Community figures honoured in Black History Month (From Haringey Independent)

Community figures honoured in Black History Month

3:40pm Thursday 23rd October 2008

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Tottenham residents who have dedicated their lives to making a difference have been recognised for their contributions to the area they live in.

Six everyday heroes from the borough’s African and Caribbean community were nominated by their peers as part of Black History Month, and four accepted their awards in front of 200 people at a ceremony at the Triangle Community Centre, in St Anns Road, on Saturday.

Event organiser Shelly Choudhury, partnership manager at Bridge New Deal for Communities, said: “We tend to celebrate those figures who are well-known but we rarely mention the people in our communities who put in a lot of effort and their own time.

“It made a nice change to see them get some recognition for all the fabulous work they do.”

Fabrice Yala
Fabrice Yala, aged 17, a sixth form student at Alexandra Park School, Bidwell Gardens, is studying four A-levels. Driven by a passion to be a spokesperson for his generation, he became a member of Haringey’s youth parliament and sits on the borough’s youth council.

Having spent the last ten years in foster care, Fabrice helped set up Total Respect — a training package for social workers designed by young people in care that aims to make moves between homes easier.

Fabrice said: “It can be hard moving around so much. Quite often you end up having to throw your stuff in bin bags, so we put forward the idea to make sure foster children get proper suitcases. It’s the little things that can make a difference.

“I don’t know if I’m a hero or a role model. I just try to do what is right.”

Bill Guy
Guyanese-born athletics legend Bill Guy, 78, describes himself as a political activist and campaigns for racial equality and better treatment of the elderly. Known in his community as the “perfect gentleman”, he moved to Haringey in 1950.

Winning four World Championship gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres, Bill went on to become the fastest man in the world over the age of 55 in 1986 when he ran the 100m in a staggering 11.89 seconds.

He said: “I don’t need no MBE or OBE because the people of Tottenham have recognised that I have been here fighting against racism, fighting for diversity and that is enough for me.

“In my lifetime they have tried to shoot me, they have put human excrement on my door step, they posted leaflets saying ‘no blacks, no Irish, no dogs’ through my letterbox and I didn’t let that stop me from saying what I had to say.

“I am so honoured to receive this award. But what makes me even more happy is when I look around Haringey, the best area in the world for its diversity, and see how well we all live together.”

Mathilda Lewis
Mathilda Lewis, who turns 68 this year, moved to Haringey in 1959 when she was a teenager. She has been involved in projects across all sections of the community, working with young mothers and the elderly, setting up a football team for boys to keep them off the streets, and contributing to women’s groups.

She said: “It’s nice to know people appreciate what I do. People are my passion, I love humanity. If there’s something I can do to help, I will do it. I hope to work with young offenders next because they need a little more attention.

“Our young people are suffering an identity crisis and Black History Month is a great time to remind people of our rich history which is full of great doctors, great scientists and inventors. What the young people need to learn is everything they need to succeed in life is within them, they just need to find it.”

Monica White
Sixty-five-year-old Monica White moved to Haringey from Jamaica in 1962. She raised four children on her own and now works as a community organiser, running Chestnuts Community and Arts Centre, in St Ann’s Road.

She said: “I couldn’t live in a place without getting involved in the community. Sometimes I find myself in the middle of some struggle and I think, ‘Monica, how did you get yourself involved in this?’ and I know it’s because I can’t stand to see injustice. I feel it is my duty to help.”

Peter Johnson
Peter Johnson, 25, runs Bridge Rivers Football Club for boys under ten as well as a film-makers group for young people.

He said: “I love working with young people, I’m just a big kid at heart really. When I see I have made a difference in someone’s life, that is when I realise how important it is to be a positive role model.

“I started the football club to give young people around here something to do after I got my coaching certificate, but then I noticed some of them started to stray so I had to give them a new challenge.

“I came up with the idea of making short films. In time I’d like to expand the film group and I’ve started thinking I’d quite like to become mayor of Haringey to try and make even more of a difference.”

Lorna Blackman
Lorna Blackman, 51, runs a drama group for adults and young people in Crouch End.

She said: “I love teaching drama, theatre and acting. But it’s getting really hard to keep going because of problems with funding.

“This award really came at the right time for me. It was like a sign to keep going and I really appreciate it.”

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