White actor who identifies as black criticised for winning place on scheme for Bame candidates

A white theatre director, who describes himself as an "African born again", has come under fire, after securing public funding intended to help ethnic minorities develop their stage careers.

Anthony Lennon, 53, who was born in London and whose parents are Irish, won a place on a two year Arts Council funded scheme, after a leading black theatre company accepted his claim to be of "mixed heritage".

He was one of four "theatre practitioners of colour", to be awarded part of a £400,000 talent development grant.

But Mr Lennon has been accused of being a "racial imposter" after it emerged that despite changing his name to Taharka Ekundayo at one point, he is unquestionably white.

The company involved, Talawa, which is one of the country's leading black theatre groups, last night defended its position, insisting Mr Lennon was an "exceptional" person for the role.

In a statement, a Talawa spokesman said: "As an artist of mixed heritage he is not only eligible for the position, but his experience, work and achievements make him an exceptional person for the role.”

But Trevor Phillips, the former chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, said allowing people to self-identify on matters of race, inevitably meant members of the black Asian and ethnic minority (Bame) community lost out.


Again unable to post the link, but you will find this story on the main page of the Telegrath

Someone else pretending to be something he isn't.
What if he woke up one morning and identified as a goat?''''oh sorry, we have done that one already.

Syl wrote:Someone else pretending to be something he isn't.
What if he woke up one morning  and identified as a goat?''''oh sorry, we have done that one already.

I think this piss taking video sums it up best

Phildidge wrote:

Syl wrote:Someone else pretending to be something he isn't.
What if he woke up one morning  and identified as a goat?''''oh sorry, we have done that one already.

I think this piss taking video sums it up best

Very good.
The alarming thing is though, some people seem to think this isnt so far fetched.
If a rapist can end up in a womans prison because he woke up one day and identified as a woman, whats to stop anyone pretending to be anything they want to be....and a pathetic liberal section of society will fight for their rights to be so.

They shouldn't have such daft schemes anyway.

I don't understand why some people seem to have such a huge problem with people identifying as someone they weren't born as.

I can understand not agreeing with them, even thinking them stupid. But some seem to take it really personally.

I wonder if they're a bit like the homophobic men who turn out to be gay themselves?

Syl wrote:Someone else pretending to be something he isn't.
What if he woke up one morning  and identified as a goat?''''oh sorry, we have done that one already.

You could say that about trans people? Are they pretending to be something they're not? It's about how you feel, I guess.

HT, does your avator have Measles ?

*THE Ben Reilly* wrote:I don't understand why some people seem to have such a huge problem with people identifying as someone they weren't born as.

I can understand not agreeing with them, even thinking them stupid. But some seem to take it really personally.

I wonder if they're a bit like the homophobic men who turn out to be gay themselves?

I agree.  The urge to turn the natural into the moral is called ethical naturalism ... meaning you are making nature into an ethic.  In many things the natural is the 'good', such as beautiful sunsets, the grand canyon and warm puppies.  But in many ways, by our own actions, we make the unnatural into the 'good' ... we build homes and shelters, modes of transportation, great bridges and dams, and great works of art, such as Auguste Rodin's statures, da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and the Eiffel Tower.

Just because ethical naturalism is a theme doesn't mean that we have to make it into a religion.  What is the 'good' behind the anti-LGBT (and allied movements)?  Normally, behind any ethical naturalism movement is the theme that we are destroying nature, and nature can't be replaced.  But the LGBT effort is deeply personal, and needn't involve anybody who doesn't want to be involved.  We saw that in the gay marriage debate, where it was pointed out that we are talking about a union that is nobody's business except the people involved.

Ethical naturalism is a double-edged sword, and shouldn’t be followed in every instance.

Telegraph wrote:But Mr Lennon has been accused of being a "racial imposter" after it emerged that despite changing his name to Taharka Ekundayo at one point, he is unquestionably white.

And Michael Jackson was black. WTF cares how he wants to live his life? It's a personal decision.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:Someone else pretending to be something he isn't.
What if he woke up one morning  and identified as a goat?''''oh sorry, we have done that one already.

You could say that about trans people?   Are they pretending to be something they're not?    It's about how you feel, I guess.

If they wake up one morning and decide to be trans for a bit ...yes. You dont swap and change the way you feel depending on what day it is.

If you genuinely feel you are female not male, you alo have to realise there will be some instances where society can limit your freedom to be the opposite sex into which you were born.
Eg is the trans woman who entered and won the female only bike race, or the trans woman who ended up in a female only prison.

Original Quill wrote:

Telegraph wrote:But Mr Lennon has been accused of being a "racial imposter" after it emerged that despite changing his name to Taharka Ekundayo at one point, he is unquestionably white.

And Michael Jackson was black.  WTF cares how he wants to live his life?  It's a personal decision.

But he tried to lighten his skin and refine his African features, had he wanted to identify as white I doubt he would have been taken seriously.

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

And Michael Jackson was black.  WTF cares how he wants to live his life?  It's a personal decision.

But he tried to lighten his skin and refine his African features, had he wanted to identify as white I doubt he would have been taken seriously.

That's exactly what was going on with Jackson. He was the black obverse of this chap, Lennon.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

But he tried to lighten his skin and refine his African features, had he wanted to identify as white I doubt he would have been taken seriously.

That's exactly what was going on with Jackson.  He was the black obverse of this chap, Lennon.

Not really, Michael Jackson didnt make money or gain recogntition by pretending to be white.
Lennon, who is white, has secured himself a coveted council funded scheme intended to help ethnic minorites.
It sounds to me like some sort of cheating has gone on.

nicko wrote:HT, does your avator have Measles ?

Nah, It's Brahms Heelshire, the sexiest Psycho ever!

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

That's exactly what was going on with Jackson.  He was the black obverse of this chap, Lennon.

Not really, Michael Jackson didnt make money or gain recogntition by pretending to be white.
Lennon, who is white,  has secured himself  a coveted council funded scheme intended to help ethnic minorites.
It sounds to me like some sort of cheating has gone on.

Is that important?  Money and position are a whole other topic.  Jackson and Lennon were/are doing the same thing.

If you are saying that both Jackson and Lennon coincidentally made money and gained power because of their transition, you would be right. But I see no evidence that it was why they did it.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

Not really, Michael Jackson didnt make money or gain recogntition by pretending to be white.
Lennon, who is white,  has secured himself  a coveted council funded scheme intended to help ethnic minorites.
It sounds to me like some sort of cheating has gone on.

Is that important?  Money and position are a whole other topic.  Jackson and Lennon were/are doing the same thing.

If you are saying that both Jackson and Lennon coincidentally made money and gained power because of their transition, you would be right.  But I see no evidence that it was why they did it.

No Jackson and Lennon were not doing the same thing at all.

Michael Jackson may have wanted to look white but he never tried to pretend he was.

Seems Lennon identifies with black people even though he knows he is white....and in doing so is cheating a genuine black student out of an Arts council funded scheme which has secured a grant of £400.000.

"In comments made in 2012, Mr Lennon added: “Although I am white, with white parents, I have gone through the struggles of a black man, a black actor.”

What a load of bollox. I have been told I look Italian since I was about 16....I know damn well I am English though. And I certainly wouldnt want to claim a 2 year scholarship plus a huge grant of public money if the position was meant to go to a GENUINE Italian.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/row-over-minority-fund-given-to-white-director-who-identifies-as-black-a3980786.html

Syl wrote:"In comments made in 2012, Mr Lennon added: “Although I am white, with white parents, I have gone through the struggles of a black man, a black actor.”

What a load of bollox. I have been told I look Italian since I was about 16....I know damn well I am English though. And I certainly wouldnt want to claim a 2 year scholarship plus a huge grant of public money if the position was meant to go to a GENUINE Italian.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/row-over-minority-fund-given-to-white-director-who-identifies-as-black-a3980786.html

I agree, it's taking credit for trials and travails that were distant to Lennon. You're right to call him out on that score. Still, he wasn't selling anyone a bill of goods, so it's there's no fraud involved. He will be appreciated as an actor based upon his skills, not his assumed background.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:"In comments made in 2012, Mr Lennon added: “Although I am white, with white parents, I have gone through the struggles of a black man, a black actor.”

What a load of bollox. I have been told I look Italian since I was about 16....I know damn well I am English though. And I certainly wouldnt want to claim a 2 year scholarship plus a huge grant of public money if the position was meant to go to a GENUINE Italian.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/row-over-minority-fund-given-to-white-director-who-identifies-as-black-a3980786.html

I agree, it's taking credit for trials and travails that were distant to Lennon.  You're right to call him out on that score.  Still, he wasn't selling anyone a bill of goods, so it's there's no fraud involved.  He will be appreciated as an actor based upon his skills, not his assumed background.

He is being given the chance to further his skills and be appreciated at the expense of someone else who would have been entitled to the position and the grant.....so imo that is cheating.

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I agree, it's taking credit for trials and travails that were distant to Lennon.  You're right to call him out on that score.  Still, he wasn't selling anyone a bill of goods, so it's there's no fraud involved.  He will be appreciated as an actor based upon his skills, not his assumed background.

He is being given the chance to further his skills and be appreciated at the expense of someone else who would have been entitled to the position and the grant.....so imo that is cheating.

But not cheating as much as the investment bankers on Wall Street. Lol. I guess what I'm saying is, we've got bigger fish to fry.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

He is being given the chance to further his skills and be appreciated at the expense of someone else who would have been entitled to the position and the grant.....so imo that is cheating.

But not cheating as much as the investment bankers on Wall Street.  Lol.  I guess what I'm saying is, we've got bigger fish to fry.

Much bigger fish, but it's not a competition on who has the biggest ****.

If we were arguing fish dicks, I'd agree. But the dicks I'm talking about are Republicans getting tax cuts and cutting back social security and medicare.

Hmmmm. If I were him, I’d rob a bank and if I got caught I’d say:

“It can’t be me in that CCTV footage! That man is clearly white and I am a black man!”

What can they do?

eddie wrote:Hmmmm. If I were him, I’d rob a bank and if I got caught I’d say:

“It can’t be me in that CCTV footage! That man is clearly white and I am a black man!”

What can they do?

Shame, shame...eds.

eddie wrote:Hmmmm. If I were him, I’d rob a bank and if I got caught I’d say:

“It can’t be me in that CCTV footage! That man is clearly white and I am a black man!”

What can they do?

double post. \/

eddie wrote:Hmmmm. If I were him, I’d rob a bank and if I got caught I’d say:

“It can’t be me in that CCTV footage! That man is clearly white and I am a black man!”

What can they do?

He could always use the racist card....it's worked for him so far.

I consider that parasite in the O/P to be a bit of a manipulator, simply out to game the system...

Even though I have an Aboriginal great-grandfather, I would still describe myself as "caucasian" -- irregardless of how I may see my own mixed ancestry.. In the same way as I wouldn't call myself "Irish", even though that comprises the biggest minority in my heritage.

I do have a couple of cousins though, who are a fair bit darker, and could easily be called "black" by anyone so inclined..

Meh, he's an actor and he's got a schtick. Actors are pretenders to begin with.

Speaking of schticks, did you see they just crowned the sexiest man alive? He's a British actor, and his name is Idris Elba.

It's like applying for your State pension when you're 50 and saying that you feel that you're 66.

Raggamuffin wrote:It's like applying for your State pension when you're 50 and saying that you feel that you're 66.

Actually, that is legal.

Original Quill wrote:Meh, he's an actor and he's got a schtick.  Actors are pretenders to begin with.

Speaking of schticks, did you see they just crowned the sexiest man alive?  He's a British actor, and his name is Idris Elba.

He is gorgeous. He was tipped to be the next James Bond but I think that fell through.

James Bond...how kewl is that?