All posts by Liz

Age, Diversity, Equality, Gender, Uncategorised

Obituary: Clare Hollingworth – War Corresondent

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Clare Hollingworth was the war correspondent who broke the news that German troops were poised to invade Poland at the start of World War Two.

She went on to report on conflicts across the world but it was that moment that defined her career.

She was by no means the first female war reporter, but her depth of technical, tactical and strategic insight set her apart.

And, even as she approached her 11th decade, she still kept her passport by her bed in case she should be called to another assignment.   More

Diversity, Inclusion, LGBT, Uncategorised

Greg Clarke says gay footballers could come out together at start of season

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Greg Clarke, the Football Association chairman, has spoken to gay footballers and suggested the idea of a group of players coming out together.

Clarke said last year that he “wouldn’t recommend” a footballer coming out at the moment because of the risk they would be verbally abused, but believes several players sharing the spotlight may be the answer. “I put the message out there that if a number of top-level pros want to come out, why don’t we synchronise it? So one person doesn’t have to come out on their own,” he said in an interview with the Times newspaper.

“The Premier League, the Football League and the FA could do it at the start of the season. At the start of the season everybody thinks it is their season, the crowds are happy, the sun is shining. I was asked [recently] if football is ready for top-level pros to come out and I said I’m not sure we were.  More

Diversity, Ethnicity, Uncategorised

Forgotten footballer Frank Soo: England’s first Asian player

frank-sooEngland footballer Frank Soo has been called one of the most important British players of the 20th Century.

He was of mixed Chinese and English heritage and is credited as the first Asian to play for the national side. His family believe the footballer, from Liverpool, has been largely forgotten about.

A new book tells the story of the life and career of the star of the 30s and 40s who died in 1991.  More

Diversity, Equality, Ethnicity, Inclusion, Uncategorised

Where are the black dolls in High Street stores?

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An internet search for black dolls will bring up about 20 million results in less than a second – but parents have discovered the toys to be increasingly hard to find on the shelves of High Street stores. Why is this?

Three-year-old Sofia-Lily is the only mixed-race girl in her playgroup. She often points out this difference to her mother Abbey Potter, who has been trying to reassure her child, partly through dolls that look like her.  More

Disability, Diversity, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – January 2017

robin-millarWorld Braille Day takes place on 4 January and with that in mind we have chosen Robin Millar as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the month.

Robin is a record producer, musician and businessman and was born with retinitis pigmentosa. He has conquered blindness to become one of the world’s most successful ever record producers with over 150 gold, silver and platinum discs and 55 million record sales to his credit. His 1984 production of ‘Diamond Life’ the debut album by Sade was named one of the best ten albums of the last 30 years at the 2011 Brit Awards.

He has also developed and run a string of successful businesses in car hire, music recording and publishing and is currently Executive Group Chairman of the Blue Raincoat Chrysalis Group, which handles 150 artists and thousands of iconic songs, including “Simply The Best” and “Nothing Compares To You”.

He has worked as a fundraiser for vulnerable people for 30 years and in March 2012 Millar underwent a 12-hour operation to install a bionic retina in his right eye to help research into future treatment for blindness.  Although the implant had to be removed after rejection in autumn 2013, the research has made giant steps in the understanding of possible ways to restore sight in the future.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.

He is currently Chairman of Blue raincoat Music and of CMO Artist Management and Patron of Finding Rhythms, who record and release music from prisoners in UK prisons.

He has been a trustee of Creative & Cultural Skills UK since 2009, is a trustee of The Vietnamese Boat Peoples Appeal, a patron of anti-suicide campaign CALM and Global Advisor to the UN Young Voices mission.

To find out more about Robin see his website http://www.robinmillar.org.uk/

To find out more about World Braille Day see here

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/world/world-braille-day

LGBT, Uncategorised

National Trust prepares to celebrate its gay history

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The long happy marriage and the very separate bedrooms of Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, will be celebrated at their Kent home as the National Trust turns its attention for the first time to the gay history locked within the walls of many of its properties.

The Nicolsons were a famously devoted couple, and had two sons, the writer and publisher Nigel and art historian Benedict, but both also had passionate relationships with partners of the same sex. More

Ethnicity, Religion, Uncategorised

Senior Church of England clergy ‘not diverse enough’

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A number of leading Anglicans have complained about the lack of ethnic minority clergy who make it to senior levels in the Church of England.

The Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons, blamed institutional racism.

On Tuesday, a new suffragan bishop of Woolwich was named – the first black man to be made a bishop in 20 years.

The Church is hiring a minority ethnic vocations officer to attract more black people into the clergy.  More

LGBT, Uncategorised

Moonlight: The small-budget film that is sweeping Hollywood awards

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It’s been hailed by critics as diverse film-making at its best, but the director of Moonlight, which has six Golden Globe nominations, says the film is not a response to the #OscarsSoWhite criticism of last year’s award season.

Miami-born filmmaker Barry Jenkins wrote and directed the film, based on a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, about a young African American boy named Chiron coming to terms with his sexuality as he grows up in a tough Florida neighbourhood.

However, while the shoot took only 25 days, Jenkins says he conceived the project “at least three-and-a-half years ago”.

He explains: “That’s fairly average because it takes a long time for a film to get made.

“So all these movies we have this year – Birth of a Nation, A United Kingdom, Loving, Fences – which are being framed as a reply to the campaign about the lack of diversity in the system, probably began about four years ago.  More

Gender

Laura Kenny named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year

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Four-time Olympic gold medallist Laura Kenny has been named the 2016 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

The Great Britain hockey side who won gold at Rio 2016 have been named Team of the Year.

Cyclist Kenny won team pursuit and omnium gold during the summer.

The 24-year-old beat fellow cyclist Sarah Storey, who has won 14 Paralympic gold medals and Jade Jones, who successfully defended her Olympic taekwondo title, to the prize.

Nicola Adams (boxing), Charlotte Dujardin (equestrianism) Johanna Konta (tennis) were the other nominees.  More