In Birmingham with family. 4pm-ish. Pouring with rain, I had my hood up and an umbrella. Saw a Black boy running from a police car. They jumped out, caught him, pinned him down and cuffed him. I ran across the road to get closer to them. Told my family to keep on walking, while I…
[This introduction was delivered verbally, not reading from a script. The below speech was written up afterwards from notes and memory, with some additions placed in brackets.] Introduction by Dr Shawn Sobers to the film ‘Talking about Trees’. Afrika Eye Film Festival – 10th November 2019. Watershed, Bristol Welcome to the final film of the…
It’s little things like this that you notice. It’s petty, makes you think you’re being paranoid. The only image of a Black person in a BBC quiz is connected with a question about cheating. It chips away at your psyche. It’s these little things you notice. (For further info see ‘WEB Du Bois double consciousness’)
Today we celebrate the life of Tony Forbes. His 1998 self portrait painting ‘Sold Down The River’ is well known in Bristol, on permanent display in the MShed. A powerful visual critique of how he felt Bristol had not dealt with its history of involvement in Transatlantic Slavery. In 1999 myself and Rob Mitchell interviewed…
Trying to put limits on someone’s imagination and identity is like trying to cut water with a pizza slice.
Dear Dailyfeed I just completed a quiz you posted titled something like ‘Kiss or Avoid’, where you have to click through 100 different photographs of women if your preference. I took part on this quiz as an experiment, and only chose Black women to ‘kiss’. Imagine my shock when at the end, the result told…
Back in January I visited a friend (RIP 💚💛❤️) in a London care home, after she had a stroke. Not really knowing what part of the city I was in, leaving the care home I used Google Maps to find my way to the Underground station. Eating a packet of crisps and drinking as I…
