It is time to meet our headline speakers for the 2016 National Festival of LGBT History. Our Guest activist for the Civic Launch will be Phyll Opoku-Gyimah.
As the co-founder and Executive Director of UK Black Pride, it is safe to say that she is one of the leading lights behind the amazing celebration of Black LGBT communities. She has been named in the Independent Rainbow List as one of the top 100 most influential LGBT people.
She has worked tirelessly to bring together LGBT activists, artists, volunteers and supporters from within the LGBT community and beyond to support UK Black Pride and other such events. She was nominated as Woman of the Year at the Black LGBT Community Awards 2007.
A Civil Servant by profession, she took a job in the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Trade Union where she started off trailblazing as the only Black female lead negotiator within Law and Justice bargaining area, then was promoted to Head of Equality, Health & Safety. She went on to be the Head of Campaigns and Parliamentary Affairs.
In 2014, Phyll served one year on the Pride London Community Advisory Board (CAB) and currently sits on the TUC LGBT Committee, TUC Race Relations Committee, board member of Justice for Gay Africans which focuses on Human Rights, Equal Rights, challenging racism and discrimination. She is a newly appointed Trustee for Stonewall, and this yeat was one of the judged for the Independent Rainbow List.
In addition to speaking at the Civic Launch, Phyll will be giving a public talk as part of the events at M Shed on Saturday Feb. 20th.