UK music artist, Swiss from So Solid Crew, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Arden University to celebrate his ongoing dedication towards addressing the economic inequalities and imbalances continuing to impact Black businesses and entrepreneurs in the UK and wider global diasporic communities.
Following his music career, Swiss founded Black Pound Day in 2020 with the main aim to bring more awareness to Black-owned businesses. On the first Saturday of each month, Black Pound Day encourages consumers to switch up their usual shopping destinations to local and online Black-owned businesses.
According to the Black Pound Day website, if everyone was to spend just £10 a week on Black businesses, we could inject £1.9bn into the Black community. Swiss launched the campaign following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent anti-racism protests in 2020.
Since then, his campaign has shed light onto a plethora of Black-owned businesses throughout the UK, from legal services and web development, all the way to fashion and sports and fitness. The organisation now has two retail stores in Westfield White City and Stratford, as well as a concession retail space with John Lewis.
Commenting on the award, Carl Lygo, CEO and Vice Chancellor at Arden University, said: “It’s a pleasure to award an Honorary Doctorate to Swiss this month. There’s been clear dedication, inspired by his own upbringing and challenges, in his line of work – let alone the driving impact this has had on marginalised communities.
“Swiss has chosen to commit his work to tackling the clear barriers he’s experienced first-hand, to mould future generations and our society. It’s not only inspirational, but a true indication of what can happen if we all take that first step of faith toward our personal passions.
“We work hard at Arden University to make sure everyone, regardless of their background, upbringing and previous circumstances, gets a chance to achieve the career they’ve always dreamed of. Naturally, this makes Swiss a perfect fit for us, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he’ll achieve next for underrepresented communities.”
Speaking about his Honorary Doctorate, Swiss said: “I feel honoured to receive this recognition from Arden University – it’s amazing to have your work seen and celebrated in this way.
“It was a particularly proud moment for me to stand there with so many other black graduates from across the university – it was inspirational for me, my colleagues and my children to see those success stories here on stage.
“It’s important that as a society we keep enabling people to break through those glass ceilings in front of them, and empowering them to achieve their goals and dreams. We need to set the foundation for the next generation, make them feel like they belong and ensure we give them a platform on which they can go on to achieve whatever they hope to achieve throughout their life.”
