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Black founders breaking down stereotypes by just doing their thing
Black History Month - October 2019
Let's talk about race
Jordan Harry at Norfolk Black History Month @ the Virgin Lounge, Norwich
Across the University, we used the month of October which is known as Black History Month, to start a conversation about race, and celebrate diversity. It's important to recognise the history and culture of black students and entrepreneurs, and build a community that supports one another. That’s why we wanted to share with our readers a selection of successful University of Bath graduates who have excelled in business, tech or have simply broken down barriers by just doing their thing.
Jordan Harry is a 22-year-old business owner, graduate of the University of Bath and SETsquared Bath member. His company StudyFast aims to change the way we learn by teaching memory and speed reading training– he also wants to change the instant assumptions people often make about young men who look like him.
That’s why October (Black History Month) was a busy month for him and his company.
When it comes to being mixed-race, what I have learnt is that human beings always judge a book by its cover, but what I want people to realise is that not all books are the same. If you have time, open it and find out if it’s worth reading.
Being mixed-race is a constant reminder to me of how far we have come, not only as a country, but as a human race.
My dad is black Nigerian and my mother is white British – her parents are Russian and Dutch Jewish immigrants. I’ve always identified as black interestingly, and many other mixed-race people will say the same. This is because the white community doesn’t look at me and say, “he is one of us”. They don’t accept me, but the black community does. What I love about being mixed-race is the progressive mindset and environment I grew up in.
Croydon Black History Month @ Croydon College
The reason I became a CEO and businessman was to change the narrative of what a young black man should be doing, I felt the pressure not to reinforce the stereotypes that we always see – of the aggressive black man, the troublemaker, or the athlete or musician. When you look at me and you see my physique, tattoos and image, guessing that I’m a business owner probably wouldn’t quite make the list. I like surprising people. I like to defy expectations and challenge people’s inherent assumptions. But, like so many people of colour, I learnt at a young age that I would have to work harder and be better in order to be afforded the same opportunities.
My old white (and slightly racist) teacher when I was growing up, told me when I was 10 that: I stand out. “…and Jordan you have to make sure you stand out for the right reasons.”
From that very moment I threw myself into education.
Jordan has already achieved many successes at such a young age and one we would like to share is his TEDxBathUniversity Talk which has reached an incredible 1.3M views on YouTube so far!
Breaking down barriers
Nia Simpson is a young black graduate of the University of Bath and in her final year, with her tech for good startup idea Compact Cane, she was awarded the Alumni Innovation Award. Compact Cane has designed a discreet, electronic ‘white cane’ device for blind people. Powered by an embedded system of proximity sensors and vibration motors, a blind person can use Compact Cane to detect and avoid obstacles, imitating the white cane. Compact Cane can empower blind people with more control over their identity in society, addressing the stigma around the white cane.
Nia Simpson, founder of Compact Cane
The funding and support from University of Bath Alumni Innovation Award and SETsquared Bath gave me the opportunity, and helped hone my entrepreneurial skillset, to found my own start-up – Compact Cane. I’m really enjoying developing our discreet, pocket-sized, electronic white cane for visually impaired people.
“ As a black, female, tech founder, I love how me just doing my thing is breaking down barriers and stereotypes.”
Marilyn Okoro
Last month, University of Bath graduate and elite athlete, Marilyn Okoro gave an inspiring talk at the Students’ Union for Black history month. Marilyn Okoro helped kickstart a week of incredible, inspiring events for Black History Month. The Bath alumnus talked through the challenges she has faced and ultimately the success she has achieved as an elite athlete. Not only does she have a bronze medal from the Beijing Olympics for her performance in the 4x400m relay, she was also ranked amongst the top 10 times for 800m in the world and placed in multiple international athletics competitions such as the World Championships and the IAAF World Athletics Final.
One of the most important issues she covered was failure – and how to accept, embrace and learn from it. In 2012 she missed out on a spot in the Olympic team. She was running off pure adrenaline, wasn’t in control or focused – the pressure got to her. This alongside issues with her coach led her to move to the US in 2013 and take on a teaching role alongside her training in Florida. It was living in America that she first felt the impact of racism and discrimination.
Back in Bath she was an active member of ACS, Gospel choir, had a very diverse friendship group and never really felt excluded. Even when she was the only black girl in her boarding-school she never felt that set her aside, she was proud of her Nigerian roots. However, in the states her interracial relationship became a hot topic of conversation, and she was exposed to more closed mentalities around race and colourism in a much more segregated community. Marilyn returned to the UK in 2017 and is training for the comeback of all comebacks.
The Black Verse
To mark the end of Black History Month, the Edge hosted ‘An Evening of Poetry ft. The Black Verse’ for all staff and students. Poetry is an art form which forms a vital part of many African and Caribbean nations. For many, it started as a way of communicating stories down to different generations to keep them alive. The Black Verse is an organisation started by Uni of Bath alumni Samuel Akinwumi and it exists to provide a platform to empower black poets and make their voices heard.
Samuel graduated in July 2019 with an MEng in Chemical Engineering and is currently working as a Strategic Analytics Consultant at IBM mainly working with IBM clients solving their problems analysing data. Outside his day job he works as a creative on both StudyFast and a content platform called Vybl currently know as @vybfeed on Instagram. With Vybl Samuel is working on a video series where he interviews first-generation migrants. He’s also a freelance photographer and videographer working with clients to reach their content creation goals.
University of Bath Chemical Engineering alumni Samuel Akinwumi
On the importance of the University of Bath celebrating Black History Month Samuel told us:
I started The Black Verse to give black British poets a platform for them to share their work and have their voices heard. Before I started the platform I knew quite a few poets who only shared their work with their immediate circle. So I aimed to create a platform that would allow poets to share their work with anyone who just loves poetry and spoken word.
The Black Verse is important as the black narrative is constantly changing and it is up to society to lend a hand in writing a true and consistent narrative and define how it changes. The poets featured on the platform are adding their stories, their journeys and themselves into this narrative. I think Black History Month is a great way for non-black people to take some time to see the contributions that black people have made to both society and history. I don't think you can accurately tell the history of the UK if you completely withhold the history of being black within the UK. However, as great as the month is, I am black every day of the year and therefore black history should be taught and celebrated constantly.
Tell us about your experiences as a young black man working in tech:
My actions are not my own they are representative of all black men who work in tech so whatever I do I am moulding others attitude towards black men. For example, If I am loud in an area people may start assuming that all black men are loud. This is something I have to be consistently conscious of and at times it can be draining. You end up constantly being aware of how you are being viewed. I haven't learnt how to overcome this, all I can do is exist and hope my existence breaks stereotypes that others have about black people.
“In the same way, that I am standing on the shoulders of the giants before me, I hope to do the same for generations after me by breaking down barriers that until now have seemed unattainable.”