Kenny Imafidon’s That Peckham Boy in hardback explores being young, black and poor in London

Charged with a murder he didn’t commit, Imafidon, then aged 18, knew it was time to grow up, get out and give back.

That Peckham Boy by Kenny Imafidon launches in hardback on July 13.

Available on pre-order from all major book retailers, it explores what it means to be young, black and poor in London.

He is now 30, married, and co-founder and managing director of ClearView Research, which specialises in research focused on diverse and under-represented communities.

How did he get here from such humble beginnings? This is his story, told his way.

Imafidon once lived a double life, as a good student, with a side hustle dealing on the Peckham streets – until he was incarcerated.

He grew up the middle child of an ambitious single mother where deprivation and gang culture were rife. Life was tough.

After the case against Imafidon collapsed, he decided to move his life in a new direction, beginning with The Kenny Report, which he delivered to the House of Commons, detailing the experiences of marginalised young people who drift into gangs.

This led to extensive work with charities, communities and policy-makers that is helping to change the narratives of other young people.

That Peckham Boy charts one man’s difficult childhood, his transformative time in prison, and the people and conversations that took him from being on trial for murder into the company of some of the most successful people in the world.

Kenny Imafidon is a social entrepreneur, political commentator and activist.

Kenny is a trustee of several charities and in 2022 he was featured in Forbes’ annual 30 under 30 list for Social Impact.

Growing up takes seems to take a long time these days so it’s difficult to understand how Imafidon’s life is sorted long before that of many others.

He believes people underestimate the importance of learning from their elders and is big on inter-generational friendships to set you on the right path in life.

These days, he lives a life that’s “strict and disciplined”, rising at 5am to pray and get things done while it’s quiet.

He lives a life of dedication to his work, the Bible, exercise and his family – but not necessarily in that order.

Imafidon appreciates the part the environment has to play in shaping an individual but holds no truck with the phrase, “product of your environment.”

Future chapters are there for us to write, so he says, and what matters most is accountability and understanding that decisions are based on choice.

www.kennyimafidon.com

 

 

Picture: Kenny Imafidon Picture: Ernest Simons