turn the lights off this darkness
represents what it felt like
growing up in an education system dye
fell didn’t really include me didn’t
really allow me to shine and to succeed
now I might be a master soon and a model
but that’s because I have the fire and a
desire to push forward and become the
best that I can be I would like to give
the fire to other students out there so
they can burn bright just as much as I
am
four we are melon native beings we
represent the sunshine turn the lights
on I want to take you through my journey
and through my journey you want to find
some funny things you’re gonna enjoy it
I think as well so I remember when I was
younger my mom took me to Devon and I
remember in Devon there’s no one that
looks like me
I think I was around 14 and I remember I
came back to my mum and my stepdad came
in and I think I was quite upset but I’m
not someone who really shows my emotions
too much I don’t really wear my heart on
my sleeve and I remember I said to my
mum why would you bring me here with
people that don’t look like me and I
remember my mom said to me Sean you’re a
black boy you’ve got to work hard and
never be afraid to go anywhere in this
world where people don’t look like you
and I still run with that what I’m gonna
talk to you about here is a seat at the
table and I have to fat my mum first of
all for giving me a seat truly at that
table she raised me as a single mother
my dad died on Christmas Day my mom and
I we haven’t always got along but I have
a great respect for her and I value her
very much so I want to say thank you mum
first of all
so as you know I study a master’s in
race media and social justice at
Goldsmiths University and I hope to go
on to do a PhD and not in them
University and black studies and through
that I would like to develop a thesis so
I’m not going to tell you too much about
my thesis or ruin it but I can tell you
about my dissertation and my
dissertation is on the Black Panther
movie and whether we can understand that
as a form of black radical politics and
through studying that I’ve learned so
much now working if one of my colleagues
is also in the crowd Deji we’ve been to
schools and when we go to schools what
happens we create a project we we create
a project around what we’d like to talk
about so desi likes talking about the
war on drugs with Richard Nixon I like
talking about the media’s representation
I have another friend your let’s talking
about how the education system has been
around for such a long time and I
remember when we first came into the
class we start talking about a lot of
black history and a lot of these
students they’re so happy they’re so
thankful to have someone that looks like
them because people don’t understand
representation matters running that
undoubtedly
so you’re sitting down you’re talking to
these students and as I said they’re
really thankful that you’re here and
you’re talking to them about things and
people that they can look up to and
black panther movie wasn’t the very
first movie that we saw people that
looked like us there’s other people and
it’s other movies it just hasn’t been
celebrated and I remember I went through
education and in my class I think I was
around 16 or 15 so my teacher would be
doing the work
what I would do know when my teacher was
teaching what I would do was I would
actually do the work because I found the
work to be that easy and as a resolve
that when my teacher was done teaching
and everyone was doing the work I had
already finished the work and I’d ask
the teacher I can have some more work
and they never gave me any more work so
as a result I distracted other students
by talking to them but my version of
distraction was I was helping other
students because they didn’t have the
perceived ability that I had and I
remember I came home to my mom one day
and I said mom I need to go to a private
school I need to go somewhere that’s
gonna hone in on my potential and allow
me to be the best I can be and
standard B my mom couldn’t afford it so
I had to carry on parents evening came
and the teachers were like Shawn likes
to distract a lot of students he’s a
bright child of course I know I’m a
bright child so I remember this lack of
visual representation I’ll stuck here
and for a lot of my years I’ve been
stuck in this trauma or I’m stuck like
stop being complacent and let go of all
your potential let go of all your
intellect and that’s where I find myself
now that’s why I’m able to give you this
TEDx talk but I don’t want other
children to feel like me and what I ask
for us to have a black centered
curriculum in schools now having a
school is a bit too far-fetched for some
people and that change is not tangible
for a lot of people but I’d like to have
asked Rick ulam where children can learn
about scientists professors so much more
than what we have in society history is
whitewashed undoubtedly and that cannot
be denied only now at 24 I’m learning
about Nkrumah Angela Davis and countless
other revolutionaries Claudia Jones I’m
from Trinidad and that’s the first time
I’ve ever heard of Claudia Jones and
that tells me a lot about what our
children I learned what I’ve had to go
out and learn for my own self I’ve grown
up without a father I found my home in
school and school can act as a surrogate
father to a lot of to a lot of us boys
especially Caribbean boys there’s a
drought as a nekkid epidemic going on
where our fathers aren’t there for a
whole load of other reasons that we need
to sort out and explore so I went
through school went through school I
remember I got to sixth form and before
six four miles denied to be able to do
the higher choice of GCSEs so I had to
settle for betta I done died completed
it it was never really a challenge to me
and again as I said that was always my
issue I never found anything that really
challenged me so again went to do my a
levels I wasn’t allowed to do those a
levels so I had to drop down to a BTech
when I done my beat that my teacher said
to me you’re not going to pass you’re
not gonna get the best grade possible
and if anyone knows me I love a
challenge if you tell me I can’t do
something I will do it
and my mum is the best example of that
so
I passed it through the results down on
the table to my teacher my teacher
smiled at me and said well done and too
often what I find is those who look like
us we believe they’re always going to
help us and sometimes they don’t
sometimes they reproduce the same
ideologies and the same oppressive words
that the rest of society gives to us as
I said I don’t want a child to feel like
me and a child that doesn’t feel the
warmth of his village will burn it down
to eventually feel its warmth that’s
something that’s resonated with me ever
since I saw the Black Panther moving
it’s one of the greatest African
proverbs Kehinde Andrews has just opened
Black Studies at university level whilst
I think that’s amazing what I also had
asked is why can’t we have that lot
earlier we need it a lot earlier a lot
of children are going for a not enjoying
education an education is supposed to be
a liberating experience and in the words
of dr. Frances Cresswell’s in I will not
rest until every black child is taught
to love themselves as themselves so
going into these schools and talking to
all of these students and I remember I
was talking to one of students and I
said how would you feel if you had a
black Center the curriculum they said we
would love that could you come and teach
us and I would like to make that reality
something tangible for them where they
can learn about people that looked like
them and people that they can actually
aspire to and someone overheard my
conversation when I was at one of these
events and I got a complaint from the
organization and we’re not gonna mention
names I was told that it was racist what
I said having a black centered
curriculum and I want a define racism so
I think a lot of us can’t define it
racism is described as the prejudice
antagonism or discrimination against
someone’s race and a belief that your
own race is superior having your own
curriculum does not make you racist
there’s a big difference it makes you I
want to put my race first cuz I
understand we’re being brushed under the
carpet and while some people are
succeeding there’s too many people left
at the back are left behind me through
my own curriculum what I’d have is
rewriting the prescriptive lines of
Education and for rewriting those lines
I’ll be able to have pee
Paul stop telling children you sound
white as if sounding educated is a space
only for white people when it’s not for
my whole life thank you thank you for my
whole life I’ve been told I sound white
I called the phone and someone when they
saw me in person like Oh old dad damn it
was always that shock another thing that
I’ve been through is my whole life I’ve
been treated as if I am mixed race and
I’m not mixed race I come from the
Caribbean and anyone knows Caribbean
history it’s very dense and it’s very
compact we have to unpack it and as a
narrative that’s happened in society now
where we’re having a lot of a
Afrocentric a lot of Afrocentric social
justice movements and I’m thankful for
that but I believe a lot of us
Caribbeans are quite lost and I think in
the words of Marcus Garvey a people
without a hitched past history of their
culture and origins like a tree without
roots and I sat there and I remembered
that and I used to go to trim that every
year and I had a I had a fantastic
upbringing I was able to know where home
was and it’s a lot of children from
Jamaica st. Kitts and so many other
Caribbean islands that don’t know their
own history there’s fantastic writers in
Barbados such as Hillary Beckles again
Claudia Jones I spoke about from
Trinidad
we’re not ensuring that you know we’re
well known for Carnival one song but
there’s a lot more than Carnival like
there’s a lot more to our history and
I’d like to explore that from my own
curriculum that’d be fantastic if I was
able to do that so I just want to say
thank you for giving me the opportunity
to talk and have a lovely day [Applause]
represents what it felt like
growing up in an education system dye
fell didn’t really include me didn’t
really allow me to shine and to succeed
now I might be a master soon and a model
but that’s because I have the fire and a
desire to push forward and become the
best that I can be I would like to give
the fire to other students out there so
they can burn bright just as much as I
am
four we are melon native beings we
represent the sunshine turn the lights
on I want to take you through my journey
and through my journey you want to find
some funny things you’re gonna enjoy it
I think as well so I remember when I was
younger my mom took me to Devon and I
remember in Devon there’s no one that
looks like me
I think I was around 14 and I remember I
came back to my mum and my stepdad came
in and I think I was quite upset but I’m
not someone who really shows my emotions
too much I don’t really wear my heart on
my sleeve and I remember I said to my
mum why would you bring me here with
people that don’t look like me and I
remember my mom said to me Sean you’re a
black boy you’ve got to work hard and
never be afraid to go anywhere in this
world where people don’t look like you
and I still run with that what I’m gonna
talk to you about here is a seat at the
table and I have to fat my mum first of
all for giving me a seat truly at that
table she raised me as a single mother
my dad died on Christmas Day my mom and
I we haven’t always got along but I have
a great respect for her and I value her
very much so I want to say thank you mum
first of all
so as you know I study a master’s in
race media and social justice at
Goldsmiths University and I hope to go
on to do a PhD and not in them
University and black studies and through
that I would like to develop a thesis so
I’m not going to tell you too much about
my thesis or ruin it but I can tell you
about my dissertation and my
dissertation is on the Black Panther
movie and whether we can understand that
as a form of black radical politics and
through studying that I’ve learned so
much now working if one of my colleagues
is also in the crowd Deji we’ve been to
schools and when we go to schools what
happens we create a project we we create
a project around what we’d like to talk
about so desi likes talking about the
war on drugs with Richard Nixon I like
talking about the media’s representation
I have another friend your let’s talking
about how the education system has been
around for such a long time and I
remember when we first came into the
class we start talking about a lot of
black history and a lot of these
students they’re so happy they’re so
thankful to have someone that looks like
them because people don’t understand
representation matters running that
undoubtedly
so you’re sitting down you’re talking to
these students and as I said they’re
really thankful that you’re here and
you’re talking to them about things and
people that they can look up to and
black panther movie wasn’t the very
first movie that we saw people that
looked like us there’s other people and
it’s other movies it just hasn’t been
celebrated and I remember I went through
education and in my class I think I was
around 16 or 15 so my teacher would be
doing the work
what I would do know when my teacher was
teaching what I would do was I would
actually do the work because I found the
work to be that easy and as a resolve
that when my teacher was done teaching
and everyone was doing the work I had
already finished the work and I’d ask
the teacher I can have some more work
and they never gave me any more work so
as a result I distracted other students
by talking to them but my version of
distraction was I was helping other
students because they didn’t have the
perceived ability that I had and I
remember I came home to my mom one day
and I said mom I need to go to a private
school I need to go somewhere that’s
gonna hone in on my potential and allow
me to be the best I can be and
standard B my mom couldn’t afford it so
I had to carry on parents evening came
and the teachers were like Shawn likes
to distract a lot of students he’s a
bright child of course I know I’m a
bright child so I remember this lack of
visual representation I’ll stuck here
and for a lot of my years I’ve been
stuck in this trauma or I’m stuck like
stop being complacent and let go of all
your potential let go of all your
intellect and that’s where I find myself
now that’s why I’m able to give you this
TEDx talk but I don’t want other
children to feel like me and what I ask
for us to have a black centered
curriculum in schools now having a
school is a bit too far-fetched for some
people and that change is not tangible
for a lot of people but I’d like to have
asked Rick ulam where children can learn
about scientists professors so much more
than what we have in society history is
whitewashed undoubtedly and that cannot
be denied only now at 24 I’m learning
about Nkrumah Angela Davis and countless
other revolutionaries Claudia Jones I’m
from Trinidad and that’s the first time
I’ve ever heard of Claudia Jones and
that tells me a lot about what our
children I learned what I’ve had to go
out and learn for my own self I’ve grown
up without a father I found my home in
school and school can act as a surrogate
father to a lot of to a lot of us boys
especially Caribbean boys there’s a
drought as a nekkid epidemic going on
where our fathers aren’t there for a
whole load of other reasons that we need
to sort out and explore so I went
through school went through school I
remember I got to sixth form and before
six four miles denied to be able to do
the higher choice of GCSEs so I had to
settle for betta I done died completed
it it was never really a challenge to me
and again as I said that was always my
issue I never found anything that really
challenged me so again went to do my a
levels I wasn’t allowed to do those a
levels so I had to drop down to a BTech
when I done my beat that my teacher said
to me you’re not going to pass you’re
not gonna get the best grade possible
and if anyone knows me I love a
challenge if you tell me I can’t do
something I will do it
and my mum is the best example of that
so
I passed it through the results down on
the table to my teacher my teacher
smiled at me and said well done and too
often what I find is those who look like
us we believe they’re always going to
help us and sometimes they don’t
sometimes they reproduce the same
ideologies and the same oppressive words
that the rest of society gives to us as
I said I don’t want a child to feel like
me and a child that doesn’t feel the
warmth of his village will burn it down
to eventually feel its warmth that’s
something that’s resonated with me ever
since I saw the Black Panther moving
it’s one of the greatest African
proverbs Kehinde Andrews has just opened
Black Studies at university level whilst
I think that’s amazing what I also had
asked is why can’t we have that lot
earlier we need it a lot earlier a lot
of children are going for a not enjoying
education an education is supposed to be
a liberating experience and in the words
of dr. Frances Cresswell’s in I will not
rest until every black child is taught
to love themselves as themselves so
going into these schools and talking to
all of these students and I remember I
was talking to one of students and I
said how would you feel if you had a
black Center the curriculum they said we
would love that could you come and teach
us and I would like to make that reality
something tangible for them where they
can learn about people that looked like
them and people that they can actually
aspire to and someone overheard my
conversation when I was at one of these
events and I got a complaint from the
organization and we’re not gonna mention
names I was told that it was racist what
I said having a black centered
curriculum and I want a define racism so
I think a lot of us can’t define it
racism is described as the prejudice
antagonism or discrimination against
someone’s race and a belief that your
own race is superior having your own
curriculum does not make you racist
there’s a big difference it makes you I
want to put my race first cuz I
understand we’re being brushed under the
carpet and while some people are
succeeding there’s too many people left
at the back are left behind me through
my own curriculum what I’d have is
rewriting the prescriptive lines of
Education and for rewriting those lines
I’ll be able to have pee
Paul stop telling children you sound
white as if sounding educated is a space
only for white people when it’s not for
my whole life thank you thank you for my
whole life I’ve been told I sound white
I called the phone and someone when they
saw me in person like Oh old dad damn it
was always that shock another thing that
I’ve been through is my whole life I’ve
been treated as if I am mixed race and
I’m not mixed race I come from the
Caribbean and anyone knows Caribbean
history it’s very dense and it’s very
compact we have to unpack it and as a
narrative that’s happened in society now
where we’re having a lot of a
Afrocentric a lot of Afrocentric social
justice movements and I’m thankful for
that but I believe a lot of us
Caribbeans are quite lost and I think in
the words of Marcus Garvey a people
without a hitched past history of their
culture and origins like a tree without
roots and I sat there and I remembered
that and I used to go to trim that every
year and I had a I had a fantastic
upbringing I was able to know where home
was and it’s a lot of children from
Jamaica st. Kitts and so many other
Caribbean islands that don’t know their
own history there’s fantastic writers in
Barbados such as Hillary Beckles again
Claudia Jones I spoke about from
Trinidad
we’re not ensuring that you know we’re
well known for Carnival one song but
there’s a lot more than Carnival like
there’s a lot more to our history and
I’d like to explore that from my own
curriculum that’d be fantastic if I was
able to do that so I just want to say
thank you for giving me the opportunity
to talk and have a lovely day [Applause]
Please follow and like us: