An organisation which aims to support young black children in setting and achieving lofty career ambitions launched last month.
Organised by Newington ward councillor Natasha Ennin, Southwark Black Parents Forum kicked off with talks from some of the borough’s leading black professionals, on Saturday, July 23.
Presentations from people including award-winning headteacher Reema Reid, lawyer Yemeni Akindele and resident services manager Nat Stevens, were watched by 105 people.
Cllr Natasha Ennin, deputy cabinet member for diversity, said: “Black parents, or parents of black children, face specific challenges that are not always addressed, or even acknowledged.
“The aim of the forum is to offer a supportive and positive environment for families to give black children the opportunity and inspiration to thrive, succeed and achieve their ambitions alongside their peers – in school, further education and at home.
“When we open our imagination to what is possible, we open doors for children and their future.”
It is hoped that the forum will give black parents the chance to meet one another, share their experiences of parenting, and network with professionals who can inspire their children.
The forum notes that a significant number of teenagers killed come from black and ethnic minority communities.
In February, The London Assembly expressed concern that despite making up only 13 per cent of London’s total population, black Londoners account for 45 per cent of London’s knife murder victims.
In his talk, Nat Stevens highlighted the summer football camp taking place this summer on Kennington Park as a way skills already embedded in local communities can be used for the common good.
The next forum will be held on Saturday, September 10 from 12pm to 3pm at the Jack Hobbs Club, 224 Hillingdon Street, London SE17 3JD.
Register at www.southwarkblackparentsforum.org or follow The Southwark Black Parents Forum on Facebook and Twitter (@bpf_southwark) for the invite and updates.