Speaking on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, President Barack Obama declared:
"Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. It bends towards justice, but here is the thing: it does not bend on its own. It bends because each of us in our own ways put our hand on that arc and we bend it in the direction of justice...."
Today, as the murderers of Stephen Lawrence are convicted of that gruesome and cowardly act, let us pause to reflect on this. And let us remember that the arc of some cold justice that the Lawrence family may be feeling today did not bend because there is an immutable force in the world that seeks out injustice and shapes society in the right direction. Let us remember that even those who we charge with protecting society and bringing the unjust to book colluded to produce a rotten system where the most corrupt elements of the human soul can fester unapologetically. Let us remember the reluctance of the gatekeepers of the system to acknowledge the blindingly obvious, to accept the inevitable and stop justifying the unconscionable. And please let us remember that we have reached where we are today due to the efforts of the Lawrence family and the many who stood with and by them in grief and in solidarity - through the legal wrangles, the semantic chicanery about institutional racism, the cartoonish blunders borne either of deliberateness or incompetence – to join hands to force the arc of our moral universe towards some semblance of justice for Stephen.
The actual sentence those wicked people receive does not matter too much today. There may yet be appeals, which will reopen this painful matter. Even if there isn’t, a 100 year life sentence followed by a double execution would not bring back what Mr & Mrs Lawrence would want above all – to have had their son with them for the past 18 years, to have watched him grow into a fine young man, to have marked the critical moments of his life with him and to now being comforted by him as they enter their golden years. Yet, today let us remember. Let us remember the way the world was in 1993, and reflect on how it is today. Let us remember how tenuous the gains of the past 18 years have really been, as witnessed by the number of people who are still killed in custody every year, and how many of our public institutions remain adamant that they are not institutionally racist, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Let us not be blinded by the whiplash of the bending of this arc to presume for one moment that this sentence is indicative of a new age of social justice and public accountability. Because it isn’t. Rather, it is a celebration of the steel of human will, forged in the furnaces of adversity and determined righteousness, to shape the will of society to recognise the need for dignity of all her children regardless of colour, creed or kinship. That is how justice shall be served – by refusing to accept injustice in any way, shape or form.
So today we acclaim the verdict but we do not rejoice. We acknowledge small changes but we do not, - we cannot - take these for granted. We offer thanks for Stephen’s life and how his death has changed the lives of millions of others around the world for the better; even as we pray for his family in their renewed pain of this moment. Today, those of us who can will heed the words of Dr King again and rededicate ourselves to bending the arc of the moral universes around us firmly, doggedly and purposefully towards an inexorable of justice.
Stephen Lawrence, Rest in Peace. VIVA STEPHEN LAWRENCE!
Our Community Mentoring Programme is now delivered right across London:
North London - West Green Learning Centre, Langham Road, N15 3RB(see map) Entrance on West Green Road & Philip Lane.
South London - London South Bank University, 100-116 London Road, SE1 6LN (see map. Building No 11)
East London - Stratford College, 2 Broadway, Stratford, E15 4QS (entrance next to Jackson Furnishing shop)(see map)
Register online and we will contact you and then attend at your chosen venue on Saturday 14th January 2012 at 10:30am to complete registration and attend the session to start at 11:00am sharp.
Registration is open for:
ME I CAN BE PROGRAMME
A life skills programme for young Black boys and girls aged 10—15. Modules in the programme include: Self-Identity; Family Roles & Responsibilities; Guns, Knives & Violence; Drugs & Substance Abuse; Goal-setting; Peer Relations; Health & Wellbeing. A programme to help young Black boys and girls become strong and centred individuals.
PARENTS IN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME
A community support and discussion forum for parents which aims to Engage; Energise; Equip; Enhance; Empower parents by exploring several issues such as: proactive parenting; single parenting; raising boys vs. girls; social networking and culminates with an event entitled An Audience with Our Children. The programme is designed to compliment and reinforce the session and modules covered in MICB; YLA and PMP.
Contact us now at mentoring@100bmol.org.uk or on 0870 121 4100
Last Updated on Friday, 23 December 2011 12:46
PIP Evaluation report
BETTER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BLACK PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN COULD IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL RESULTS AND LIFE CHANCES
Black parents on a new Parent in Partnership programme found that by developing better communication skills they could have a greater impact on their children, according to a report published by the Black Training and Enterprise Group today.
The parenting programme was developed jointly by 100 Black Men of London and BTEG. As the idea of a big society develops it is clear that the ‘family unit’ should be more than just mother and father. In the black community the family needs to include other key and influential and non family members who could also play an enabling role.
The research findings are based on interviews and workshops delivered over a ten week period with forty-seven parents from London during November 2010 - June 2011. All the workshops were held on Saturdays which demonstrated commitment from the parents. Some parents felt inadequate and powerless but were working hard to find practical solutions. Some parents were struggling to ensure their children were brought up with strong morals and values but were at the time mindful of the strength of relationships that were out of their control (.e.g. peer pressure) and which threatened to undermine the work they were doing in raising their child.
Social networking and technology were identified as key areas for development that parents needed to be better informed about.
The pilot programme showed that parents:
Were better informed and felt more able to take greater control of their lives and access helpful information that they need e.g. parents found checklists and questions to ask schools invaluable.
Were more aware of the things they can do, for instance attending parent’s evenings and taking a more proactive stance around their children’s education.
Improved their communication skills and developed confidence (e.g. parents reported making changes to their child’s social networking activities. One parent remarked that the programme gave him ‘…the opportunity to show [his child] how important education was…’
The report’s author, Karl Murray, BTEG’s Head of Research says:
‘100 Black men and BTEG commend black parents for participating in this pilot programme. Parents are often cited as the reason why young people go off the rails and yet hardly any attention is being paid to the multiple pressures that they face and the sort of support they urgently need in order to undertake the role of being a parent.’
The Help
here comes
'THE HELP'
Finally, the acclaimed film adaptation of the equally acclaimed novel has arrived in the United Kingdom, and the 100 Black Men of London is proud to promote and support this important piece of cinematic art.
THE HELP has been one of the cinematic phenomena of 2011. It has taken over $160 million at the US box office, is the only film this year to have stayed at #1 for three consecutive weeks, and is polling as the second most popular film this summer (after Harry Potter) with American cinemagoers. The film is based on the 2008 bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett, which sold 3 million copies in the US (staying on the New York Times bestseller list for a staggering 103 weeks), and 700,000 copies in the UK, largely driven by reader word of mouth and book groups. The book was a UK Top Ten and Sunday Times Bestseller and has also become the first novel to sell 1 million e-books.
Set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the 1960s, THE HELP chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.
THE HELP is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change. The film is both inspirational and empowering, featuring relatable, funny, courageous characters who, by finding their unique voices, triumph and become the heroes of their own lives.
We were priviledged to be offered a private screening of this movie both here in the UK and during the annual 100 Black Men International Conference in San Francisco earlier in the year.
Go see this movie!
Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 16:08
Community Mentoring Programme 2011/12 - Open Day
THE 100 BLACK MEN OF LONDON
INVITES YOU TO THE
OPEN DAY
COMMUNITY MENTORING PROGRAMME 2011/12
(NORTH LONDON)
5TH NOVEMBER 2011
11AM - 1PM
LECTURE THEATRE
WEST GREEN LEARNING CENTRE
Langham Road
N15 3RB
Transport: Seven Sisters Tube, Turnpike Lane, Tottenham Hale
THE HELP has been one of the cinematic phenomena of 2011. It has taken over $160 million at the US box office, is the only film this year to have stayed at #1 for three consecutive weeks, and is polling as the second most popular film this summer (after Harry Potter) with American cinemagoers. The film is based on the 2008 bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett, which sold 3 million copies in the US (staying on the New York Times bestseller list for a staggering 103 weeks), and 700,000 copies in the UK, largely driven by reader word of mouth and book groups. The book was a UK Top Ten and Sunday Times Bestseller and has also become the first novel to sell 1 million e-books.
