Kudos to The Guardian and the BBC for a stellar piece of journalism, and our thoughts are with the women who have been so brave in coming forward. Westwood has now stepped down from his show on Capital Xtra until further notice, according to the station’s parent company, after allegations were made public.
One of the women who told her story to the Guardian and the BBC said she was relieved. “Finally people’s allegations are starting to be taken seriously,” she said. The women, who are all black, decided to tell their stories in the aftermath of anonymous allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Westwood circulating on social media in June 2020.
UK hip-hop pioneer Cookie Pryce, a former member of the Cookie Crew and now a music industry executive (and also a previous guest at one of our Box Talks events!), said it was time for a “fair and open” conversation about Westwood’s standing in black music and culture. “Our culture, our music, our creativity, everything about us, has been appropriated for generations, and I just think people are very, very tired. They are exhausted,” she said. Via BBC/Guardian