Chair of Mandela8, Sonia Bassey MBE is to receive an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.
The announcement was made this morning with fellows to be conferred during a ceremony in October.
In 1987 Sir John Moores became the first Honorary Fellow of the then Polytechnic and it established a tradition which continues to the day at the university named in his honour.
Since that inaugural conferment LJMU have recognised the outstanding achievements of over 300 distinguished individuals, who have become part of their extended university community and who align themselves with their activities and advocate on the university’s behalf.
An Honorary Fellowship is the highest award LJMU confer as a university; a public recognition of outstanding professional achievements and individuals, celebrated as role models for students and staff.
(Photo: John Hollingsworth)
A graduate in business and finance from LJMU, and former Director of Public Sector Transformation for Cheshire and Warrington until retirement in 2022, Sonia earned an MBE for her community service in Liverpool and was winner of the LCRCA 2023 Inspiration Award – Lifetime Achiever for her 40+ years in promoting race equality and social justice through the arts and neighbourhood and regeneration services.
Her recent projects have included: Liverpool 8’s arts corridor, featuring the Nelson Mandela mural, transforming Princes Avenue embedding the Black community history into the very fabric of the design; becoming a founding member and Director of L8 Matters Community Land Trust and a Trustee of the National Community Land Trust Network; and leading the BLM March in Liverpool in 2020.
Sonia is the first Black Chair of LCVS and former Chair of Africa Oyé and is currently Chair and one of the founding members of Mandela8. Sonia has been instrumental in the Mandela Memorial installation in Princes Park, bringing the Mandela family to Liverpool, the annual Mandela Day celebrations and programmes in schools and for youth at risk of exclusion.
Tukwini Mandela (left) with Sonia Bassey during Mandela Week in Liverpool (Photo: John Hollingsworth)
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Power comments:“Our Fellowship is an exceptional roll call of individuals who participate in the life of the university and become our ambassadors. Fellows are drawn from all walks of life and numerous disciplines, many are alumni and return for the honour having established professional acclaim in their time since graduating. The cohort we will recognise this year is outstanding and I’m already proud of their association with LJMU and looking forward to how we can work with them in the future.”
Artistic Director of Africa Oyé and Mandela8 Trustee, Paul Duhaney said: “Everyone at Mandela8 is delighted to learn of this wonderful honour that Sonia is receiving from LJMU. It is testament to her tireless work and activism for her community and the arts in Liverpool that she has shown all her life.”
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronMandela8’s thoughts and solidarity are with our Muslim and Black communities as racially motivated acts of violence continue to be perpetuated across our communities. We are extremely concerned over the rising racial attacks and violence unfolding on our streets and all our communities across the UK.
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronA local charity has joined forces with Liverpool BID Company to encourage organisations and individuals to take part in ‘acts of kindness’ to commemorate the life and work of Nelson Mandela this July.
Mandela8, who have just overseen the completion of a new memorial to the revered leader in Princes Park, will once again mark Mandela Day on 18th July with a series of events and activities in the city. The theme this year is ‘Celebrating Communities’.
The day remembers Mandela’s achievements in working towards conflict resolution, democracy, human rights, peace, and reconciliation.
The Nelson Mandela Memorial in Princes Park
Sonia Bassey, Chair of Mandela8, said: “Nelson Mandela inspired the idea for Mandela Day at his 90th birthday celebrations in Hyde Park, London when he said ‘It is time for new hands to lift the baton. It is in your hands now’. The idea of Mandela Day is that everyone has the ability to make an impact and do something in their own way to change the world and the world of those around them.”
The city has its own special relationship and connection with Nelson Mandela. When Liverpool became aware of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s incarceration, community activists, unions and the city as a whole came together to support the Free Nelson Mandela Campaign and took a solid stance against Apartheid.
Nelson Mandela was gifted the Freedom of the City in 1994 and a Civic Reception held in his honour 20 years later in 2014.
St George’s Hall lit up for Mandela Day
Sonia continued: “Liverpool is built on strong political and social values and has experienced oppression but not on the scale of South Africa. So, when awareness of the brutality of Apartheid in South Africa became known in Liverpool the City united to support Mandela, the ANC and South African people. We now have the permanent legacy to Nelson Mandela, the Memorial installed in Princes Park, Liverpool 8, endorsed by Dr Maki Mandela and Tukwini Mandela, his eldest daughter and granddaughter, with whom Liverpool now has a special relationship.”
As part of the Acts of Kindness week this year Mandela8 and Liverpool BID Company are asking corporate organisations to take part in Mandela Day, as part of Mandela Week, to do an act of kindness to commemorate Nelson Mandela, acknowledging his values and dedication to the service of humanity and struggle for international democracy and peace throughout the world.
Those taking part are encouraged to promote and celebrate their work in advance and on the day through social media by linking it to the international social media campaign for Mandela Day using the following hashtag: #AoKcelebratingcommunities and tagging us @mandela800 @mandela8_liverpool @LpoolBIDcompany
The Corporate Giving Programme Ask
Madela8 are looking for 1 company a month to sign up to supporting a voluntary or community group with their skills, experience or time to support an area of need identified. The types of activities you can support can be found in our Acts of Kindness brochure here.
How this will work:
Further information and photos can be found at https://www.mandela8.org.uk/my-67/
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronA new mural of community champion and photographer Leroy Cooper has appeared in Liverpool.
The artwork created by John Culshaw, famous for his range of murals across the City of Liverpool, was commissioned by local charity Mandela8, and has added to Granby Street’s growing status as a cultural arts corridor of Liverpool 8.
Locals have seen the mural develop day-by-day on the feature wall of the Ganby Adult Learning Centre with a wave of excitement building over the past few weeks until its completion. The end result is a stunning tribute with a strong message from Leroy himself: “My work is my legacy, photographs, painting, poetry and philosophy…. Self respect and dignity… But… love is everything”.
Sonia Bassey MBE, Chair of Mandela8 said: “This has been a while in development behind the scenes. Leroy Cooper was an innovative and creative man, way ahead of his time in his thinking, and he documented the people of Liverpool – Liverpool 8 in particular – for over 40 years. There is no other photographic records of the Black community like Leroy’s and that deserves recognition. The stunning mural of Leroy adds to the work Mandela8 has been doing to change the face and fabric of Liverpool 8 and how it’s perceived. It is a fitting tribute to Leroy and his family, installed before the first anniversary of his passing. May Leroy continue to rest in peace and his family take comfort in knowing Leroy was well respected in our community and will always be remembered for his work and ability to hold love in his heart.
We are delighted that Liverpool City Council allowed us to use this wall for the mural. John Clushaw is an amazingly talented artist, and it has been a privilege for Mandela8 to work with him again. We have already seen a real excitement about the work developing and we envisage – like all John’s work – it will become another major attraction for visitors”.
The completion of the new mural comes ahead of the anniversary of Leroy’s passing and as his family have just been informed that Leroy’s photographic exhibition in the Museum of Liverpool has been extended for a further 6 months.
Stephen Nze, Mandela8 Ambassador, who has been leading site management said: “It’s been a pleasure and an honour for us at Mandela8 and for me personally to have worked on this project of one of the most influential individuals of my generation and our community, and it is fitting that it is located on Granby Street where a lot of Leroy’s influences and creativity and artwork were manifested and then unleashed on our city. Leroy was a one of a kind, and we all knew him and he knew us all.Rest easy bro in that cosmic heavenly universe”.
Leroy’s Family said: “As a family, we are extremely proud and honoured that Leroy has been recognised in this way. This mural is a perfect way to represent and pay homage to Leroy’s contribution to his art, community and Liverpool. As a creative, Leroy would have been immensely proud that his peers, friends and community have paid tribute in this manner and we as his family are eternally grateful to the people of L8 and proud of the artistic achievement Leroy accomplished in his life. We hope this mural can inspire a younger generation to follow their passions the same way Leroy followed his because he never stopped dreaming and he would want the next generation to dream equally as big.
John Culshaw, Artistsaid: “ I didn’t know anything about Leroy until not long before he passed. When I painted the Nelson Mandela piece, Leroy got in touch with me, to congratulate me and we had a little chat on the internet. I thought Leroy was a cool, interesting guy. When Sonia and Nze approached me about the mural, I had to do a lot of research and speak to a lot of people who knew him. It was after doing all this research I realised just how important he was to not only the L8 community, but the whole city. As an artist today I am lucky to have the luxury of social media, meaning I can reach a huge audience, making it so much easier to forge a career from my passion. Leroy decided to follow his passion a long time before any of this help. He followed his dream and is an inspiration to all young artists coming through. His work is a perfect example, that if you do what you love, you will produce quality and that will be recognised. Leroy’s work has seen him become woven into the fabric of this city and more importantly become part of its history. This mural will stand in the heart of Leroy’s community and serve as a reminder to those who knew him, how one man can have such an impact on the world. For those who don’t know Leroy, I hope the mural will make them want to look him up, because his story is inspirational and will help a lot of people.”
Follow the artist, John Culshaw, on his Instagram page @john_culshaw86 and for more information on Mandela8, please visit mandela8.org.uk.
Photo: Daniel Cooper
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronAn L8 charity that runs a restorative justice programme for young people has announced a new partnership with two Merseyside businesses.
Housing association, Plus Dane Housing and general building contractors, Penny Lane Builders will both lend their support to Mandela8’s Roots & Wings programme in 2024, delivered in partnership with Taking Shape Association.
Roots & Wings supports young people who lack positive role models and are at risk of criminal exploitation, as well as those who are experiencing violent crime or live in fear of violent crime on a daily basis.
The programme has been running annually since 2020 and has seen 28 young people graduate from the scheme, earning a total of 72 AQA qualifications between them in the process. The project is supported by Mandela8 patron, LFC and England international, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Sonia Bassey MBE, Chair of Mandela8, said: “These young people live in areas of high deprivation with high levels of crime and are frequently disengaged from school and at risk of permanent exclusion from school. We are delighted to see our programme supported by businesses that are part of the infrastructure of our communities.
Working together to develop cohesive solutions is critical to the opportunities for our young people and sustainable communities. It is great to have the support of Plus Dane Group and Penny Lane Builders who both started out in Liverpool 8 and is a really positive way forward for us all”.
The programme includes restorative justice practices and aims to find enduring solutions to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime and violence and supports them to recognise consequences; understand cause and effect; reduce naivety; and increase their resilience and strength to ‘not get involved’.
Roots and Wings also supports cultural change around the acceptability of carrying weapons and succumbing to peer pressure.
Plus Dane Chief Executive, Ian Reed, said:“I am really pleased to be supporting the Mandela8 Roots and Wings programme. We started in L8, with 400 terraced homes in 1976 and we continue to invest in the area today. Supporting this inspirational programme, helping young people in the communities we serve, is a perfect match for us. Working together we want to help steer young people away from crime and create a vibrant, safe community for generations to come.”
Penny Lane Builders, Chief Executive, Gerard McEvoy, said: “At PLB we started our business in 1996 in the L8 area. Today we still work predominantly in the Liverpool area and we care about the success of our local communities. Part of our investment in the success of the communities is that we support innovative programmes that have real impact. We are proud to support young people in the Liverpool area via the Roots and Wings Young Leaders Programme and look forward to watching the young people progress over the 12 weeks.”
Kevin Stuart from Taking Shape Association said: “Roots & Wings is not just about giving these kids good experience with quality intervention and love. We support community empowerment by changing mindsets and shaping futures without compromise, which they deserve.”
Stephen Nze, Mandela8 Ambassador said: “To see the young people who come on the Roots and Wings programme and having a understanding of the young people and why they have joined – it’s great to see how they engage with Kevin and the team, and the difference it has made to many of those young minds; how they think about themselves, their families, and wider society. It’s incredible to see. Thanks to all who support this programme and support the young people and their families who we engage. It does make a difference.”
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronWe are less than a week away from achieving what was a dream 10 years ago. Tuesday the 18th July is a day for celebration to realise that dream when we launch a memorial to Nelson Mandela.
This memorial has been achieved through years of hard work, determination and a lengthy consultation with the Mandela family, the local community, residents of Princes Park and civic leaders.
What was fundamental to us throughout this consultation was that the memorial signified the pride and respect the community have in Liverpool for Nelson Mandela and what he achieved in fighting for social justice. The memorial signifies a place where people can come to learn, reflect and feel proud of what can be achieved when communities come together from different parts of the world.
We fully recognised that to achieve our goal of installing this memorial that everybody’s voice mattered and that is why we undertook extensive consultation throughout each stage of the development.
In 2019 we launched the memorial, and we went through a formal planning process in which the impact on wildlife and animals was considered. It is with great sadness that we have to notify people that objections have been raised at this very late stage by somebody concerned for the environment.
We do not dispute that these issues are raised out of a genuine passion for wildlife. However, we are extremely concerned that this issue may now be hijacked by far-right groups who will use this platform to bring disruption to this special day.
Mandela8 would like to assure everybody, that the impact of the memorial on wildlife and the environment was fully considered throughout the consultation process. There are things we have put in place which have encouraged the wildlife in the area to thrive; but fundamentally Princes Park is an inner-city park in an area where many people do not have access to a garden or open space.
We ask that everybody who attends the event embraces this special day in recognition of Nelson Mandela who is an icon to us. Please stand beside us and share our passion to educate people to love not hate.
Mandela8 Board of Directors
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronA new mural inspired by Nelson Mandela is nearing completion in Liverpool 8.
The artwork created by John Culshaw, infamous for his range of murals across the City of Liverpool, was commissioned by local charity Mandela8, and is set to transform the beginning of Princes Avenue.
Locals have seen the mural develop day-by-day on the feature wall of the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre (KIMC) with a wave of excitement building over the past few weeks until its completion. The end result is set to be a stunning tribute with a strong message from Mandela himself – “education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”.
Sonia Bassey MBE, Chair of Mandela8 said: “This has been a while in development behind the scenes and adds to the already significant regeneration along Princes Avenue that has seen Mandela8 influencing and shaping the very fabric of our community. It will be a fitting tribute to one of the most significant leaders in the world in advance of the Mandela Family’s visit to Liverpool this July.
We are delighted that KIMC allowed us to use this wall for the mural. John Culshaw is an amazingly talented artist, and it has been a privilege for Mandela8 to work with him. We have already seen a real excitement about the work developing and we envisage – like all John’s work – it will become a major attraction for visitors”.
The completion of the new mural will come ahead of the opening of the new Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park this July. Nelson Mandela’s daughter Dr Maki Mandela and his granddaughter, Tukwini Mandela will be on hand to cut the ribbon on the memorial dedicated to the iconic South African leader as part of a week-long visit this summer.
Stephen Nze, Mandela8 Ambassador, who has been leading site management said: “It’s great to finally see this project come to life; the mural is set to become a landmark within our community. It’s been amazing working with John and it’s great that it will be placed where it will be visible to so many traveling through our community, as well as those that live within it, with a powerful message to all – young and old alike.”
Michelle Charters, Chief Executive Officer of KIMC said: “We are delighted to host this important image of Nelson Mandela created by the amazing artist John Culshaw, on our building. This visual recognition of the great man, his words and contribution to society will leave a legacy of hope for all as they walk or drive past our building.
KIMC are honoured to have been asked by Mandela8 to partner on this and see it as a fitting tribute to all who have been involved in development and projects leading up to and including the upcoming Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park, L8.”
Artist, John Culshaw said: “It has been a privilege working on this project with Mandela8. It’s amazing to get the opportunity to paint such an icon. Nelson Mandela is a man who has given so much to humanity and in fighting so hard to abolish apartheid, showed the world that the only way forward is equality.
I hope the the people of the community and visitors who see this mural, will take away a sense of the man and an understanding of his wise words.“
Be sure to visit the site and watch this wonderful piece of artwork come together at Kuumba Imani, 4 Princes Rd, Liverpool L8 1TH.
Follow the artist, John Culshaw, on his Instagram page @john_culshaw86; follow the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre on Twitter @kuumba_imani; and for more information on Mandela8, please visit mandela8.org.uk.
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 Patron
Liverpool charity Mandela8 have announced two esteemed community leaders and activists as their newest patrons.
Maria O’Reilly and Wally Brown will both join the organisation ahead of the Mandela family’s visit to Liverpool later this year. Nelson Mandela’s daughter Dr Maki Mandela and his granddaughter, Tukwini Mandela will be back in Liverpool to officially open the bridge and memorial dedicated to the iconic South African leader this July as part of a week-long visit.
Born into a catholic Black family in Liverpool, Maria O’Reilly has always been committed to racial justice and equality, and still maintains an active interest and involvement in social justice, human rights and politics. Being an activist from a young age, Maria has stood on many a picket line and led many demonstrations tackling racism, police brutality and fighting for social justice.
From 1979 to 1989 Maria worked for the Commission for Racial Equality, and became a Senior Community Relations Officer, and from 1989 to 2002 she was a Coordinator in the L8 Law Centre, engaged in the provision of legal and quasi-legal services. This role came on the back of her tireless fight as a member of the Liverpool 8 Defence Committee for the rights of people of all ages arrested as part of the 1981 Uprisings. The Liverpool 8 Law Centre was a pinnacle resource in the community providing much needed legal and social justice services to the marginalised community of Liverpool 8.
Maria O’Reilly said: “I can think of no higher honour than to be a patron of a legacy left by Nelson Mandela and built on by Mandela8, supported by his daughters to educate young people with the skills to uphold racial justice and equality”.
Wally Brown is well known for his revered work locally and nationally. His life as a youth leader worker at the Methodist Centre established Wally as one of the most respected men in Liverpool 8 by young people. Wally was born in Liverpool 8 and went on to become the liaison between the Liverpool 8 community and the authorities during the 1981 Uprisings as part of the Lord Gifford Enquiry.
Wally also became the first Black person to chair the Merseyside Community Relations Council and was appointed principal at the city’s Community College, transforming its portfolio and access for people from diverse backgrounds. Later, in 2002, he was awarded the honour of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to education. In 2012, Wally was given the ultimate honour in Liverpool by receiving the Freedom of the City, an honour he accepted as a figurehead for all the people he has worked with and the community of Liverpool 8.
Wally Brown, CBE said: “It is a great honour to be invited to become a Patron of Mandela8. I have long admired how Sonia and her Board have nurtured the seed of Mandela8 to become what it is today. I look forward to working with Sonia her board, patrons and all those involved, to help Mandela8 continue to grow, influence and educate”.
Chair of Mandela8, Sonia Bassey MBE said: “It is an honour beyond words to have both Maria and Wally join us as patrons. They are people Mandela8 holds in high regard and are an example of what good Black role models look like. We are truly grateful for leaders like Maria and Wally. Growing up they were my role models, and they paved the way to show me and others, that as young people, we could aspire, and in a community that is oppressed that is so important. Whilst they have not always been visible in the work of Mandela8, they have both guided and supported the organisation behind the scenes from the beginning, so we are extremely excited to now to see them at the fore”.
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronThe following statement outlines our position regarding our concerns about the rising tide of allegations and attacks levelled at Mayor Joanne Anderson since her appointment as the first Black female Mayor to be elected in the UK and the first female elected Mayor of the City of Liverpool. These attacks are veiled as being levelled at the mayoral role rather than the person but appear to be quite personal and unwarranted. Please see our statement in full on the link below.
If you wish to support this statement by adding the name of your organisation then please contact:
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First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronPRESS RELEASE:
A Liverpool charity has launched a book loan scheme to increase understanding of diversity within schools, and ’empower, encourage and educate’ all children in the City Region about diversity and inclusion.
Mandela8 – the organisation behind the Nelson Mandela memorial soon to be opened in Princes Park – earlier this year were gifted a collection of books by a relative of the late Angela Holligan, an activist who was born in Liverpool 8. Following discussions with her family, it was decided that the collection would be loaned to local schools as part of a scheme stretching across the Liverpool City Region in her memory, launching as a part of Black History Month.
Now, following funding from LCVS, the Mayoral Neighbourhood Fund and the Austin Smith Small Grants Fund, the resource will grow for the next 12 months, with additional books donated and dedicated by Angela’s family. Mandela8 have also said they would like to continue to build the resource for schools by encouraging donations from others beyond the initial 12 months of the scheme.
On hearing of the donated books, Angela’s grandson, Wade Holligan said: “My Grandmother had a kitchen and boxes full of teaching aids. She would sit by my side for hours teaching me things from English to history and also about my roots. For this – and numerous other things – I’ll be forever grateful.”
Angela lived an eclectic life with a constant focus on helping her local community. She moved to London at an early age to get married but soon returned to Liverpool as Personal Assistant to Michael Heseltine during the task force times and immediately joined with local groups fighting for the rights of others.
A founding member of Liverpool Black Sisters, Angela was particularly focussed on Black women’s empowerment. She spent many volunteer hours in the community as a member of the Liverpool 8 Defence Committee, set up to support people during and after the Toxteth Uprisings. As a member of The Black Elders Group Angela organised many community events and provided companionship to elders, taking African home cooked food to those who needed a hot meal. She often held an open kitchen where immigrant community members would go to learn how to speak English and she was employed by various schools and colleges throughout Liverpool.
Sonia Bassey, Chair of Mandela8, said “Angela was a warrior woman for racial justice whose passing is a sad loss to her family, friends and community and it is fitting she leaves us a legacy of love, courage and learning through the Angela Holligan Book Collection.
We have all heard too many stories of children made to feel ashamed of their skin colour, heritage, natural hair and their identity as a whole. Through exposure to the books identified for this scheme, young Black children will be allowed to explore positive representations of Blackness and feel proud of their identity, away from all the negative noise online and across social media.
We would also like children in schools to know who Angela was so they understand why the books were gifted in her name; this could be a discussion point in classes or be part of workshops and book reading sessions, or reading support sessions with mentors. Each book will come with stickers and an information sheet about Angela’s life and work.”
Positive racial identity in children’s early education is seen as an increasingly important aspect of their development. Dr Aisha White, Program Director at PRIDE (Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education) has noted that there are huge challenges for families raising their children in an increasingly racialized society. Her research suggests that if racist views become more visible and prominent (ie. through social media), Black children may “struggle to survive and thrive physically, emotionally and psychologically in an environment that does not value Blackness”.
Studies have also shown that in families where there is Afrocentric-learning, the children have improved problem solving skills and better recall of facts in school compared to those families without.
Neil Verdin, Headteacher at Pleasant Street Primary School, said “This scheme is a valuable way to support our family of schools; celebrating the cultural diversity of our local community and beyond. Quality texts depicting the lives of diverse role-models can serve as inspiration to children from all backgrounds.”
The book scheme will initially be rolled out to 18 local schools in the DGT cluster (Dingle, Granby and Toxteth) with more to be added as Mandela8 build their collection, with plans for the scheme to cover the entire Liverpool City Region over the next two years.
The school libraries involved in the scheme will dedicate standalone areas to the scheme with discussion and workshops taking place to raise awareness of what it means to be Black, build children’s’ confidence and give them the tools to take into later life so that they do not feel ashamed about any aspect of their identity or heritage.
The scheme is also going to be replicated in local communities by Mandela8 in partnership with Granby Toxteth Development Trust, with discussions currently taking place between the two organisations. Lindsey Guy from the Trust said, “We are delighted to be working with Mandela8 and supporting the Angela Holligan Book Collection to reach and inspire young people from the diverse communities we serve.”
For more information on Mandela8, visit their website at mandela8.org.uk and for more information about the scheme, please email mandelaliverpool8@gmail.com
16/09/2024
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