The Board

Dr Yvonne Thompson

Job Title

A dynamic, entrepreneurial business leader with a proven record for building high performing teams. Since starting her own PR Company over 30 years ago Ms Thompson has acquired an exceptional range of transferable skills that can complement high performing companies and organisations. Originally from Guyana, South America, Ms Thompson has always shown an entrepreneurial flair. Not taking the usual channel to the small business arena, she evolved from freelance writing for many music industry papers including Music Week the industry bible, and IPC weekly and monthly titles. She also has been involved in many successful firsts in the UK including, being Music Editor for the UK’s first Black Monthly glossy magazine – Root, and also being a founder and director of the UK’s first Black Music radio station Choice FM, now owned by the Global Radio Group. Other firsts include, starting the first Black Owned PR company (according to PR Week), now known as ASAP Communications; running the first in depth research of the lifestyle of the Black community across the UK – The Black Consumer Survey and starting the UK’s first Black Women Business Network – The European Federation of Black Women Business Owners.

Professor Gus John

Job Title

Professor Gus John delivered the following speech at the temporary  unveiling ceremony of the Memorial in Brixton, London, on Armistice Day 11 November 2014
“Before I pour Libation and acknowledge the spirit of all those Africans who gave their lives in the first and second world wars, let me make a few brief comments. We are gathered here today, not to glorify war. The monument we are about to unveil is not to glorify war. War remains forever inglorious, whether you are victor or vanquished! Nor does this monument represent jingoistic, or even pious, adulation of the bravery, selflessness and sacrifice of the Africans who served in the British Armed Forces. Rather, it is to ensure that Britain does not succeed in erasing from history the brutal fact that despite theenslavement of Africans, despite the fact that only 60 years after the end of enslavement of Africans on plantations in the West Indies, some 16,000 West Indians were persuaded to join the British West Indies Regiment and risk life and limb in the killing fields of Europe. Theirs was an experience of racism and of betrayal, both during active service and after they had been discharged as invalid or unfit and made to return to the West Indies to face penury and misery, without compensation, without pension, without medical care and prostheses, and above all without jobs, having left their employment to come to Europe and join the War effort.

Margaret Busby

Job Title

Margaret Busby is the co-founder of Allison and Busby publishers, which began in 1967. It is still operates as an independent publishers today. Margaret is one of the most eminent people in the UK’s publishing community. She is a now a publisher, broadcaster and reviewer.

Martin Spafford

Martin Spafford was a teacher for 24 years at George Mitchell School in Leyton. He decided to retire at 60, however, the former history teacher said he had no plans to take it easy and has already lined up a number of community education projects to keep him busy.
In his young days the Oxford educated teacher taught in South Africa. His headteacher describes him as “incredibly dedicated”.
He said: “He has worked passionately to improve life chances for the students in his care and tirelessly to show them opportunities for the future that they might not have considered themselves. He is never off and never rests.

Jay Mastin

Jay is director of Parkway Computer Services Ltd.

Kwaku, Black British Music

Kwaku began his path writing about black music for various magazines, determined to shed light on the up-and-coming scene. He had a passion and a belief from the start that black British musicians had their own special talent and sound and deserved to be heard. Soon after, Kwaku shifted his concentration to black British music in particular, which, unknown to him, would redefine the cultural identity of the entire music genre.
Kwaku reminisces on our stage about the 70s and 80s being pivotal decades, witnessing a divergence between American and British music. There were stark differences between the two, unfortunately favouring the “cleaner”, more professional American sounds over the more underground vibes of British music.