Simon Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Woolley of Woodford
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 14 October 2019 Life Peerage |
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| Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge | |
| Assumed office 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Geoff Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 December 1961 Leicester |
| Alma mater | Middlesex University Queen Mary University of London |
| Known for | Political activism Operation Black Vote (OBV) founder |
Simon Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford (born 24 December 1961), is a British politician and activist. He is known for his work promoting equality and helping people from all backgrounds get involved in politics.
He started and led an important group called Operation Black Vote (OBV). This group helps black and minority ethnic people register to vote and encourages them to take part in elections. Since October 2021, Simon Woolley has also been the Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, which is a big achievement.
Since October 2019, he has been a member of the House of Lords. This is part of the UK Parliament. He sits as a "crossbencher," meaning he doesn't belong to any specific political party.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Simon Woolley was born in Leicester, England, on December 24, 1961. His mother was a nurse who came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation. When he was two years old, he went to a Catholic orphanage.
Later, he was fostered and then adopted by Phillis and Dan Fox. He grew up on the St Matthew's estate. He described it as a "hard-working council estate" where he always felt he had enough. His adoptive parents also fostered other children. When Simon was 14, his adoptive father, Dan Fox, passed away.
School and Early Jobs
Simon Woolley left school without advanced qualifications. He began his working life as a car mechanic. At 19, he moved to London. He worked in advertising for four years at The Rank Organisation.
He then decided to go to university. He studied Spanish and Politics at Middlesex University. During his studies, he spent a year living in Costa Rica and Colombia. In 1994, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Hispanic literature from the University of London.
Career and Activism
Simon Woolley became very interested in British politics. He joined a campaign group called Charter 88. He started looking into how the votes of black people could change election results. He found that these votes could make a big difference in close elections.
Founding Operation Black Vote
These findings led him to create Operation Black Vote (OBV) in 1996. OBV has done many things to help people vote. They have run campaigns to get people registered. They also created an app to help black and minority ethnic (BME) people learn about politics. OBV even worked with a famous advertising company, Saatchi & Saatchi, for free to promote their message.
Simon Woolley also worked to help communities become stronger. He pushed for better political education in schools. One organization, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, believed his work encouraged millions of people to vote. A lot of his effort has been about helping BME individuals get into politics. In 2016, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, praised his work. She noted that a record number of BME Members of Parliament (MPs) were in office.
Working for Equality
Simon Woolley served as a Commissioner for the Equality and Human Rights Commission. In 2008, he wrote a report called How to achieve better BME political representation. He was appointed to the Equalities Commission in 2009.
He also led two government investigations. One was called REACH, which looked at how to help black youth. He also worked with Harriet Harman on getting more black and minority ethnic women into politics. He collaborated with important figures like Bernie Grant, Al Sharpton, Naomi Campbell, and Jesse Jackson. They worked on local campaigns to highlight racial discrimination.
The Colour of Power Report
In 2017, Operation Black Vote, The Guardian newspaper, and Green Park Ltd launched The Colour of Power. This report was a deep look at the racial makeup of top jobs in Britain. It covered 28 different areas of British society.
The report found that only about 3% of Britain's most powerful people were from black and minority ethnic groups. This showed a big difference in equality, even after many years of laws to stop discrimination.
Local Politics and Parliament
In 2019, Simon Woolley called for more diverse local councillors. This was after he found that in some areas, there were no black, Asian, or minority ethnic councillors at all. In May 2019, OBV released a report about over 130 local councils. It showed that many councils, even those with large BME populations, had very few or no BME councillors.
Simon Woolley was a key person behind the UK Government's Race Disparity Unit. He was also its Advisory Chair. He worked with the Open Source Foundation on projects about drug policy around the world. He helped secure £90 million in funding to help disadvantaged young people find jobs.
When Operation Black Vote started, there were only four black or minority ethnic MPs. By 2019, there were more than 50. Simon Woolley has also written articles for major newspapers like The Guardian, Huffington Post, and The Independent.
Leading Homerton College
On March 30, 2021, it was announced that Simon Woolley would become the next Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge. He officially started this role on October 1, 2021. He is the first black man to lead an Oxbridge college.
In 2022, Simon Woolley's book, Soar: My Journey from Council Estate to House of Lords, was published. It tells the story of his life. In July 2023, he was a guest on BBC Radio 4, Desert Island Discs. He talked about his son, Luca, and their shared love for music.
In February 2025, Simon Woolley was announced as one of the new Independent Non-Executive Directors for the Co-Op.
Awards and Honours
Simon Woolley has received many awards for his work. Since 2012, he has been on the Powerlist every year. This list features the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, he was named one of the Evening Standard's Most Influential People. In 2010 and 2011, The Daily Telegraph also listed him as one of their 100 Most Influential People.
In 2012, the University of Westminster gave him an honorary doctorate for his work on equality. He was also made an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford in 2022.
Knighthood and Peerage
Simon Woolley was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2019 Birthday Honours. This means he became Sir Simon Woolley for his services to race equality. He thought carefully about accepting the honour. He said that many black or minority ethnic people consider if they should accept such awards. He explained that his knighthood was more about medieval times than the British Empire.
In 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May nominated him for a life peerage. This meant he would become a member of the House of Lords for life. He was given the title Baron Woolley of Woodford on October 14, 2019. From January 2021 to November 2021, he served on the Lords Youth Unemployment Committee.
