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Jak Beula Dodd (born John Bubeula Dodd on 4 July 1963), commonly known as Jak Beula, is a British entrepreneur and cultural activist of Caribbean heritage, who is best known for inventing the board game Nubian Jak and designing the African and Caribbean War Memorial. He is also a musician, social-worker, and former model.Sandra Jackson-Opoku, "Black London History", Soul Of America. Beula has received recognition for campaigning to commemorate black history in the UK. "New Year Honours - Big Ups 2011", 6 January 2011. He is the founder and chief executive of the Nubian Jak Community Trust, which since 2006 has been memorializing the contributions of African-Caribbean people in Britain. "Rasta in peace – heritage blue plaque for Bob Marley", Evening Standard, OBV (Operation Black Vote), 26 October 2006.
His love for music led him to become a jazz musician and singer (with his 1980s band Stigma and 1990s band This Medusa);Kwaku, "Honouring Black Nurses", The Voice, March 2020, p. 28. having grown dreadlocks, he also worked as a model, who between 1992 and 1995 featured in a successful long-running advertising campaign by Interflora. The Nominees – The BLAC Awards.
"They were hungry for role models, because we all need a sense of identification, a sense of self and of self-esteem. Most of the role models they were being given in the media were negative and were stereotypes, it was very disappointing. So I decided to give the young people some new information, whether they wanted the information or not, I was going to give it to them."
He began to devise an educational programme that would try to address these points, out of which came the board game Nubian Jak. It immediately became a bestseller in London, "Jak Beula interview", Ben Cooper Show, YouTube, 22 December 2010. prompting Beula to give up work as a social worker. By the end of 1996 educational magnates such as Time-Life were commenting on its innovation. In 1998 Beula self-published the first edition of Nubian Jak's Book of World Facts. Dubbed "the truth with proof", it was subtitled "The Ultimate Reference Guide to Global Black Achievement". In 2001 Beula signed a publishing deal with HarperCollins in New York to reissue the book.
A Nubian Jak phone app was released in 2016.Sonia Brown, "Nubian Jak is Educating the Masses Through the Power of Role Models and Fun", National Black Women's Network, 4 August 2015. "NubianJak Black History Month" at AppBrain.
Beula was the founder of the Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT), Britain's only national BME commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme, "Kelso Cochrane Honoured With A Blue Plaque", itzcaribbean, 27 April 2009. which since 2006 has been honouring Black personalities of the past, Nubian Jak Community Trust plaques, Open Plaques. and also organised Britain's first African and Caribbean War Memorial (designed by Beula), in Windrush Square. "The streets of Black London", Rolling Out, 1 September 2015. Beula also designed a statue to commemorate the contribution of Windrush and Commonwealth midwives and nurses to the National Health Service, which NJCT in collaboration with Whittington Health NHS Trust and Islington Council unveiled outside Whittington Hospital in September 2021, coinciding with the publication of a book compiled by Beula, entitled Nursing A Nation: An Anthology of African and Caribbean Contributions to Britain's Health Services. Speaking about the value of statues and memorials, he has said: "It helps to improve equality and inclusion, to uncover the stories of historic characters who have positively impacted Britain, but for whatever reason remain unknown, unsung and unheralded."
Beula worked alongside London 2012 with his innovated diversity project, On Track 4 Gold. "The race is on to find Britain's Favourite Olympian" , On Track 4 Gold. "Seb Coe visits Luton's 2012 Olympic programme", Luton On Sunday, 23 January 2008.
Beula was named on the 2020 list of 100 Great Black Britons.Patrick Vernon, "Black heroes who helped shape Britain - 100 Great Black Britons 2020", 14 September 2020.Rhian Lubin, "Black heroes who helped shape Britain - from Queen of the Ivories to a Tudor trumpeter", Daily Mirror, 11 September 2020.
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