British Guiana-born UK anti-racism activist and Kick It Out founder Lord Ouseley has died at the age of 79.
He passed away following a short illness, the anti-discrimination charity said yesterday, according to the BBC
Herman Ouseley founded Kick It Out – then called Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football – in 1993, and chaired the charity for 25 years.
He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until his retirement in 2019, and also served as the chief executive for the Race Equality Commission.
“Lord Ouseley was a titan in tackling discrimination in football,” Kick It Out said.
“He was also a fearless advocate for under-represented and disadvantaged communities and will be sorely missed.
“We owe him a huge debt of gratitude and vow to continue that legacy for the benefit of future generations.”
The BBC said that the Football Association (FA) paid tribute to Lord Ouseley with a statement that read: “We are extremely saddened to hear about the passing of Lord Herman Ouseley.
“He was a trailblazer in English football, having the original vision for Kick It Out. He played a hugely inspirational role in tackling discrimination across our game.”
The UK Guardian noted that Ouseley was also the chair and chief executive of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) from 1993 to 2000 and chief executive of the London Borough of Lambeth.
He migrated to Britain from British Guiana with his family in 1957. He studied at Catford College in Lewisham and gained a Municipal Management diploma.
The UK Guardian said that Ouseley was knighted in 1997 for services to local government and community relations in Great Britain. He was awarded 13 honorary degrees from universities across the UK in recognition of his contribution to education, anti-racism and local government developments.
The former footballer and anti-racism campaigner Troy Townsend paid tribute to Ouseley on X, writing: “I owe you a debt of gratitude for everything you did for me, for football & society. May your pain be no more.”
According to the UK Guardian, the anti-racism body Race Council Cymru said: “We are saddened to hear of the passing of a remarkable man Lord Herman Ouseley and we join a whole host of community members to mourn his passing. He was a truly great Black leader who is hailed as a ‘A giant of a man in the field of race equity’.
“He will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to honour him with an Icon award here in Wales in 2018. Rest in peace and power Lord Herman Ouseley.”
In an April 2002 report in Stabroek News, Lord Ouseley talked of his time at St Stephens School in Georgetown before emigrating to the UK. He learned ‘discipline’ at home from his nurse mother and took this into his school work.
He worked his way up from a clerk in the Middlesex County Council through the Greater London and Lambeth Councils to the CRE. He quoted the example of how the CRE had gone to the professional football clubs to get them to ‘Kick out racism’ amongst their fans.
