Kehinde Andrews

Kehinde Andrews is Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, editor-in-chief of Make it Plain, and founder of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity. He has authored several influential books including The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World and regularly contributes to the Guardian, Independent, Washington Post and CNN, whilst appearing frequently on television and radio. Through his keynote presentations, Kehinde equips organisations with the critical frameworks needed to understand systemic racism and implement meaningful equality and diversity strategies that drive genuine institutional change.

When Birmingham City University announced plans to cut its Black Studies degree in 2026, Kehinde Andrews led a public campaign to defend the programme he had built from the ground up, becoming the first professor of Black Studies in the UK and establishing courses unique across Europe. His work extends far beyond the lecture hall: he founded the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity, serves as editor-in-chief of Make it Plain, and has opened the Garvey Education Centre on the historic site of the Marcus Garvey nursery, creating vital spaces for Black radical thought and education. These initiatives reflect his commitment to preserving and revitalising the Black radical tradition for contemporary audiences, ensuring that the activism and scholarship of previous generations remains accessible and relevant.

Kehinde's academic rigour is matched by his public engagement and intellectual output. His research focuses on resistance to racism and movements for social change, informing books including The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World, published by Penguin Allen Lane and Bold Type Books, Black to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century, and Resisting Racism: Race, Inequality and the Black Supplementary School Movement. He also edits the Blackness in Britain series with Bloomsbury. His analysis regularly reaches global audiences through opinion pieces in the Guardian, Independent, Washington Post and CNN, alongside frequent television, podcast and radio appearances where he challenges conventional narratives about race, empire and inequality. This combination of scholarly depth and accessible communication has established him as a leading voice in contemporary debates about systemic racism and colonial legacies.

Through his keynote presentations and advisory work with corporations, Kehinde equips organisations with the critical frameworks necessary to understand how racism operates institutionally and what genuine equality and diversity work demands in practice. He challenges audiences to move beyond performative gestures towards meaningful structural change, drawing on historical analysis and contemporary scholarship to illuminate the roots of racial inequality. His presentations provide leaders with the intellectual tools to interrogate their own assumptions, recognise systemic patterns, and implement strategies that create lasting institutional transformation rather than superficial reform.