on the job


CANDACE ALLEN film-maker, her latest book is Soul Music, the pulse of race


60 SECONDS WITH… A writer, broadcaster and one-time Hollywood


and music. She has lived in London for the past two decades, and previously lived in Germany and Los Angeles


You were in Washington in 1963 to hear Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ Q1


speech. What did that feel like? It was an incredible rush. I was 14 and it was far and away the most exciting thing I’d ever experienced: A charter flight from NY to DC, joining throngs and throngs of determined, optimistic people. We were nowhere near the Reflecting Pool so heard the speech through loudspeakers. Pretty primitive compared to today’s, as you can imagine. Didn’t matter. We all knew this was history being made. The souvenir button is one of my most treasured possessions.


Q2 Q3


What do you think Dr King would say if he woke up today to see Obama as president?


Of course he’d be pleased; but he’d recognize – and not be surprised – that the struggle continues.


As an activist, what do you think are the most important causes to fight for today? 1. Trying to do something about the two-tier society in which we are currently living, that is the super-rich and everyone else, which brings in education, health, infrastructure as well as economic opportunity. 2. Understanding and managing climate change, with special attention to how this influences the mandatory migration of populations for food security, reliable shelter, and again health and economic opportunity.


How would you say the UK compares to the US when it comes to equal rights?


Q4 Q5


There’s far less social segregation here in the UK as a whole, but in terms of the access/integration of real, institutional power, the US is decades ahead. Nowhere near where it should be, but far better than here.


What do you think the younger generation could learn from your generation when it comes to activism?


My new book Soul Music addresses this question, but, in general, the younger generation have so much more information at their fingertips, but concentration, attention spans have been fractured from all this choice. I’d say tenacity and the understanding that face-to-face interaction is of


paramount importance in effecting fundamental change in how people think. We’re still animals and non-virtual experiences are most important. Be ready to put your physical being on the line as well as your intellect and cyber-dexterity.


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