Black British Lives Matter: A Clarion Call for Equality

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Estimated to make up 22 percent of the Black British population we explore exactly why Black British disabled people’s lives matter. Statues were toppled, streets renamed and venerable British institutions such as the Bank of England were forced to reckon with their ties to the slave trade. In response to the international outcry at George Floyd's death, Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder have commissioned this collection of essays to discuss how and why we need to fight for Black lives to matter - not just for Black people but for society as a whole. It is an effective primer for those keen to understand why Floyd’s death drove hundreds of thousands of people to the street.

Our guests talk about the reality behind the shocking stats, their own personal mental health experiences and whether living in Britain is bad for our mental health. But Fitzwilliam’s generosity was only possible because of the wealth his grandfather accumulated in part through the transatlantic slave trade.

The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer may have taken place thousands of miles away, but his agonising cry – “I can’t breathe” – reverberated in the UK, too. This week we discuss why Black British Disabled People Matter with Michelle Daley and Katouche Goll, both leading campaigners for Black disability rights for people in Britain. It shows how through resisting colonial slavery, people produced new cultures known as the Black Atlantic, that continue to shape our world.

This week we discuss why Black British Hair Matters with activist Stephanie Cohen from the Halo Collective, and filmmaker Kevin Morosky. A podcast investigating what it means to be Black in Britain today, from exposing the racism to celebrating the joy in every walk of life.From Nobel Laureates Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter to theatre greats Tom Stoppard and Alan Bennett to rising stars Polly Stenham and Florian Zeller, Faber Drama presents the very best theatre has to offer. Displaying objects and artworks made in West Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Europe, this landmark exhibition also reveals the histories that have been silenced; not just stories of exploitation, but those of resilience and liberation, too.

By rethinking our connected and complex histories and looking again through the lens of contemporary art, tomorrow’s story can be one of repair, hope and freedom. This week we discuss why Black British Mental Health Matters with the highly acclaimed actor David Harewood and journalist and documentary maker Marverine Cole. Her tireless battle to get justice for her son, and force the country to confront the reality of racism, has transformed her into a symbol, but this has also dehumanised her.Butler laments the smattering of black and Asian representation in overwhelmingly white institutions such as parliament, arguing that, as a result, minorities can easily be pitted against each other. I am ageless in the way that people in the public eye often are frozen in time by a single event … I am also ageless because people don’t always see me as human. Honestly there is no other podcast out there like this and which manage such delicate and challenging issues in such a human and even funny way.

So large is the political crisis to which the book is responding that some of the essays only manage to scratch the surface of their subject, while others at times feel repetitive. Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder introduce an essential collection of essays arguing how and why we need to fight for Black lives to matter – not just for Black people, but for British society as a whole. This informative collection of essays and interviews reaffirms what we already knew: that the struggle for racial equality and social justice is constant; that it needs to be waged with a greater intensity and urgency than ever; that there is a need to educate a new generation of activists. Refunds for correctly delivered and undamaged items are available within 30 days of the goods' receipt.We also ask if the food wider society values contains racist overtones, for example why is French cuisine regularly seen as the height of “good cooking” while West African food is rarely mentioned? We explore the politics and racism around hair, from "Black is beautiful" afros to discrimination in the workplace. Our strength does not come from not having any weaknesses, our strength comes from overcoming them" Doreen Lawrence.