Margaret Omolola Young was born on 1 June 1951 in Kensington, London, and from the age of eight weeks until she turned eighteen was moved between foster placements and children's homes across North London, an experience she later chronicled in her acclaimed memoir.
Young trained at the New College of Speech and Drama and built a career as a professional actress before pursuing academia, ultimately becoming Professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University and establishing herself as a respected writer, broadcaster and cultural critic.
After serving as Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority and receiving the OBE in 2001, Young was appointed an independent Crossbench peer in 2004, becoming one of the first Black women to sit in the House of Lords as Baroness Young of Hornsey.
As a peer, Young founded and co-chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, campaigning against modern slavery in supply chains, chaired the Young Review addressing racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system, and served on select committees examining sexual violence in conflict.
Young has chaired judging panels for the Man Booker Prize, Orange Prize for Fiction, and Caine Prize for African Writing, served as Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, and in 2024 published her memoir reflecting on her journey from the care system to the House of Lords, which critic Gary Younge called 'an inspiring story from an inspirational storyteller'.
- One of the first Black women appointed to the House of Lords, 2004
- Professor of Cultural Studies, Middlesex University
- Founded the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion
- Chaired judging panels for the Man Booker Prize, Orange Prize and Caine Prize for African Writing
- Chancellor of the University of Nottingham
- A difficult start does not determine a life's trajectory. Young's eighteen years moving through foster care preceded a career that led to the House of Lords and university chancellorship.
- Influence can be exercised through institutions as much as through legislation. Young's chairing of major literary prizes and parliamentary groups extended her impact on culture and justice well beyond the chamber of the Lords.