David Harewood: I accept my OBE for people whose work goes unnoticed

Actor and broadcaster David Harewood said he accepted to be an OBE on behalf of others whose contributions to society went unnoticed.

The 57-year-old man, who rose to fame on the US soap opera Homeland, was named to the New Year’s Honors list for services to drama and charity after he became a famous voice. on supporting mental health and combating racism.

Harewood told his Instagram followers on Saturday that it was “one of those days” when “the ground changes” beneath him as he combines different elements of his human identity. His black brother.

He added: “A reward from a new King should be cause for great celebration, but I heard the chorus of self-defeating voices echoing in my head, thoughts about ‘Empire’ and subjugation confounds the picture and once again shakes the earth below.

“I pause for a moment and think about all the others whose contributions have gone unrecognized and unrewarded and accept this award on their behalf, and continue to speak the truth in the face of unjust power. whenever and wherever I deem necessary.”

In various documentaries, Harewood has explored racism and mental health.

In 2019, he created a one-off BBC documentary titled Mental Disorders and Me, which saw him retrace his steps and dig deep into his downfall. after being separated at the age of 23.

The popular actor then advocated the launch of a new online platform, JAAQ.co.uk (Just Ask a Question) – which helps prevent people with mental health problems “from reaching the stage where they are suffering from mental health problems.” crisis” – by founder Danny Gray, who previously appeared on Dragons’ The Cave.

Harewood told presenter Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in May: “I started having moments of blackout and suddenly woke up at three in the morning and I was outside the station. Euston in the middle of the hour. night.

“I would go, ‘what the hell am I doing here? I’d better go home’, and I started walking home and turned off the lights, and I woke up in Camden at four o’clock in the afternoon.

“I was just in and out of reality. It was eerie, terrifying, and ethereal.”

Discussing the potential causes of his downfall, Harewood talks about experiencing racism as a child and the emotions that have followed him into adulthood.

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In May, he appeared in the documentary Troy Deeney: Where’s My History? which recognizes efforts to mandate the teaching of the history and experiences of black, Asian and minority communities in schools.

Harewood was born in Birmingham, the son of Barbadian parents who came to England in 1957 in search of a better life.

In his book, Maybe I Don’t Belong Here, Harewood describes how from an early age he and his family suffered racist attacks, including getting bricks thrown through doors. window and push stool through the mailbox.

He continued to pursue an acting career, primarily in theatre, becoming the first black actor to play Othello at the National Theatre.

He then made his television debut after being cast as CIA counterterrorism chief David Estes in the American spy thriller Homeland, opposite Damian Lewis.

Harewood, who has spent most of the past decade in the US and Canada, has previously said that it’s easier for blacks to take on more important roles in the US than in the UK, despite the issue of racism. tribe there.

His upcoming BBC Two documentary, Blackface With David Harewood, explores the origins of black-faced troubadours in early 19th-century America and how acts crossed the Atlantic to Britain.