EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
Happy New Year and welcome back to the Black & Asian News! As usual, I will let you “pick and choose” the news articles and topics you wish to explore (Please just click on the title to read them).
I initially wanted to highlight a “very British” article on Brexit by the Guardian titled “Football, flights and food: how the EU reshaped Britain” but with inequality growing in the UK, I find that Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s short article “A wealth tax on the richest is well overdue in the UK” from the Independent much more relevant. Apparently, “an annual tax of 1 per cent – just 1 per cent – levied for five years on individuals with assets of more than £500,000 would yield £260bn; 16 per cent of the population falls into that bracket.”
Thushari Perera
BLACK EUROPE RESOURCES
Twitter @Blackeresources
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CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
Sir Lenny Henry calls for ‘systemic change’ in TV industry, Yahoo News, 3 January 2021
“Access All Areas: The Diversity Manifesto For TV And Beyond was co-written by Sir Lenny and Marcus Ryder.”
ETHNICITY/IDENTITY
Image by John Hain from Pixabay
Transracial adoption: ‘I bit my hand hoping my skin colour would change’, BBC News, 30 December 2020
“Latest figures from the Department for Education show out of 80,080 children in care in England, only 3,440 were adopted in the year up to March 2020. More than 25% of children in care are of black, mixed or Asian heritage, according to the NSPCC.”
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITIES
Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay
Passports and permits: what are the biggest changes to expect after Brexit?, The Guardian, 31 December 2020
“Industry leaders warn of invisible chaos as businesses grapple with trading rules and software systems”
Barriers to Britishness: Report of the Alberto Costa Inquiry into Citizenship Policy, British Future, December 2020
“The inquiry finds that citizenship is prohibitively expensive, placing it out of reach to frontline key workers who want to become British. Families in particular are penalised, with a family of four needing to spend up to £5,000 to become British citizens.”
IFS calls for a fairer UK after Covid brings greater inequality, The Guardian, 5 January 2021
“Thinktank finds the vulnerable hit hardest, and says policies are needed to repair the damage”
‘Some of us are dying’: Windrush victims yet to receive compensation despite Priti Patel’s ‘fast-track’ pledge, The Independent, 3 January 2021
“Anthony Williams, who served in the British Army for 13 years but later lost his job with a cleaning company because he couldn’t prove his status, is in the process of appealing a compensation offer for the second time, and is yet to receive an advance payment.”
POLICING & JUSTICE SYSTEM
Image by Javier Robles from Pixabay
Racism in the military? A former RAF officer’s story, BBC News, 29 December 2020 (Includes short video)
“Efforts to tackle racism and sexism in the armed forces have been described as “sclerotic” according to the independent Ombudsman who oversees complaints within the military.”
Call for Police Scotland to increase diversity in top ranks, The Scotsman, 30 December 2020
Only 1 per cent of top officers in Police Scotland are black, Asian or from an ethnic minority (BAME), according to new research from the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who have called on the force to increase its diversity.
WORK/EMPLOYMENT
Image by Salah Jalal from Pixabay
Pandemic having a ‘huge impact’ on living standards of BAME hospitality workers, The Caterer, December 2020
“The report, Ethnic minorities in the hospitality sector, published by the independent think-tank which focuses on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes, found that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds were disproportionately likely to work in the hospitality sector, with one in 12 (8%) employed in the sector, compared to just one in 20 white British workers (5%).”
Royal Mail ordered to pay £230,000 to harassed Hindu ex-worker, The Guardian, 6 January 2021
“Ruling follows Mathan Shunmugaraja telling tribunal he was called ‘sly dog’ and mistaken for a Muslim”
EDUCATION
Image by Dayron Villaverde from Pixabay
More than 2200 racist incidents at schools in past three years, STV News, 6 January 2021
“Glasgow City Council saw the highest number of reported incidents with 642.”
Why diversity in schools must start with recruitment, TES, 5 January 2021
“Six ways to make your teacher recruitment process more inclusive: 1. Acknowledge bias 2. Make your recruitment policy accessible 3. Reconsider the make-up of the interview panel 4. Don’t be ‘colourblind’ 5. Reflect on your judgements 6. Provide useful feedback”
Exam board drops only black composer from music A-level syllabus, The Guardian, 4 January 2021
“British jazz artist Courtney Pine axed amid Covid-related course changes, says Pearson Edexcel”
HEALTH
Image by Jeyaratnam Caniceus from Pixabay
Highly respected London GP dies from COVID-19, GP Online, 4 January 2021
“The latest GP death during the pandemic follows repeated BMA calls for the government to prioritise vaccination of frontline staff against COVID-19. Dr Obaro is the thirteenth GP from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background to die from coronavirus.”
BioNTech: Stop talking about their ‘migration background’, EU Observer, 6 January 2021
“Türecki and Şahin are not eager to stress this aspect. They would rather talk about the science.”
Podcast Series Investigates Colonialism and COVID-19, Earth Institute, Columbia University, 29 December 2020
“As we continue to navigate the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing has been made clear: COVID-19 disproportionately harms vulnerable populations. Particularly in places with past and present ties to colonialism, oppressive systems are resurrected and inequalities become even more entrenched.”
The horrible history of Big Pharma, Global Justice, December 2020
“Why we can’t leave pharmaceutical corporations in the driving seat of the Covid-19 response… Yet, across the world, governments are handing responsibility for Covid-19 solutions over to big pharmaceutical firms, who have a long track record of prioritising corporate profit over people’s health. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the biggest and most profitable in the world. Many of the individual corporations that constitute ‘Big Pharma’ enjoy annual revenues well in excess of the majority of countries on the planet. Judged by revenue, Johnson & Johnson is wealthier than even rich countries like New Zealand and Hungary. Pfizer’s revenues are bigger than oil-rich Kuwait or Malaysia.”
How many like Natasha Tiwari have to die before Britain tackles its black and Asian organ donor crisis? Singer loses her fight for life five years after pleading for a new kidney, Daily Mail, 2 January 2021
“NHS Blood and Transplant’s annual report reveals that, after a year on the waiting list, 41 per cent of white people have had a transplant, compared with 28 per cent of those from ethnic minority groups. On average, a black child will have to wait more than twice as long as a white child for a kidney – 18 months compared with just seven months.”
SPORTS, FITNESS & OUTDOORS
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Life-changing sailing with the Scaramouche Sailing Trust, Yachting, 28 December 2020
“Sailing has a unique challenge in many regards. Historically, it is seen as a white, wealthy sport which is difficult to break into and very expensive to progress in…Our team is 90% Black and 100% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME).”
#TELLYOURSTORY because our stories matter, AKD, January 2021
“#TellYourStory is a major research programme exploring race and racism in sport. We want you to get involved and share your experiences to help create real change…We [AKD] are working with UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Wales, sportscotland and Sport Northern Ireland.”
EUROPE
Image by Stux from Pixabay
‘Worst situation you can ever be in’: What Gen Z thinks of Brexit, Al Jazeera, 4 January 2021
“Young Europeans reflect on the UK’s historic departure from the European Union.”
What Europe is experiencing today, is not a humanitarian crisis, but a crisis of humanity, MSF, 19 November 2020
“One week ago, at least 100 people died in the Mediterranean Sea. Among them was a six-month-old baby. The crew of Open Arms, the only NGO search and rescue boat able to operate at this moment, did everything they could to save him, but it was not enough.”
Europe’s ruling on ritual slaughter is factually wrong and legally problematic, Brussels Times, 27 December 2020
“Last week the European Court of Justice ruled that authorities in European countries may ban the practice of ritual slaughter to promote animal welfare…The Court acknowledged that there is no similar provision requiring prior-stunning before killing animals in the context of hunting and recreational fishing activities or during cultural or sporting events…”
Europe is struggling with the problem of Islamist extremists, Sunday Guardian Live, 2 January 2021
“Extremists are a tiny number of the 26 million Muslims in Europe, but attract a disproportionate amount of publicity. The only way of moving forward is to challenge the myth of European Muslims as outsiders with a culture and customs that make them forever ‘untrue’ Europeans.”
BELGIUM
Belgian or not: all legal residents can get Covid-19 vaccination, Brussels Times, 4 January 2021
“Belgium will make no distinction between people with and without the Belgian nationality when vaccinating the population against the coronavirus, as long as they are legal residents.”
GERMANY
Germany: Muslims concerned about rise of Islamophobia, The Muslim News, 6 January 2021
“At least 122 mosques were targeted in such attacks last year…According to official figures, police recorded 632 Islamophobic crimes in Germany from January to November 2020. These included insults, threatening letters, disruption of religious practice, physical assaults and damage to property.”
ITALY
Italian pasta company in hot water over colonial brand, Wanted in Rome, 5 January 2021
“The company’s marketing initiative referred to Italy “celebrating the season of colonialism” in the 1930s with new pasta shapes such as “Abissine, Tripoline, Bengasine and Assabesi.”
PORTUGAL
Pixar film ‘Soul’ causes controversy in Portugal due to dubbing done by white actors, Portugal Resident, 3 January 2021
“There is no question of the usual good work in dubbing done in Portugal or the quality of the actors in the Portuguese version, but there is an expectation of respect for the original intention and for what it historically represents: to be the first animated film with a black protagonist, interpreted for black voices, ” the petition adds.
Racism in Europe: An American Expat’s Experience in Portugal, Yahoo Style, 29 December 2020
“Trouble in paradise began in one of my graduate courses when one of my professors, a white woman, said the N-word . . . twice.”
ROMANIA
Romania adopts the first-ever antigypsyism law, Brussels Times, 17 December 2020
“After the historical resolution calling for an EU Romani Equality, Inclusion, Participation and Combating Antigypsyism Law, adopted by the European Parliament on 17th September with 545 “in favour”, as a consequence, another major step in making equality for Romani people more possible was done by the Romanian Parliament.”
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