Speaking Truth at the Enfield Black Literature Festival

On Sunday 18th October, Leroy joined Dawn Butler MP as a guest speaker to close the Enfield Black Literature Festival at the Dugdale Arts Centre in Enfield - a full and joyful event organised by the Enfield Caribbean Association (ECA) and the AFIWI Book Club as the centrepiece of their annual Black History Month celebrations.

The festival was a rich and wide-ranging day of workshops, panel discussions, author readings and spoken word, celebrating Black heritage and storytelling. The day included creative writing workshops led by local authors, five panel discussions on topics ranging from heritage and identity to wellbeing and the joy of book clubs, a writing competition with readings from the winners, and stalls featuring Caribbean food, blind book swaps and book signings.

Leroy and Dawn Butler closed the evening with an honest and forthright conversation on challenging institutional racism and inequality, facilitated by Joyceline Hogan. Drawing on their own experiences navigating institutions that often resist meaningful change, the discussion was candid, purposeful and clearly resonated with the audience.

Leroy spoke candidly about his career in the Metropolitan Police and the challenge of maintaining professional integrity while resisting an occupational culture that can encourage conformity over conscience. He spoke about entering the force with a clear purpose - to drive change - and about the importance of establishing professional boundaries in order not to be consumed by an existing subculture that conflicted with his values.

It was an evening that reflected the spirit of the festival as a whole: honest, purposeful and rooted in a belief that storytelling - whether through literature, lived experience or public service - has the power to challenge, inspire and change.

The Enfield Black Literature Festival is run by the Enfield Caribbean Association (ECA) in partnership with the AFIWI Book Club. Leroy is a patron of the ECA.