Friday 13th November
Click Here: to watch or listen to this week's Black History Lunchtime Conversation
Introducing Jim Thakoordin's Story
Jim joined the Black History Lunchtime Conversations and was excited to hear more about the history of plantaion slavery in Guyana. Jim is a good friend of Learning Links International and we are delighted to welcome Jim to join us.
Jim's website www.jimthakoordin.com has a great deal of information about his range of interests and campaigns
The website home page starts with this from: Professor Fred Walemba PhD, Professor of Strategy. Ex – Principal of London College of Professional Studies
"Jim Thakoordin was born on a sugar plantation in Guyana, South America, and began full-time work at the age of 12. After arriving in England in 1961, he worked as a busman and postman before winning a scholarship to Ruskin College, Oxford, in 1974. By this time, he and his wife, Doreen, a schoolteacher, had a son and a daughter aged 10 and 7. From Ruskin College, Jim progressed to the Universities of Essex, Warwick and London before becoming a full-time Trades Union Regional Education Officer. In 1981, Jim became a Bedfordshire County Councillor and two years later stood as the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Milton Keynes.
Between 1963 and 1981, Jim was heavily involved in Community Relations issues, Trades Unions and politics. He was a founder member of Luton Community Relations Council and has played a hugely effective role in promoting good community and race relations in Bedfordshire and nationally ever since. From 1983 to the present, Jim has served on the Boards of Governors of 3 Colleges and 2 Universities, and also on a wide range of Trusts, Governing Councils, Public Bodies and local and national Community Organisations. Jim Thakoordin was deeply influential in raising the profile of Equality Issues, having published several National Training Manuals for addressing equalities issues at strategic, practical and policy implementation levels. He has had a tremendous influence on the Local Government Management Board, Local Authorities, the Police Service, Fire & Rescue Service, the Health Service and other statutory and voluntary Bodies and Agencies since 1981. Jim's has made outstanding and exceptional contributions through his written work and campaigning activities towards ensuring that equality and quality issues were linked and that it was good business sense for employers to support equality strategies.
Jim is a deep thinker and has been a prolific writer, debater and campaigner for equal rights, opportunities, good community relations and racial harmony. He has published over a dozen Training Manuals, Books and Reports on the above issues...... "
Here is the link to the film about Jim's life : Click here: https://vimeo.com/416908877
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NAIDOC Week was postponed this year because of Covid, NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. Find out more about the origins and history of NAIDOC Week.
Each year, there is a different focus city for the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony. The focus city, National NAIDOC Poster Competition and the NAIDOC Awards recipients are selected by the National NAIDOC Committee.
This year the theme is "Always was, Always will be"