Ife Thompson
Founder & Director
She has over 5 years of experience working with her community, she is committed to ensuring the Black diaspora in the UK and beyond thrive. She is also an project worker for the Rooted Project and the Grounded project. Due to her commitment to working within her community; she has regularly seen how the effects of institutionalised racism has devastated her community and practices as a Criminal lawyer to help challenge and redress these injustices.
Ife is also trained as a Mental Health first aider, a Youth Worker, Writer, Curator and is a former Saturday school teacher. She writes extensively about Global Black cultures, communities and practices, and recently led a digital audio-visual exhibition called Black Homes in the UK spaces of Joy &resistance for London Met Archives. She has a wealth of knowledge on useful early prevention mechanisms and knows how to respond to somebody during a mental health crisis. She previously was an Education/Criminal law Paralegal and a Family Law Advocate. She has a wealth of experience in applying the law to facts and being a competent advocate.
Email me: hello@blamcharity.co.uk
Grounded Project
Christivie M
Senior Team Leader
Christivie has extensive experience working with young people and believes strongly in the reintegration of excluded young people back into society.
She is currently supporting BLAM UK as a senior team leader delivering our Black History and Culture Syllabus- The Grounded Project to Primary schools and Secondary schools across London on themes of Black history to help Black students Racial Esteem, Cultural identity. She also delivers our Black history and Anti-Racism Teacher-Training sessions.
Email me: Christivie@blamuk.org
Bettina Ogbomoide
Project Coordinator
Bettina brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the field of African studies. With a deep-rooted passion for understanding the diverse cultures and histories of the African continent, she has dedicated her career to this fascinating area of study. Currently, Bettina serves as a Project Coordinator for the BLAM organisation, where she plays a vital role in supporting and managing various projects. Her expertise and dedication make her an invaluable asset to the BLAM team as we work towards our mission of Black empowerment.
Maruf Saeed
Community Engagement Worker
Maruf brings a strong passion for creating positive change within the Black community, and his work shows this clearly. With a postgraduate degree in human rights law and an undergraduate degree in sociology, he uses his knowledge of intersectionality to translate research into content that young people can understand and feel part of. His creativity and skill in social media help amplify BLAMs voice, build real connections and reach new audiences. His energy, purpose and vision strengthen every project he leads.
Omena Osivwemu
BLAM CONSULTANT
Omena is an experienced educator, consultant, and policy officer specialising in race equality and anti-racist education.
As a BLAM UK consultant, Omena advocates for embedding Black British history in educational practices. She is committed to fostering open dialogue around race, inclusion, and empowerment. Omena is excited to join the panel at the Living Black History event to discuss the importance of Black British history and its role in shaping our society.
Advocacy Project/ School Exclusions
Niya Mcloud
Advocacy Coordinator
AI Accountability research project Team
Grace Davis
Senior Project Lead
Grace Davis is the Senior Project Lead for BLAM UK’s AI Accountability Project, where she leads research into how AI-driven and data-led policing practices impact Black communities across London. She directs the project’s research strategy, manages a multidisciplinary team, and works closely with academics, community organisations, and policy partners.
Grace brings a broad cross-sector background to her role, having worked internationally as a teacher in South Korea and, in the UK, across the Civil Service, recruitment and executive search, leadership consulting, CX and sales. With a psychology undergraduate degree and ongoing master’s studies in Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence, she approaches AI governance through both a human-centred and technical lens.
She is committed to building community-centred, empowering, and future-proof approaches to accountability, ensuring Black communities remain protected and informed now, and through every iteration of AI to come.
Estelle Uba
Primary Researcher
Estelle Uba is a multimedia journalist, researcher and communications specialist whose work centres Black communities, racial justice and culturally grounded storytelling.
She is Primary Researcher on BLAM’s AI Accountability research project, investigating racial bias in AI-driven policing. Estelle has written for The Guardian, The Voice, Refinery29 and other publications, and previously worked as a Junior Multimedia Reporter at Pioneers Post, w social enterprise magazine. She has also held communications roles at the Young Africa Centre and DICE CIC, and founded Gen-Z Talks, an online youth magazine. Estelle holds an MA in International Journalism and is passionate about decolonised education and community empowerment.
Oge
Secondary Researcher
Oge is a dedicated researcher and aspiring barrister committed to advancing racial justice through legal research and advocacy. She holds an LLB and an LLM (Bar), with her academic work focusing on international law and family law, exploring themes of justice and equity within legal frameworks. With six years of experience in the charitable sector, Oge works as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA), supporting women fleeing abuse. Her work in women’s organisations has been dedicated to supporting Black women and women from marginalised communities, providing trauma-informed advocacy and navigating complex legal and immigration systems.
Oge brings strong research skills and expertise in legal databases to the BLAM team. She combines her legal research capabilities with her experience in advocacy and case management to support the AI Accountability Research Project. Her work focuses on examining how AI surveillance technologies impact Black communities and ensuring accountability in policing systems.
Kuba Rebecca Soper
BLAM UK Director
Rasheed Rollins
Core Team
Rasheed Rollins has completed the LPC and is committed to social justice projects. He helps to ensure that BLAM’s core projects have the right contingency plans. He also looks for funding to support our core projects.
BLAM’s Advisory Committee
Patrica Lamour MBE
Patricia is an International Education Consultant and Managing Director of Aspire Education Group and a Trustee at Race on the Agenda. She is passionate about the transformation and success of all young people in education and considers gender equality to be crucial for global development.
She is the founder of a women’s movement and supplementary school in Germany, former Head teacher of an international school and General Manager of an international business college in West Africa.
Patricia is a school governor, alumni member of the Institute of Education. She is an external Equalities advisor for Ofqual, the regulatory body for qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland. She has also been a Gender consultant for UNICEF. She has had a 30 year career of championing racial justice. She supports BLAM by giving us advice on how we should shape our curriculum and provides valued insight on how can execute all our educational projects.
Susan Ibuanokpe
Susan Ibuanokpe is the daughter of the late photographer and promoter Raphael A. Albert, creator and founder of Black British beauty pageants in the 1970’s-1990’s, such as Miss Black and Beautiful, Miss West Indies in Great Britain, and many more. Susan is passionate about seeing her fathers’ work inspire and reach people of the Black diaspora, and has a personal mission to see it inspire, uplift and motivate the youth of today’s black british community. Susan is passionate about seeing Black History enter the British school curriculum, and offers black history month readings and workshops to local primary schools.
BLAM UK CIC 