BlackBlack -- BBrr ii gghh tt(A Bespoke Approach to Empowerment)(A Bespoke Approach to Empowerment)

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Issue 40

ISSN No. 1751-1909

Blackbright News Magazine

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Myrna Loy

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What’s Inside...?

- How does the Benefit Sys-

tem Protect us? (Editorial)

- Did you know

‘

- Toyin Odutole

- Managing Your Child’s Fears

- Clifford Johnson Ph.D

- Clare’s Law

- Where are they now

- Legal Highs

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4

comfortably. However, all that changed, when I got married.

I didn’t realise the implications of getting married. The ben-

efits stopped and my then husband was not able to supple-

ment my income, so I ended up being worse off financially.

The benefit system discouraged couples on a modest

salary from getting married because they would feel dis-

advantaged. Some single mothers were reluctant to work

because of the loss of income, housing benefits and be-

cause the amount of child benefit given per child might be

reduced, so, it encouraged women to have babies but dis-

couraged them from keeping the father!

Now there will be many people who say that it is a wotless

mind that takes advantage of the benefit system, and

maybe it is (or was) but I can understand why those who

live on James Turner Street (aka Benefits Street) in Birm-

ingham have done it for so long, because with no qualifica-

tions, they cannot earn the equivalent of what they are

being paid in benefits! Now, 50 years later, the system

wants to pull the rug from under their feet, leaving people

homeless, hungry and broken. How can you encourage a

mode of dependency for two generations and then sud-

denly tell people to be independent or co-dependent without

the training in place, transitioning, resources or jobs?

Fraser Nelson, Editor of the Spectator reiterated on ‘The

Big Benefits Row’: “Everything you earn, you lose in bene-

fits and are zero better off”... ...“Who would want to work

under this system?”. He went on to say that “If you are an

immigrant from Gdańsk, you get to keep a vast majority of

what you earn so there is a huge incentive for immigrants

to do British jobs, but the government de-incentivises in-

digenous Brits from taking jobs because they withdraw the

benefits so quickly [when they start working or get married]”

When Edwina Curry chastised the unemployed in the au-

dience for not accepting jobs cleaning toilets and cafes,

which immigrants are willing to accept, they came down on

her like a ton of bricks!

When I was a teenager, the Social Security Office as it

was known then, was based on Neasden Lane. There

was also a branch in Harlesden. I remember seeing long

queues outside the Job Centre, and having the opinion

that people ‘on the dole’ (claiming benefits), were

dossers, i.e. lazy. I also thought they were lucky because

they got their rent, utilities, council tax paid, plus they got

help with child care via Child Benefit (nurseries were free

or payment of a nominal amount); they also got housing

benefit, while I went out to work and had to pay my rent

and other bills out of my salary. leaving me with practically

nothing. I felt like a sucker! Having children was your

passport to entitlements, a council apartment or house,

so when I got pregnant, I was fortunate enough to get a

council flat on Chalkhill Estate (Greenrigg Walk). I was

then transferred to a beautiful council house on St

Raphaels Estate in Neasden, which was my pride and

joy, after I had my second daughter. I decorated it with

wallpaper from John Lewis, got Axminster carpets fitted;

goats hair rugs were the rage then, so I had one in every

room, wall cabinets from IKEA, and bought 3-peice suite

furniture from Leatherland, We didn’t have credit cards

back then, but we could buy things and then pay for it

weekly. Someone from Provident, would arrive on a Fri-

day evening, mark it in a card and we would get a kick

watching the balance go down so we could buy some-

thing else on hire purchase.

When I returned to work after maternity leave, I still got

help towards my rent, and my children went to nursery

for a concessionary fee. I recall I got concessions for gas

and electricity too, so as a single parent family, we lived

5@Blackbrightnews

I found it defamatory for The Sun Social Commentator KT

Hopkins, to say (on the Big Benefits Row) that there is job

snobbery going on just because British Citizens are reluc-

tant to clean toilets for the minimum wage for a couple of

hours a week, and accept zero-contracts, when families

have rent, council tax and utilities to pay and food to buy!

The Government has created a hazardous benefits system

because claimants cannot survive on or off benefits. It

seems impossible to find job that will enable them to pay

for basic needs, even when they have degrees, and they

cannot survive on the dole either..

In 2009, I was made redundant from a job I was in for 9

years. I am a qualified teacher, but I did not have the con-

fidence to transition from the safety of a Legal Secretary to

a teaching post - so I applied for jobs I was used to and .

commensurate with my experience, and despaired after 18

unsuccessful interviews. I had always just walked into a

place and got a job - but times had changed! I was repeat-

edly told I was ‘pipped at the post’. I had to claim benefits

during this time, and thank God I had mortgage insurance

because the Benefits System was supposed to pay the in-

terest on the mortgage, but after 6 months of claiming it had

still not been processed, so I would have lost my home!

(Peeps – I advise you to pay your mortgage insurance pre-

miums if you can, believe me it’s worth it and gives you

peace of mind for up to a year!). I had one of those insur-

ances that not only pays the interests but gives you a little

extra to pay bills and I was not penalised by the Benefits

Office either, so my unemployment experience was not too

bad, but as it approached a year when the mortgage insur-

ance would stop, I started panicking. I ended up taking a

job that I was ‘below my capacity’ until I found my feet again

So who does the benefit system benefit? Many would

argue it benefits those on Benefits Street; others will say

they have been paying into the system for centuries and

the goal posts keep moving to prevent them from benefiting.

I will be stating some interesting facts about the Benefits

System, extracted from informed panel members of the Big

Benefit Row debate under the ‘Did You Know’ section.(The Editor)

6

Bedfordshire Police continues to call for the public to

support the fight against gun crime with the mes-

sage: ‘Bedfordshire Police is making a statement

about gun crime – are you? If you want action, make

your words count’.

The message is supported by the Police and Crime

Commissioner and Luton Borough Council as part of

a much wider range of enforcement, reassurance

and community cohesion activity going on in the

town. It is designed to provoke people with informa-

tion about incidents, where firearms or violence

have been used, to put pen to paper and make a

statement.

“Since the murder of Paul Foster in April 2013 Luton

has witnessed an unusual and worrying increase in gun

related and violent crime,” said Chief Superintendent

Mark Turner. “That is now being addressed and

brought under control but with further help from the

public we can ensure an even safer Luton for everyone.

“We continue to ask Luton residents to be brave and

make statements that will help us bring people to jus-

tice. We understand that putting yourself forward in

this way could cause concern but we want to reassure

people, it might be as simple as a confidential conver-

sation but if it is concerns for yourself or family then

talk to us about it, we have measures we can put in

place to address these fears and anxieties,” he added.

Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins said:

“The conviction of Kyle Beckford earlier this year

showed the value of the public passing on information.

Without key pieces of evidence, that result may not

have been possible.”

What Statement

are you making?

Mandela’s Corner(1912 - 2013)

7

DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS

ABOUT THE BENEFITS SYSTEM?

66% think that the Benefit System is unfitfor purpose;

20 million people are on benefits andBritain’s Total Benefit’s Bill is £166b at thetime of publishing - £5,263 per second isbeing paid out in benefits equal to £19m perhour;

£1.2 billion a year is down to fraud, LESSTHAN 1% of the total benefit bill;

Fewer than 1% of families have two gener-ations who have never worked;

Payments to pensioners make up more thanhalf of the social security spend;

85 people on the planet have the income of3.5b people;

£30b is lost in tax avoidance/evasion com-pared to £1.2b lost in terms of benefit fraud;

In 2010 there was £2b unclaimed in disabil-ity and ESA benefits;

Many reasons for claiming benefits, e.g.,Mental Health Issues, Redundancy, Home-lessness, Constructive/Wrongful Dismissal,Disabilities, Broken back/bones;

There are applicants with degrees who can-not get jobs;

Some job shortages are due to businessesoutsourcing jobs to people abroad;

1m pensioners over 85 years old – thereare more over 85’s than there are under16’s;

Claimants need a means-tested voucher togo to the majority of food banks.

A £2000 reward is still on offer from Bedfordshire Police

and Crimestoppers, to anyone who provides information

that leads to the arrest and conviction for gun crime.

Anyone with information relating firearms offences can

contact Bedfordshire Police, in confidence, on 101, or text

information to 07786 200011. Alternatively you can con-

tact the independent charity Crimestoppers anony-

mously, on 0800 555 111.

8

Women to get right tocheck police records ofnew boyfriends to see ifthey have a violent pastunder ‘Clare’s Law’

All women in England and Wales tocheck criminal past of partners

Scheme is named after Clare Ward,murdered by a man she met online

Her killer George Appleton had a historyof violence against women

Roll-out follows pilot in Manchester,Gwent, Wiltshire and Nottingham.

Women across the country are to havethe right to find out if their boyfriendhas a secret violent past

Clare’s Law, which enables them to askpolice for background checks that couldreveal whether they are at risk of attackor abuse, will be extended nationallywithin months.

It also gives potential victims a ‘right toknow’, which allows police to disclosesensitive information about a partnereven if an individual has not asked forit.

The expansion of Clare’s Law nationallycomes after a successful 14-month trialin Manchester, Gwent, Wiltshire and

Nottingham during which 400 womenwere given sensitive information suchas details of a partner’s criminal recordor complaints about them.

Her family later discovered he had con-victions for violence against women, in-cluding kidnapping at knifepoint.

Clare’s father Michael Brown, who hascampaigned for women to receive moreprotection, yesterday said the law couldhave saved her life.

‘I’m hoping that at the very least thereis going to be a substantial drop in thedeath figures,’ he added.

‘Clare’s Law is not a panacea, we havenever suggested that it will stop all do-mestic violence.

‘But what it does do is give women andmen in that situation a reasonablechance to make an educated assump-tion about what they should do in thefuture – go or stay.’

Some 88 women were killed by a part-ner or formerboyfriend last year,according to theGovernment, andthe rise of datingand social network-ing websites has leftmany unaware oftheir partner’s back-ground.

Under the scheme, which is expected tocome into force in March, police couldtake up to five weeks to discloserecords.

Women will be warned that repeating

9

by Emily Colucci

In his iconic Black Skin, White Masks, Franz

Fanon explains, “I am black, not because of a

curse, but because my skin has been able to

capture all the cosmic effluvia. I am truly a

drop of sun under the earth,” which almost

perfectly describes artist Toyin Odutola’s exhi-

bition My Country Has No Name at the Jack

Shainman Gallery. Transforming the human

body into a luminous, rich and colorful visual

landscape, Odutola’s gorgeous and thought-

provoking show, open until June 29, presents

Odutola’s deft artistic investigation into black-

ness and identity through her intricate line

work.

From metallic Sharpie on black board to pen

and marker on white paper, Odutola con-

sciously selects her materials for their vibrant

sheen. In addition to their artistic function,

Odutola also enjoys using everyday materials

such as ballpoint pens to create her almost

paint-like surfaces. As she explains, “I love

sensitive details to others could be an of-fence.

In Wiltshire, 118 applications for disclo-sure were made and 22 granted in thetrial. Police also piloted domestic vio-lence protection orders, which ban abu-sive partners from going near theirhome for up to 28 days.

Critics including domestic violence char-ity Refuge have said the initiative couldwaste police resources. Others said itmay lead to malicious claims.

But Home Secre-tary Theresa Maysaid: ‘Domesticabuse shatterslives – Clare’sLaw providespeople with theinformation they

need to escape an abusive situation be-fore it ends in tragedy.

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513166/Women-right-check-police-records-new-

boyfriends-violent-past-Clares-Law.html#ixzz2tW0NrJnZ

Toyin OdutolaToyin OdutolaCaptures the MultiCaptures the Multi --

tudes within Our Skintudes within Our Skin

that my materials are cheap. I love that they

are primarily regarded as office supplies, not

art supplies; that by my utilizing these tools in

such a way expands their consideration, mak-

ing them more than what they are generally

known for doing, limited to by perception.”

Born in Nigeria and currently living in Alabama,

Odutola’s background heavily influences her

focus on identity in her art. As she describes,

“I’ve always felt ambivalent about my heritage

and prescribed identity. There is something

suspicious about labels: they define you in very

concrete terms and they can emancipate you

all the while potentially limiting and trapping

you in place. The finite nature of labels often

feels demanding to me in some way, so I try

not to let myself get too attached or beholden

to them. This process of tug and pull is often

documented in my work.”

Looking at the work and the title of My Country

Has No Name, Odutola reveals that she “at-

tempts to highlight the contradictions of com-

mitment and disillusionment towards identity:

how one is susceptible to it, how one can ma-

nipulate it and how one can disregard it alto-

gether.” Playing with her ability to artistically

alter identity such as her complete color inver-

sion in her series Gauging Tones, Odutola cre-

ates stunning portraits, which tread the line

between realism and imagination

10

THE BRITISH-BLACK HISTORY MAKERS

CLIFFORD JOHNSON Ph.D , Physics Professor,

Physicist

Physicist and physics professor Clifford Johnson

was born in 1968 in London, England. Growing

up, Johnson spent ten years on the Caribbean

island of Montserrat, where his father worked as

a telephone engineer. As a child, Johnson began

to teach himself electronics by secretly reading

his father’s books. In lieu of watching television,

Johnson read electronics books and magazines,

fixed appliances, and designed devices and ma-

chines such as radios and remote-controlled

submarines. He also enjoyed gardening and

making intricate patterned designs using

needlework techniques such as crochet and

macramé. Due to his interest in how things

worked, Johnson decided at an early age he

wanted to become a scientist. He went on to re-

ceive his B.S. degree in physics from the Impe-

rial College at London University in 1989 and his

Ph.D. degree in physics from Southampton Uni-

versity in 1992.

After graduating, Johnson began working as a

postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Advanced

Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and in 1994, he

moved to Princeton University as an instructor

11

and post doctoral fellow. The following year, he

became a postdoctoral fellow at the Kavli Insti-

tute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara,

California. Johnson taught as an assistant pro-

fessor at the University of Kentucky between

1997 and 1999 before joining the faculty at the

University of Durham, England. Since 2003,

Johnson has been a professor at the University

of Southern California’s Department of Physics

and Astronomy. In 2004, Johnson founded the

African Summer Theory Institute, which held its

inaugural workshop meeting in Cape Town,

South Africa.

Johnson received the National Science Founda-

tion’s (NSF) Career Award in 1997, and in 2005,

he was awarded the Institute of Physics’ Maxwell

Medal and Prize for his work on string theory

and quantum gravity. He has also been listed in

the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education as the

most highly cited black professor of mathemat-

ics or a related field at an American university

or college. In addition to his research and teach-

ing, Johnson communicates and explains sci-

ence to the general public. He blogs, has made

short films on science, written articles for mag-

azines, has co-authored a play, authored a

book, and is currently writing and drawing a

graphic novel featuring science. He appears on

the History Channel’s The Universe series and

other series on channels such as Discovery, Sci-

ence, National Geographic, Spike, and Comedy

Central. He has been a science consultant for

film, TV, radio, and theater.

Johnson was interviewed by The HistoryMakers

on April 26, 2011.

Helping a ChildManage FearsHelping a Child Manage Fears After a Traumatic Event

© 1997, 1999 Ceridian Corporation. All rights reserved.

OverviewHere are some ways to help children cope withfears associated with violent traumatic eventssuch as major accidemts or shootings —whether the child has been directly involved orhas learned of the event through the media.

Understanding your child’s fears

The importance of security and routine

Helping your child

Common reactions

If fears continue

Traumatic events can have profound effects notonly on those who have been injured, but alsoon loved ones, survivors, and witnesses. Exten-sive media coverage of tragedies means thatthe circle of witnesses has expanded to includethose who were not present at the event. Large-scale tragedies such as bombing incidents andschool shootings can be extremely disturbing to

children, who thrive on predictability and secu-rity. The following information is intended tohelp you understand and ease your child’sfears.

Understanding your child’s fears

Children who have been exposed to a traumaticevent are afraid of many of the same thingsadults are afraid of: that the event will happenagain; that they or their family will be hurt; orthat they will be separated from family mem-bers. They may also have fears based on mis-conceptions of what has happened.

The importance of security and routine

Among the most important things adults canprovide for children, at any time, is an unbro-ken sense of security and routine. If your childhas been exposed to a traumatic event, it’s im-portant to do as much as you can to keep dis-ruptions to a minimum and to reassure him thathe is loved, cared for, and protected. It can behelpful to:

Reassure your child that you are there to pro-tect him, and that your family is safe and to-gether.

Provide extra physical reassurance. Hugging,sitting close to read a book, and back rubs canhelp restore a child’s sense of safety.

Give your child a comforting toy or somethingof yours to keep — a scarf, a photograph, or anote from you. Your child may be afraid of sep-arating from you, and keeping a reminder ofyou close by can help.

Be available as much as you can for talking with

and comforting your child. (If you can, youmay want to save phone calls for after yourchild’s bedtime.)

If your child’s daily routine has been inter-rupted, let him know that this is only tempo-rary. (You will probably need to repeat thismany times.)

Helping your child

Open, thoughtful com-munication with yourchild will help comfortand reassure her. Thefollowing guidelines canhelp:

Ask your child what shethinks has happened. Ifshe has any misconcep-

tions, this is a chance for you to help her. If achild knows upsetting details that are true,12

don’t deny them. Instead, listen closely andtalk with her about her fears.

Help your child talk about the event by lettingher know that it is normal to feel worried orupset. Try to listen carefully and understandwhat she is really trying to say. Help youngerchildren use words like “angry” and “sad” to ex-press their feelings.

Try to be patient when your child asks the samequestion many times. Children often use repe-tition of information as a source of comfort. Tryto be consistent with answers and information.

If your child seems reluctant to talk, ask her todraw pictures of what happened, and talk aboutthe pictures with her.

Encourage a young child to act out her feelingswith toys or puppets. Don’t be alarmed if sheexpresses angry or violent emotions. Instead,use the play-acting to begin a conversationabout your child’s worries and fears.

Talk with your child about your own feelings,but try to find other adults to talk with aboutyour anxieties and frustrations. Children pickup on their parents’ emotions, and will tend tofeel more frightened and helpless if that’s howtheir parents appear. Shield your child fromgraphic details and pictures in the media. They

will only make her more anxious.

Common reactions

Here are some common reactions associatedwith traumatic events and ways to help yourchild deal with them:

Regression. Many children may try to return toan earlier stage when they felt safer and morecared for. Younger children may wet the bed orwant a bottle; older children may fear beingalone. It’s important to be patient and comfort-ing if your child responds this way.

Thinking the event is their fault. Childrenyounger than seven or eight tend to think thatif something goes wrong, it must be their fault— no matter how irrational this may sound toan adult. Be sure your child understands thathe did not cause the event.

Sleep disorders. Some children have difficultyfalling to sleep; others wake frequently or havetroubling dreams. If you can, give your child astuffed animal, soft blanket, or flashlight totake to bed. Try spending extra time togetherin the evening, doing quiet activities or reading.Be patient. It may take a while before yourchild can sleep through the night again.

13

Positive Roots Consultancy is a FamilyWelfare/Support organisation that seeks toempower individuals & communities tolead a healthy and violence free lifestyleboth in the UK and abroad. The staffteam at Positive Roots Consultancy Ltdcomprises of criminologists, social work-ers, probation officers, parenting practi-tioners, youth workers, psychotherapistsand life coaches. We are specialists in ad-dressing issues relating to all forms ofabuse including parent to teen violence,domestic violence, sexual exploitation/sexualised behaviour & child protectionconcerns. Our services also extend toworking with offenders & those at risk ofoffending. Positive Roots provide theseservices to parents/carers, children/youngpeople & all health, social & criminal jus-tice professionals working with children& families.

www.positiverootsconsultancy.co.uk

07591 165870

Where are They Now?Buy Julian Ashaye

What has happened to our warriors, the onesthat fought for change and regardless of theconsequences they carried head on into thebreach? It seems they have passed away withtime itself. Today’s warrior is more comfortablefighting their battle behind their Personal Com-puters (PC’s). They feel safer there. You couldcall it their happy place even. They know whenthe fight becomes a little to rough or involved,they can always just unplug and head off outuntil the next cyber battle. The escape routeis assured and no harm will come to them, wellmaybe their ego may have been bruised butbetter that than a physical encounter anytime.No one is ready to step out and be battered….oops sorry I mean counted. But I suppose thenew age warrior cannot be blamed for theirlack of wanting to put themselves all out in thefront line, fighting the good fight for the people.The new age warrior knows the people won’tbe standing behind them supporting andcheering them on. So armed with that little in-sight they will fight the fight for the people fromtheir PCs, until the people wake up and givethem the support they need to fight the goodfight.

As you must be able tell, even warriors needthe love of the ones they are fighting for. A littlelove goes a long way when fighting a cause.No one wants to feel they are doing somethingfor nothing. And when it involves fighting togive the people more rights, better deals etc,the least those you are fighting for, can give

you some kind of support and acknowledge-ment.

We all need something or someone to moti-vate us and keep us going. Because withoutthat we then feel lost and with no direction andeven worse, that we are alone. So our war-riors are human after all and what drives themto fight is the support and love of those theyfight for.

I suppose if the people started supportingthose that stood up and fought against wrongsand were not so cynical that maybe, justmaybe we would see the return of the warrior,the champion of the people. I suppose someof us can live in hope to see such a time againwhen the likes of another Martin Luther King,Brother Malcolm, Rosa Parkes, Maya An-gelou, and all the other known and unknownwarriors who fought for human rights.

14

15

DID YOU KNOW...

Over 700,000 kids in the UK take Legal Highs?Legal Highs were linked to 53 deaths in 2013 an87% increase from the year before, according toFiona Foster who presented ‘Dying to get High’ onthe Tonight Programme on ITV (October 2013).

1 teenager in 12 has tried legal highs and the as-sociated risks do not put them off.

A drug called GBL killed a 17 year old, and it hassince been banned. Benzo Fury another drug waslinked to deaths and it was banned only to turnup again in a different guise so that it is legal touse.

The people who sell these drugs are called “Head

Shops”

I had never even heard about Legal Highs until Iresearched. Manufacturers are avoiding the lawby labelling the product ‘Not for Human Con-sumption’ but then telling them how to use it.Combinations of paint strippers, cold tar, horsetranquilisers, hallucenics which give them heartattacks, convulsions, disablement and death, butthe associated risks do not turn them off!! Eachteenager thinks they know how much to take,and that if they give themselves the right meas-ure they will be OK, but they are not thinking ofthe medium to long-term effects. The govern-ment has tried to pass laws to ban the drugs butmanufacturers keep adjusting the formula so thatit is no longer governed by a particular law. It isscary. Why do young people want to get high?What are they escaping from? Why would manu-facturers put teenagers lives at risk?? I am lostfor words! The word ‘legal’ in the eyes of ateenager suggests that the drug has been re-searched, that it is harmless and that is OK touse, but the fact that there is a big label that says‘NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION’ should indicateto them that they should not take it, but they do!!Teenagers are synonymous with risk...

1,000 parents have never spoken to their childrenabout legal highs. So if you have teenage chil-dren - educate your children about legal highs..Please!

The Editor

http://issuu.com/blackbrightnews(for previous issues)

email: blackbrightnews@gmail.com