Greetings, everyone.  

I recently enjoyed a talk on the gentrification of areas of London and Britain.  For more about this, check out my blog:  

The Gentrification of Peckham and Other Black Areas

As you probably know, back in the 1950s and '60s, because of widespread racism, it was very difficult for Black people in London and the UK to find accommodation.  Those who did find somewhere to live paid two or three times more than white tenants or residents were charged.  

Black people were forced to become home-owners in order to provide accommodation for themselves and their families.  

But how did they raise the funds?  They had what was called a "pardner" system.  

A group of people would get together and each pay in a sum of money every week. Each week, one member of the group would be chosen to receive the money that had been collected.  This was the "pardner" and its roots can be traced back to Africa.  

Brother T. of London Black History Walks is enormously knowledgeable and he happily drops his knowledge at these events.  For more events, see:  Talks in North London.  

What can we do nowadays?  People are not so willing to trust each other - rightly so, probably.  But we can support each other's businesses.  A strong Black business community will lead to stronger, more prosperous Black communities overall.  

Maggie Anderson is one person who has shown us the way to build up our Black-owned businesses.  For more about Maggie Anderson and The Empowerment Experiment, see:  Strong Black Business Community.  

You and I can take steps now, today, to make our communities stronger. 

Here's to all of our success!

Zhana