BRENT HEROES
Click through the list below to find out about the achievements of these heroes from the Black community with a connection to Brent.
Kanya King
Raised in a crowded council flat in Kilburn, North London, King was the youngest girl of nine children born to a Ghanaian father and an Irish mother. She studied English Literature at Goldsmiths College, later working as a TV researcher. It was at this time that she saw a gap in the market for a mainstream British awards ceremony promoting and celebrating music influenced and inspired by black music. She is the founder and CEO of MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Organisation. The MOBO awards provided early platforms for British artists such as Amy Winehouse, Goldie, Craig David and Rita Ora. Over twenty years after it was founded, the MOBO's remains one of the most prestigious events in the international music events calendar. King was awarded an MBE (1999).
Photograph by Orlando Gili, Brent Museum and Archives
Katharine Birbalsingh
Founder and head teacher of Michaela Community School, a free school established in 2014 in Wembley Park, London.
Tammie Arroyo / AFF / Alamy
Keisha Buchannan of the Sugarbabes
Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number one studio albums, making them one of the most successful British pop acts of the 21st century.
