Heineken Incident Sharon Grant Letter to Waheed Ali

About this item

This document is a letter dated 4th January 1996 from Sharon Grant to Waheed Ali, discussing Caribbean Links, a community organisation promoting Caribbean culture among second-generation Caribbean British youth. The letter highlights the organisation’s activities and the need for funding to support its development. It also reflects Bernie Grant’s interest and encouragement for such cultural initiatives.

Key points:
– The letter thanks Waheed Ali for a clarifying phone conversation and reports that Bernie Grant was pleased with Planet 24's response to Mr Kos's memo.
– Caribbean Links is described as a non-political, family organisation formed about three years prior to the letter.
– The organisation aims to promote positive images of Caribbean culture and history, especially for young second-generation Caribbean people.
– Caribbean Links has organised events like Family Fun Days attended by hundreds, and a sponsored trip to Liverpool including a visit to the Transatlantic Slavery Museum.
– Currently run by volunteers using Bernie Grant’s office resources, the organisation seeks funding to pay staff and cover basic running costs.

This letter sheds light on Bernie Grant’s support for cultural and community organisations that empower Black British youth by fostering pride in Caribbean heritage. It connects to broader themes of fighting racism and building community roots through initiatives beyond political activism, highlighting the importance of cultural education as part of anti-racist work in local government and activism.

Source note: The OCR transcript is generally clear though some minor spacing and punctuation inconsistencies appear. These do not significantly affect the interpretation of the letter’s main content.