Keeping the Conversation Going - Andrez Harriott

2020 has been an extraordinary year. To add to the coronavirus, the world has been reckoning with the pandemic of racism, sparked by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. A global protest has followed, the scourge of racism discussed in the media and open forum. In the US federal leaders have acknowledged calls to scale back a militarised police. In the UK, statues have fallen and colonial scandals called out. But are we doing enough toward a truly progressive future?  A vocal leader and campaigner in London and the UK has been Andrez Harriott. A multi-million-selling musician with his group Damage, he's a criminologist, youth worker and founder of The Liminality Group working at the sharp end of youth offending and justice. Not your typical RnB star then! His social feeds have been an inspiration - frank discussions on race and justice, and a consistent call to keep the conversations going. Fatherhood first spoke to Andrez for the KERB Life food podcast, when he was helping young people gain work experience following incarceration. He's been an inspiration ever since. I joined Andrez over Zoom last week to talk about racism, justice, and how to confront the pain we feel, talk with our children about race and work toward a more inclusive future. And how people of colour can gain the reparations deserved - and the equality and safety which must become the norm. Follow Andrez's work at his company's website tlguk.co.uk and through his Twitter and Insta @andrezDMG. All through Black History Month he's been paying tribute to black leaders and innovators and highlighting names which deserve more recognition in our history books... Music by DJ Mandray for balancetwo (plus a snippet of that Damage Ghetto Romance beat and a clip of Samuel L Jackson reading James Baldwin in the excellent I Am Not Your Negro film https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000kbk6/arena-i-am-not-your-negro)