The Chronicle - The Top Ten -Best Black Britain

Youth's achievements strengthen Black communities and their role in shaping Britain. We've chosen 10 outstanding men and women many believe will be the headliners of tomorrow - in the media, literature, arts, politics, music, and sports.

Politics

David Lammy MP

David Lammy MP b.1973. This Labour Party neophyte from Tottenham, London, like his predecessor the greatly admired Bernie Grant MP, has a way of upsetting his Parliamentary guardians. Mainstream conservatives were shocked when he introduced the Black singer and Grammy award winner, Alicia Keyes, into the sacrosanct halls. Political observers remember he caused a ripple of concern in 1991 during his response to the Queen's Speech at the state opening of Parliament. Lammy called for "concrete results in increasing ethnic minority representation in this place [House of Commons] and in public life". He said: "I am never anonymous in the Palace of Westminster, but I look forward to a day when women and black people will not stand out on these Benches, and the House will truly be a House of representatives."

Don Gilet hails from Walsall in the West Midlands. He won rave notices as Johnny, one of a quartet of Black men coming to terms with sexuality and parenthood in Babyfather, the BBC production. Reportedly the first Black to play Subtle, in The Alchemist, Ben Jonson's 17th century satire of Londoners, Gilet has also appeared as Orlando in Shakespeare's As You Like It

Courttia Newland. writer. b.1973. This west Londoner has authored two critically acclaimed novels. The Scholar, a vividly rendered tale of two black youth caught in the poverty trap of a public housing estate, put him in the media limelight. Society Within was a commentary on violence and menace, and tenderness and hope, in the great metropolis. Snakeskin, his third work, brings the dark themes of modern Britain to life. Newland, a dedicated anthologist, has also contributed to Disco 2000, New Writers 8, and Afrobeat; and co-edited with Kadija Sesay the anthology IC3: New Black Writing in Britain. (See Books 9 for a review of Snakeskin).

Zadie Smith b.1975. Mixed reviews greeted her first published book, White Teeth, a story of tangled lives and aspirations in multi-ethnic London. Though cited as the author most chosen by more than 100 book clubs, readers never completely read the book. Over-hyped and disappointing say some. A hilarious account of race in Britain say others. That her work has been noticed alongside the UK best sellers Joanne Harris's Choclat and JK Rowling's Harry Potter is itself an achievement, according to observers.

Beverley Knight, soul singer. 27 years old. This remarkable lady from Wolverhampton, a small industrial town, has captivated a new generation of soul music lovers with her upbeat ballad Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda. Her gold-selling album Prodigal Sista gained notice at the British Awards and the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) awards. Admirers have acclaimed her third album, Who I Am, for its soft funky feel and intelligent lyrics about relationships.

Finley Quaye, singer, b. 1974 in Edinburgh. Voted best male singer at the Brit Awards for his debut album Maverick a Strike, Quaye brings to his songs an exciting mixture of genres: psychedelic rock, hip-hop, jungle and soul with a reggae base. His new album, Vanguard, seems to bear this out. Critics say his lightness of touch, deftness of wit and hint of troubled young emotions adds a special quality to the work of this son of a Ghanaian father and Scottish mother.

Media
Brigid Nzekwu, TV presenter, b.1972. Marked for stardom by her professors at City University school of journalism, she made her name on breakfast television. Now a key on-screen presenter with Jon Snow's Channel 4 News team, she is expected to achieve prominence equal to the revered television presenter Moira Stuart of BBC.

Green Jade. Founded 1992, on the maligned Winstanley housing estate, Clapham, south London. This 25-strong collective is the UKs most popular "holy hip-hop" group. They rap about the sweet sorrow of life and the social injustices of the city. A debut album is called Chronicles: The Story So far...

Nwankwo Kanu. When this Nigerian-born footballer for the Arsenal (London) team suffered surgery for a heart defect he vowed to aid others similarly afflicted. Footballers, fans and Black community personalities have rallied to support his charitable works for children with heart problems.

Tojake, 18, and Rukeme, 16, Ukwade of Brixton. The tennis playing sisters are Britain's model of the Williams' sisters. Their progress from London tournaments to national playing fields, with Wimbledon in their sights - has been phenomenal. But their continued rise to stardom is barred, say observers, by the stuffy traditional Lawn Tennis Association which fails to encourage a well-managed pathway into the sport for inner city kids.

The Top Ten

10 of the best of young Black Britain

"In a world that continually assaults all that we are and that we stand for, I like the fact that we have stood and are standing for ourselves... Nikki Giovanni