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Floella Benjamin OBE Special guest at Hackney Lib Dems Fund raiser — "Every single adult has responsibiity to a child"
2010-03-07 10:17:46 Floella Benjamin OBE was special guest at a Lib Dem fund raising dinner on Sunday night (29th November).
Keith Angus, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, introduced her to a packed room at Yum Yum's Restaurant in Stoke Newington High Street, describing her as his "TV mum".
Floella described how she had come to Britain from Trinidad at the age of ten, feeling British and expecting a warm welcome but in fact facing hostility and discrimination. She had had to fight every day of her life and this had filled her with anger and resentment. But at the age of fourteen she experienced what she described as a "spiritual moment" when she realised that she had to make no apology for being herself and that the answer to other people's hostility and ignorance was not violence but communication.
Touching on her work with children Floella said that every single adult has a responsibility to a child, to have vision and to look to the future. People were unhappy and demoralised and looking for leadership. What was wanted was morality, dignity, integrity and trust. She felt that the Lib Dems had all of these.
Floella said that she could no longer support the labour party because of the Iraq war. She supported the Lib Dems because she thought that they could be trusted, were truthful and would stand firm. This was a great opportunity to change society and make a difference and this was a responsibility that we must take up.
After the speech there was an auction of donated prizes which raised over two thousand pounds for the Hackney party.
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