The Bridge-Builder Network
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The Bridge-Builder Network
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Old friends, new faces, and a great deal of hugging in doorways.
Guests arrived from across Belfast and beyond for the first Bridge Builder Awards — an afternoon built to thank the people who make settling here survivable.
A book that lived in one man's head for years finally met its readers.
The Bridge to the United Kingdom — a guide for the African and Asian diaspora, by Jesse I. Alozie.
Keynote · Prof. James Uhomoibhi
Review · Dr Jennifer Oluomachi Kehinde
We called the names one at a time, and the room did the rest.
Keynotes · Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr and Andrew George
Special presentations · Patrick Anumadu and Emeka
Three recognition ceremonies, then one commemorative photograph.
Nobody was in a hurry to leave.
Books signed, plates shared, numbers exchanged. The evening closed at half six, later than anyone intended.
The whole ceremony, start to finish — the keynotes, the readings, the moment each name was called.
A bridge is built not for the one who builds it, but for all who will one day cross.Jesse I. Alozie · Founder & author
Every name on this page belongs to someone who helped a stranger find their footing. If that sounds like work worth doing, there is room for you in the next one.