Introduction It is not very often I get animated by the negative rhetoric on social media directed at African Black hair. However, when it is coming from Black people, as disappointingly it often does, I cannot remain passive. If you perceive Black African hair to be: a symbol of beauty, flexibility, elasticity, an assembly of […]

Can a WhatsApp group provide professional development not found elsewhere? I felt drawn to write this piece after, yet another uplifting experience borne out of my interaction in an incredibly special professional space. It is somewhere I feel I can leave and re-enter at will, count on the support of friends, seek advice, offer praise […]

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/opinion/no-small-matter-of-millie-and-me-when-my-boy-lollipop-came-to-woodland-street-smethwick/

Jamaica Diamond Jubilee – Celebrating Jamaican head teachers in the UK 1948-72  Jamaican pioneer headteachers In this year of Jamaica’s 60th Independence celebrations,  join me in commemorating, and paying special tribute to four distinguished Jamaicans who travelled to the UK and became its first Black head teachers during 1948-72. After their arrival from the Caribbean […]

Should they stay or should they go? A tale of four statues                  Betty Campbell                                   Mary Seacole                                […]

Golliwogs, Blackface, and Watermelon Smiles The recent disclosure of England batsman, Alex Hales, blackening his face to attend a New Year’s Eve fancy dress party in 2009, Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, describing Black people as having ‘watermelon smiles’, and golliwogs being constantly described on social media as favourite childhood toys, are all strong indications […]

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My Jamaica, My Scotland – A Journey of Discovery “I was born in Jamaica but made on three continents – Africa, the Americas, and Europe.” Never have these words been as true as in my case. I have always been intrigued how, as a black Jamaican-born woman, I became endowed with a name so strongly […]

I am an “older person”, but older than whom? Older than everyone younger than me, of course! We know that when we are we are talking about older people, we are indeed talking about old people. So why refrain from saying ‘old’ when we readily use ‘young’ to mean the opposite? Put simply, it is […]

Constructing intergenerational connections – and then came COVID-19! Since the airing of the multi-award-winning, Channel 4 TV series Old Peoples Home for 4 year Olds (OPH4YO) in 2017, I have been overwhelmed by the growth and interest in developing intergenerational (IG) activities. OPH4YO was a social experiment that brought old people and young children together […]

Let the Old Die? – A Point of View Suggesting culling the elderly at a time of financial or other crisis now seems an assured route to notoriety for someone seeking attention in the media or elsewhere. So, it is no surprise that this suggestion has again reared its ugly head in the current Coronavirus […]

The offer of the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) triggered feelings of both honour and discontent at the historical abuse of nations dispensed by the British Empire. I recognise and acknowledge similar conflicts expressed by fellow descendants of the empire.  David Olusoga writes of ‘links to the systematic domination, […]

Taking advantage of the benefits of ageing Healthy ageing does not usually depend on having a lot of money, but every little bit helps. Therefore, I continue to be alarmed at the number of people of pensionable age who are completely unaware of the social security benefits to which they are entitled. Equally troubling is […]

Ageing in the Diaspora                                           This blog explores ageing in the diaspora mainly from a personal perspective. However, it could be typical of the many individuals who have relocated from the place of their birth to live in the UK. General ageing and diasporans in the UK The World Health Organisation projects that by 2050, the […]

Tuesday 06 August was not only the 57th Anniversary of Jamaica’s political independence from the UK – with all that portends – but also my very first opportunity to review the newspapers on BBC Radio London with Vanessa Feltz. As fortune would have it, two headliners that day were just up my street: first, the…

Lying on the floor pretending to roar like a lion can do wonders for an elderly man’s well-being. That’s not a scientific fact, but it was one of the surprising and memorable moments we observed while making a television program which introduced a group of very young people with residents of a retirement village…

Dr Melrose Stewart writes that the NHS long-term plan is far from revolutionary when it comes to addressing healthcare inequalities. When evaluating a “new” initiative such as the NHS long-term plan, it is natural to ask what is in it for the constituencies of which one is a member or have extensive direct involvement with…

The growth and development of the NHS is inextricably linked with the journey and experiences of the Windrush Generation and similar migrants Like thousands of other people arriving from the Caribbean who followed the call to come to the ‘Motherland’ to build Britain’s public services, my mother and father left everything and everyone they loved…