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| Lee Jasper | |
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| Born | 1958 Oldham, Lancashire |
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Lee Jasper is a British race equality campaigner and former Senior Policy Advisor on Equalities to the Mayor of London until his resignation on 4th March 2008 following the publication of sexually charged emails to a married associate. 1In December 2007, it was revealed that he is under investigation in connection with £510,000 given to south London's Brixton Base project. 2 Mr Jasper was cleared of any wrong-doing by an internal inquiry conducted by the Mayor's London Development Agency and Ken Livingstone stood by Jasper, saying: "I trust Lee with my life."3
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Early life
Jasper was born in Manchester in 1958. His mother was born in the Uk and is of African descent and his father is Jamaican. He moved to Oldham at the age of 8 staying there until the age of 21.
Career
Jasper left school without qualifications, and briefly ran a market stall selling second hand clothes. In his 20s he gained a degree in Social Sciences and moved to London, where he became involved in the politics of the Notting Hill Carnival.
Over the next decade Jasper became on eof the UK's most prominent race relations activist and adviser, sitting on many different committees and groups. He founded a range of national black organisations from the National Black Caucus, the 1990 Trust and operation Black Vote. He was also a founder member of Jubillee 200 and Operation Trident Independat advisory Group. He was one of only three witnesses from black organisations at the Stephen Lawrence inquiry representing the 1990 Trust he presented what is considered by many as the most powerful articultion of the black community perspective on Police racism. He was also a campaign group member of the Lawrence Campaign group and personally organised the inervention of Nelson Mandela in support of the Lawrence Campaign. He has become the most effective and outspoken black male of his generation.
He came to prominence as a member of the Mangrove 11 campaign in 1986 where 11 men were arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and heroin. The11 were tried by 11 different juries and found not guilty by all 11 juries. This led to the largest single civil award payout of the time with the then leader of the Mangrove Mr Frank Crtichlow being awarded over £50.000. Mr Jasper when on to narrate a BBC Panorama special on this subject. As a spokesperson for the National Black Caucus he became the spokesperson of a hugely successful movement attracting over 1500 African and Asians to three day Black power residential conventions throughout the late 1980's.
His experience includes being Senior Policy Advisor to the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA); Director of Development of the Mangrove Trust; Chair of Mangrove Community Association, Notting Hill; Secretary, Notting Hill Carnival; Press and Publicity Officer, Interval Housing Project, Rainer Foundation. Jasper was the Director of the 1990 Trust (1995 - 2000), a leading policy organisation on issues affecting African, Asian, and Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom and Europe. In 1998 he won a Premiere Community Award from Britain's biggest black newspaper, The Voice, for his work in race relations. Jasper is an ex-board member of the Royal Commonwealth Society (1997-1999). He is also the President of the National Black Students Alliance, as was also the Deputy Representative of the UK on the European Council's European National Anti Racist Network.(1995/6). he was voted the 2nd most powerful black man in the New Nation's Black power list in 2007. He is a founder member of the Equanomics network and has been a school governor for over 20 years.
He has been responsible for some of the largest demonstrations ever held on race eqaulity isssues in the UK. In addition he has campigned against a range of high profile miscarrige of justice campigns such as the Cardiff 3, M25 Three and host of others.
Lee Jasper has chaired many committees and organisations including the National Black Alliance, National Black Caucus and the Lambeth Police Consultative Group. He is the National Secretary of the National Assembly Against Racism. He was also a founder board member of the Jubilee 2000 Campaign, is a current member of the Black Jewish Forum, is was one of the co-chairs of Communities on Line, a national organisation promoting internet usage for social and economic justice, and has been School Governor of St Andrew's School, Brixton, Lambeth. Kingsdale and Chestnut Grove Schools in South London. He was a the driving force behind the radical black web site black information link. (www.blink.org.uk)
He also sat on the London Criminal Justice Board and chaired Scotland Yard's Operation Trident Independent Advisory Group, which works to reduce homiicide in black communitiesgun crime. His close co-operation with the police has earned him criticism from radical anti-racists and militant anti-fascists who see the police as part of the problem of racism. In addition he has equally been lauded as a visionary by many. He began campaigning against gun crime long before it was fashionable in 1996.
Due to his role in the Greater London Authority, he played an important part at the European Social Forum hosted by the GLA in London in 2004. This caused some controversy, as there was disruption at the anti-racist session of the Forum. His criticisms of the disruption[1] were in turn condemned by a small number of grassroots anti-racist groups as stifling dissent.[2] He remains however on of the most articulate public speakers ever produced by the British African communities. He pioneered the GLA Eqaulities effort resulting in the GLA being awarded Level 5 of the Local Government Eqaulity Standard.
The GLA employed more black people, women and people with disabilities than any other public sector organisation in the UK. Lee Jasper ensure diversity was the central theme in the bid for the London Olympics to be held in 2012. He pioneered the Supply Side Programme attempting to open up City Hall contracts to minority businesses. He was the first Chair of the Olympic Equalities Forum the first of its kind anywhere in the history of the Olympics. The cultural programmes of the GLA led to Jasper ensure the funding of the Bernie Grant and Stephen Lawerence Centre. the Rich Mix Centre and the establishment of the Notting Hill Carnival Village at the Tabernacle Community Centre. He forceful implementation of equalities led to the London Criminal Justice Board producing an Equality Action Plan to tackle the gross over representation of black youth in the criminal justice system - the first of its kind anywhere in Europe. He also pressed for the adoption of a ' London living wage' and was the host for Londons Anti Racist concert Rise. He established Black History Season as opposed to a month using October each year to announce a year long programme of activities. He ensure the statue of Nelson Mandela was erected in Trafalgar Square London.
He is currently married and has nine children. He married at 16 divorced by 21, married again at 24 and his second wife died of Lupus in 1994. He was a single parent from 1981 until 1984 brinbging up his two eldest daughters whilst studying at Manchester polytechnic. He is the most quoted black male spokesperson in the UK attracting more headlines than any other single black person in the UK.
In 2001 and again in September 2008 he called for the establishment of black schools in the United Kingdom in response to the current educaional crisis for black youth. His call has gained increasing support from large sections of the black community. But has outraged white and black liberals alike. He currently presents a programme on www.voiceofafricaradio.com.
Greater London Authority
As advisor to the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, Jasper earned £120,000 per year and was responsible for the development, enactment and promotion of equalities policies for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and had corporate responsibility for the development and delivery of anti discriminatory policies aimed at ensuring equality in employment practices and service delivery. He was also responsible for advising the Mayor on policing issues. As a member of the Mayor's Advisory Cabinet, he was responsible for political advice regarding race relations in London.
Funding controversy
Mayor Ken Livingstone said on 20th December 2007 on Nick Ferrari's radio show, that there would not be an independent investigation into the allegations and that he believed Jasper was innocent and that "[he] resigned because this stuff is embarrassing. It's not illegal, it's embarrassing." 4 Further, Mr Livingstone has stated that the London Evening Standard which made the original allegations has been running a "campaign targeting black and ethnic minority organisations".5 The Standard has run a series of articles alleging substantial mismanagement of funds. On 15 February 2008 Jasper was suspended as the mayor's race advisor 6 He resigned on 4 March 2008.7 He has subsequently been cleared of all allegations and has charged the Eveneing Standard with gross racism. His stauture continues to grow and much more is expected from him in 2009. He is extremely popular with students and is in heavy demand speaking at student and public events all over the UK.
Radio
On the 3rd of July 2008, Lee Jasper joined Voice of Africa Radio (94.3 FM in London and streaming on the internet via www.voiceofafricaradio.com ), the UK's first and only licensed African radio station in London, hosting a socio-political current affairs programme –'Peoples’ Parliament' from 9-11am Thursdays and Fridays and 'Saturday AM with L.J.' from 10-11am.
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- This page was last modified on 9 November 2008, at 15:51.
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