arts fill Blind Spot in Black History Month Comics with a Black Perspective are in vogue, Part 1 4. Afro Super Heroes – New Crusaders for Black History Black Hero comics are educational and going global, Part 2 5. Powering Black Diaspora Studies Citizens, educators and policymakers build social capital and inspiration.

Notes on the Author

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Preface

THINK PROGRESS - New Models for Black History Month re-shapes the celebrations with innovative ideas that inform, entertain, educate and inspire. It’s mission complements the emergent forces for change in the 21st century.  Black culture is going digital. People are creating a mass of gigabytes of news, opinions and ideas. Commerce rules in the Black History Month 365 listings. The Voice, Black newspaper, aims to inspire youth, parents and teachers with History supplements.  Black political history features in many archives. Patrick Vernon OBE, founder of Every Generation Media, tweets that politics are essential parts of Black British culture.  The Hackney Museum’s current exhibit says it all in ‘People Power: Black British Arts + Activism in Hackney 1960s-2000s’. Furthermore, the digitised Bernie Grant MP archives at Bishopsgate Institute honour the rebel politician.

Indeed, “Nobody Benefits from Hidden History, That’s The Beauty of the Black Cultural Archives” said Paul Reid, director of the BCA centre in Brixton, the historic first landing of post-war West Indians.

Third, information professionals and national archivists are recognising that Black cultures are important representations of British Culture. Embedding them in the treasure troves of knowledge is an urgent and worthwhile task. Poster: People Power, Hackney Museum

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BLACK HISTORY — FROM CULTURE CRISIS TO LIBERATING ACTION By Thomas L Blair 13 October rev— 20-12-10 © photo

At its best, Black culture offers rich cultural experiences, the drive for achievement and an endless love of justice – along with some rhythmic soul.

As Paul Robeson, once resident in said “In my music, my plays, my films, I want to carry always this central idea: to be African. Multitudes of men have died for less worthy ideas: it is even more eminently worth living for.”

No one can ignore the common challenge. It’s not the best time to be Black – in any rank or class. Times are harder than ever. Peoples pride and identity erode. Self-hatred sets in. Complacency limits horizons. Furthermore, household budgets are tight. Traditional job markets are bleeding at an alarming rate. Moreover, the colour bar is high in the new info-tech industries.

Hence, all must plan for a “new Black History” that charts the positive present and future prospects. One in which all can share in the rescue, revival and representation of Black culture.

Moreover, ad hoc and ill-informed celebrations have to give way to a deeper public understanding of difficult issues. The best talents in all walks must pledge to:

. Link the gigabytes of Black culture to “people power”

. Use Black comics to fill the “pride gap”

. Affirm Black Culture’s role in community and university education

The antidote for the Black Culture Crisis is Liberating Action. As poet-writer-activist said, this means inspiring “cultural creativity, influence policy and effect change in the interest of social justice.”

New Models for Black History Month promotes one basic idea. Cultural power without educational, economic and political power is No Power.

Photo/Black women — force for change/copyright Thom Blair

Useful Books

Well-written books by Black social scientists include The Oxford Companion to Black British History by David Dabydeen, Black British Culture and Society by Kwesi Owusu (Editor) and After Empire: Melancholia or Convivial Culture?: Multiculture or Postcolonial Melancholia by Paul Gilroy. Readers will benefit from Susan Okokon, Black Londoners 1880-1990, Hakim Adi, West Africans in Britain 1900-1960 and Harry Goulbourne, Race Relations in Britain since 1945.

Cultural theorist Stuart Hall examined prejudice in racially constructed societies and influenced contemporary cultural studies. John La Rose, founder of the Institute the advocate of Black and working class unity demonstrated the power of poetics and collective protest. His colleagues Roxy Harris and Sarah White mark the progress of Black Britons in “humanising and transcending the limitations of British society” in two volumes on Changing Britannia and Building Britannia.

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MAKING BLACK HISTORY MONTH POLITICAL By Thomas L Blair 27 October 2016 ©

Black Britons have begun to dream. They’ve begun to dream of winning …not only a place in the post-Brexit race for resources but strive for a culture of equality for all.

David Shosanya’s 2009 rally for the State of Black Britain glimpsed the cherished ideals. It offered strong political-cultural models, and stirred healthy controversy.

Clearly now, we see that Black Britons have an historic cultural role to play in the 21st century. This fits seamlessly with four bread and butter issues.

 They could do more to make Black Lives Matter.  They could do more to curb pollution where they live.  They could vote for access to emerging job markets and investment in mass transit.  They could campaign against the cuts to their jobs in the NHS and support union rights in the health sector.

What stands between Black people and this progressive wish list? One of the biggest weaknesses does. They are not very good in the cut and thrust of politics in the public realm. Moreover, they haven’t yet hit on a successful strategy for consistent political leadership.

To make history theirs, they have to build a strong bench of candidates with sturdy supports from communities. They have to abandon the false, opportunist culture of Black History presentations — and favour the hard slog of community political action. They have to power their aspirations with the single tactic that makes the difference. The key is door-to-door campaigning by enthusiastic volunteers. Street by street, in every housing estate and in every Zone of Desperation. At all hours and in snow, wind and rain.

The stakes are too high to lose. Today’s State of Black Britain is in crisis. Why? Well, Culture Months “ain’t gonna feed us, always”. It is not enough to be angry and shocked. Black History Month is not the Balm of Gilead. People should work together to shape the politics of opportunity, of culture, of economics – and thereby the course of future history.

Photo/The Rev David Shosanya/© Thomas Blair

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Popular Arts fill the Black History “pride gap” By Thomas L Blair 29 October 2016 © Part 1

Comics with a Black Perspective are valuable additions to Black History. They promote reading through pictures and make kids smarter. And can’t be beat for pride-inducing social commentaries. Our expert review tells you why.

Afro Super Heroes are on the rise in the Black World of Africa and the Diaspora. Everywhere, comic images in strip cartoons add “our own national cultures, needs and identity”.

This identity factor is nothing new. White American comic book super heroes have mirrored their ethnic and nation’s image of itself since World War II. Fearless Superman fought Japanese saboteurs in the 1940s. Batman tackled crime in Metropolis, the mythical US city. Barbie-doll-like Wonder Woman saved her tribe of Amazons from the villainess Strife, who sowed confusion and collective murder among them.

Invincible Afro Super Heroes pose a new demand for “our own heroes with our own cultural identity”. This emphasis on indigenous Black action makes Black comics a prime form of social commentary. Here are some of the most exciting examples I have discovered, and presented by topics and global spread.

Black Action Heroes in the United States of America

Creative designer Jon Daniel’s Afro Supa® Hero, shown here, chronicles the surge of African American comics (1). They deeply influenced his development as a Black child in Britain, he said. “It should appeal to everyone who dares to use comics to make a difference in the lives of children” he believes. His exhibition has informed and entertained kids and adults at the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool. (2)

Over in Chicago, there is another avid fan of Black-themed comics, but the artist Kerry James Marshall creates them too. His “Rhythm Mastr” is a truth-telling saga of life in Bronzeville, Chicago’s “Black Metropolis”.

His Black superheroes go into action armed with the wisdom of the Yoruba gods and a skilful use of Black vernacular English. Bold in conception and execution, Marshall says, “I’m trying to produce an epic story of every aspect of people’s lives, from romance to gang violence to poverty to cultural identity”.

Furthermore, Marshall says “All these things have to be wrapped up in a story with Black kids at the center …. So at every level of human interaction, they are participating rather than seeing the reflection of what other people are doing.” (3)

Orpheus by comic writer Alex Simmons sends the same powerful message. His Black super hero is the first to work alongside Batman to rid Gotham City of crime and violence. (4)

Countering Racial Stereotypes in Latin America

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Latin American comic books now reflect the changing political awakening of significant Black populations. They show an acceptance of strong Black images. Moreover, they counter racial stereotypes in mainstream media comics. (5)

Popular Education Trinidad and Toronto

Brown skin, dreadlocked, and local lingo speaking super heroes will soon be hitting store shelves in Toronto, a West Indian enclave in Canada.

A Trinidadian creation, Milky Juice is a “dougla” fusion of African and Indian themes. The heroes reflect the tensions and triumphs of this multi-ethnic nation. Fans hail the female heroine , Jennifer Izengaard, whose ample body type reflects “what most women in the real world look like, unlike the usual Wonder Woman pinup”, said authors. (6)

Discovering Cultural Heritage Senegal

Afro-super hero comics in Senegal guide schoolchildren through their oral heritage and traditional knowledge. Three pupils Ismail, Dior and Fabrice and their uncle visit natural and cultural sites across the country. (7) Senegal has a library of comic books and graphic novels that is unique. Young readers browse for hard to find, low-cost masterpieces.

Entertaining Black History Nigeria

Nigerian youth are turning to comic books as inexpensive and easily accessible entertainment. Moreover, publishers are fighting to get their attention.

Kids and adults love “Africa’s Avengers” with Guardian Prime. He is a 25-year old fashion designer by day who uses his extraordinary strength to fight for a better Nigeria. Hilda Avonomemi Moses, a woman from a remote village in Edo state, works super-miracles with the spirits. Marcus Chigozie, a privileged but angry teenager races to trouble spots at supersonic speeds. (8)

Inspiring Children’s Creativity South Africa

Black South African comics opt for “Ordinary super heroes” to encourage participation in the multi- racial nation. Check out ‘Kwezi’, the new comic book series that is getting rave reviews worldwide. Created by acclaimed artist Loyiso Mkize, 19-year-old Kwezi, a typical South African youngster – immersed in popular youth culture – connects with his traditional roots. Teams of authors and artists visit schools, run workshops, and help students create their own comic book cartoons and stories. (9)

HERO COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS ARE GOING GLOBAL TOO. BLACK SUPER HEROES WILL BE SEEN AS NORMAL SOON.

Credits and acknowledgements:

1. Cover Image: Afro Supa® Star Twins © Jon Daniel. Afro Supa® is a registered trademark owned by Jon Daniel. All Rights Reserved. See excerpts at http://afrosupastore.bigcartel.com/product/afro-supa-hero-a6-pocket-book

2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-36284740

3. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-how-kerry-james-marshall-became-a- superhero-for-chicago-s-housing-projects

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4. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1EIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=opponents +of+Black+comics&source=bl&ots=_3QbXnOHYn&sig=jYOdW7FE9ROAmN– xtJQ1be2bC4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi81JbfooDQAhWhK8AKHT- gCxAQ6AEITjAI#v=onepage&q=opponents%20of%20Black%20comics&f=false

5. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_Latino_superheroes

6. http://sharenews.com/comic-book-to-feature-caribbean-characters-and-themes/

7. unesco.org/new/en/…/discovering_sengals_cultural_heritage/

8. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=culture+and+comics&oq=culture+and+comics&aqs=ch rome..69i57.9006j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=west+african+comics

9. http://kwezicomics.co.za/comic/

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AFRO SUPER HEROES – NEW CRUSADERS FOR BLACK HISTORY

By Thomas L Blair 30 October 2016 © Part 2 photo/Afro Cyborg/Atlanta Black Star

Once parents saw comic books as mind-numbing tripe. Fodder to keep kids out of the way on the weekend. Times have profoundly changed.

Black Hero comics are tough and raunchy and going global.(1) Soon, Black action comics will be popular everywhere. Comic Republic, a Nigerian comics start-up based in Lagos, is creating a universe of superheroes for Africans and the Diaspora. South African comic producers hope their Ordinary Superheroes will open a world market for local cultures and realities.

All Black World comics producers, writers and artists agree: Afro Super Heroes are not just the face of colour. They are interesting characters doing inspirational things. That has earned them a place in the new sequential art and literature discipline.

Black Action heroes are at the wall between the “high and low” arts

Afro Super Heroes boost teaching Black History through popular culture and the arts. (2) The means are close to hand. Leading industry talents are creating new comic books for the classroom. Teachers aim to promote reading with pictures, comics that make kids smarter. “The kids get to colour and draw, which they love to do anyway. (2)

One thing is certain. Afro Super Heroes are challenging teachers to embrace superhero comics as effective and legitimate teaching and learning tools.

Indeed, Afro Super Hero comics can be the new crusaders in the drive for Reading with Pictures. Pupils learn to participate in the transfer of knowledge and skills effectively. (3)

The richness of the Black Experience is their drawing board. Think of the griots in West Africa. Then, there are the Anansi parables in the Caribbean. Don’t forget the African American Bre’r Rabbit trickster characters birthed in African folk tales. (4)

Afro Super Heroes online and on kids’ tablets and smart phones are gaining supporters. E-Black comic books build a strong reading culture. The goal is to embed Black History on a child’s creative side in the playground of the imagination.

Black comics as social commentary

The grace and grime of South London are on show in one of the earliest Black comics. Bobby Joseph authored Skank a British comic with Black characters. It featured iconic locations in Peckham, Brixton and Lewisham where Joseph grew up. First published in 1994, it reappears in e-book form as the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Comic Book’ (5).

Afro Super Heroes follow in this tradition of affirming, “Who we are”. In hostile urban environments, this is a breath taking kick to the solar plexus of race relations. In fact, cultural advocates, like Ligali, see hero comics as a counterweight to the misrepresentation of Blacks. (6)

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Soon, home-grown Black British action characters will be produced and on the shelves in Afro Super Hero-less Britain. Likely scenarios include:

. The Brixton King Chaka ZuluNation, servant of the powerful God Garvey, will conquer the Destroyers of Black neighbourhoods.

. Queen Caribbeana of Black Power and Beauty embarks on a dangerous mission to save endangered coral reefs.

. Ten years after the apocalyptic virus gutted the Black World, a team of everyday heroes must find and inoculate the only survivor.

Why not a Hackney Black Panther Vixen who can fly and change the weather to defeat her foes? Why not comics with a Black Theology or Black Liberation purpose. One in which the Afro-Caribbean Avenger frees youth from the hellhole of limited jobs, education and opportunities.

Why not create Afro Super Heroes that tackle contemporary issues. In strip cartoons, Dark Destroyer will defeat the Spectre Demons haunting the homeless and the disadvantaged.

Indeed, why not a Black Super Hero comic book movement that demands “recognition, justice and development”. This would be a fitting complement to the UNESCO theme for the 2015-2024 International Decade for the People of African Descent.

Conclusion: Afro Super Heroes Comics Can fill the pride gap

What I have discovered is this. Afro Super Heroes comics can make a pride-inducing contribution to Black History. The best British based Afro Super Hero comics display the new mood of self- awareness and self-acceptance in communities. They will be a comment on the times in strip cartoon images and words.

Moreover, it’s time for the curriculum overlords to set aside their literary purism, and their prejudices too. Black comics are the new Teachers Aides. Afro Super Heroes are effective and legitimate teaching and learning tools.

1. 10 of The Greatest Black Superheroes Of All Time February 10, 2015 | Posted by Yanique Dawkins Atlanta Blackstar©http://blerds.atlantaBlackstar.com/2015/02/10/10-of-the- greatest-Black-superheroes-of-all-time/2/

2. edutopia.org/comic-books-teaching-literacy

3. http://www.readingwithpictures.org/

4. theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/09/…comic…/380236/

5. http://www.standard.co.uk/video/Lifestyle/author-of-first-british-comics-to-have-Black- characters-returns-with-skank-a3201586.html

6. http://www.ligali.org/ A Pan African Human Rights Organisation challenging the misrepresentation of African people, culture and history in the B

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POWERING BLACK DIASPORA STUDIES By Thomas L Blair 5 November 2016 ©

It’s time to recognise that Black History celebrations need a value-adding tool: Black Diaspora Studies in community, schools and universities.

Black studies for community learning and action

One exciting “aha” project put heritage in the hands of communities in Hackney, London. Charmaine and Mark Thompson are “educating communities, to educate themselves”. A brave attempt in a district where 30% of residents are Black African and Caribbean, and issues of deprivation threaten to crush body and soul.

The Thompsons’ project has many advantages. Citizens, educators and policymakers working together build social capital and inspiration. Participants gather insights and reflections that enrich families and neighbourhoods.

Topics include:

Great Black Women in History Black Economic Empowerment African Holocaust (Maangamizi): The History & Legacy of African Enslavement Black Londoners: History of Black People in London before 1948 African History Before The Slave Trade http://www.Blackhistorystudies.com/about-us/our-team/

Cause for Hope – Black studies short courses in the university

Another initiative advances Black Studies in higher education. Dr Kehinde Andrews of Birmingham City University heads the “first Black Studies course at a British university”.

Author of Resisting Racism in Birmingham, Dr Andrews is keen to engage the city’s large African- Caribbean population. It is a social dividend for all citizens, Andrews has declared. “This city is one of Europe’s most diverse cities, with a “strong history” of community activism and engagement”. http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/Studies/birmingham-city- university-becomes-first-in-europe-to-offer-Black-studies-degree-a7038131.html

Furthermore, networks of heritage communities and scholars shape Caribbean and Diaspora Studies at Goldsmith College, University of London. Prof Joan Anim-Addo’s one-week short courses are the only Caribbean-led Centre within a University environment. Participants in the “Researching Black London: Community, Culture and Family in Lewisham” courses, learn more about their family history or genealogy. Lecturers explore diverse Black histories of migration, race, gender and sexuality.http://www.gold.ac.uk/short-courses/researching-Black-london/

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Go Global – Towards a University School of Black Diaspora Studies

Short courses have value, but must gain a place in higher education. This means Black scholars must breech the gates of the olive groves of academe. Baroness Valerie Amos of Guyana, the first and highest-ranking British university leader should sit down among a half-dozen Black scholars with the courage to found the first University School of Black Diaspora Studies. Planners can benefit from her deep well of “firsts” in the Cabinet, in the Lords and former advisor to the Mandela Government. 69i57.16165j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Black scholars need not fear. British universities house a plethora of “Studies” schools, among them the School of African and Asian Studies, London School of Economics, headed by Baroness Valerie Amos. In the USA, Black and Diaspora Studies rest comfortably on the twin pillars of academic excellence and social responsibility. From small beginnings in the civil rights struggle, Studies departments, programs, centres and institutes have their market share of the academic turf in more than 200 American public and private academic institutions. Reports say that British universities need Black Studies too. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/14/british-universities-need- Black-studies

Mission and Focus

Breeching the academic gates requires a strong expeditionary force. Not only do planners of Black Diaspora Studies need to gain a place in the university system, they need to define the School’s mission and basic principles. These include:

. The new School will focus on the languages, cultures and societies of Black World societies.

. Highly motivated and outward looking, the School would be an indispensable interpreter in a complex world.

. Scholars must have unparalleled expertise on the histories of the Black World in Africa, Afro- Caribbean, Latin and African American, Black British and Afro-European.

. The School’s resident and international scholars will serve as guardians of specialised knowledge in Black urbanism and change not available anywhere.

. Tutors and students will grapple with pressing issues – democracy, development, equal and human rights, identity, legal systems, poverty, religion, global networks, cultural and sequential arts and literature.

Recruit Talented Scholars and Public Intellectuals

Major Black theorists will feature in courses readings. Their works are essential to decolonise “eurocentric knowledge”. Prof Stuart Hall founded Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham. Professors and Paul Gilroy have added their expertise in the politics of cultural change.

Furthermore, University of East London’s Dr Kimani Nehusi explores African traditions in Libation: An Afrikan Ritual in the Circle of Life published in the Encyclopedia of African Religion edited by Molefi Kete Asante. Dr Robbie Shilliam, Senior Lecturer in International Relations in the School of Politics, is a Rastafarian and Ethiopian Studies expert.

Kwesi Owusu’s Black British Culture and Society reader draws attention to issues such as work, health, housing, education, feminism, ageing, community and race relations as well as Black culture and the arts.

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Funding

The new Black Diaspora Studies School requires funding to begin and survive. Planners could crowd fund their talents in the arts with money raised online from supporters. They can source the philanthropy of celebrities and “Power List personalities”. Outspoken champions of business social responsibility should be tapped for strategic advice. Sonny Nwankwo is one – he directs the Black Business Observatory at the University of East London in The Noon Centre for Equality and Diversity in Business. Another is millionaire and social advocate Tidjane Thiam, Head of Credit Suisse. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/insurance/11507577/

Welcome community advocates and public intellectuals – Train professionals

Furthermore, The School will welcome external and associate lecturers in all courses, conferences, debates and forums. Together, the balance of knowledge and social responsibility represents a vital stimulus in the university system. http://Blackbritishacademics.co.uk/about/ and http://Blacksisternetwork.Blackbritishacademics.co.u k/

The School will train professionals in community education. To further this aim, the School will make recommendations to the Royal College of Teaching for a Black Studies teacher licensing scheme, managed through the curriculum process and involving the subject professional associations.

Conclusion

The evidence shows that the trans-continental study of the Black World has profound educational and practical value. It supports “Homemade education” as well as formal instruction. It encourages learning and doing. It combines knowledge and regeneration. Implemented well, at all levels, Black Diaspora Studies is a fresh decolonising boost to British education.

Photo/Charmaine & Mark Thompson/ enhanced by author Further readings include Decolonising Knowledge – Expanding the Black Experience in Britain’s heritage. http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/community- development/editionsblair/decolonising13.aspx

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Notes on the Author

Thomas L Blair, PhD, FRSA- Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a sociologist, writes on the creative renewal of Black people in urban Black Britain, Afro- Europe and the Diaspora. He has held professorships at UK and American universities, is well-known as a cyber-scholar. He publishes the Editions Blair series of eBooks and the Black London monograph series; and edits the pioneering Black Experience web site http://chronicleworld.co.uk, and its previous sites http://chronicleworld.wordpress.com and http://www.chronicleworld.org

Titles include:

Pillars of Change – Black youth and intellectuals challenge la belle France

Les Piliers du Changement – le guide de survie des intellectuels et des jeunesses noirs. French translation of Pillars of Change

FAIR MEDIA – on campaigns to end racism in the newsrooms and boardrooms of the media industry

Decolonising Knowledge: Expand the Black Experience in Britain’s heritage.

Liberation Tech provides new research on Black communities and the struggle for internet power in Britain, America and Africa

Wiring up Black Britain reports on innovative Black Studies in London and Britain

His works are archived in the Social Welfare Portal of the British Library http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-activity/community- development/pub_index.aspx?PublisherID=149777&PublisherName=Editions+Bl air

His website http:Chronicleworld.co.uk is honoured with inclusion in the British Libraries Web Archive

Black London eMonograph series

The Black London eMonograph series charts the entry, assimilation and mobility of African and Caribbean peoples in urban Britain.

I have applied my own method -- the social problems-intervention-solutions approach -- to reveal the spaces between dogma, certitude, and debate about the Black Experience.

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Thus, readers can identify and analyse the monograph elements — the arguments, methodology and sources.

If my motive and means challenge conventional wisdom, the answer is “How better to use past research to understand the present and plan for positive futures for a beleaguered people?”

They build on my decades of research on race, city planning, and policy issues in the public realm. This averts the danger of unmediated reference to reality and the facts.

Together, they offer reliable opinion and information about Black London communities over past decades, a boon to academics, professionals, and problem-solvers. See http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services- activity/community- development/pub_index.aspx?PublisherID=149777&PublisherName=Editions+Bl air

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