UK BLACK: Windrush Waves, Ungodly Sins, and Early Graves

By Vernal Scott

UK BLACK IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL MEMOIR. IT IS BOLD, RAW, AND COMPLETELY UNFILTERED. Overview: Laying everything on the table with striking honesty and speaking to anyone who''s ever felt unseen, unheard, or pushed to the margins, the current trans-Atlantic culture of anti-EDI/Black hate makes this memoir more relevant than ever. The author isn''t a celebrity or household name--but he is someone who''s made a real impact where it counts. Over four decades, he''s led Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) work across local government, policing, and even Oxbridge--often in the face of fierce resistance. Throughout his journey, Scott has had quiet but powerful support--from the likes of George Michael, Whitney Houston, Lord Paul Boateng, Peter Tatchell, and many in the British police service who''ve walked with him through decades of progress and pain. But he''s also been a target--from major newspapers to far-right critics online, all eager to silence his voice. This book is his answer. Telling his story with warmth, humour, heartbreak and grit, UK BLACK doesn''t sugar-coat anything. Rather, it opens a door into the lived experience of being Black, gay, neurodivergent, and a Family Court battling single dad in a Britain that hasn''t always been kind or fair. Whether you''re into memoirs, social justice, or just great storytelling that grabs you from the first page, this giant of a memoir (both in terms of content and pagination) deserves a spot on your reading list. Detail: Spanning 1930s Jamaica, the later pioneering 1940s/50s Empire Windrush adventurers under Queen Elizabeth II, the accession of King Charles III, the historic Sunak era of Black and Asian faces occupying the great offices of State, to the racist city riots following the 2024 election of Sir Keir Starmer, this living reader''s gem is significantly more than Scott''s inspirational history of inclusion and equity activism. The highs and lows of his life and career are shared with a searing honesty, such as the jagged-edged relationship with his stringent traditional Jamaican father. There''s a beautifully sensitive awakening of teen Scott''s sexuality during the 1970s Disco era, the "death and dying conveyor belt AIDS war years" of the 1980s/90s, the tragic family impact of the NHS Infected Blood scandal, overt "I can''t breathe!" racism, unconventional baby-making and Family Court consequences, the tears of unrequited love; "the Lord is not my Shepherd!" atheism, and Policing challenges and Scott''s recommended solutions. His late ADHD screening helped decipher the self-wounding traits that had dogged his lived experience. Forewords of note, celebrity surprises, and numerous photos further illuminate this roller coaster of competing triumphs, distressing tragedies, stubborn cultural taboos, and occasional belly laughs. Vernal''s history is UK Black history previously untold. Reader comments: "In the bravery and brutal honesty of Vernal Scott''s memoir, we get a rare and required snapshot of a time the mainstream would prefer to forget and a connection to a man whose life, filled with a magnitude of heartache that most will never have to endure, will result in this reader at least, finding an unintentional hero among us." "UK BLACK is an incredibly moving, humorous, joyful, devastating, heartbreaking and inspirational work... So much passion and compassion, and beautifully written. From the joy and pain of first love, growing up gay in the black community, through coming out, to the devastation of HIV/AIDS." "He lays bare his heart and soul and relays his story in such a way that it enables you to experience the gamut of emotions along with him. I cried, I smiled and cried some more." "Mighty real and compelling. A page-turner! The many photos were a great surprise!" "I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting. A history lesson, and reason to celebrate thrown in. Great read!"

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F4P3D6CP
• ISBN13: 9798319027320
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 821 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.9" x 6.0"