索尔：我从议会庄园到上议院的旅程

《卫报》“西蒙·伍利革命了英国政治”
局外人能成为当权者吗？
西蒙·伍利（Simon Woolley）是上议院议员，是第一位领导牛津剑桥大学的黑人，也是一位政策制定者，他对首相和未来的国王非常敏感。但这是一位想要撼动权势的君主；一个知道将代表性不足的声音带到谈判桌上有多么重要的局外人。
年轻的西蒙在莱斯特贫穷的圣马修庄园由慈爱的白人寄养父母抚养长大，他在理发店排队时很快就学会了政治，并作为附近为数不多的黑人儿童之一学会了种族主义。在一次南美之行中，他唤醒了让世界变得更美好的愿望。在那里，他亲眼目睹了革命政治，并发现了激进主义是如何改变人们的生活的。受此启发，他于1996年共同创立了“黑人投票”合作组织，该组织在过去25年中鼓励了数千名黑人男女行使投票权。
Soar是一个勇气和承诺的故事，是一个不屈不挠的故事，是一个在体制性种族主义的挑战下保持积极态度的故事。这是关于成为一个父亲，尊重你的传统。但最重要的是，它是关于成为你自己的榜样，而你却没有其他的榜样。
Soar: My Journey from Council Estate to the House of Lords
‘Simon Woolley revolutionised British politics’ – Guardian
Can an outsider ever become a member of the establishment?
Simon Woolley is a member of the House of Lords, the first Black man to head an Oxbridge college, and a policy changemaker who has the ear of prime ministers and the future King. But this is a Lord who wants to shake up the establishment; an outsider who knows how important it is to bring underrepresented voices to the table.
Raised by loving white foster parents on the impoverished St Matthew’s Estate in Leicester, young Simon soon learnt about politics while in line at the barber’s and about racism as one of the few Black children in the neighbourhood. The desire to make the world better was awakened during a trip to South America, where he saw revolutionary politics first hand, and discovered how activism could change people’s lives. Inspired, he co-founded Operation Black Vote in 1996, credited with encouraging thousands of Black men and women to exercise their right to vote over the past 25 years.
Soar is a story of courage and commitment, of perseverance and remaining positive despite the challenges of institutional racism. It’s about becoming a father and honouring your heritage. But most of all, it’s about being your own role model, when no others have been available to you.

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