Maud Martha review: an American classic finally lands in the UK – seven decades late
How to begin talking about Gwendolyn Brooks? She was one of the major American poets of the 20th century. She was a writer of great power and…
No, the British countryside isn’t racist
It is just over 90 years since a group of young workers, some of them communists, decided to stake a claim to the countryside by staging a…
Diversity is the new national religion. Woe betide any agnostics
All ages and cultures have their religions. Today Christians around the world celebrate the story of the risen Christ. But whether you are a believing Christian, a…
Ditching ‘offensive’ street names to become harder under plans to give residents the vote
In October, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, announced £1 million worth of grants for activities including renaming streets in the capital. The Labour-run Haringey Council in…
Racial politics, swimming and nudity make Daddy an intriguing watch
Hailed in almost messianic terms Stateside, American playwright and burgeoning screenwriter Jeremy O Harris has a sizeable reputation for a man in his early thirties and only…
Vindication for Tony Sewell’s race commission
The educationalist Tony Sewell has never been afraid to challenge the liberal Left. He has helped thousands of black children from poor backgrounds to get into university,…
When woke becomes racist: publishing’s insidious pigeonholing of black writers
She is anxious not to criticise an industry that loved her debut so much it went to a six way auction in the UK, and is at…
Why The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is so important to black families like mine
Like nursery rhymes and ice cream-van chimes, the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a soundtrack to my childhood, I wasn’t born when the…
Weak institutions are giving in to the identity politics thought police
The Left was once viewed as the primary vehicle for working-class people to find and use their voices to organise for their material interests. Now, rather than…
The film that pitted Sidney Poitier (plus Tracy and Hepburn) against the American South
In 1967, the late Sidney Poitier enjoyed something of an annus mirabilis. He appeared in three popular and successful films: To Sir With Love, In The Heat…
Michelin-starred chef accused of religious discrimination for asking Sikh ‘to remove bangle’
A three-time Michelin-starred chef is being sued for religious discrimination after he allegedly ordered an employee to take off his traditional Sikh bangle in case it got…
Use of ‘BAME’ label questioned by accounting watchdog
The accounting watchdog is asking top black and ethnic minority executives whether firms should drop the acronym “BAME”, as it mulls new rules to boost diversity. The…
Banning BAME from the BBC is really only a partial victory
The BBC, alongside ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, has decided to drop the acronym “BAME”, which stands for “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic”. The decision –…
Warn public before they watch films depicting blacked-up actors such as Laurence Olivier, says official censor
Films in which actors black up such as Laurence Olivier in Othello should carry a ratings warning, says the official censor. Prospective audiences will be able to…