My American Odyssey - Griffith, Roger

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Résumé :
'My American Odyssey - From Windrush to the Whitehouse' charts the life of a Black British boy, growing up in 1980s England, and travelling around America, sharing the cultural, historical and, at times emotional, links and contrasts between the two countries. Roger Griffith is a successful social entrepreneur and local radio personality - also known as the G-Man - with 24,000 listeners every week on a community radio station he (co-owns) called Ujima Radio 98FM. He has a passion for sharing stories, observations and insights on a perspective seldom shown - the special relationship between America and Britain, as seen through a black man's eyes. In 'My American Odyssey', Roger documents the experiences of his parents generation - known as the Windrush Generation - arriving from the Caribbean to help rebuild the 'Motherland' after World War II and his generation the first generation of Black-Britons born in the UK. He reflects on growing up within two cultures, through Thatcher's turbulent 1980s to the present day - with a black man as the US president - Roger explores the influence of Black-British and African-American culture through the prism of the civil rights struggle and the life and work of Dr Martin Luther King. In sharing his story, an evocative combination of travelogue, history, politics and social commentary, Roger celebrates the lives of African-Americans, West Indians and Black Britons, from their roots of origin to the present day, as a new era of hope is not just dawning but continues to rise.

Biographie:
Roger Griffith is a successful social entrepreneur, owner and MD of 2morrow 2day - a consultancy that specialises in working with diverse communities and those who consider themselves disadvantaged and/or without a voice. Roger is also an owner and presenter on a community radio station (Ujima Radio CIC) where he is am involved in a number of community projects.Roger was mainly unemployed for ten years after leaving school without qualifications or confidence. He worked in the building trade before re-discovering the purpose of education through understanding his heritage which changed his life, entering Bristol City Council as a trainee with no previous experience and becoming a senior manager.It was this journey and belatedly discovering the value of education that drove him to write My American Odyssey. Roger wanted to chronicle the stories that he found inspiring yet had to search for. He also wanted to tell the story from unheard voices from my generation being the first to be born Black and British post World War II. Too often I have frustratingly seen worthy professors or journalists explain my culture and heritage.Roger has written articles, blogs and reports on race and extensively researched and self-financed research trips to America to give the book a unique perspective as a citizen journalist. He has also appeared as a pundit for BBC Bristol during the 2012 US elections and several radio and TV news programmes during my time for Bristol City Council in following his career.