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.
Pastor Loy
Street Pastor Loy is a presenter on Chalkhill Community Radio
Photo by Adrianne McKenzie of Oynx Gold.
Patricia 'Blaze' Wharton
Patricia Wharton has over 30 years’ experience of working with children and families. As a trained psychologist she has a therapeutic approach to bringing about change, assisting others to reach their full potential and most of all enjoying the process. She delivers parent education programmes and is the founder of Parent Power. She also works with children and young people at risk of social exclusion or children on the waiting list for mental health services. Patricia has a background in senior leadership and continues to support Local Authorities with their Early Help Agenda. Patricia is the Radio Presenter of 'The Let's Talk show' on Chalkhill Community Radio.
© Sal Idriss / National Portrait Gallery, London
Paul Boateng
Paul Boateng is a Labour politician. He was born in Hackney to a Ghanian father and Scottish mother. Boateng grew up in Ghana but returned to the UK aged 15 after a military coup in which his father was jailed. He started his career as a civil rights lawyer before being elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent South in 1987. Boateng was one of the UK’s first Black MPs. He is currently a member of the House of Lords.
Paul Dawkins
Paul Dawkins, Singer/Songwriter with Tradition & Heptics. Formed in London during the mid-1970s, Tradition were responsible for some of the biggest and smoothest reggae and dub coming out of the UK during this period. Alongside the greats of Steel Pulse, Misty in Roots and Aswad - against a backdrop of new punk bands exploding on the scene - these groups continued to release roots reggae music, with Tradition producing a string of hits and culminating in a headline slot on the Anti-Nazi League’s Rock Against Racism tour.
After releasing three LPs through RCA and two through Venture, the band’s bassist Paul Dawkins left the group, in what would eventually result in the bands demise in the early 1980s.
