The Event

Peckham lad, Femi Fadugba, was crowned the UK’s best black student on Thursday 8th September by a panel of leading black Britons at the third annual Rare Rising Stars awards.

The announcement was made at an exclusive ceremony at the Palace of Westminster, in which the names of the UK’s ten best black students judged by an expert panel of leading black Britons were revealed to an expectant audience, including family and friends.

Rare Rising Stars is a showcase of the achievements of the UK's best black students as chosen of Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights and Jean Tomlin, HR Director for London 2012.

The ceremony was the culmination of a year-long search that considered thousands of black students and whittled them down carefully to produce the final list of ten Stars.

The candidates were judged across five different categories: determination, depth of achievement, contribution to community or society, breadth of talent, and initiative and leadership.

Rare’s Managing Director, Raphael Mokades led proceedings on the evening, and Mr Lammy gave the keynote speech about the ingredients that make a Rising Star. In his speech, he called on the Stars themselves and the various black communities, “to keep hope alive and work ten times harder,” to counter the negative stereotypes and images of young particularly black youths seen during the riots.

The real focus of the evening, however, was the Stars themselves, who count amongst them a thespian medic, a Muslim stand-up comedian and former Cambridge Student Union president.

On accepting his award Rare Rising Star 2011 winner, Femi Fadugba, said:
“Tonight is about visibility! Unfortunately, it is a certain invisibility that I believe has held back the black community in this country for far too long. Right here, in this very room, there are people achieving more than they or their families could have ever dreamed. These are special and unique individuals.

“The black community is making a massively positive contribution to this country and to the world. The deeper question; the instructive question; the really exciting question is therefore what is making these Rising Stars so visible? I believe that it’s the desire to be greater than what society or anyone else has told you to be; it’s the courage to take on seemingly impossible challenges and it’s the humility you’ve shown by giving back to the communities who look to you, look to us, to lead.”

Speaking about this year’s Rare Rising Stars, Mr Lammy said:
“At a time when media focus has been on the behaviour of a very small minority of young people, the stories of these Stars should serve as inspiration for us all, and an encouragement that – contrary to some opinions – this is not a lost generation.

“I am very proud of the achievements of these Stars as they keep hope alive. From social enterprise to comedy, from student politics to performing arts, community organising to academia, 2011’s Rare Rising Stars are blazing a trail of excellence.”

Speaking about Rare and the Stars, Raphael Mokades, Rare’s Managing Director, said:
“At Rare, we are privileged to meet extraordinary students on an almost day-to-day basis. Knowing that there are always more high achievers to be discovered, a nationwide search for the brightest black students led us to some tremendous talents. Rising Stars should not only serve as a celebration of these Stars’ achievement, but also an inspiration for others. It’s notable that almost all of our Rare Rising Stars this year are from areas that were affected by the recent riots. It reminds us all that remarkable talent amongst black students is out there, and we at Rare know where to find it.”