Tracey Dunn Reports for Toxteth08.
People from liverpool's black and ethnic minority community (called shadows) have been appointed to work closely with local councillors. 'Operation Black Vote', launched the scheme in the hall of rememberance at Liverpool Town Hall. Around 70 community groups, councillors and proud guests converged before entering the council chambers.
People chatted before a memorial to 13,245 mainly scouse soldiers who died in war.
Lord Mayor (Steve Rotheram) spoke to seated guests: 'I want people from all diverse communities to attend drop in surgeries and have a chat on any subject.'
Rotheram recognized a much needed change to attitudes and ethnic mix in the council.
'Liverpool City Council is fully embracing cultural diversity'.
But Simon Wooley from Operation Black Vote, based in East London, made a joke about the Lord Mayor's "bling" - his gold chain. "What is culture?" asked he. It is peoples history, some tragic, some shameful but glorious too.
He reminded us that the Beatles were inspired by the black music entering the port of Liverpool.
He recognized a need that the council should represent all the people,'we should recognize ourselves in them'.
We want your voice, your presence.We must break down stubborn beliefs and prejudices.
There must not be a gloss over- it must be the real deal. Those handpicked by the council to shadow councillors can now say, 'this great institution belongs to us too'.
Warren Bradley thanked Andrew Nebard, equality officer, Gloria Hyatt, Eva Davis and Laurence Westgaph. He held up Laurence's booklet on street signs relating to the slave trade and said we must teach our children and our children's children about this. He thanked all councillors and mentioned Martin Luther King's words 'be better than yourself'.
Mr.Bradley also thanked Operation Black Vote and political parties in the city council for their efforts in reaching out to diverse communities.He spoke of those disenfranchised in Liverpool 8.
Mr. Bradley wanted to encourage and nurture people to become involved in local political life and admitted the council wasn't represenative.In a city where 65 different dialects are spoken it is crucial for MP's to engage with every community,barriers must be removed.
Councillor Joe Anderson said 'Liverpool to me has a lot to learn and must accept mistakes we've made and make things better.There is not enough engagement.Bring in the Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) groups and communicate better.There is a need to change the way we engage.Too many dissaffected people-only a 27% turnout in local elections. Do things differently, move forward and work together'.
Councillor Steve Radcliffe said he was cynical at first and had seen a lot of token efforts. He was deeply impressed by the rigour and depth of today's programme; absolutely delighted. Wants all to partake in public life.
Chris Walsh, head of community services with 25 years experience talked of 'playshapers'- pro active campaigns to encourage people to become councillors, especially the young.
Only 4.1% of Liverpool City Councillors are from an ethnic background. He wants to 'grow our own leaders' and move forward.
Councillor Anna Rothery has been described as a 'trailblazer' for councillors as she is the only black woman in power in Liverpool.
She was very emotional and read from her notes.She welcomed all shadows very warmly. She continues to work with Operation Black Vote and is both proud and ashamed to be the only black woman in council. Anna Rotherby's motivation is true representation in the Princes Park ward. She will head disparities in the city and support disengaged people. 'The time is right for all to engage with the shaping of politics'. Her main priority is that a high standard of candidates from diverse communities are represented. Simon Wooley, OBV, said we had come together from all walks of life. Together we can make the change. Make Liverpool an example of how we can do this. Changing the city needs belief, hope and hard work. Eventually we'll see a representative chamber. We want to see a higher voter turn out. He said he was moved today with the potential that we have.
The 9 shadows then had a photocall on the town hall stairs with their individual councillors. I personally spoke to Jane Hill, Granby ward and took her photo. The evening ended with drinks and canapes upstairs in the small ballroom.
Friday 30 May 2008
Wednesday 28 May 2008
Tate "Klimt" Exhibition -best ever
Gustav Klimt at Tate Liverpool Gustav Klimt: Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900 30 May – 31 August 2008 Tickets cost £8 (£6 concs.)To celebrate 2008 as European Capital of Culture Tate Liverpool is delighted to present the first comprehensive exhibition of Gustav Klimt’s work ever staged in the UK. The exhibition focuses on the life and art of one of the world’s most influential and revered artists. It will explore Klimt’s role as the founder and leader of the Viennese Secession, a progressive group of artists and artisans. The work and philosophy of the Secession embraced art, architecture, fashion, dazzling decorative objects and furniture in their search for identity. Major paintings and drawings from all stages of Klimt’s career will be shown alongside the work of Josef Hoffmann, the architect and designer and a close friend of the artist. Tickets now on sale. Supported by the Liverpool Culture Company as part of European Capital of Culture 2008 Media Partner - The Times
Liverpool's Black Vote
Black shadow councillors will be unveiled at Liverpool Town Hall at 6.20pm, tomorrow night. The event marks a new initiative to improve BME representation within Liverpool Council Chamber.
A press conference, launching the event takes place at Liverpool Town Hall between 5:30pm and 7:30pm on Thursday 29 May 2008.
The recruits will be made available for interviews and a photocall at 6.20pm.
LIVERPOOL has recruited nine people to shadow councillors in a
groundbreaking new initiative to nurture the Black and minority
ethnic community leaders of the future.
Nine dynamic Liverpool residents - seven women and two men – have
been selected for Operation Black Vote's (OBV's) award winning
programme. Through which, they hope to gain an insight into the roles and responsibilities of a councillor. Each shadow been assigned to an elected member from the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Liberal Party's and will follow them for
the next six months.
Conservative Clls do not seem to be included.
Nevertheless, this new generation of black shadown cllrs are being sworn in at a special event at 5:30pm in the council chamber at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday 29 May. They will be welcomed by Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram, their mentors and the leaders of the three largest political groups on the council.
RECRUITS Vs COUNSELLORS
Justine Jenkins-Burke - Cllr Alan Dean (Labour)
Shanaz Nawaz - Cllr Steve Munby (Labour)
Caroline Cheghe - Cllr Louise Baldock (Labour)
Jane Hill - Cllr Anna Rothery (Labour)
Jing Liu Deng - Cllr Karen Afford (Lib Dem)
Amina Ismail - Cllr Warren Bradley (Lib Dem)
Kevin James Nagberi Cllr Flo Clucas (Lib Dem)
Akmed Musleh Cllr Peter Millea (Lib Dem)
Nathalie Nicholas Cllr Steve Radford (Liberal)
Background.
Operation Black Vote is a non-party political campaign – see
www.obv.org. uk for more information
The term "Black" is a political term. It refers to African,
Asian, Caribbean and other ethnic minorities.
The Operation Black Vote Shadowing Scheme is the first to specifically target ethnic minorities.
Shadows commit at least eight working days to the project over the next six months. This is a voluntary programme. Participants will not be paid bar basic expenses.
Liverpool City Council is a Liberal Democrat controlled
Local Authority. There are currently 90 councillors in Liverpool , only one of whom is from a BME community (Cllr Anna Rothery).
Cllr Anna Rothery participated in the 2006 OBV MP Shadowing
Scheme a national programme to address
the under-representation of BME communities within Parliament. At
present there are 15 BME MPs, if this figure was representative,
there should be 55-60 MPs.
The Councillor Shadowing Scheme was first implemented in
2005/6 in Bristol and was awarded the Local Government Chronicle
Award in 2006 for `Supporting Local Democracy' and was highly
commended for the `Community Involvement' category.
The LGC Awards are a national award which recognizes and rewards initiatives of
excellence (http://www.lgcaward s.com).
The Councillor Shadowing
Scheme was also cited as a `model of excellence' by both the
Councillors Commission and the Audit Commission.
For enquiries regarding Liverpool City Council - please contact Paul
Johnston, News Officer, on 0151 225 2611 or 07740 918615
Thanks to:
Garth Dallas
Chief Executive
Fortis Marketing Ltd*
t: 0151 707 6550
m: 07793 771275
f: 0151 703 6580
e: gdallas@fortismarke ting.co.uk
w: www.fortismarketing .co.uk
*Publishers of Diverse Liverpool magazine, winner of "Excellence in
Media Award, Black Achievers Awards 2006
A press conference, launching the event takes place at Liverpool Town Hall between 5:30pm and 7:30pm on Thursday 29 May 2008.
The recruits will be made available for interviews and a photocall at 6.20pm.
LIVERPOOL has recruited nine people to shadow councillors in a
groundbreaking new initiative to nurture the Black and minority
ethnic community leaders of the future.
Nine dynamic Liverpool residents - seven women and two men – have
been selected for Operation Black Vote's (OBV's) award winning
programme. Through which, they hope to gain an insight into the roles and responsibilities of a councillor. Each shadow been assigned to an elected member from the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Liberal Party's and will follow them for
the next six months.
Conservative Clls do not seem to be included.
Nevertheless, this new generation of black shadown cllrs are being sworn in at a special event at 5:30pm in the council chamber at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday 29 May. They will be welcomed by Lord Mayor Steve Rotheram, their mentors and the leaders of the three largest political groups on the council.
RECRUITS Vs COUNSELLORS
Justine Jenkins-Burke - Cllr Alan Dean (Labour)
Shanaz Nawaz - Cllr Steve Munby (Labour)
Caroline Cheghe - Cllr Louise Baldock (Labour)
Jane Hill - Cllr Anna Rothery (Labour)
Jing Liu Deng - Cllr Karen Afford (Lib Dem)
Amina Ismail - Cllr Warren Bradley (Lib Dem)
Kevin James Nagberi Cllr Flo Clucas (Lib Dem)
Akmed Musleh Cllr Peter Millea (Lib Dem)
Nathalie Nicholas Cllr Steve Radford (Liberal)
Background.
Operation Black Vote is a non-party political campaign – see
www.obv.org. uk for more information
The term "Black" is a political term. It refers to African,
Asian, Caribbean and other ethnic minorities.
The Operation Black Vote Shadowing Scheme is the first to specifically target ethnic minorities.
Shadows commit at least eight working days to the project over the next six months. This is a voluntary programme. Participants will not be paid bar basic expenses.
Liverpool City Council is a Liberal Democrat controlled
Local Authority. There are currently 90 councillors in Liverpool , only one of whom is from a BME community (Cllr Anna Rothery).
Cllr Anna Rothery participated in the 2006 OBV MP Shadowing
Scheme a national programme to address
the under-representation of BME communities within Parliament. At
present there are 15 BME MPs, if this figure was representative,
there should be 55-60 MPs.
The Councillor Shadowing Scheme was first implemented in
2005/6 in Bristol and was awarded the Local Government Chronicle
Award in 2006 for `Supporting Local Democracy' and was highly
commended for the `Community Involvement' category.
The LGC Awards are a national award which recognizes and rewards initiatives of
excellence (http://www.lgcaward s.com).
The Councillor Shadowing
Scheme was also cited as a `model of excellence' by both the
Councillors Commission and the Audit Commission.
For enquiries regarding Liverpool City Council - please contact Paul
Johnston, News Officer, on 0151 225 2611 or 07740 918615
Thanks to:
Garth Dallas
Chief Executive
Fortis Marketing Ltd*
t: 0151 707 6550
m: 07793 771275
f: 0151 703 6580
e: gdallas@fortismarke ting.co.uk
w: www.fortismarketing .co.uk
*Publishers of Diverse Liverpool magazine, winner of "Excellence in
Media Award, Black Achievers Awards 2006
Friday 16 May 2008
What We'd all Prefer to a Ringo Sing-a-Long...
What We’d all Prefer to a Ringo Sing-a-Long ...
By Laurence Westgaph
THE council may have to sell Millennium House in order to pay for this year’s festivities.
The £20m shortfall, that one Liberal Democrat official told me has been caused by “councillor cock-ups”, will leave us with a massive hang-over after the party is over.
If the government gives the go ahead then the Culture Company’s main office building could be put into trust using a process known as capitalisation.
Councillors, instead of the embarrassment of hocking one of your main office buildings, why not sell off the multitude of brownfield sites that have been allowed to fester by successive administrations for more than a quarter of a century?
These sites once provided a service to the community in the way of shops that employed people and provided revenue to the city through rates and council taxes.
I’m thinking of plots on Upper Parliament Street, where unique Georgian terraces were demolished and nothing was put back; Lodge Lane, where after the riots shops were replaced by poorly landscaped green areas, only useful for acting as litter traps and providing a benefit to no one apart from a few manky pigeons; and the acres of dereliction that we see in Everton, Kirkdale and Anfield really highlight the generations of neglect that have created a north-south divide in our beloved city.
Hey, but let’s look on the bright side. This funding crisis could be used to finally attract some private investment into these areas. For far too long deprivation and a lack of innovation has meant that the only organisations building in these communities are housing associations or other public bodies.
One of the main obstacles to progress is that thanks to the farcical Housing Market Renewal Initiative, the council gives ‘preferred developer’ status to ‘cardboard box’ volume house builders, allowing them to cherry pick sites for development. While these massive companies twiddle their thumbs deciding which sites they want to develop, smaller, usually local, developers are not allowed to buy any of the council owned sites.
In a country that supposedly believes in free trade, that seems suspiciously like a monopoly to me.
The council needs to sell off all their long-term derelict sites and use Compulsory Purchase Order powers if necessary to bring other land bankers to the negotiating table. It seems awfully hypocritical to continue to persecute homeowners with the threat of CPOs for wanting nothing more than to stay in their well-maintained homes, while multi-millionaire property speculators allow our built heritage to fall into the ground.
What this £20m debacle really highlights is just how out of touch the council is when it comes to realising what is important for the real people of Liverpool.
We all love a good knees up, but at the end of the day I think what many of us would prefer, rather than a sing song from Ringo, is the chance to live in decent, well maintained neighbourhoods, in a city where the majority of dereliction is not owned by the city.
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
Penny Lane
By Paul Coslett
The street made famous in song by The Beatles is named after a Liverpool slave ship owner and anti-abolitionist.
Penny Lane is a street famous worldwide thanks to The Beatles 1967 hit, but the south Liverpool street owes its name to an outspoken Liverpool slave ship owner and staunch anti-abolitionist.
James Penny was a Liverpool merchant who made his money from the transportation of slaves.
Penny was one of several traders from Liverpool who spoke in favour of the slave trade at a parliamentary committee.
Penny told the committee that he had invested in eleven voyages of ships carrying slaves from Africa to the West Indies. His ships were between 200-300 tons and usually carried between 500 to 600 slaves in a single voyage. Of these approximately two thirds of the slaves were male and one third female.
'An advantageous trade'
The Lords Committee of Council was set up in February 1788 to investigate the slave trade.
In evidence James Penny voiced his opinion that the trade was humane “…that he found himself impelled, both by humanity and interest, to pay every possible attention both to the preservation of the crew and the slaves.
"Great improvements have been made at Liverpool within these twenty years in the construction of the ships."
James Penny in 1788
“The slaves here will sleep better than the gentlemen do on shore.”
The slave trader was presented with a silver table in 1792 for speaking out against the abolition of slavery.
Liverpool traders were anxious to preserve the slave trade which had made large profits for many of them and was the source of much of the city’s wealth.
The parliamentary minutes record James Penny’s conviction that ending the trade would cause great harm to Liverpool, “…Mr Penny being asked, whether he conceives this trade to be a profitable one in general to the Merchant?
“Replied, he thinks it, upon the whole, an advantageous trade; and added, he would have to beg leave to observe, that should this trade be abolished, it would not only greatly affect the commercial interest, but also the landed property of the County of Lancaster and more particularly, the Town of Liverpool; whose fall, in that case, would be as rapid as its rise has been astonishing.”
James Penny was insistent that the slave trade should be allowed to continue “…the Slave Ships at Liverpool are built on purpose for this trade, and are accommodated with air ports and gratings for the purpose of keeping the slaves cool.
“Great improvements have been made at Liverpool within these twenty years in the construction of the ships. The space between the decks is sufficiently large to contain the number of negroes above-mentioned and is plained, very smooth and painted.”
In July 2006 a Liverpool councillor Barbara Mace proposed that streets named after slave traders should be renamed.
The plan was criticised by those who argued the negative parts of history should not be "airbrushed" and was later withdrawn.
www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool, Last updated: 15/02/07
By Paul Coslett
The street made famous in song by The Beatles is named after a Liverpool slave ship owner and anti-abolitionist.
Penny Lane is a street famous worldwide thanks to The Beatles 1967 hit, but the south Liverpool street owes its name to an outspoken Liverpool slave ship owner and staunch anti-abolitionist.
James Penny was a Liverpool merchant who made his money from the transportation of slaves.
Penny was one of several traders from Liverpool who spoke in favour of the slave trade at a parliamentary committee.
Penny told the committee that he had invested in eleven voyages of ships carrying slaves from Africa to the West Indies. His ships were between 200-300 tons and usually carried between 500 to 600 slaves in a single voyage. Of these approximately two thirds of the slaves were male and one third female.
'An advantageous trade'
The Lords Committee of Council was set up in February 1788 to investigate the slave trade.
In evidence James Penny voiced his opinion that the trade was humane “…that he found himself impelled, both by humanity and interest, to pay every possible attention both to the preservation of the crew and the slaves.
"Great improvements have been made at Liverpool within these twenty years in the construction of the ships."
James Penny in 1788
“The slaves here will sleep better than the gentlemen do on shore.”
The slave trader was presented with a silver table in 1792 for speaking out against the abolition of slavery.
Liverpool traders were anxious to preserve the slave trade which had made large profits for many of them and was the source of much of the city’s wealth.
The parliamentary minutes record James Penny’s conviction that ending the trade would cause great harm to Liverpool, “…Mr Penny being asked, whether he conceives this trade to be a profitable one in general to the Merchant?
“Replied, he thinks it, upon the whole, an advantageous trade; and added, he would have to beg leave to observe, that should this trade be abolished, it would not only greatly affect the commercial interest, but also the landed property of the County of Lancaster and more particularly, the Town of Liverpool; whose fall, in that case, would be as rapid as its rise has been astonishing.”
James Penny was insistent that the slave trade should be allowed to continue “…the Slave Ships at Liverpool are built on purpose for this trade, and are accommodated with air ports and gratings for the purpose of keeping the slaves cool.
“Great improvements have been made at Liverpool within these twenty years in the construction of the ships. The space between the decks is sufficiently large to contain the number of negroes above-mentioned and is plained, very smooth and painted.”
In July 2006 a Liverpool councillor Barbara Mace proposed that streets named after slave traders should be renamed.
The plan was criticised by those who argued the negative parts of history should not be "airbrushed" and was later withdrawn.
www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool, Last updated: 15/02/07
Visitors Break 3million
Culture visitors to break 3m mark
Tate Liverpool has been one of the most popular venues
Liverpool is preparing to break the 3m visitors mark since the start of its Capital of Culture celebrations.
More than 2.75m people attended venues and events in the first four months of 2008 - a 25% rise on 2007.
And with the biggest events of the year yet to take place, culture bosses are estimating that visitor numbers will continue to grow.
The Streets Ahead arts festival and the Gustav Klimt exhibition at the Tate are among upcoming highlights.
The Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tate Liverpool and Anglican Cathedral are among the venues experiencing the biggest boosts.
Bryan Gray, chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: ''The impact of Capital of Culture is having an impact on our cultural and tourism sectors in a way that few if any previous culture cities have experienced.
"To have these figures at this stage of the year is truly amazing and surpasses all our expectations."
More than 350 events, many of them free, are being staged for the city's celebrations.
Highlights later in the year include the Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield on 1 June, the Tall Ships Races which start on 18 July and the MTV Europe Music Awards in November.
Tate Liverpool has been one of the most popular venues
Liverpool is preparing to break the 3m visitors mark since the start of its Capital of Culture celebrations.
More than 2.75m people attended venues and events in the first four months of 2008 - a 25% rise on 2007.
And with the biggest events of the year yet to take place, culture bosses are estimating that visitor numbers will continue to grow.
The Streets Ahead arts festival and the Gustav Klimt exhibition at the Tate are among upcoming highlights.
The Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tate Liverpool and Anglican Cathedral are among the venues experiencing the biggest boosts.
Bryan Gray, chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: ''The impact of Capital of Culture is having an impact on our cultural and tourism sectors in a way that few if any previous culture cities have experienced.
"To have these figures at this stage of the year is truly amazing and surpasses all our expectations."
More than 350 events, many of them free, are being staged for the city's celebrations.
Highlights later in the year include the Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield on 1 June, the Tall Ships Races which start on 18 July and the MTV Europe Music Awards in November.
Sunday 11 May 2008
Black Arts Exhibition
The Art of 15 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS & ONE 16th CENTURY SAILOR was shown at Novas Contemporary Arts Centre in Liverpool this spring.
Special guests attended a private viewing on Thursday 6 March 2008, 7pm-10pm. A public exhibition followed: 7 March - 2 May 2008 at Novas Arts Centre.
Black Artists explored new visions of the African-Caribbean diaspora in the wake of Sir John Hawkins, Britain’s first slave trader.
Featured Artists:
Faith Bebbington
George ‘Fowokan’ Kelly
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy
Jean-François Boclé
Donna Berry
Keith Piper
Barbara Walker
Raimi Gbadamosi
Kofi Achiampong
Pauline Wiggins
Tam Joseph
Kimathi Donkor
Marcia Brown
Paul Clarkson
Jane Woolner
This was a Hawkins & Co event but was curated by Kimathi Donkor for Novas Arts.
Did you attend and meet a featured artist? How did his or her work affect you? Send your views to: marieeloisefeatures@yahoo.co.uk
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