Event

The Faculty of Law in collaboration with The National Library and Information System Authority of Trinidad & Tobago  and The Faculty of Law’s Baron Constantine Educational Series (BCES) 2022, presents its UWI Legal Cinematic Review Webinar/Fireside-Chat titled; “Constantine v Imperial Holdings Ltd [1944] KB 693: Lessons on Social Justice, the Colour Bar & Diplomacy for Gen Z”. This webinar aims to pay special tribute to the legacy of Baron Constantine himself, as  the pioneer of Racial Equality in the UK. An A-class cricketer, Pan Africanist, Head of the League of Coloured Peoples, a politician, diplomat, broadcaster, journalist, lecturer and a respected author, Baron Constantine was the first person of African descent to become: a member of the House of Lords in 1969, a member of the Race Relations Board, the Sports Council and Governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). That his sterling achievements are significant is impatient of debate, as they were attained at a critical era in world history, when the exclusion of people of colour in political, social and economic life was openly supported by legislation in some countries, such as the oppressive apartheid system in South Africa and segregation based on the colour bar in North America and Europe.

During the Fireside Chat, particular emphasis will be placed on appraising the impact of the case Constantine v Imperial Hotels Ltd [1944] KB 693, which involved Baron Constantine suing Imperial Hotels Ltd. Having been reassured that he would have been welcomed at the London hotel for the duration of his stay, Constantine was on arrival told that he, his wife Norma and his daughter Gloria, could only stay for one night due to complaints about their presence by white US military servicemen staying there. Thus, the manager of the hotel refused to accommodate Constantine and his family on the grounds of their race in an instance of the UK Colour Bar. Constantine successfully sued the hotel company for breach of contract. Legal commentators have since recognised the case as a milestone in British racial equality, because while it merely exposed rather than ended the issue of racial discrimination, it did serve as the stimulus for the British Race Relations Act 1965, 1976 and eventually the Equality Act 2010.

Leading us on this distinctive journey of praise and edification as our eminent guests are Baron Constantine’s 94 year old daughter and Educational Scholar, Mrs. Gloria Theresa Valere MA MOM (who observed the racism her parents endured in the UK), as well as British Barrister and Crown Court Judge Martin Forde KC, the former Independent Adviser to the UK Government’s Home Office on the Windrush Compensation Scheme. Along with eye witness accounts, they shall integrate film and progressive legal historiography as catalysts of Social Justice, Diversity/Inclusion and Diplomacy to help move their listeners beyond law as a rigid “black letter”, text-based discipline. Moreover, hinged on their professional and cross-Atlantic understanding of the trending “classism” and malignant forms of ignorance in post-colonial/post-BREXIT and now post-Elizabethan Britain, they will foreground the many collateral consequences of such a modern discriminatory culture in the Caribbean. Both speakers would also indicate what prised lessons can be learnt by the “Generation Z” of today from Baron Constantine’s equity-focused ethics of yester-year, when he navigated the maze of  Social Justice, limboed under the Colour Bar (thus making a way, where there was no way), and helped to mould the Diplomatic means of challenging segregation in all areas of society, through collaboration, compromise, hard work, goodwill and strong moral values.

BCES Chair for this webinar will be Ms. Gail P. Guy MBA MPM, former Acting High Commissioner of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to the United Kingdom, and Retired Chief of Protocol, The Government of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.

Distinguished Guests Speakers:

• Mrs. Gloria T. Valere MA MOM    
• Daughter of Baron Constantine      
• Ret. Educator/Former Principal
• St. Francois Girls’ College, Trinidad

• Judge Martin Forde KC                                  
• Barrister, Recorder &. Former Independent Adviser
• Windrush Compensation Scheme, UK

BECS Speakers:

• Ms. Gail P.Guy (Chair)
• Former Acting High Commissioner of the Republic of  Trinidad & Tobago to the UK
• Retired Chief of Protocol, The Government of the Republic of  Trinidad & Tobago

• Mr. Terrence Wendell Brathwaite
• Honorary Fellow
• Faculty of Law
• UWI, St. Augustine
• Founding Coordinator - The Baron Constantine Educational Series (BCES)

 

Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Time: 2: pm  Platform: Zoom

Interested persons can register using the following link, https://bit.ly/FOLlegalcinematicreview  

For more information, email  STA-law@sta.uwi.edu