Massive Attack, Bob Marley, bell hooks and grime: the forces that shaped four generations of Black Britons | The panel

‘British music has shaped me completely’

Arlo Parks

Singer and songwriter, 26

What book has most inspired you?
All about love by bell hooks taught me so much about the nuances of connection and desire; it helped me make sense of the world and embrace my sensitivity. She had such a compassionate and inspired approach to truth-telling that I try to carry with me wherever I go.

What albums or artists have most shaped your sense of self?
British music has shaped me completely. In Rainbows by Radiohead taught me to yearn, bend genres and embrace minimalism. Blue Lines and Mezzanine by Massive Attack moulded my taste in drums and song structure. Dummy by Portishead encouraged me to be as vocally naked and unafraid as possible. [The song] Archangel by Burial taught me to embrace the grime and the magic and the grey of London.

What cultural moments have felt most significant to you?
Radiohead headlining the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. Tate Modern opening its programming into the late night. The founding of Notting Hill carnival, and Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre.

If you were PM for the day, what would be your first priority?
Protecting and advocating for young people’s health and education.

Which Black historical figure has most influenced you?
It would have to be a cluster of figures for their fearlessness, vulnerability and dedication to their crafts: Zadie Smith, Steve McQueen and the painter Donald Rodney.

What political development in the UK has most disappointed or uplifted you?
I’ve been most disappointed by the rise in anti-trans rhetoric and discrimination. I’ve been most uplifted by the Arts Everywhere fund and the general commitment to increasing public access to art.

What is most misunderstood between generations?
That it’s impossible for generations to truly connect. I think that with some care and attention we could find common ground, grow and truly understand each other.

What is a “good life”?
A life full of love, generosity and adventure.

What would you change about your life?
Nothing. I feel really lucky and am looking forward to seeing where life takes me.

‘I’m interested in people who refuse to be reduced to a single identity’

Eunice Olumide

Model, actor, author and activist, 39

What book has most inspired you?
I really did enjoy the Loud Black Girls anthology. It’s a wonderful constellation of extraordinary voices, contradictions, ambitions and histories. As someone who has spent much of her life moving between different worlds, I’m interested in the people who refuse to be reduced to a single identity.

What albums or artists have most shaped your sense of self?
Growing up in Edinburgh, my relationship with identity has always been layered. Music was one of the places where those layers could coexist without requiring an explanation. I have toured the world with artists from Lauryn Hill, the Roots and Skepta to Wu-Tang Clan and Roots Manuva. They have all in different ways challenged the idea that we must make ourselves smaller to fit into the world.

What cultural moments have felt most significant to you?
The emergence of grime as a defining British sound. It brought the ingenuity, language and lived realities of young people from communities too often treated as peripheral into the centre of British culture. It was a reminder that culture does not need permission to become influential.

If you were PM for the day, what would be your first priority?
I would bring education, culture and economic opportunity much closer together. I’d usher in properly funded creative education, meaningful careers guidance, paid routes into industries that have historically relied on unpaid internships, and a serious commitment to ensuring that young people from every background can participate in Britain’s cultural and economic life.

Which Black historical figure has most influenced you?
Margaret Ekpo was an inspiring Nigerian women’s rights activist and politician who fought for equality and the empowerment of women. At a time when women were often denied a voice in politics, she bravely stood up for their rights and encouraged them to participate in decision making.

What political development in the UK has most disappointed or uplifted you?
The repeated pressure on public services, education and the arts concerns me deeply. These are not peripheral concerns; they shape our ability to participate in society, develop our talents and understand one another. What has uplifted me is the progress made in recognising the breadth of Britain’s history and the people who have shaped it.

What is most misunderstood between generations?
I think each generation underestimates the difficulty of the world the other has inherited. Older generations can sometimes mistake the language of younger people for a lack of resilience, when it may actually be a more sophisticated vocabulary for identifying problems that were previously endured in silence. Younger generations, meanwhile, can underestimate the ingenuity and sacrifices of those who navigated a world with fewer of the freedoms and resources we now take for granted.

What is a “good life”?
To have been a source of utter joy and kindness to the world. To use my inspiration to help and heal. Loving my family, doing good and letting the rest be. In the end it’s not what you own or worry about, it’s who you loved and the good you left behind.

What would you change about your life?
Absolutely nothing.

‘My first act as PM? Bring in conscription for teaching’

Ade Adepitan

Presenter, disability advocate, former wheelchair basketball player and gold medal-winning Paralympian, 53

What book has most inspired you?
King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild opened my eyes to history. I have always had this craving for more knowledge about Africa, the world and why it is the way it is. It talks about the origins of racism and race theory, and where we are socially and politically in the world – you can see the roots of it from this book.

What albums or artists have most shaped your sense of self?
I got Shut Up and Dance’s album Dance Before the Police Come when it came out in the 1990s. It is a seminal album from a time when British music was still trying to find itself. It is like a cross between hip-hop, breakbeat and dance – they were like the Prodigy before the Prodigy. I felt like the album had the right amount of anger and cultural references. Soul II Soul were pretty influential when I grew up, and Massive Attack were big for me as well.

What cultural moments have felt most significant to you?
The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. The opening ceremony was a real celebration of Britishness, of who we are and who we had become. It talked about everything from Black culture to white British culture, and we all celebrated it.

If you were PM for the day, what would be your first priority?
There are so many things like accessible housing and transport, but I just couldn’t get away from education. I get asked to go to a lot of schools to do talks and assemblies and I can’t understand how we can’t see that the difference between private and state education is so stark in terms of resources, facilities, everything. It is insane that we have a two-tier system with such a wide discrepancy. I would ringfence a certain percentage of GDP to go into state school education. Or introduce something like a kind of conscription for people who have been highly educated or have a degree to teach. I think everyone at some point should have to do a stint in teaching and put back into society.

What Black historical figure has most influenced you?
James Baldwin, because he was so articulate and an incredible communicator. He grew up in probably the most divisive and dysfunctional country in the world: the US. In a country where you could literally get shot for stating those types of views, he was brave enough to make it look at itself.

What political development in the UK has most disappointed or uplifted you?
What has most disappointed me is that a lot of our policies and political leaders have allowed their politics to be shaped by anger. Angry rhetoric about immigrants, about benefits; anger about taxes, or the country being overregulated. Arguably, if we hadn’t listened to some of these very vocal groups and allowed ourselves to be shaped by them, we may not have had Brexit. More appropriate regulation, rather than a focus on less regulation, might have avoided a tragedy such as Grenfell.

What has most uplifted me is people starting to take more notice of politics. I think when I was growing up there was a lot of apathy when it came to political ideas. We were not as aware of what was going on. But people now have been forced to [take notice], because we have been in a period of high political flux and [experiences] like Covid have made us examine who we are.

What is most misunderstood between generations?
My generation thinks the millennials’ lives are really easy: “They are not as resilient as we were.” But then millennials will say: “You guys didn’t have to deal with the kind of world we had to.” We had 9/11 and that turned the world upside down. Then the next generation says: “Look at us; we are dealing with social media and cannot afford to buy a house.” We allow ourselves to be put into these groups and these groups are then put against each other.

What is a “good life”?
It’s about feeling happy and fulfilled. If you manage to find your thing, no matter whatever else happens to you in life you will always be able to go back to that. For me, it’s sports and family – they anchor me.

What would you change about your life?
What I regret is that a lot of my success came after my parents passed away or their health deteriorated, so we couldn’t enjoy as much. I would have loved my dad to have been a grandfather to [Ade’s children] Bolla and Zayla, and for my mum to have had more time while she was well with Bolla, and to have met Zayla. I would have liked things to have aligned when I was at my best and they were at their best. That would have been nice.

‘No political development has uplifted me – we always return to the status quo’

Vanley Burke

Photographer and artist, 75

What book has most inspired you?
The books by the Black photographers Gordon Parks and James Van Der Zee. They most influenced my visual style.

What albums or artists have most shaped your sense of self?
Catch a Fireby Bob Marley and the Wailers undoubtedly had and continues to have an impact on me. His lyrics are so visual. Notable mentions: Burning Spear’s Marcus Garvey, Culture’s Two Sevens Clash, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. The work of Nina Simone. So many great albums, it’s difficult to choose one.

What cultural moments have felt most significant to you?
The release of Nelson Mandela, perhaps because I was in Africa for the first time when it happened. This significant moment offered hope not just for South Africa but also beyond the shores of the continent.

If you were PM for the day, what would be your first priority?
Acknowledging the evils of the enslavement of African people over centuries, the teachings of colonial history and its impact on British society, and having serious plans about how we can pay reparations for the labour of enslaved Africans.

Which Black historical figure has most influenced you?
The visionary Marcus Garvey offered hope for the Black people; he was not just a thinker but he also got things done. He was one of the most accomplished orators of all time. His thoughts and philosophy continue to reverberate throughout Africa and the diaspora.

What political development in the UK has most disappointed or uplifted you?
No political development has uplifted me because we always return to the status quo, which is disappointing. Thatcher’s legacy and its continued legacy on the working classes, the selling of council houses, the dismantling of the manufacturing industry, privatisation and closing the coal mines. Her policies benefited a few but resulted in many of the issues that blight our communities today.

What is most misunderstood between generations?
Most people – especially the younger generation – are plugged in and switched on to their own universe, leaving very little time to communicate with each other. Meanwhile, the bridging generation is having to deal with an ever-changing work-life balance, making it difficult for them to provide the necessary support bringing both sides together.

What is a “good life”?
Not having to be conscious of race on a daily basis or even at all. But that isn’t going to be possible in my lifetime. And being able to pay your bills.

What would you change about your life?
I’ve been quite happy with my life. I’m not sure I would change anything, perhaps tweak a few things. Changing one thing can have detrimental consequences on the rest of your life.