Prime Minister Tony Blair's comment that the black community "... needs to be mobilised in denunciation of this gang culture that is killing innocent young black kids ..." (YPN, 18-24 April, p3) is a kick in the teeth to five generations of the UK's black community and the countless foremothers and forefathers who fought for our freedom.
In the absence of statutory provision, black voluntary, community and faith organisations had historically stepped up to the challenge to provide vital grassroots self-help organisations to meet the needs of our vulnerable children and young people and challenge inequality and racism.
During the Thatcher years, these community-based groups' funding was withdrawn and we slowly saw their depletion over time. The black community has long campaigned for sustainable resources and support and an involvement in the decision-making of grant giving bodies, but the response has been slow and patchy. Despite years of government inner-city regeneration, those that have benefited have been invariably white.
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