Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Thomas L Blair Black Progress and the Common Good What the 2017 Elections Mean Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Publishing Details Black Progress and The Common Good: What the 2017 Elections Means Thomas L Blair 978-1-908480-63-7 Published by Editions Blair e-Books 2017© 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. 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=Ed itions+Blair Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair What this eBook is about Black Progress and The Common Good is a collection of articles with a dual purpose. It offers a critical perspective to the run-up to and results of the historic British General Elections 2017. Written by an internet scholar, it reveals the unheard opinions of marginalised Black and minority ethnic communities. Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Table of Contents What this eBook is about Black Teenagers and the 2017 Elections — Vote for Greatness in Community and Nation Blacks in the Age of deceit - Must Aim for Uplift and Representation in GE 2017 Evolution of a Quiet Revolution? New Black-led coalition promotes racism-free Britain. Campaigners power up the Black and minority ethnic (BME) vote Britain is at a crossroads on race equality Black Church Leaders Shape New Spirit for Brexit Britain Congregations are tired of second-hand living in marginal areas Post-GE 2017: Does Minority Ethnic Solidarity have a Political Future? What do you think? Black Vote to the Polls GE 2017 Let’s sing and dance about it! MARSHA DE CORDOVA Black Woman, disabled…and a notable first in Westminster 2017. Conquering Moments of Political Despair the neophytes must carry forward the minority ethnic challenge. Black Parliamentary Unity Key to Progress Why A Black Caucus May Be The Most Significant Thing Right Now Black Teenagers and the 2017 Elections — Vote for Greatness in Community and Nation Your generation has a chance to make its mark By Thomas L Blair 25 April 2017, copyright The Disenfranchised Generation can make a difference now. Black teenagers are poised to put their mark on Britain’s most consequential elections in recent history. Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair The fight is about what vision of Britain will dominate your future. Parties opposing the government’s re-election Brexit strategy have set their eyes on you. They aim to corral 750,000 just-turned 18-year-old voters. Among them, Black novices have a chance to deliver their own top-of- the-list concerns. So far, the June 8 elections have not attracted much excitement. There is no full-throated rebuke of the Conservative government’s anti-European and restrictive immigration policies. Policies that may set the country on an uncertain path at a critical moment. Yet, one thing is clear for Black communities and voters. This 2017 election will be won or lost on domestic, not solely on foreign policy issues. Here are some action-thoughts for Black novices as they head to the polling stations. Housing, jobs, health and opportunities are still at crisis point, and may get worse. Race and faith attacks are already high over Brexit. Renewing neighbourhoods and hostile living conditions needs more than talk-talk. Better to light a candle than shout against the spectral darkness. “Poor-me” moans will not banish two under covered issues — homelessness and human trafficking. And it turns out they go together. The Balm of Gilead won’t protect homeless youth at great risk of being trafficked for sex. Furthermore, teenagers must vote to curb knife crimes. This scourge of Black families is hovering on the edge of self-genocide. On this issue, voting a politician in or out is more effective than your loved ones tears. Black teenage voters need to seize this historic opportunity. They can vote for an outreach to immigrants, acceptance of different faiths, as well as ethnic diversity. They can challenge “British first” policies that are dangerous and sectarian. In London, where Blacks voted overwhelmingly to Remain in the EU, they can target 45 Labour MPs, 26 Conservative MPs, and two Liberal Democrat MPs. The key ideas and strategies are clear: Organise political self-education Draft Youth Priorities and write a Social Contract to influence political action Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Participate in citizen consultations, human rights clubs and workplace activities Create online platforms and radio programs to broadcast youth’s concerns Moreover, there is one over-riding task for new Black teenage voters: that is to support creative action to heal a politically fractured country. Greatness is in your hands. Read more on the Brexit referendum and Black Britain. See recent articles in the Chronicleworld Weblog Posted in Black London Futures, BREXIT 2016 referendum, BREXIT remain or leave, European referendum vote 23 June 2016, Politics, UK elections, UK General Elections 2015 Series, Uncategorized Tagged Black teenagers, Black urbanism, Brexit referendum, General Elections 8 June 2017, homeless, human sex trafficking, Introduction .'Black British culture is in crisis' says leading scholar, knife crime, neighbourhood renewal, State of Black Britain, Why aren't Black deaths in custody an election issue? Edit Post navigation ← Darcus and Pansy – Different Paths, Same Struggle for Black Humanity and Well-being Bee Wee-Lit → Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Blacks in the Age of deceit Must Aim for Uplift and Representation in GE 2017 By Thomas L Blair 31 May 2017 copyright Bonnie Greer “In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”, as Bonnie Greer reminds us. Clearly, though written for a broader political audience, the Orwellian quote is pregnant with meaning for hard hit Black communities. The elites “wage war on truth”, she writes in The New European/May 19- May 25, 2017. “They speak through mass-selling newspapers owned by people domiciled elsewhere than this island nation”. “The elites are counting on our disillusionment. They aim to make those who oppose them weary”, said Bonnie Greer. Undoubtedly, this strategy of the elites aggravates the plight of Blacks in Brexit Britain. The necessary response is self-evident. Black and maligned minorities must struggle for truth and representation in GE 2017. Now’s the time to be heard. Voting is the key to community uplift. Notes: Bonnie Greer OBE is Chancellor of Kingston University. The American-British playwright, novelist, critic and broadcaster, has lived in the UK since 1986. Posted in Politics, UK electionsTagged Black advancement, Bonnie Greer, race and civil rights groups, State of Black BritainEdit Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Evolution of a Quiet Revolution? New Black-led coalition promotes racism-free Britain. Get the facts here and share your views in the Comment box. By Thomas L Blair 1 June 2017 © Britain’s Black and minority ethnic supporters are fighting hard to put their concerns into the GE 2017 ring, 8 June. They aim to halt the political retreat from social responsibility. A coalition of race equality groups say, “Britain is at a crossroads on race equality, Brexit, immigration and identity”. Moreover, the next government must tackle rampant discrimination in the jobs market, housing, and criminal justice. However, many questions remain uncharted. Is the Race Equality Manifesto merely a blip below the radar of British politics? Or, the evolution of a quiet Black political revolution? Search for the answers yourself. Our GE 2017 series of articles starts with the Race Equality Manifesto. Use the Comment box to share your views with Chronicleworld readers. Black Progress and the Common Good/Thomas L Blair Campaigners power up the Black and minority ethnic (BME) vote By Thomas L Blair 02 June 2017 copyright Simon Woolley, Operation Black Vote If you want to see the pathologies of contemporary politics and society laid out for you, with some clues to what equality groups are demanding, read on. “Britain is at a crossroads on race equality, Brexit, immigration and identity say, a coalition of race equality organisations. Their Manifesto for Race Quality aims for ”fairness and equal life chances for Britain’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. So that we can all face future challenges together, equally”. Moreover, they demand: . A comprehensive government-wide race equality strategy; . Brexit negotiations must be “race equality-proofed” to safeguard rights protecting citizens against discrimination; . A new law prohibiting online hate which forces social media firms to take action.