Dear Visionary,
People of African heritage have lived in the UK for centuries, possibly as far back as the 2nd Century AD. During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, sizeable numbers of Africans lived in the UK, especially sea ports such as London, Liverpool and Bristol. After the Second World War, the ‘Windrush Generation’ migrated to the UK to help rebuild Britain, making critical contributions that established public services such as the NHS and our national transport systems. We have also made significant impact on the social and cultural aspects of British life, including faith, the arts and sports, and on the economic and political aspects of national life.
However, as black people we have endured centuries of inhumanity, oppression, subjugation in the UK and continue to experience the deleterious effects of institutional racism across every sphere of society today. Despite the various official Reports, Reviews and Recommendations to address this, black people remain disproportionately under-represented at senior levels of leadership within society and over-represented in low paid jobs, unemployment figures, mental health institutions, the criminal justice system, prisons and premature deaths.
‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ – Proverbs 29:18
We are therefore embarking on a mission to systematically collate a coherent vision from the hearts of individuals who have been set in strategic leadership positions in society as well as an upcoming generation of emerging leaders.
We acknowledge other projects also led by members of the black community to understand and reverse the effects of racial injustice and where possible, would seek to collaborate with these initiatives. Our hope is that the completed document, ‘UK Vision 2030: A Call to Action’ will add to these activities by clarifying purpose, focusing hearts and minds and invigorating wills to pursue its fulfilment.
Since September 2020, we have engaged with around 160 Visionaries through focus groups and questionnaires, reviewed early findings, consolidated our base and are now reaching out again to engage a new set of Visionaries. As a leader from the African and Caribbean community, we are inviting you to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative and cast the vision for the next generation.
Please complete the short questionnaire below to inform our research and if available, conform your participation in ONE 90-minute focus group.
Thanking you in advance.
Les Isaac OBE and Dr Jacky McLeod
CLICK LINK TO QUESTIONNAIRE: UKV2030_Visionaries Invitation
