EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
As usual, you will find below a selection of news articles on issues as varied as “Consumer Issues”, “Work & Employment” and “Housing” (You just need to click on the title to read them.).
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Have a nice weekend,
Thushari Perera
BLACK EUROPE RESOURCES
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CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
Bridgerton: Everything you need to know about Shonda Rhimes’ historical romance series for Netflix, The Independent, 15 December 2020
“While it may seem like your normal period drama, Bridgerton is actually a lot more radical. The show features a racially diverse cast and also explores ideas such as female sexuality and masculinity.”
‘Sorry, We’ve Already Got a Black Act’: The Insidious Racism of UK Comedy, Vice, 10 September 2020
“We can’t put on a Black act two weeks in a row.” “It’s just a little too urban for middle England.”
Vicar of Dibley viewers rage at being ‘lectured at’ after BLM scene, The London Economic, 15 December 2020
“In a nod to the ongoing fight for racial equality and justice, last night’s episode saw French take a knee and explain the significance of BLM – days after the BBC was forced to defend the show after scores of angry viewers complained.”
Top 50 Asian celebrities of 2020, Eastern Eye, 12 December 2020
“The list is based on those who did good work, made a positive impact, broke boundaries, shattered glass ceilings, gave hope, did philanthropic deeds or were just inspiring in their own unique way.”
MEDIA
Image by RAEng_Publications from Pixabay
MPs call for independent inquiry after BAME producer attempts suicide, Eastern Eye, 16 December 2020
“It comes after Eastern Eye revealed that a black BBC freelance producer tried to take their life after they complained about being bulled at the Asian Network and 1Xtra. As a result of our series of exposés, the Leicester East MP, Claudia Webbe, has written to the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, urging him “to embark on a full, public inquiry” into the BBC.”
Race to be Heard: new report calls for independent racism body in broadcasting, BECTU, 15 December 2020
“‘Race to be Heard: Racism Reporting Body for UK Broadcasting sector’ was commissioned by the broadcasting union, Bectu, and written and researched by the respected producer and academic Marcus Ryder MBE. It follows the powerful MacTaggart lecture given by David Olusoga at the Edinburgh TV Festival and reports of racism in the industry that were published by the Huffington Post and Eastern Eye during the summer.”
CONSUMER ISSUES
African fashion is on the rise, says Naomi Campbell: ‘And it’s about time!’, The Guardian, 13 December 2020
“The supermodel speaks from Lagos about inclusivity, her late grandma, and why she flies in a hazmat suit”
11 Afrofuturism Books That Blend Science Fiction, Technology, and Black Culture, Popsugar, 15 December 2020 (includes links to books slideshow and video)
“It is a “way of looking at the future and alternate realities through a Black cultural lens,” including those from Africa and the African diaspora.”
What’s the impact of Covid-19 on financial vulnerability?, The Shift Team, December 2020
“We partnered with Fair Finance to explore the impact of Covid-19 on financial wellbeing, taking a deep dive with their clients to learn about their lives, their money, and the pandemic. The insights highlight how there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to supporting people through a crisis”
Airbnb sets new diversity goals, Yahoo Finance, 15 December 2020
“Currently, underrepresented minorities make up just 12% of the company’s employee base.
The second goal is to increase the representation of women to 50% by the end of 2025.”
Tell Zara: Stop Profiting From Uyghur Forced Labour, The Action Network, December 2020
“Countless Western companies are also profiting from this system of forced labour in their supply chains. Over 20 percent of the global apparel industry’s cotton supply is grown in the Uyghur Region, the source of 84 percent of China’s output.”
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITIES
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
Jacob Rees-Mogg accuses Unicef of ‘playing politics’ with UK food campaign, Metro, 17 December 2020
“His comments followed Unicef’s announcement on Wednesday that it would pledge a grant of £25,000 to the charity School Food Matters. The money will be used to supply thousands of breakfast boxes over the two-week Christmas school holidays to vulnerable children and families in Southwark, south London.”
Boris Johnson to visit India in January, Express & Star, 15 December 2020
“Downing Street emphasised the importance of trade links between the two countries, with 842 Indian companies in the UK with a combined turnover of £41.2 billion and more than 400 British firms in India.”
Racial disparities report pushed back into 2021, BBC News, 16 December 2020
“The commission, led by education consultant and ex-charity boss Tony Sewell, was established in June in the wake of anti-racism protests across the country triggered by the killing of George Floyd in the United States. The body is looking at areas such as health, education and criminal justice but also “wider inequalities” such as issues faced by working-class white boys.”
After Windrush, Britain is still deporting people to countries they barely know, The Guardian, 15 December 2020
“There are many other cases of injustice colliding with racism. Twenty-four-year-old twins Darrell and Darren Roberts were both born in this country, and taken into care at age 13 following the death of their mother and uncle, after which they spent time in jail. They are now facing deportation to separate Caribbean islands, where they have no relatives, once they have finished their terms”
Number of children adopted from care in England drops for fifth year running, Central Fife Times, 10 December 2020
“Adoption UK’s recent Adoption Barometer survey found that less than 5% of adopters in England come from the BAME community… Local authorities have a duty to provide accommodation within their area that allows the child to live near their home. In 2019-20, placements inside councils’ boundaries accounted for 58% of all placements.”
The Updated Charity Governance Code: What’s New?, NCVO, 8 December 2020
“The consultation was clear that the diversity principle could go further in terms of supporting trustees to plan and work toward board diversity as well as creating inclusive cultures, both inside the board throughout the organisation.”
HOUSING
Image by Frank Winkler from Pixabay
Homeless deaths in England and Wales rise for fifth year in a row, The Guardian, 14 December 2020
“Number of deaths reach highest level since records began in 2013, Office for National Statistics data shows”
Homelessness is rising, but it is neither inevitable nor unstoppable, The Guardian, 10 December 2020
“30 organisations from 20 different countries have launched Global Homelessness Action, collecting video testimonies from people living in homelessness, to claim their rights in their own words.”
24% of furloughed have fallen behind on essential bills or rent, Property118.com, 14 December 2020
“28% – twice the UK average – of BAME people are behind on essential bills or rent. This rises to 31% for Black people.”
Charity which supported Grenfell victims ‘institutionally racist’, review finds, Asian Image, 11 December 2020
“The Westway Trust has a “legacy of institutional racism” and has failed to “understand, identify and address racial disparity” over the years, a report by the Tutu Foundation concluded.”
WORK/EMPLOYMENT
Image by HOerwin56 from Pixabay
Anti-racism in social work: no more questions – just actions please, Community Care, 16 December 2020
“Social work is institutionally racist and there has been a lack of explicit action to tackle this post-George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. It’s time for meaningful action that results in systemic change, says Wayne Reid”
Black staff at Lloyds paid 16.7% less than white colleagues, Personnel Today, 11 December 2020
“Average pay and bonuses for black employees at Lloyds Banking Group are significantly lower than what their white colleagues receive, new ethnicity pay gap data voluntarily published by the organisation has revealed.”
Underpaid, stressed and bullied: Experiences of BAME solicitors laid bare in new report, Legal Cheek, 9 December 2020
“BAME solicitors work longer hours each week, but for an average of £65,000, including bonus, each year — 25% less than their white colleagues (£86,000)… BAME solicitors report higher levels of bullying and discrimination in the workplace, with 16% stating they have faced bullying and 13% adverse discrimination.”
Low Pay Commission Report 2020, Gov.uk, 9 December 2020
“This report sets out the full analysis and evidence underpinning the LPC’s recommendations on the National Minimum Wage rates to apply from April 2021.”
Creating Space for Religious Diversity at Work, Harvard Business Review, 10 December 2020
“…the fact that more than 80% of the world claims some sort of religious affiliation, leaders are increasingly concerned about how best to handle expressions of faith by their employees…both leaders and employees can help create what we call an elastic hybrid: an organization that can embrace different and potentially even opposing views, allowing all stakeholders to navigate competing commitments in line with their own convictions and helping the organization to find unity in diversity”
EDUCATION
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
‘Our school had children who couldn’t afford event days‘, The Guardian, 12 December 2020
“About 4.2 million children were living in poverty in the UK at the last official count – an average of nine out of every class of 30. About a third of those children were eligible for free school meals, but school expenses also include special days, uniforms, trips, gym kits, pencils and pens. Many families find it difficult to cope.”
Racism’s impact on International Politics can no longer be ignored, Open Access Government, 15 December 2020
Sarah Coolican, Project Coordinator, explains how the new Racism and International Politics programme at LSE IDEAS hopes to facilitate urgent, ongoing conversations of global racial disparity
Almost half of English schools have no Black or minority ethnic teachers, study finds, The Voice, 14 December 2020
“The report found that a lack of diversity in senior leadership teams was also a pressing issue”
‘Despicable’ racist attack against 22-year-old student outside university of Edinburgh library, Edinburgh Evening New, 15 December
“The student – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was subjected to violence and racial slurs, with one boy attempting to hit him over the head with a bottle of vodka. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries.”
HEALTH
Image by Belova59 from Pixabay
One third of nurses ‘skip meals’ says survey as calls mount for proper pay rise, Mirror, 17 December 2020
“A survey of more than 3,000 nurses, handed to the Mirror, shows many missed meals to feed their families or save money – rising to 61% for those from a BAME background”
Covid-19: Guidance is still lacking on how ethnic minorities can protect themselves better, say MPs, BMJ, 16 December 2020
“Nine months after the country first entered lockdown there is still no clear guidance on how to overcome the challenges of living in overcrowded or multigenerational accommodation, the report says… The report calls on the government to collect and report disaggregated data on testing, infection, and deaths and to consider allowing informants to report ethnicity when deaths are registered.”
Yes, Black women do breastfeed: Reclaiming attachment parenting, Transforming Society, 14 December 2020
“The stereotypes that dominate representation of black mothers are another example. They are seen as ‘baby mothers’ who neglect their children, or as ‘strong black women’ who emasculate their male partners and deprive their children of fatherly input (Reynolds, 1997). In my new book, Black Mothers and Attachment Parenting, I challenge these depictions of Black motherhood by asking Black women about their experiences of and perspectives on attachment parenting.”
Covid: Why ethnic minority groups have been hit hardest by coronavirus, ITV News, 14 December 2020
“New official analysis suggests that black, Asian and minority ethnic groups were worst hit by the pandemic because of where they live and work.”
BAME groups hit by Covid ‘triple whammy’, official UK study finds, The Guardian, 14 December 2020
“ONS survey shows some people faced greater threat to mental health, incomes and life expectancy”
SPORTS, FITNESS & OUTDOORS
Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay
Rafiq files legal complaint against Yorkshire over race row, France 24, 15 December 2020
“Rafiq’s legal claim states that there were attempts to enforce a drinking culture on those players. The claim references an occasion where players and officials laughed at alcohol being thrown over a Muslim child and on-field racist abuse directed towards a black South African player.Rafiq was also allegedly referred to as ‘Raffa the Kaffir’, while it is said he was denied opportunities afforded to white players, including the chance to play Twenty20 cricket in the winter.”
Freedom of movement – how can we work together to make running more diverse?, Runner’s World, 10 September 2020
Long Read: “Here, seven runners from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities offer insight into why this is and how we can work together to make the sport we all love as inclusive as we want it to be.”
Michael Holding and Ebony Rainford-Brent given Freedom of the City of London, East Lothian Courier, 15 December 2020
“Rainford-Brent, the first black woman to play for England and a World Cup winner in 2009, said she had to deal with racism “as soon as I walked into the world of cricket” and that she often asked herself why she stayed in the game.”
EUROPE (GENERAL)
Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay
In a messy world, EU’s clout depends on respecting values, EU Observer, 16 December 2020
“A new Action Plan to tackle systemic racism, unconscious bias and transform #BrusselsSoWhite into a more diverse and inclusive space was quickly drafted and given the official go-ahead.”
Stop the rain on human rights, Euractiv, 10 December 2020
“Both the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights have upheld the principle of equality and non-discrimination since the 1970s. Yet, more and more governments and parliaments seem to pay little attention to their legal obligations, and to the destabilising consequences that keeping millions of Europeans as second-class citizens is having on our societies.”
FRANCE
Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay
France : Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité & Laïcité….But Not for Muslims?, Counterpunch, 17 December
“The principle of laïcité is tied to the passage of a law in 1905 establishing the separation of church and state. It’s important to stress that this law also guarantees the freedom to practice one’s religion while ensuring neutrality at the state level.”
Far-right activists convicted following Al Jazeera investigation, Al Jazeera, 15 December 2020
“Three members of the French far-right group Generation Identity have been found guilty of offences that included incitement to ‘terrorism’ and assault.”
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