Ahead of Mandela Day this coming Saturday, Liverpool charity, Mandela8 have announced Dawn Butler, MP for Brent Central, as their newest patron.
The first ever elected African-Caribbean woman to become a Government Minister in the UK, Dawn ran a hugely successful campaign in 2015, winning her vote with a majority of nearly 20,000; giving the largest vote swing in England at the time.
The former Shadow Minister for Women & Equalities has twice been awarded by the Patchwork Foundation as the People’s Choice Labour Party MP of the Year and again as Overall MP of the Year. Dawn is a member of the House of Commons Science & Technology Select Committee, Chair of the APPG for Jamaica and APPG for Governance & Inclusive Leadership. Dawn was previously appointed as the Minister for Young Citizens & Youth Engagement at the Cabinet Office by Prime Minister Gordon Brown becoming the first ever African-Caribbean woman to serve as a Government Minister.
The announcement comes as Mandela8 – the organisation behind the new Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park, which will also feature an outdoor classroom – are marking ‘Mandela Week’ this year with their annual ‘My 67 Minutes’ campaign (sponsored by Torus Foundation, Platinum Sponsors for the previously scheduled visit from the Mandela Family), which aims to bring people together through acts of kindness and community cohesion.
Last year’s programme reached over 230,000 young people across the Liverpool City Region, Chester and Warrington with hundreds of volunteer hours being recorded across communities in the North West.
The charity is also in its final week of crowdfunding to support the city’s most vulnerable during lockdown with food parcels, hygiene packs and art activities for young children.
Dawn said:
“It is an honour to become a Patron of Mandela8 and to work with them to create a lasting memorial to the legendary Nelson Mandela in Liverpool. Mandela inspired me, just as he inspired so many around the world after spending 27 years in prison so that black people can have equal rights and votes and to end the brutal apartheid regime. It is upon his shoulders on which I stand. I hope that this memorial and Mandela’s story serves to inspire a new generation to campaign against racial injustice in the UK and beyond in the fight for equality and equity.”
Chair of Mandela8, Sonia Bassey said:
“Dawn is a Windrush child, as many in our communities are, and she has worked hard from a young age to achieve what she has in Parliament and she has a deep rooted commitment to challenging inequality. I’m delighted that the first Black woman to speak from the dispatch box and the first ever elected African Caribbean women to serve in Cabinet has agreed to become a patron for Mandela8. We cant wait to welcome her back to Liverpool”.
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The feedback is still coming in from what was a fantastic day of #My67Minutes activities and Mandela Day Celebration in 2019. Here are just some of the facts and figures (correct as of 7th October, 2019):
In Cheshire East alone there were 11 primary schools and 3 secondary schools taking part with a total of 5929 pupils taking part. All schools received a copy of the Long Walk to Freedom. All had access to the 67 ideas brochure and the primary and secondary school presentation for school assembly’s.
6 volunteers organised: a Mandela cake raffle; 67 cup cake sale; organised the school programme with over 101 participants (excludes school numbers above) using 22 volunteer hours. The raffle raised over £300 and was donated to My Cheshire Without Abuse, a Crewe based charity.
Additionally in Cheshire and Warrington a Winsford school took part with 750 pupils taking part.
Overall for Mandela Day for feedback forms received back the following info / stats were recorded:
· 20 youth centres participated
· 15 voluntary organisations participated
· Expansion to schools across the wider Liverpool City Region (and additional 408 primary schools and 61 secondary schools –total schools then involved 530 – 231,589 pupils)
· Expansion to schools in Cheshire and Warrington (12 primary and 3 secondary schools – total schools then involved 15 – 6,679 pupils)
· 4 schools across Liverpool City Region signed up to Schools Pledge to use the memorial garden for educational purposes once installed
· 4 barrel gardens developed for schools who were part of the Start of Works on Site Ceremony
· A total of 192 volunteers took part
· A total of 995 volunteer hours were recorded
· A total of 5361 participants took part (excluding schools).
· A total of 243,629 participants took part including schools.
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Liverpool Football Club’s first Black player honoured with spectacular mural in his local communityLimited edition artwork by Nelson Mandela, gifted to Liverpool City Council and the Mandela8 group by his eldest daughter, have been put on permanent display in St George’s Hall.
The City of Liverpool has strong connections to Nelson Mandela, being active in supporting anti-apartheid since the 1960’s and supporting the Free Nelson Mandela campaign and giving Nelson Mandela the Freedom of the city in 1994.
The Mandela8 group was established in 2013 after Nelson Mandela’s passing to establish a permanent memorial and educational programme as a fitting legacy. The memorial will be installed in Princes Park and officially opened in 2019.
Earlier this year representatives from both Mandela8 and Liverpool City Council visited South Africa to share the designs for the memorial with the Mandela family and were delighted to return to Liverpool not only with the blessing of Nelson Mandela’s eldest daughter Dr Makaziwe ‘Maki’ Mandela for the designs, but the beautiful gift of the limited edition ‘Struggles Collection’ prints.
The collection includes 5 line drawings depicting the various stages of South Africa’s development and the direct influence Nelson Mandela brought from struggle, imprisonment, freedom, unity and future.
It is without question that such a significant gift needs to be shared and be accessible to all who wish to see it so the prints are now permanently displayed in St Georges Hall.
Councillor Wendy Simon, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool and Cabinet member for Culture and Events, said:
“Going to South Africa and meeting the Mandela Family was a privilege and an honour. For the family to give us their blessing for the memorial design was incredibly exciting. Then for the City of Liverpool to be gifted these amazing prints was something we didn’t expected and were deeply humbled by.”
Lynn Collins, Chair of Mandela8 said:
“The images and messages in these prints will have a strong resonance with many in our city, who will not only have supported the Anti-Apartheid movement over many years, but will have been engaged in their own struggles for justice and fairness. It’s an honour to have been part of bringing them to Liverpool”
Sonia Bassey, Director and one of the founding members of Mandela8 said:
“The significance of ‘The Struggle’ prints being displayed in St Georges Hall in Mandela’s centenary year is huge. This artwork is not only the first Black artwork to go on permanent display in such a significant venue in the City, but it is Nelson Mandela’s, the most significant global leader of our time”.
Alan Smith, General Manager, St Georges Hall said:
“St George’s Hall is delighted to receive the works of Nelson Mandela to be on permanent display at the hall, and, following on from Nelson Mandela being awarded the Freedom of the city, the works go a long way in enhancing a new narrative for the city and its key venues of being truly multi-cultural and inclusive.”
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