A few weeks ago I took Jay Rayner, this magazine’s restaurant critic, to Bluejay, a café in south London. I wanted Jay to come to my ends. To eat where I eat. To meet the owner, Joy. To try this food and that. That’s how I think, in an ideal world, bridges between cultures can be made. It was an invite. It was me saying: ‘Hey, come check this out. Be open to what we do.’ Jay has lived in Brixton a long time, so he knew of the place. And he embraced it beautifully.

When I said yes to guest-editing this magazine, I didn’t have a specific message in mind, but I knew I wanted it to be a celebration of black British culture, of people like Joy and places like Bluejay. Lots of us know who Idris Elba and Raheem Sterling are. We know the stories of prominent black people. But a lot of Britain doesn’t know all that much about black Britishness – that there’s this whole beautiful world to be explored. This issue of the Observer Magazine is an opportunity to show how multifaceted our culture is. And a chance for me to shine a spotlight on people and places on which the spotlight isn’t normally shone. It’s understanding that black culture doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. Coming from the black community in south London, I know how we can all use a bit of help. I hope everyone in this issue soars.

This is my favourite thing to do: sharing my platform with others. Bruv, I’m good! My career’s going alright. So you’ll see my mug on the cover and then I’ll get out the way as much as possible. Inside is all talent, and a few moments of seriousness.

I’m super grateful to the Observer Magazine for this opportunity. This is the Observer saying that me and everything I stand for are important, that black culture is important. In a day and age when people prefer to play it safe, this magazine has said ‘nah’. That’s ballsy! And where I’m at in my career, this is all I should be doing: highlighting and celebrating black culture. I pray readers see it like that.