“RACISM IS THE WORST PANDEMIC” SAYS MOBO FOUNDER KANYA KING

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Kanya King MBE, founder of the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) organisation, has written an open letter to the UK’s Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport calling for help to end racism within the music industry. The letter addressed to The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP has identified many of the challenges faced by both Black and minority ethnic people in the world, stating that racism is “the worst pandemic we are facing”. The letter then goes on to place emphasis on the “structural and racial inequalities that shape the daily experiences of people from Black Minority backgrounds”.

Kanya King MBE, also spoke about her own experiences, writing: “My parents came to the UK from Ireland and Ghana at a time when there were notices on houses saying, ‘No blacks, no Irish, no dogs’. My father was often out of work. In that time there were not many companies wanting to employ a dark-skinned black man with a strong African accent.

Towards the end of the letter, King made a “rallying call to the music industry”, championing the idea of an event called United We Stand “with a powerful purpose to inspire unity and collaboration, educate viewers and listeners and raise funds to empower organisations in their fight for equal opportunities.” We’d like to call upon high profile names from the worlds of comedy, music, film, television and sport to come together to help tackle racial inequalities and social injustice.