Biography
Maxie Hayles a name synonymous with the fight for civil rights, justice from racism and oppression. As the Chairman of Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU) Maxie has made remarkable contributions using his NGO status to ensure and promote free speech with effective strategies to instigate positive change within a number of fundamental institutions. The organisations ’ positive input has been welcomed around the world, and Maxie has been among key note speakers at such prestigious events as The United Nations Convention (CERD) Committee for the Eradication of all forms of Racial Discrimination and along side other NGO’s he presented a paper on ‘The Exclusion of African Caribbean Pupils’ held in Geneva in 2000 and on ‘Deaths in Police and Prison Custody’ in 2003.
As Chairman of the Sandwell African Caribbean Forum Housing Project and Case worker for St Basils Centre in Birmingham, a housing association in which he works directly with homeless young people. Maxie has continued to nurture strong convictions for his community since 1986. During this time he also worked as a mentor for the West Midlands Probation Service, where he proved to be a positive role model for young African Caribbean men caught up in the Criminal Justice System. In addition he has also worked in schools as a mentor to assist in the prevention of mass school exclusions and expulsions primarily in African and Caribbean communities.
Due to his involvement within the Black and Ethnic Minority communities, Maxie has first hand knowledge of the needs and shortcomings of many current fundamental infrastructures. Maxie is committed to the regeneration of his community and was a former member of the Regeneration Network in Sandwell, Birmingham. His training and acquired knowledge is diverse, with various levels of training for Social Worker positions and Management Development Training to draw on.
As an integral part of the Alton Manning Campaign, BRAMU created a blue print for those who were to suffer future injustices at the hands of the English Judicial System. Maxie offers consultancy to a number of organisations world wide, due to this he is requested to attend events like The World Conference Against Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other related intolerances, which took place in Durban, South Africa in 2001.
Leading the fight for human rights has resulted in Maxie being bestowed with the National Active Community Award in 2000; The Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair presented this for ‘building a fair and just community’. Maxie had the honour of receiving the Diversity Community Elder Award in 2000, other such recipients include Mr. Nelson Mandela and BRAMU has also been nominated for the Human Rights Award in 1998.