Today’s Google Doodle is dedicated to activist Olive Morris on what would have been her 68th birthday.

The Doodle of Olive is by Google Doodler and Londoner Matthew Cruickshank. It shows a mural of her in the street where she used to live – Railton Road, in Brixton.

If you don’t yet know what Olive Morris achieved in her life, which was cut sadly short in 1979, then read on, because we’ve got a brief history lesson about this oft-forgotten activist right here…

Olive Morris was an activist who campaigned for racial, gender and social equality. Born in Jamaica on 26 June 1952, she moved to London with her family when she was nine. Olive died at just 27 of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma but managed to do so much with the short time she was given.

he helped found the Brixton Black Women’s Group – one of the nation’s very first networks for Black women – and she to co-founded the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descent.

She was also a member of the British Youth Black Panther Movement, and campaigned for squatter’s rights.

A Google representative said: ‘There has never been a more timely moment to commemorate the birthday of Olive Morris, whose fight for equality, left an extraordinary legacy of local activism in Brixton and beyond. 

‘We hope that by recognising and celebrating Olive Morris with a Google Doodle, we can inspire others to keep pushing forward for change.’

​Source : Metro, 26 June 2020

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, London’s first ever Rum Distillery, Taxi Spirit Co. has launched a new line of Hand Sanitiser using the approved W.H.O version formula 1, in an effort to aid public demand and protection against the highly contagious virus.

Cabby’s Hand Rub can now be purchased from the Taxi Spirit Co.’s dedicated online shop.

The company has also committed a percentage from the sales of the sanitiser to a number of NHS charities, and will be donating free batches to local hospitals, charities, businesses and other key workers in need of urgent supplies.

Moses Odong, Founder and Director of Taxi Spirit Co. enthused: “We’re seeing that in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, it is having far-reaching consequences beyond just the spread of the disease and the efforts to quarantine it.

“As the pandemic has continued to spread around the country and worldwide, concerns have shifted, and businesses are adapting in an effort to fight this.

“Given the nature of our business, we’re in a position to help the public and healthcare service as there is a shortage of sufficient PPE including Hand Sanitisation.”

Launched in 2018 by Odong, Taxi Spirit Co. is known for producing its signature, award-winning and currently London’s only premium white rum, CABBY’S RUM.

But now, in part due to the UK’s relaxation on the restrictions of the production of sanitiser, the company located in capital’s Mile End, has seen its small batch distillery down tools on its usual production of rum and gin, to repurpose its warehouse and diversify its business offering during this challenging period of the pandemic.

Since being established the company has been awarded Outstanding Gold and Silver and Bronze awards at the Oscars of spirit industry – International Wine and Spirits Competition, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The Spirit Business and The Great Taste Award for their popular range of Rum and Gin.

Source : Voice Newspaper 22/5/2020

Black Enterprise founder and chairman Earl Graves Sr., who passed away in April, was remembered this week as one of the 20th century’s greatest African American business leaders. He inspired millions to pursue their dreams in the corporate world while promoting social justice throughout the nation.

A longtime Scarsdale resident, Graves was a kindhearted man, practical jokester, and inveterate network creator, always looking to help others make the connections that would help them advance.

Graves looked good, too — in his trademark mutton-chop sideburns and perhaps attired in an outfit from Ralph Lauren he purchased on a shopping excursion to Bloomingdale’s with the Rev. Franklyn Richardson, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, where he was a parishioner.

“Earl Graves was a catalyst for change and progress in the African American community,” said Richardson, one of Graves' closest Scarsdale friends. “He also provided a bridge from the African American community to the larger white corporate community. He challenged the status quo. And he sought to make the powers and institutions accountable for the neglect African Americans received over the previous 400 years.”

Graves, who grew up in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, lived for decades with his wife, Barbara, on Heathcote Road, in a brick-faced palatial mansion in one of Scarsdale’s most desirable neighborhoods. Out back was a tennis court, swimming pool and a formal garden. Inside was his prized Steinway player piano, a collection of grandfather clocks, an ice cream parlor, and ample space for entertaining guests at his legendary parties.

The former U.S. Army Green Beret founded the magazine in the early 1970s, at a time when African Americans were just beginning to find a firm foothold in corporate America. His publication targeted black professionals, executives and entrepreneurs, as well as policymakers as he advocated for their inclusion in the mainstream of the American corporate arena.

He also fought for social justice in a society split by segregation and discrimination.

He did it through journalism, with his magazine, and at Black Enterprise networking events at ski resorts, golf and tennis clubs, as well as conferences for entrepreneurs and women seeking advancement.

He demonstrated how to succeed through his ownership of the nation’s largest minority-owned Pepsi-Cola bottling franchise in Washington, D.C. And he made his point to corporate America as a pioneering African American on the boards of major corporations, such as DaimlerChrysler, Aetna and AMR Corp., which runs American Airlines.

Graves was keenly aware of racism's grip on American society. In 1997, he said it wasn't a question of whether his grandchildren would be called the N-word. It was just a matter of time.

Four years later, one of his eight grandchildren, Earl "Gibby" Graves, had his first experience with the racial epithet when his father, Butch, showed him the word scratched on his Cadillac Escalade. By sixth grade, his grandson had to deal with classmates at Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua who called out the slur repeatedly in his presence.

Graves inspired generations of African Americans. There were those from his generation, like Richardson, and Ray Robinson, a former AT&T executive. Then there was a younger cohort that belonged to the generation of his three sons — Butch, John, and Michael — who turned to Graves for direction and inspiration as they climbed the corporate or political ladder.

State Sen. Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins recalls the impact Earl Graves had on the African-American community.

“He was very accessible and such an important figure because of his willingness to share the secrets of business that many in the African American community were not privy to,” said state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers. “He broke so many barriers.”

Graves was a force in the political community as well. He came of age as an aide to U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in the mid-1960s. In June 1968, he was at the Ambassador Hotel that fateful night when Kennedy was assassinated. He was an adviser in the 1980s presidential campaigns of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and a force behind Barack Obama’s historic victory in 2008.

He helped out locally, too, recalled Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, the former county legislator, who was a contemporary with Graves’ sons and socialized with them. Jenkins considered himself part of the “extended waves” of the magazine publisher’s vast circles.

“His whole life was about empowering others, just pulling them up and showing them the path to prosperity,” said Jenkins. “He made a difference everywhere he went.”

​Source : lohud.com, 9th April 2020

CBEEBIES’ LAUNCH of its first ever animation based on the lives of a black British family, JoJo & Gran Gran, is long overdue but it’s also an ideal watch at a time when many grandchildren will spending time away from their grandparents as part of efforts to keep them safe during the coronavirus outbreak.

JoJo & Gran Gran is an animated series about an almost five-year-old girl and her fun and wise grandmother.

They live close by to one another in a bustling London neighbourhood and Gran Gran, voiced by Cathy Tyson, always has something planned to do when JoJo, voiced by Taiya Samuel, comes to visit.

Throughout the series, the stories are inspired by the passing of time, covering topics such as life cycles, the passing of the seasons, growth or the sequencing involved in activities like baking a cake or catching a bus.

JoJo adores her grandma and the time they spend together. Gran Gran is very proud of her Saint Lucian heritage and is always happy when she has an opportunity to teach JoJo about the island’s culture.

In one episode, JoJo draws a picture to show to her great grandma over video call but just as she’s about to show her a picture, the internet goes down! Gran Gran suggests they post JoJo’s picture to Great Gran Gran in Saint Lucia and it’s through this JoJo learns why a letter takes such a long time to travel halfway across the world.

In another episode, JoJo searches for a butterfly to complete her nature tick book. She learns that all butterflies start life as furry little caterpillars – a pretty apt analogy to remind us about the benefits of change.

Within each animated episode, there is a live action moment which features children talking about the themes covered.

JoJo & Gran Gran is based on characters created by Laura Henry-Allain, the look of the series was defined by award-winning illustrator Leo Espinosa.

If you and your little ones can’t get enough of the show, there are a selection of interactive games on the CBeebies website so you can continue the JoJo & Gran Gran fun.

You can catch up on all the episodes via BBC iPlayer.

​Source : The Voice, 24 March 2020