Barbara Blake Hannah (Author / Film-maker - Jamaica)

''People should speak out against discrimination because discrimination disobeys the universal commandment to love.''

Author and former Jamaican parliament Senator Barbara Blake Hannah first appeared on British screens in 1968 as a reporter for 'Today’ a London evening news programme.

She was the first black journalist appointed to a current affairs programme and the first to appear on-air in a non-entertainment role.

Despite a strong track record gained through interviewing then Prime Minister Harold Wilson and film and television stars of the era, Ms Hannah’s contract was terminated after just nine months. She attributes this to a ''negative viewer reaction'' to her presence.

Ms Hannah later worked for the independent ATV company in Birmingham and as a researcher for the BBC until 1972 when she accepted the post of public relations officer for the cult Jamaican film 'The Harder They Come.'

She now lives in Jamaica where she is a journalist, communications consultant and a documentary film-maker.