Figures of Black British Society (FOBBS) is created and run by Junction 5 Studios and app development and tech consultancy company dedicated to creating technical solutions so people can learn, grow and ultimately make their lives better.
Our Story
The FOBBS app was created by Kayleigh Oliver, a mother of two children who was looking for a resource to ensure that they had easy access to a wealth of information related to their history, both positive and negative, and had role models to inspire them to achieve great things.
During the 2020 pandemic, while on maternity leave, she was finding it difficult to get to a number of resources about historical Black British figures that were suitable for her then five year old and 6 month old. Many apps existed but a lot were too complicated and didn’t cater for her children at their current age. The oldest wasn’t able to read yet so watching videos was more suitable than reading. Kayleigh wanted a solution that not only served them at their current ages but kept serving them information, growing as they did. So she came up with FOBBS.
Unfortunately, Black British history still isn’t taught within our education system in the UK by default like it is in the US. Moreover, the omission of the work that historic Black British figures have provided the UK to enable it to grow into one of the most influential countries in the world is painting a picture that Black Britons didn’t have any contributions to the UK’s history.
This is a problem for not just those that are Black and British but the entire UK population. It’s all of our history, and we’re missing out on learning about key elements and figures.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create an educational and inspiring product to help share the Black narrative by showcasing the positive and key contributions of Black Britons to the UK to inspire the next generation.
Our Vision
Our vision is to change the hearts and minds of people in the UK by sharing the stories, achievements and challenges of Black Britons so that we can have a more anti-racist society.
Values
Love Learning
Here at FOBBS we recognise the importance of continental learning. In this day and age it is a skill in itself. But if you don’t love learning, then it can be a chore rather than something fun. As FOBBS grows we aim to add in features to encourage and foster a love of learning.
Best version of yourself
Anyone has the potential to be anything. Through exposure to individuals across different industries, we hope to encourage our users to be inspired, aim high and become the best that they can be.
Inclusive
We want to be inclusive in two ways. One, that we ensure that our app is able to be used by everyone. Two, that the figures we show are diverse and from all abilities.
Impactful
We want to ensure that what we’re building has a positive impact on it users and helps to not only educate our direct users but to help change the Black narrative here in the UK.