On Tuesday 4 June 2024, Laura Devine Immigration was pleased to host a Literary Lounge with professor, author and journalist Gary Younge, where he discussed his latest book, Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter.

Last year, Gary Younge won the Orwell Prize for Journalism. The judges described him as “a journalist who throughout his career has shown a commitment to exploring, explaining and challenging his audience [and taking them] to uncomfortable places but with clarity, humanity and empathy.” Dispatches from the Diaspora, From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter, is a collection of his journalism about and from the Black diaspora over the last three decades. Gary has had a ringside seat at critical events, accompanying Nelson Mandela on his first election campaign, joining revellers on the southside of Chicago during Obama’s victory and entering New Orleans days after Hurricane Katrina. He interviewed leading global players and personalities, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lewis Hamilton, Maya Angelou, Stormzy, and Angela Davis. He has witnessed how much change is possible and the power of systems to thwart those aspirations.

A raffle on the evening benefitted Gary’s chosen charity: the Andrea Levy Scholarship. Established in 2020 in memory of multi-award-winning novelist Andrea Levy, the scholarship supports Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants.