New site aims to raise volume of Black voices in early years

Jamel Carly-Campbell, Joss Cambridge Simmons, Laura Henry-Allain and Liz Pemberton have launched The Early Years Black List website, a platform to enable more Black voices to be heard in the early-years community.

 

The site is the result of many conversations around the lack of Black voices within the early-years community. It contains a list for event organisers and those in the media, television and publishing who are looking to highlight diverse and authentic voices, whether in round-table discussions, conferences, contribution to research, etc… All of the people featured on the list have a wide range of expertise and knowledge of early-years education, care, health and social work and can speak not only about issues that affect their community but also about being Black and working in the early-years sector.

“Initially, we were going to create one document with names, however, we felt that we needed more than this,” said the founders. “This website is a work in progress and we welcome recommendations and additions.” 

Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the emergence into the public consciousness of Black Lives Matter, there was an increased interest in all things Black, they added. “Many individuals and organisations used the black square on their socials, some used the Black Lives Matter hashtag, some began their journey in allyship. Others didn’t do anything, while some started and then stopped. Even so, we feel that as individuals whose heritage is rooted within the African and Caribbean diaspora we are becoming more and more acutely aware that within the early-years sector our voices are still not represented equally.

 

“As a group of solution-driven people, we felt we could do something about this, hence, The Early Years Black List. Black early-years colleagues appear on this list irrespective of their role, responsibility or job title. We have colleagues who are academics, teachers, trainers, assistants; we don’t discriminate against anybody based on their career. We acknowledge and understand that the term Black is one that has had many evolutions and its politicisation has encompassed many different people’s racialised identities across the diaspora. For the purposes of the Early Years Black List we want to be explicit in how we intend it to be understood and to this end we use this term to welcome colleagues who identify any part of their heritage as being rooted in Africa and/or the Caribbean. It is important to us that we get the full spectrum of diasporic representation in our mission to amplify the rich tapestry of Black voices.”

The founders make it clear that specific forms of anti-Black racism that impact Black people “must be acknowledged and not erased by the use of umbrella terms such as BAME”.

 

“This is not a BAME list that allows for the lack of nuance and intersectional understanding of how Black African and Caribbean heritage people are directly discriminated against,” the website’s welcome statement says.

It adds: “We must also make clear that our positionality with regards to allyship to other racially minortised communities is that we stand with and support ALL of our racially minoritised brothers and sisters and do not tolerate any forms of racism. We will always amplify and advocate for other racially marginalised groups.”

If you would like to join the list and/or know other Black colleagues who you would like to recommend, please email: Info@TheEarlyYearsBlackList.Com

 

Visit the website

 

Twitter and Instagram: @EYBlackList

 

The founders:

• Joss Cambridge-Simmons is known as the UK’s leading ‘super manny’. He is the founder of Jossy Care, a leading childcare service, established in 2007, and is keen to address the male stereotypes within the childcare sector.

• Laura Henry-Allain is an international award-winning early education specialist, consultant, author and scriptwriter. She is the creator of the well-loved CBeebies characters JoJo and Gran Gran and is also the series' associate producer. Laura is the vice-president of The British Association for Early Childhood Education

• Jamel Carly-Campbell is an Early Years Educator, Consultant, Mentor And Children’s Author who has been in the industry for over 19 years. Early years is his speciality but he has worked in youth clubs, schools, been a mentor to many and supported children with SEND. 

• Liz Pemberton is the Director of The Black Nursery Manager Ltd - a training & consultancy company which focuses on anti-racist practice within Early Years.