An article written By Danny Keen

Me, We.  Me, We”.  The American author and Pulitzer prize winner, George Plimpton said that those two words should be in the Oxford Dictionary of Poetry as the shortest poem in history.  Those two words were spoken by a great man at the lowest time in his life.  He had proved himself to be the greatest in the world at what he did, but he upset the authorities with what he said.  “The power of words” can get you in a whole lot of trouble!  The American authorities tried to take away that man’s ability to earn his living, but he found another way.  The university campuses were full of students who were happy to pay to hear him talk, and he stood in front of them and spoke those two words “Me, We.  Of course that man was Muhammad Ali. “Me, We” is a call for inclusiveness.  It is a statement that we are all the same under the skin of our race, creed or culture.  Only four letters that hold a vast wealth of meaning for the whole world.
Those words remind me of a Jamaican phrase.  Its a Rastafarian expression.  Again it is only a handful of letters, only five letters.  One more than Muhammad Ali’s “Me, We”.  It goes like this “I and I”.  These five letters are also a call for unity of humankind.  A call for brotherhood and sisterhood.  Essentially the Rastafarian movement is a movement of peace.  They revered Ethiopia as the sacred home of black people.  They searched for a King of Kings.  In 1962 Jamaica, the country of my birth, became independent from Great Britain.  Free of control by the British authorities, large landowners instigated a rout of Rastafarian squatters in the hills near Montego Bay.  Eight Rastas and two policemen were killed.

History shows that whenever black people stand up for what they believe in the authorities try to crush them.  Here is a quote by the great freedom fighter Angela Davis…  “Poor people, people of colour, are much more likely to be found in prison than in institutions of higher education”.

Foremost of all the great black people who found themselves in prison was Mahatma Ghandi.  Here is a quote that I really like…  “Nobody can hurt me without my permission”.  Mahatma Ghandi was very familiar with people in authority trying to hurt him.  His words give hope to all those who find themselves oppressed.His words were the inspiration to another great man to carry the fight for freedom and equal rights forward.  Martin Luther King Junior has so many powerful and meaningful sayings that it is hard to find just one, but here are two…  “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”.  This again is a call for unity amongst disparate peoples.  Here is another…  “I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear”. It seems that whenever a black person is really good at their job the authorities try to cut them down.  Jack Johnson was the best at what he did.  He was a truly great man.  He was the first black heavyweight champion of the world, and also the last for a long time.

The authorities used their power to prevent black boxers from gaining the heavyweight crown for many years after Jack Johnson.  He was just too good!

Jack Johnson was the inspiration for the phrase “Great White Hope”.  These words are attributed to the writer Jack London.  They searched the whole wide world for a “Great White Hope” to beat Jack Johnson, but one could never be found.

Jack Johnson was asked what would he like to be written on his tombstone.  He said “Just write.  He was a man”.  And what a man he was!

There is something significant about all the black people whose quotes I have used.  Mahatma Ghandi, Angela Davis, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson and Marcus Garvey.  They all suffered persecution by the authorities.  They all went to prison for their beliefs.  They all went to prison for the power of their words!

The power of the words

An article written By Danny Keen

Me, We.  Me, We”.  The American author and Pulitzer prize winner, George Plimpton said that those two words should be in the Oxford Dictionary of Poetry as the shortest poem in history.  Those two words were spoken by a great man at the lowest time in his life.  He had proved himself to be the greatest in the world at what he did, but he upset the authorities with what he said.  “The power of words” can get you in a whole lot of trouble!  The American authorities tried to take away that man’s ability to earn his living, but he found another way.  The university campuses were full of students who were happy to pay to hear him talk, and he stood in front of them and spoke those two words “Me, We.  Of course that man was Muhammad Ali. “Me, We” is a call for inclusiveness.  It is a statement that we are all the same under the skin of our race, creed or culture.  Only four letters that hold a vast wealth of meaning for the whole world.
Those words remind me of a Jamaican phrase.  Its a Rastafarian expression.  Again it is only a handful of letters, only five letters.  One more than Muhammad Ali’s “Me, We”.  It goes like this “I and I”.  These five letters are also a call for unity of humankind.  A call for brotherhood and sisterhood.  Essentially the Rastafarian movement is a movement of peace.  They revered Ethiopia as the sacred home of black people.  They searched for a King of Kings.  In 1962 Jamaica, the country of my birth, became independent from Great Britain.  Free of control by the British authorities, large landowners instigated a rout of Rastafarian squatters in the hills near Montego Bay.  Eight Rastas and two policemen were killed.

History shows that whenever black people stand up for what they believe in the authorities try to crush them.  Here is a quote by the great freedom fighter Angela Davis…  “Poor people, people of colour, are much more likely to be found in prison than in institutions of higher education”.

Foremost of all the great black people who found themselves in prison was Mahatma Ghandi.  Here is a quote that I really like…  “Nobody can hurt me without my permission”.  Mahatma Ghandi was very familiar with people in authority trying to hurt him.  His words give hope to all those who find themselves oppressed.His words were the inspiration to another great man to carry the fight for freedom and equal rights forward.  Martin Luther King Junior has so many powerful and meaningful sayings that it is hard to find just one, but here are two…  “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”.  This again is a call for unity amongst disparate peoples.  Here is another…  “I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear”. It seems that whenever a black person is really good at their job the authorities try to cut them down.  Jack Johnson was the best at what he did.  He was a truly great man.  He was the first black heavyweight champion of the world, and also the last for a long time.

The authorities used their power to prevent black boxers from gaining the heavyweight crown for many years after Jack Johnson.  He was just too good!

Jack Johnson was the inspiration for the phrase “Great White Hope”.  These words are attributed to the writer Jack London.  They searched the whole wide world for a “Great White Hope” to beat Jack Johnson, but one could never be found.

Jack Johnson was asked what would he like to be written on his tombstone.  He said “Just write.  He was a man”.  And what a man he was!

There is something significant about all the black people whose quotes I have used.  Mahatma Ghandi, Angela Davis, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson and Marcus Garvey.  They all suffered persecution by the authorities.  They all went to prison for their beliefs.  They all went to prison for the power of their words!

The Black History Month Bake Off BHM 2016

On the 13th of October a baking contest will take place at City College.
If you feel creative, want to prepare a cake, and take part in our contest, contact us for more details at bhmnorfolk@gmail.com
The best cake will be awarded!!!
This year Norfolk Black History Month's theme is "The Power of words". So, get inspired and prepare your amazing cake.


CAKES, PUDDINGS, SWEETS, "SUGAR AND SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE" ARE PART OF THE BLACK HISTORY 
An article of Danny Keen

When we eat our Christmas pudding, and rich fruit cake soaked in rum at Yuletide, few of us would consider that we are partaking in a ritual that is almost totally derived from Black History. Pause for a moment and think of the ingredients that go into these most traditionally British of dishes:

- Dates with other dried fruits from Africa, spices from India and the Caribbean, as well as sugar, treacle, and molasses are ingredients that bring a luxurious taste of the exotic to flour, eggs, and fat, which are the British contribution to some of the greatest of our national dishes. What a dull and insipid world we would live in without Black Culture! -

Cakes, gateaux, and puddings present an array of delicious constituents that symbolise colourful aspects of Black History. Here is a list of some of them:

• All kinds of sugars including Demerara, Moscovado, Caramel, etc.
• Chocolate
• Cocoa
• Coffee
• Ginger
• A plethora of spices
• Vanilla (the method of mass cultivation of this wild orchid was devised by a slave) 
• Dates and other dried fruits
• Rum
• Curacao, and many other liqueurs
• Coconut in all of its various forms
• Pineapple, mango, tamarind and a vast list of other exotic fruits
• Manioc, cassava, sago, tapioca and other types of flour
• Sweet potato, yams, etc.
• And  many other

The insatiable demand for exotic foods, sugar and spices in Medieval Europe eventually lead to slavery, colonialism and empire. there is not time enough to write an essay about those things here, instead I call for a celebration of Black History via puddings, sugar and spice, and all things nice. "Let them eat the cake" is the motto of the Black History Month Bake off. Eat and Enjoy!  

A force for change: Molly Williams & Lieutenant Walter Tull

Written by Nigel Williams Chief Fire Officer- Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service

 

Change can be driven by many things a selfless act and terrible events and unfair laws – in each case it is an individual’s reaction to events that can be a catalyst for positive change.

I want to pay tribute to two individuals who have been a force for change – making each of our lives better and fairer by their actions and example.

As you would expect my list starts with a firefighter.

Molly Williams – Firefighter  

Women have been firefighters for longer than most people realize: in fact, for almost 200 years. The first woman firefighter we know of was Molly Williams, an African American woman who was a cook with Oceanus Engine Company Fire House in New York City in 1815.

One wintry day in 1818 Molly heard the church bells signalling a fire, she rushed to be of help. This time, however, it was not food that was needed, but extra hands as sickness had severely limited the number of men who responded.

Molly did not hesitate - donning a leather fireman’s hat, she pitched in to help. And help she did. She helped to pull the heavy tanker to the scene of the fire, passed water on the bucket brigade, worked on the pumper, manned a hose, and pulled down parts of burning walls with a hook.

In the end she received the highest compliment she could hope for from the Fire Captain: “Molly, by golly, you’re as fine a fire lad as any!” From then on she was known as volunteer number 11.

Her story is told in a children’s book – “Molly by Golly” – the Legend of America’s First Female Firefighter.

Her heroics are recorded in the African American Firefighters Museum in Los Angeles.

Today, women play a significant role in the fire service around the world.

I am incredibly proud to follow in her footsteps and I hope Molly, looking down, is proud of me and my colleagues.

Since 2014 marks the 100 anniversary of WW 1 it is only fitting that we celebrate the achievements and bravery of the UK’s first black combat officer.

Walter Tull – British Officer

Walter was also one of the first black professional footballers – playing for Tottenham Hotspur. When war broke out he volunteered for the 17th Middlesex, called the Football Battalion because of the number of players in its ranks. Once again he found himself the only black man in the team - and he proved himself all over again. By the time he finished his training he had been promoted three times

After one daring night raid, in Italy in which Walter led 26 men across a swirling river and brought them all back unharmed, he was mentioned in dispatches for “gallantry and coolness under fire”. 

Senior officers recommended Walter for promotion and he won his commission in May 1917 although military regulations - forbidding "any negro or person of colour" being an officer.

He became the first Black combat officer in the British Army. In contrast with his fellow officers – most of whom were from well-off families and public school-educated he was a working class orphan.

Lieutenant Tull was killed leading his men during the second battle of the Somme in 1918. He was such a popular officer that when he was wounded several of his men made valiant efforts under heavy fire to bring him back to the British trenches at the some cost of their own lives. However their efforts were in vain.

He was recommended for a Military Cross but never received one. Campaigners are calling for the government to posthumously award him the medal.

His accomplishment and sacrifice are being recognised and celebrated as part of the commemorations of the centenary of WWI. His portrait with a backdrop of infantry soldiers going "over the top" will feature in one of a set of six coins to remember the sacrifices made by many during the war. 

To-day our armed forces have 670 black and ethnic minority officers and racism is condemned. 

Lieutenant Tull I salute you.

A force for change: Dr Minns.

Written by Jo Wilson - Director & Diversity Consultant - Unity in diversity CIC 

It is not just one, but many people who have inspired me through my life. 

As educators,  I feel it is important for  us to make the younger generation aware of our arms reach heroes, in the hope that they too will feel that they could achieve

If I was to ask "Who was the first Black Mayor of Gt Britain?"

You may answer, John Archer, elected Mayor of Battersea 1913.

But in fact  it was noted, that nine years earlier, in 1904, "Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns, a  coloured man from West Indies, (Bahamas) was elected Mayor of the borough of Thetford, Norfolk". 

Dr Minns, did so much for the town of Thetford including Campaigning for the rights of the ordinary people who were suffering from the appalling conditions of the work house. He made it his duty to improve their health and Wellbeing. This alongside his role as a Magistrate and other responsibilities required of a Mayor. 

He was an educated man, who came as an immigrant to the town of Thetford and  gained the respect of the local community. A realistic notion and personal to me as my father Simon Gordon also had a similar journey.  He too, an educated man, came as an immigrant from the West Indies and won the respect of the local people, both as a businessman and for the contribution he made to the local community.

A Black man... paving the way for others like you and I.

Our dream is to bring beauty to the world

On the dark stage of the Theatre Royal, on a magical night of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, a light sculpts the shape of Sidiki Diabaté. He holds and tunes his kora. From silence the first notes emerge as a warm voice through a growing feeling of commotion.  His fingers dance on the strings of his instrument and a sweet composition vibrates in the air as a lullaby. 

After his first song, Toumani Diabaté appears on the stage and sits on the second chair. They look at each other, father and son, and without speaking they start to play, tuned on the same melody in a bind of notes which ties the spectators. 

It is a sequence of songs; then silence is broken by the clapping of the audience.  The spectacle goes on for around one hour. Then Toumani Diabaté takes the microphone and with his smile gives thanks to the spectators. He says: “Thank you England for adopting me. I’m a Camden boy! I arrived here from Mali in 1986; since then I have been living here and travelling around the world with my music.”

He looks at his son and states: “Our dream is to bring beauty to the world.”
 
The African Kora music is beauty which penetrates hearts. Kora is an instrument made by a half calabash covered with cow skin and strung with fishing lines. It is played using only four fingers on twenty-one strings whose sound is smartly combined in one time by the players. 
 
He continues: “The most important thing to me is to bring this music from the past. This is the free jazz of the tradition. Listening to the music you might feel like dancing or just to close your eyes and dream with the melody. What we play is all about peace and spirituality.” 

The last song the duo play is called Lampedusa. “We wrote this song thinking of the 300 plus Africans who passed away trying to reach the costs of Lampedusa in Italy, last October 2013. We were lucky to get a chance of working, of getting a VISA. But now everything is difficult. If you don’t have a VISA, if you don’t have money you are nothing. This is very sad,” Toumani Diabaté concludes.  
The last notes sound like all the words of those who were lost in a sea of hope. 

The end is a noisy clapping of enthusiastic spectators while Toumani and Sidiki leave the scene.

Black History and Modernism in Twentieth Century Art

Written by Danny Keen

Creole Dancer, Henri Matisse

I studied fine art in 1960s “Swinging London”. In that era Black Culture rushed through the establishment like a refreshing breeze. Once again the Zeitgeist dipped into Black History to find the name that defined the times. The term “Swinging” was itself a word that was borrowed from Jazz, similarly the 1920s and 30s were called the “Jazz Age”.  A black person studying fine art at that time was in a lonely position. As far as I knew I was the only one. What I had in common with my white fellow students was that we were all reaching for something new. We were trying to break free of the straight jacket of the establishment.
The first time I walked into an art school I was impressed by “Beatnicks”. These were people who had long hair, dark clothing and carried bongo drums and guitars around with them as they walked about in sandals reciting “Beat” poetry. These people were “hip”, but they were soon overtaken by “Hippies” as the coolest “cats and chicks” around. It seemed to me that generations of young people were liberally dipping into Black Culture to define themselves. The “Beat”, the “Hip”, the “Cool”, the “Swing”, the “Hip Hop”, the “Groove” are elements of youth style that have derived from Black culture.
And so it was in the visual arts. Starting with Paul Gauguin in the nineteenth century modern painting was developed by artists dipping into the great well of Black Culture for their inspiration.  When I was a student “New York Abstract Expressionism” was considered to be the cutting edge of the visual arts. The leading light of the movement was Jackson Pollock who had died in a car crash some years earlier. Pollock, in common with his contemporaries, immersed himself in Jazz music.  In the 1940s Pollock produced “action” paintings using the improvisational approach of jazz musicians. This put him at the forefront of a new generation of abstract painters. At exactly the same time Henri Matisse in post war France created his “Jazz” series using his cut out technique. These late works were done in his old age, and placed Matisse at the forefront of twentieth century modern art. In the opinion of many experts these late works allowed him to overtake Picasso to become the master of 20th century painting.  Picasso spent his late years retreating into sexual fantasies blended with Greek mythology, but Matisse reached out into the dynamic world of jazz to produce abstract pictures that were right on the cutting edge.
Both great masters dipped into Black Culture for inspiration. Picasso collected African art all his life. Matisse made several visits to North Africa and collected carpets. They both experienced a great event that sent shockwaves throughout the Parisian art world. Josephine Baker’s arrival in 1927 made an instantaneous impact that was culture changing. The “Jazz Age” had arrived. Pandora had opened her box and Paris was never the same again! The proof of the great black entertainer’s influence on the French art world is in the Matisse exhibition at the Tate Modern. I recently paid homage before it. Matisse’s major late work “Creole Dancer” is a testament to Josephine Baker’s charisma. 25 years after she first arrived from America she was still casting her spell over the great master.
What is it about Black History that allows art experts to overlook its influence? The pundits who write about art are the victims of a prejudice that puts Black History in the box marked “Primitive”. Yet every where you look Black History is the prime force for change throughout modern art, literature, music, dance, politics, sport and culture! It is the task of those us who know better to take Black History from the box marked “Primitivism” and put it in the one marked “Modernism”.