October is UK’s Black History Month. This year, the theme was, “standing firm in power and pride”. In this context, power is understood as leadership and positive influence in the community, whilst pride relates to embracing cultural identity and heritage.

These two ideas were well represented in the AJN Local Heroes and the Be Inspired Yough gala and awards. This is an event dear to me, both in a broad and a personal sense. The name ‘be inspired’ is very fitting: every year, there are stories of wonderful individuals who contribute to the Jamaican community in the Midlands. I keep the trophy of the award I got with the AJN on my piano, alongside my other recognitions.

It was a lovely night, full of good conversation, food and entertainment. Besides my own performance, the stage also saw the talents of Steve Higgins, Ish Murphy and DJ Anthony Weir. I’m glad to have been part of this event that honours and highlights what gives us power and makes us proud.

Now, as you may have heard, the island of Jamaica, among other Caribbean nations, was recently hit by the devastation of hurricane Melissa. I want to appeal to the values that we celerated during Black History Month and invite you to support these countries however you can. Finding reliable private organisations to donate to is difficult, so perhaps the best is to stick to official government sources. In the case of Jamaica, the website shared by the Prime Minister can be accessed by clicking the button below:

In times like this, human connection is what makes the difference. Spread the word, donate or volunteer if it’s within your means, and experience the culture and legacy of these places to keep them alive. For this, I leave you a clip of my Caribbean Medley at the civic flag raising ceremony in occassion of the anniversary of Jamaica’s independence this year.