Why is Haiti so poor?
The notion taught in European institutions is that benevolent white men abolished slavery because it was a scar on their conscience. The facts are that enslaved Africans fought back at every opportunity and the
Book Review: The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Many books have clever strap-lines, usually claiming their contents will either change your life or be the best thing you will read this year. Often this
UNIYFPAD: 400 Years of Black British Civil Rights
The black presence in England dates back at least 2000 years to the Roman invasion of Britain. Africans in Rome and subjects of the North African colonies were present at every level of society, as evidenced by the Libyan-born Emperor Septimus Severus who died in York in 211 AD More than a thousand years later…
Godmother of Rock n Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe
UNIYFPAD:Past A rainy day on a disused railway platform outside Manchester is not the sort of place you expect to see one of the most influential performers in rock ‘n’ roll history strutting their stuff. You might not think that the artist in question would be a 49-year-old African-American gospel singer from Arkansas either. This…
UNIYFPAD: African Americans and community food systems
When we look at the way our food moves from farm to the dinner plate, I see one fundamental thing missing, people of African descent. Over the years in working in food justice, community food systems and within social justice, I find few organizations or businesses that have been set up or run by people…
UNIYFPAD can demonstrate the power of arts & culture
The United Nations International Year for People of African Descent (UNIYFPAD) is likely to mean many different things to many different people across the world. Personally, I see it as a chance to reflect, educate and celebrate the positive contribution and influence of people of African descent to societies, while looking at ways to eradicate…
UNIYFPAD: Reflections on Freedom
The word “freedom” has great meaning to people of African Descent who have spent most of their lives fighting for this one word. In the Oxford dictionary the word means “the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants.” Another meaning is “the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.” As an…