Montana Leahy
Montana Leahy My name is Montana Leahy; I was born and raised in South London. I am 26 years old, a mother to one son, and a proud business owner of a Caribbean Fusion takeaway and restaurant, The Box, located in Wimbledon. I built my business from the ground up, Starting in 2018 catering out of my grandmother’s kitchen and moving on to renting a commercial kitchen space specializing in home delivery, working with online delivery platforms such as Uber eats and Deliveroo. In 2020 I took a massive leap into finally opening my establishment; Unfortunately, a few weeks after renovating, the pandemic hit and put us into a national lockdown. This was extremely disheartening as restaurants were forced to close. But instead of collapsing, the takeaway flourished. Before I knew it, we became a takeaway hot spot in south London, having customers come from as far as Essex to try our diverse and modern menu! My passion has always been to cook and give back to the community; I strive to make The Box a positive force within the community, hiring and training young individuals and working with and supporting local charities as much as possible. My goals are to continue to thrive as a mother and chef, also to grow as an entrepreneur by opening further businesses and open up more employment opportunities for young individuals.
2022 Shortlist
BLACK HONOUR AWARDS 2022 SHORTLIST Exceptional contribution to Caribbean Culture in the UK Tony Fairweather CEO Fairweather Productions The Windrush Collection About Tony Fairweather Vincent M John About Vincent M John Outstanding Personal Achievement Sanchia Alasia BSc, MSc, Assoc CIPD, FCMI, FRSA About Sanchia Alasia Carla Zuill SheHubTV About Carla Zuill Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé Chair NHS BME Network About Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé Innovative New Black Owned Business or Brand Lorlett Hudson One Hand Cant Clap About Lorlett Hudson Cosmo Morgan One Love Lottery About Cosmo Morgan Montana Leahy The Box Caribbean Restaurant About Montana Leahy Community Development Legacy Award Dr Carole Nicholson About Dr Carole Nicholson Royston John About Royston John Black Heritage Walks Network About Black Heritage Walks Network Friend of the Caribbean Dr Ancha Jagne Ceesay Emmanuel Amevor About Emmanuel Amevor Jose Santiago About Jose Santiago Local Legends Dion Walters About Dion Walters Harvel Mattison About Harvel Mattison Claude Fisher Sylvester About Claude Fisher Sylvester
Vincent M John
Vincent M John My Origins: I was born on the “Nature Island of the Caribbean“, Dominica where my formative years were nurtured by the beautiful natural environment which embedded a deep sense of community, culture and industriousness in all aspects of my life. My motto “Initiative, Action and Perseverance” was developed in Guadeloupe where I observed my father organising workers, and always making himself available to assist them with a range of challenges, my hard-working grandparents in Dominica and my inspirational mother in England. My Contribution to Caribbean Cultural in the UK: Chairman of The Dominica U.K Association (DUKA) for 25 years which has been promoting Kweyol and Caribbean Culture since 1978 the objects of which include the development and promotion of Caribbean Kweyol culture involving a diverse range of performing artistes from the Caribbean in the UK. Band Leader of DUKA’s Mas Domnik Nature Island Carnival Band since 2005 portraying traditional Caribbean and Kweyol culture at Notting Hill, other U.K. Carnivals and Europe, securing two first, three second and two third places at the Notting Hill Carnival. Chairman of the Association of British Calypsonians (ABC) now the Association of Calypsonians And Soca Artistes (ACASA) from 2015 to date, which delivers the London Calypso and Groovy Soca Tent Nights as the precursor to the London Notting Hill Carnival, the U.K. Calypso and Groovy Soca Monarchs Finals, and World Music Stage during Carnival. First Chairman of Carnival Arts and Masquerade Foundation (CAMF) from 2011 to 2014 representing Mas Bands in Notting Hill. Currently CAMF’s Trustee Director for Business, Governance and Law representing Notting Hill Carnival Mas Bands. First Chairman of the Carnival Steering Group and London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust (LNHCET) which delivered the NH Carnival, Europe’s largest street Carnival from 2012 to 2014 and adviser until 2018. Director of Carnival Village Trust, current Organisers of the Notting Hill Carnival from 2015 to 2018. Chairman of INNOVAI Events (Ageless Teenagers) focusing on the wellbeing of the Windrush Generation and their offspring including provision of “feel good” cultural activities. Organiser and Co-ordinator of Dominica’s annual Independence Celebrations with emphasis on culture. My Charity Interests: Following Hurricane David in 1978 I volunteered with the relief effort and became a full member of The Dominica UK Association (DUKA) in 1979. My Chairmanship of voluntary community organisations include: Association of Calypsonians and Soca Artistes (ACASA) Mas Domnik Nature Island Carnival Band DominicaFirst (Dominica National Development & Disaster Fund) Newham Safer Neighbourhood Board (Funded by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime) Newham African Caribbean Resource Centre 9Providing facilities for cultural and community events for over 50 organisations Innovai Events CIC (Ageless Teenagers) First Chairman, current Trustee Director, Carnival Arts & Masquerade Foundation (CAMF) Chairman of London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust (2012 to 2014) My Philosophy: My aim is to continue to combine my professional skills with the commitment to mobilise and contribute to the development of African-Caribbean and other community organisations with a passion for African-Caribbean heritage and culture, governance and social enterprise for sustainability. My Hobbies: My love for sports included playing Football in my younger days for Caribbean International FC, Sheffield, St. Antony’s FC, etc. and being a life-long West Ham supporter, Athletics throughout the UK, Boxing, Cricket, Rugby, and Badminton
Carla Zuill
Carla Zuill Carla Zuill hails from the beautiful island of Bermuda and moved to Manchester in December 2016. She is a veteran journalist who has worked in both print and electronic media for close to 25 years. Formerly the Assistant News Director at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, in 2014, Carla founded the news site www.todayinbermuda.com. After relocating to the UK, Carla decided to shut her site down and in 2018 launched www.shehub.tv, a lifestyle blog dedicated to women, as she felt it aligned better with her mission to uplift women. Carla is the founder of the Women’s Empowerment Summit, an all women’s event which launched in Bermuda just weeks before she moved to Manchester. Thinking that it would be a one-off, Carla had no clue that she would go on to create a brand that has grown in strength from year to year. In November 2022, Carla will be hosting her seventh annual summit, which now has become not only virtual, but translated live in Portuguese as well. One of Carla’s aspirations is to introduce the Women’s Empowerment Summit brand to the UK. While battling severe depression in 2017, Carla decided to change professional gears and decided to pursue a legal degree. After being accepted she deferred but in 2019, she went on to attain a Master’s Degree in Public Relations and Digital Communications. She successfully completed her studies in 2020. In March 2021, Carla launched SheHUB Magazine, whose target audience is the Black community. While the quarterly magazine is available in print in Bermuda, she is determined to make a name for herself as a publisher in the Black British market. Carla is outgoing and loves meeting new people. She is the dedicated mother of three — Daughter Sakile (SAH KEY LAY), 21, and two sons, Ajani, 16 and Na’im (NY EEM), 12. In her spare time she loves to play softball.
Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé
Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé Chair NHS BME Network In 1985 having completed a BSc in Biochemistry and a MSc in Clinical Biochemistry I started work with Brighton Healthcare as a Basic Grade Biochemist. In 1987 I won the national Ames Award competition for the young Biochemist of the year and shortly after was promoted to Senior Clinical Biochemist. In 1991 I earned my PhD in biochemistry and was promoted to Principal Clinical Biochemist. I worked for the NHS Trust in Brighton as a Clinical Biochemist for thirty years and after obtaining a MBA in Health Services Management (with distinction) I worked as a senior manager. My fight for racial justice in the NHS, on a voluntary basis, started in 2003 when following the publication of the MacPherson Report the Department of Health directed all NHS Trusts to set up Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Networks, to support the progression of race equality in the workplace. In 2004 I led on the launch of the BME Network for my local trust followed by the launch of the regional Network the “South East Coast BME Network” in 2005. It was evident then and it is evident now that the NHS is in denial about the institutional racism that exists, which blights the lives of BME people (staff and patients) on a daily basis. In 2008 as Chair of the South East Coast BME Network I published the first ever race equality review of the NHS using data from the 27 organisations in the then NHS South East Coast region. My report, which was published exclusively by the Health Service Journal and covered by Channel 4 News, received a hostile reaction from NHS leaders and they refused to acknowledge the regional Network. It was against this hostile backdrop that I led on the establishment of the national BME Network the ‘NHS BME Network’ in 2010 to continue to challenge the racial injustices that exist. Sadly, it has taken the tragic outcomes from the pandemic for the extent of the institutional racism in the NHS and its adverse impact on BME people (staff and patients) to be finally exposed. My activities as described together with my empowerment and defence of numerous BME staff against racial discrimination over the years, made me a “marked black woman” in the NHS and was clearly the catalyst for my unfair dismissal in 2017. My claim against my unfair dismissal is still live in part before the Employment Appeal Tribunal, but the discrimination within the judiciary itself has also been an issue that I have had to content with too. I understood from the outset that my fight for racial justice in the NHS was never going to be easy, but the reason I continue to fight against the odds is because I truly believe that this battle is not mine but the Lords and that He will have the final say! You can read more about my story at justiceforvivenne.org
Lorlett Hudson
Lorlett Hudson One Hand Cant Clap Lorlett Hudson FRSA is the Founder and CEO of One Hand Cant Clap one of the UK leading Learning and development company. Set up in 2000 to facilitate inclusive leadership development, challenging existing ways of thinking, improve productivity in the workplace and schools. She is recognised as a multi-award winning entrepreneur, Inventor, Executive Leadership/Transition Coach, an International Speaker and a trainer on a mission to support her clients achieve their goals and solve their problems. She worked mainly with Senior African Caribbean professionals, and entrepreneurs to increase their reputation as a leader, develop their ability to influence others and fully engage their teams to deliver impactful results She is the inventor of the critically acclaimed “Things Mama Used To Say”, a 52 card box set of Jamaican/Caribbean proverbs to facilitate change management, build inclusive leaders, diversity, Inclusion, culture humility, and develop high performing teams. Over 21,000 copies sold. She also created the annual ‘Common Ties’ event in its 13th year that brings over 200 people annually together to share lived experiences and celebrate African Caribbean cultural pride and resilience. Another one of her ventures is the upcoming 7 days Vision Quests’’ retreat at New England Private Estate in Jamaica due to start October 2022. This retreat is for creatives to get more clear on their vision, than they have ever been about who they are and what they are really here to do in their next phase of life. Her pioneering approach to entrepreneurship has resulted in her winning the Silver Award of the prestigious British Female Inventors & Innovators Awards, Wavemakers National Awards, a runner up in the National Training Awards and also a Member of Courvoisier The Future 500 top talents in the UK, and recently the GLE Enterprise award.All of this has been in recognition of her innovative action-oriented coaching that have transformed the productivity, effectiveness, leadership and quality of life for many individuals and organisations. She is a RSA Fellow with a network of 29,000 Fellows who want to change the world for the better. In 1754, The RSA was founded by a group of like-minded individuals to transform the world. We believe that when people come together, the possibilities are endless. She is a Cherie Blair Business Mentor and Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship Caribbean Business Mentor.For more details please contact [email protected] www.onehandcantclap.co.uk
Cosmo Morgan
Cosmo Morgan I am so blessed to be the CEO of One Love Syndicate CIC and experience my dreams, aspirations and passion for serving the community transpire into reality. As a father to a young black son I wanted to do something that would both have an inspiring and collective turnaround in communities far and wide within the UK, concentrating in particular on our young people, At the same time I wanted to be in a position to offer rewards to the wider community as a whole which would increase overall community wealth and create a reciprocal financial loop that would be fed back into the community, creating a sustainable legacy for future generations. Creating One Love lottery was a way of getting the community to invest in themselves allowing all funds generated to go towards developmental programmes and initiatives for our youth. I have previously worked in video production ,as a photographer, managed new vocal artists and produced my own stage play which aired at the Nottingham Playhouse and Catford Theatre, thus opening up channels for me to meet and network with mainstream artists and producers. I am incredibly thankful to see my vision come to life and I look forward to best serving my community and working beside mutual entities and persons of whom have demonstrated visible outreach capacities re: making positive long lasting, tangible differences. It is my sincere intention to really make a difference, so I say, let’s do something positive for our youths in the community and increase our community wealth.
Dr Carole Nicholson
Dr Carole Nicholson Dr Carole Nicholson is currently Principal at Syon Manor College for (ASD) students. Her work focuses specifically on Special Educational Needs (SEND). With international global experience within the USA and Canada her work is concerned with the personal, social and emotional development of education and care of all SEND students across the curriculum. In her career she has held various Headship roles and was a lecturer at St Mary’s University in London. Carole holds a BSc Hons degree in Social Science, Postgraduate Diploma in Psychoanalytical Studies at University of London, PGCE Teacher and Lecturer of Psychology, MA, Group Psychotherapy and PHD in Psychotherapy and Education from University of Birmingham. Her background includes: Educational Consultancy, Headteacher, Trainer, Special Educational Needs Coordinator specialising in Behaviour Management. In addition, she is a Psychotherapist/Counsellor with over 20 years’ experience and expertise in pastoral casework. Her expanse includes: leading and directing the finite educational lifecycle programmes of residential care homes through to the seamless establishment and management of therapeutic SEMH/BESD schools and originator of bespoke educational training curriculum. She is a mentor and a mother of two girls who are both 15 and 19 years old respectively. In widening participation, her other extensive roles include, Consultation and serving as a Board Member for Dunn, Pierre Barnett and Co, Canada Ltd. Carole is also Vice-Chair for Jamaica Education Taskforce UK (JETUK), the leading organisation in UK, that partners with the Ministry Of Education, Youth & Information (MOEYI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade (MFAFT), National Education Trust (NET) and is the Coordinator for Special Educational Needs that supports Education in Jamaica. As a volunteer, Carole works with VITAL EET Supplementary School in providing counseling support to women and families within the community, through the running of workshops for parental groups. Carole has worked as a Consultant with other professionals on the St Lucia Psychosocial Project, to raise the achievements of boys and girls, as well as worked on the Boys to Men programme. In her spare time, her hobbies include: Writing Poetry, Jet Skiing, Combat Training, Boxing, running Half Marathon, Ice Skating, is a Master Swimmer and enjoys cooking. She is a Public Speaker that has spoken and made presentations at various events.
Royston John
Royston John Royston John worked as a senior manager across local government for over 20 years before becoming a Business Coach and Management Consultant. The breadth of his experience includes human resources, finance, performance management, project management and service reviews; identifying and solving complex organisational, operational, technical and logistic problems with creativity, innovation and confidence; public speaking, setting up and managing staff groups and organising conferences. Royston has 20 years’ experience as an EDI facilitator and adviser. Activities include adviser to a Mayor and Cabinet on increasing black staff in employment; supporting organisations become anti-racist organisations; advising HR Directors on race and diversity matters; with Metropolitan Police reducing racial disparity; with Bristol Police and community increasing racial harmony in the city. Currently Co-Chair of REPAG (Race Equality Public Action Group), Royston supports and guides the agenda with insightful skills, experience, understanding and compassion ensuring on-going relationships between NIHR/Health/Education and the community remain a positive, informed partnership for commitment and change. Working closely with organisations of different sizes, as well as individuals at all stages of their career, Royston assist with development and growth – providing innovative and cost effective solutions to suit individual and business needs. In the 20 years of delivering coaching and mentoring Royston has supported clients both in, and out of, the working environment. These include chief executives, executive directors, senior and middle managers. Sectors include Business, Health, Housing, Social services; local government. Appraising and supporting executives and senior managers through leadership and management development programmes; policy/statutory compliance changes, to enable organisation financial and operational integrity, with a speciality in supporting cultural transition and professional integration. Achievements range from quality of life to bottom line objectives. Other skills include mediation and investigation at individual and organisational level. Royston’s work includes adults, parents, children, teachers, community leaders and more. Royston has a degree in Management Development and Social Responsibilities, the Institute of Leadership Management Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching & Mentoring, member of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a graduate of Common Purpose. Work includes British Council management development initiative working collaboratively with 19 African countries.
Emmanuel Amevor
I am a trained accountant, having quaified as Chartered Certified Accountant. I am a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA). I also hold a degree in Accounting Studies from Thames Valley University. I am a consultant at Rocksons, Chartered Certified Accountants, Barking, East London. I work on SMEs within the charity sector and NGO accounts in the firm. My formative years were in Accra, Ghana. I was privileged to be amongst the first crop of students to benefit from free secondary school education under the revolutionary leadership of Ghana’s first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah. I was a student leader in Ghana. I was the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the Ghana United Nations Students Association (GUNSA) when I was a student at the Institute of Professional Studies IPS (now University of Professional Studies, UPSA) in Accra where I started my accountancy studies in 1971. I later proceeded to the UK to complete my studies. While at secondary school, I was fortunate to be taken under the wings of Professor Ablade Glover, the eminent Ghanaian artist and art educator who was then the Dean of the College of Arts at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Professor Glover, now retired, runs the Omanye Gallery in Accra. His paintings could be found in such diverse places as O’Hare International airport, Chicago, USA and among the Royal collections of the Japanese Royal family, in Japan. My association with Prof Glover aroused my interest in the arts and history. I arrived in the UK over four decades ago to complete my accountancy education and return to the motherland. Unfortunately, military coups and instability in Ghana truncated my desire to return home. I joined Centerprise Trust Ltd, the then Dalston-based community and arts centre in Hackney as Finance Officer. I later led a restructuring process of the organisation and became its CEO. The organisation went into hibernation when the local authority, Hackney Council, under the leadership of Mayor Jules Pipe, seized its building illegally in 2012. During my time at Centerprise, I was Chair of Hackney Cultural Forum which was the lead body in the central government’s ‘Local Strategic Partnership’ in charge of policy development and implementation of the Borough’s arts and cultural policy from 2004-2007. Centerprise was the lead organisation in the development of ‘Hackney Mare de Gras’, a carnival and street parade that celebrated the Borough’s cultural diversity for ten years starting in 1998 as part of events marking the European Year Against Racism (EYAR). In 2008 Hackney Council decided to take over the festival, and rename it ‘Hackney One Carnival’. To date it remains an annual feature in the Borough’s cultural calendar.In 2008, as part of the Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the Parliamentary Abolition of the Slave-trade by the British government, Centerprise organised,’ WordPower, International Black Literature Festival and Book Fair’. The festival which was a celebration of black cultural and literary excellence, brought together writers, academics, poets, historians of African heritage from the Caribbean, USA and Canada, Europe and Africa to discuss and share experiences of their works at The Emirates, Arsenal Football Stadium Conference Rooms, in North London under my leadership. I also currently run a mobile and online bookshop dealing in black history books, while pursuing a Masters Research programme in the History of Africa and its Diaspora at the University of Chicheser, Chichester, UK. Please visit my site @ www.blackhistorybooks.uk