{{Short description|British public official and parliamentarian (1945–2024)}} {{multiple issues| {{Resume-like|date=October 2024}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2024}} }} {{Use British English|date=September 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{infobox officeholder | image = Official portrait of Lord Ouseley crop 2 (3x4 cropped).jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2018 | honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable | honorific_suffix = | name = The Lord Ouseley | birth_name = Herman George Ouseley | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1945|3|24}} | birth_place = British Guiana | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2024|10|2|1945|3|24}} | death_place = | office1 = Member of the House of Lords | status1 = Lord Temporal | term_label1 = Life peerage | term_start1 = 26 June 2001 | term_end1 = 24 May 2019 | education = | party = | spouse = | children = | parents = | family = }}
'''Herman George Ouseley, Baron Ouseley''' (24 March 1945 – 2 October 2024) was a British parliamentarian. Before becoming a member of the House of Lords he was an important figure in public authorities, including local councils, and was an adviser and reviewer of public services organisations with a particular focus on equality and diversity. He was at the forefront of challenging institutional racism in organisations and was an advocate on behalf of individuals from disadvantaged and deprived backgrounds.
Ouseley sat in the House of Lords as an crossbencher from 2001 until his retirement in 2019.<ref name="Parliament bio">{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-ouseley/2170|title=Lord Ouseley|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> He was also included in the 2003 list of "100 Great Black Britons".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/herman_ousley.html|title=100 Great Black Britons - Herman Ousley|website=www.100greatblackbritons.com|access-date=29 November 2018|archive-date=28 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128055953/http://100greatblackbritons.com/bios/herman_ousley.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Ouseley was a supporter of Millwall and Rangers.
==Early life==
Herman Ouseley is born in British Guiana in 1945 and migrated to England in 1957 when he was 11 years old.<ref name="Guardian obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/06/lord-herman-ouseley-obituary|title=Lord Ouseley obituary|first=Tony|last=Travers|author-link=Tony Travers|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 October 2024}}</ref> He was educated at William Penn School and at Catford College, where he gained a diploma in municipal administration.<ref name="OBV profile">{{cite web |title=Profile: On the Level with Lord Ouseley |url=https://www.obv.org.uk/our-communities/parliamentarians-and-campaigners/level-profiles/profile-level-lord-ouseley |publisher=Operation Black Vote |access-date=5 August 2019 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716185918/https://www.obv.org.uk/our-communities/parliamentarians-and-campaigners/level-profiles/profile-level-lord-ouseley |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Mohdin>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/03/kick-it-out-founder-herman-ouseley-dies-aged-79|title=Kick It Out founder Herman Ouseley dies aged 79|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Aamna|last=Mohdin|date=3 October 2024}}</ref>
==Career==
Ouseley was a local government officer between 1963 and 1993. He was appointed the first principal race relations advisor in local government. From 1981, he served as principal race relations adviser and head of the Greater London Council's Ethnic Minority Unit.<ref name="Ouseley 1984">{{cite book |last1=Ouseley |first1=Herman |editor1-last=Boddy |editor1-first=Martin |editor2-last=Fudge |editor2-first=Colin |title=Local Socialism?: Labour Councils and New Left Alternatives |date=1984 |pages=133–159 |url={{GBurl|ZkFdDwAAQBAJ}} |access-date=5 August 2019 |chapter=Local Authority Race Initiatives}}</ref> He later became chief executive of the London Borough of Lambeth and the former Inner London Education Authority (the first black person to hold such an office), responsible for over 1000 schools and colleges across the capital.<ref name="Wadsworth Wilson 2010">{{cite news |last1=Wadsworth |first1=Marc|author-link=Marc Wadsworth |last2=Wilson |first2=Cherry |title=Campaigners question why local government bosses are almost all white |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/oct/11/race-local-government-boss-equality |access-date=5 August 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=11 October 2010}}</ref> Ouseley was chair and chief executive in the Commission for Racial Equality from 1993<ref name=Elliott>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2024/oct/09/paul-elliott-pays-tribute-to-lord-herman-ouseley-20240910|title=Paul Elliott pays tribute to Lord Herman Ouseley following his passing|first=Paul|last=Elliott|author-link=Paul Elliott (footballer)|website=The FA|date=9 October 2024|access-date=6 November 2024}}</ref> to 2000.<ref name="Torode 1993">{{cite news |last1=Torode |first1=John |title=A victim takes control: Herman Ouseley: The Commission for Racial Equality is riven by conflict |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/interview-a-victim-takes-control-herman-ouseley-the-commission-for-racial-equality-is-riven-by-1457330.html |access-date=5 August 2019 |work=The Independent |date=25 April 1993}}</ref><ref name="BBC 1999">{{cite news |title=UK race equality chief retires |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/402407.stm |access-date=5 August 2019 |work=BBC News Online |date=23 July 1999}}</ref>
From 1996, he was a director of Brookmight Security and, from 2000, of Focus Consultancy. He was managing director of Different Realities Partnership between 2000 and 2005, then subsequently a self-employed management consultant undertaking reviews of organisations' performance and assignments in pursuit of equality and diversity outcomes.<ref name="Who's Who">{{Who's Who |id=U29061|title=Ouseley}}</ref>
==Work on racism==
In 1993, Ouseley set up the project to tackle racism in football and was chairman of Kick It Out, the well-known campaign to make football free from discrimination and abuse and to be more inclusive of people of all backgrounds.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9376139.stm |title=Richard Keys resigns from Sky after sexist remarks |publisher=BBC Sport |date= 26 January 2011|access-date=26 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kickitout.org/about/ |title=About Kick It Out |publisher=Kick it Out! |date= |access-date=13 August 2018 |archive-date=13 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813211100/http://www.kickitout.org/about/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ouseley did not receive a salary for his work for Kick It Out.<ref name="Taylor 2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2018/dec/15/how-can-a-sport-worth-billions-spend-just-a-pittance-on-fighting-racism|title=How can a sport worth billions spend just a pittance on fighting racism?|first=Daniel|last=Taylor|date=15 December 2018|publisher=|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>
==Other activities==
From 1997, Ouseley chaired the Chandran Foundation (formerly Preset Education Charity) that provided specialist education provision for young people with learning disadvantages. He was a council member for the Institute of Relations, a think tank focused on challenging injustices and inequalities. He was also on the board of directors of the Manchester United Foundation and was a lifelong fan of Manchester United.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/obituaries/lord-ouseley-obituary-a-tribute-to-a-titan-of-equality-and-justice/|title=Lord Ouseley: A Tribute to a Titan of Equality and Justice|first=Ian|last=Thomas|website=blackhistorymonth|date=9 October 2024|access-date=6 November 2024}}</ref> He also supported his local team, Millwall, and Dulwich Hamlet, one of the local teams he played for in his youth.
==Death==
Ouseley died shortly after being diagnosed with a terminal illness on 2 October 2024, at the age of 79.<ref name="Guardian obit" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Lord Herman Ouseley passes away after short illness |url=https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2024/10/03/breaking-lord-herman-ouseley-passes-away-after-short-illness/ |access-date=3 October 2024 |newspaper=The Voice |date=3 October 2024}}</ref>
==Honours==
Ouseley was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1997 New Year Honours for "services to community relations and local government",<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=55229 |date=18 August 1998 |page=8993}}</ref> and was made a life peer as '''Baron Ouseley''', of Peckham Rye in the London Borough of Southwark on 26 June 2001.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=56259 |date=29 June 2001 |page=7688}}</ref>
Ouseley had 13 honorary degrees:<ref>{{cite web |title=Lord Herman Ouseley |url=https://www.migrationmuseum.org/distinguished-friends/lord-herman-ouseley/ |publisher=Migration Museum |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="OBV profile" /> from the Universities of Edinburgh,<ref>{{cite news |title=Glittering prizes |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/glittering-prizes/146437.article |access-date=25 September 2019 |work=Times Higher Education |date=21 May 1999}} {{subscription required|s}}</ref> Sheffield Hallam,<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary awards |url=https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/honorary-awards/honorary-awards-archive |publisher=Sheffield Hallam University |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728082335/https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/honorary-awards/honorary-awards-archive |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bradford, Leicester,<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Graduates |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/institution/graduation/previous/honorary-graduates |publisher=University of Leicester |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=14 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091828/https://www2.le.ac.uk/institution/graduation/previous/honorary-graduates |url-status=dead }}</ref> Leeds Met, Warwick,<ref>{{cite web |title=List of all Honorary Graduates and Chancellor's Medallists |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/hongrads/list/ |publisher=University of Warwick |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> Oxford Brookes,<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary graduates - list by year |url=https://www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brookes/history/honorary-graduates/list-by-year/ |publisher=Oxford Brookes University |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=20 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220082754/https://www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brookes/history/honorary-graduates/list-by-year |url-status=dead }}</ref> Greenwich,<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Graduates |url=https://www.gre.ac.uk/awards-ceremonies/honorary-graduates |publisher=University of Greenwich |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> London South Bank,<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Awards Ceremony |url=https://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/people/honorary-awards-ceremony |publisher=London South Bank University |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> London Metropolitan, North East London, Staffordshire,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Hon. Lord Herman Ouseley KT |url=https://www.staffs.ac.uk/events/graduation/2011/honoraries/herman_ouseley/index.jsp |publisher=Staffordshire University |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=25 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925203745/https://www.staffs.ac.uk/events/graduation/2011/honoraries/herman_ouseley/index.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Brighton.<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary graduates |url=https://www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni/our-alumni/honorary-graduates/index.aspx |publisher=University of Brighton |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref>
==Works== *''The System'' (1981)
==Notes== {{Reflist|30em}}
==References== *{{cite web|url=http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=27141 |title=Lord Ouseley|work=DodOnline |access-date=27 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008200343/http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=27141 |archivedate=8 October 2006 }}
==External links== * {{NPG name}} * Gus John and Jenny Bourne, [https://irr.org.uk/article/lord-herman-ouseley-24-march-1945-02-october-2024/ "Lord Herman Ouseley : 24 March 1945 – 02 October 2024"], Institute of Race Relations, 10 October 2024.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouseley, Herman}} Category:1945 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission Category:Black British nobility Category:20th-century British nobility Category:Black British politicians Category:Crossbench life peers Category:Guyanese emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II Category:Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 Category:Guyanese knights