EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
Welcome back to the Black & Asian Newsletter!
Recent media comments on The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter’s name ‘Lilibet’ may also have horrified you. For instance, British journalist Julie Burchill, the Telegraph columnist, has sparked a fresh wave of controversy for tweeting about Prince Harry and Meghan’s newborn baby girl.
More interestingly, the Guardian observes that one day, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor will be entitled to be a princess after the death of the Queen. According to Deutsche Welle, Queen Elizabeth II personal net worth is estimated at £365m.
Personally, I would have preferred that the media focuses more on projects as the Baby’s Dowry programme, which aims to help families who face extreme financial hardship. It provides basic baby essentials (e.g. nappies, cribs, prams etc.), as almost one in four children in Europe live in poverty according to pre-pandemic figures.
Where is all the media attention on related initiatives by the #EUChildGuarantee or Doctors of the World UK “Baby boxes” programme?
Keep Well & Stay Safe,
Thushari Perera
A digital resource on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Issues
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THE UNITED KINGDOM
CULTURE, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
LIFF 2021: British Asian talent celebrated at this year’s festival, CityAM, 10 June 2021
“The 12th Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) runs from the 14 June to 4 July, and takes this approach in mind as it comes back to a changed cinematic landscape. With support from The National Lottery and BFI, The LIFF, along with its sister festivals in Birmingham and Manchester, has thrown the spotlight on the best of British Asian filmmaking talent for a series of talks that will be taking place in person and via their online portal.”
Bafta TV awards 2021: Ashley Banjo’s powerful speech has set Twitter on fire, for good reason, The Stylist, 7 June 2021
“The dance, which saw troupe leader Ashley Banjo lie down on the stage as a performer dressed as a police officer knelt on his back, saw almost 30,000 complaints filed to Ofcom, with viewers criticising the routine for being “too political.”… It’s worth noting that Ofcom rejected the complaints it received about Diversity’s Black Lives Matter routine, issuing a statement that said: “We carefully considered a large number of complaints about this artistic routine, an area where freedom of expression is particularly important.”
I May Destroy You: television has never so brutally thrown the viewer’s identity into question, inews, 7 June 2021
“Michaela Coel’s masterpiece followed the destruction of its protagonist’s identity after her rape. In doing so, she forced the viewer to question their own”
Anne Boleyn star Jodie Turner-Smith responds to criticism of her casting, Digital Spy, 7 June 2021
“We’re not erasing white people’s humanity…Anne Boleyn aired on Channel 5 and is available to stream on My5.”
CONSUMER ISSUES
Businesses with racial equity achieve 58% higher revenues, Personnel Today, 7 June 2021
“According to the wide-ranging report (the Equity Effect)… Researchers for Henley Business School at the University of Reading surveyed more than 500 business leaders and 1,000 employees, as well as carrying out qualitative interviews with 22 business leaders and employees from a broad range of industries. Further research was conducted to gather specific business performance and diversity data points from companies listed on the FTSE 350.”
Report: Half of UK fashion giants failing to support supply chain workers’ rights, edie, 7 June 2021
“A ranking of 18 of the UK’s most influential high street and online fashion retailers has revealed weak progress across the board on labour practices and supply chain worker conditions, with half of the brands generating a negative impact.”
After Brexit, China has replaced Germany as the UK’s biggest trading partner, Euronews, 26 May 2021
“Overall, imports to the UK from Germany were down 11.8 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to three years ago to total £12.5 billion (€14.4 billion). During that same period, imports from China jumped nearly 66 per cent to reach £16.9 (€19.5 billion) to account for 16.1 per cent of UK goods imports in the first quarter.”
EMPLOYMENT & WORK
Half of hospitality professionals from Black, Asian or Ethnic Minority backgrounds have experienced racism at work, The Caterer, 3 June 2021
“Be Inclusive Hospitality has released findings from its industry-wide survey with a call for immediate action from the sector…The report concluded with some practical steps that employers of all sizes can take towards building an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture…You can download the report summary or purchase the full report for £299 here.”
A new survey is launched to explore Black Women’s Experience of Pay Disparity, The Voice, 7 June 2021
“As of 2020, only 23% of companies had published data about ethnicity pay disparity. Through her own activism and in the process of supporting other campaigners, she noted a distinct lack of impetus from central government to bring about change. Last year a petition to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting gained well over 100,000 signatures, which is the threshold needed to justify a parliamentary debate. Despite this, no date has been set for that debate as yet…You can complete the ‘Ethnicity Pay Gap – Experience of Black Women In The UK’ survey here”
‘If you’re from an ethnic background, you are told to work twice as hard’, new equity report finds discrimination still rife in UK workforce, HR Magazine, 7 June 2021
“A new research study by Henley Business School found evidence black employees were twice as likely to experience discrimination compared to Asians and mixed ethnic minorities (19% vs 9% and 8% respectively). Racism within the report, The Equity Effect, was cited as discrimination in work allocation, verbal abuse and inappropriate and unfair application of work policies or rules.”
EDUCATION
Racism at Dundee University revealed in report showing student saying ‘non-whites’ should leave country, The Courier, 7 June 2021
“A survey by the university’s racial equality charter has revealed “prominent concerns” over racism and discrimination at the school. Hundreds of students and staff, from both white and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, were surveyed and the results were published on Monday.”
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
BAME people in Swindon more likely to contract Covid-19, report reveals, Swindon Advertiser, 8 June 2021
“The report points out that overcrowded housing has played a part in the disproportionate impact of the disease. It says 273 houses of 700 surveyed had at least two people in every bedroom, and 79 of those had more than two per room.”
Committee report finds NHS “burnout is widespread reality”, Open Access Government, 8 June 2021
“…Another recommendation touches on the lack of adequate racial representation at decision-making levels in Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), asking for new boards to represent the populations that are using these services. While the UK has a 10-year plan for the NHS, there is currently no 10 year or long-term funding plan for social care…The Government response to this report and all recommendations is due by 8 August, 2021. The full report is available to read here.”
The real reason why Black men are most at risk of suicide, The Metro, 7 June 2021
“The suicide rates for men recently reached an all time high in England and Wales, with young men of Black African or Black Caribbean origin more at risk of taking their lives than white men…Looking at routes in to mental health treatment, Black people are 40% more likely to access treatment through a police or criminal justice route, according to data from Mind.”
The Disastrous Neglect of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Project Syndicate, 24 May 2021
“With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing even more of the world’s population into poverty and increasing the risk of debilitating illness, now is the time to redouble our efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases. And yet, increasing demands on government budgets seem poised to halt – and even reverse – hard-won progress.”
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITIES
Tribunal ‘deeply concerned’ by racism among Home Office contractors, The Guardian, 10 June 2021
“Black workers spoken of in derogatory way by colleagues at Mitie who handled deportations”
Windrush victim wrongly threatened with forced return to Jamaica in final years, report finds, The Guardian, 8 June 2021
“Rupert Everett, who had lived in the UK for 50 years, died in 2019 without an apology for Home Office’s repeated errors”
Where does UK foreign aid go? The countries hit by the budget cuts, as vote on rebel amendment is rejected, inews, 7 June 2021
“What does the rejection of the rebel amendment mean for the UK’s foreign aid – and the world’s most desperate people?”
POLICING & JUSTICE SYSTEM
Don’t be fooled by Devon and Cornwall Police’s G7 protest propaganda, The Canary, 7 June 2021
“Institutional racism is rife within Devon and Cornwall police. Statistics from 2020 show that if you’re Black in Cornwall you’re 12 times more likely to be stopped and searched than if you’re white. This is higher than the national average where Black people are 9 times more likely to be stopped and searched.”
OTHER NEWSLETTERS – Also FREE!
RELIGION
How Can Respecting the Right to Religion for Prisoners Make A Real Difference?, Each Other, 8 June 2021
“Over the past twenty years, the proportion of prisoners from religious minorities has steadily increased. EachOther asks how can listening to minority voices improve the right to religion in prisons?”
ROYALS & THE MONARCHY
Meghan and Harry announce birth of baby daughter Lilibet, The Guardian, 6 June 2021
“Child named after the family nickname for the Queen, the baby’s great-grandmother…The new baby will be entitled to be a princess and Archie a prince, both with HRH styles, after the death of the Queen and when Prince Charles, Harry’s father, becomes king…A message on the Archewell website reads: ‘For those inquiring on sending gifts, we would ask that you support or learn more about these organisations working for women and girls: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, Camfed or Myna Mahila Foundation.’”
Julie Burchill in fresh storm for ‘disgusting’ racist tweets about Harry and Meghan’s baby, The London Economic, 7 June 2021
“’The fact that this person has a career in British media says a lot of terrible things about our society,’ one Twitter user said.”
Columnist ‘fired for saying Harry and Meghan could call baby Georgina Floydina’, The Metro, 9 June 2021
“The journalist took to Facebook yesterday to announce she had been sacked – but suggested she hadn’t been happy at the newspaper as they had ‘rejected her edgy column ideas’…Joanna Toch, 59, replied to the ‘Georgina Floydina’ tweet saying ‘no Doria? Don’t black names matter?’ in reference to Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland. Burchill responded that she ‘was hoping for Doria Oprah, the racist rotters’.”
Take a look inside Meghan Markle’s debut children’s book, Asian Image, 8 June 2021
“Meghan Markle has released her first children’s book The Bench, inspired by the relationship between her husband and son.”
The Crown Estate: The mysterious property empire behind Queen Elizabeth II, Deutsche Welle, 9 June 2021
“One of the largest property groups in Europe is directly tied to Queen Elizabeth II. Strictly speaking, the 95-year-old monarch doesn’t own it. But neither does the government, making it complex legally.”
SPORT
Oliver Dowden misses the point -there is more at stake than Ollie Robinson’s career, inews, 8 June 2021
“Were Dowden to judge from the perspective of people of colour and women for a moment, he might have half a chance of working this out”
Soccer-Despite boos, England will stick to anti-racism stance, Yahoo/Reuters, 8 June 2021
“The comments came after England’s pleas to respect the anti-discrimination gesture of taking a knee before the match were again ignored by a small section of spectators during the side’s final Euro 2020 warmup match against Romania.”
ENVIRONMENT
European Green Deal accused of ‘green colonialism’ in new report, Euronews, 4 June 2021
“The European Green Deal (EGD) has come under fire by campaigners for excluding racialised people and perpetuating “green colonialism” in the Global South. People of colour-led Equinox Initiative toward Racial Justice are calling on EU leaders to make their environmental framework more inclusive of racial justice…“In Europe, racialised communities are overly exposed to and situated in polluted environments that significantly impact their health and wellbeing,” reads their report.”
UK banks to reveal exposure to climate crisis for first time, Carbon Brief, 9 June 2021
“…the tests will assess how 19 banks and insurers will cope with three climate scenarios and how those scenarios impact potential loan losses, as customers default due to the economic impact of climate change. It notes that the Bank of England’s tests will not identify individual businesses…this is disappointing as ‘climate capital rules that reflect the high risk of fossil fuel investments are a necessary inevitability to ensure financial stability and alignment with the government’s climate plans’…”
Scientists Say Climate Change Will Continue to Drive Disease Outbreaks, Discover Magazine, 25 February 2021
“When animals are displaced by deforestation and global warming, that often puts them and the diseases they carry in proximity to humans.”
WIDER EUROPE
It’s not just football – it’s a barometer of diversity. Bring on the Euros…, The Guardian, 6 June 2021
“The tournament, which kicks off on Friday, will offer a snapshot of national attitudes to race across the continent…”
‘Sorry’ still the hardest word, as EU steps up courtship of Africa, EUObserver, 8 June 2021
“Even before the Black Lives Matter protests, EU-Africa relations had already been shaken by a potent dose of ‘Made in China’ geopolitics”
New EU study shows increase in on-line antisemitism during the coronavirus crisis, The Brussels Times, 9 June 2021
“Antisemitic content on social media has increased manyfold during the crisis according to a new study published by the European Commission last week. The study was conducted by the London-based Institute for Strategic Studies (ISD)…”
Small towns and cities must be given a greater voice in efforts to increase urban inclusion, LSE, 4 June 2021
“Neglecting the specific needs of those who live and work in smaller urban contexts is particularly problematic in relation to inclusion and anti-racism initiatives. Although ethno-cultural diversity is increasing in urban areas of all sizes, debates on the local governance of diversity are typically concentrated on larger centres.”
EU risks becoming like the Gulf over exploitative labour, EURACTIV, 3 June 2021
“The growing phenomenon of labourers coming into Europe from south-east Asia and elsewhere is fuelling a dangerous rise in exploitative labour practices that requires urgent EU action, labour unions and civil society groups have warned…Third-country labour has emerged, particularly in central and eastern Europe, as a replacement for domestic workers who have moved themselves to western Europe and Nordic countries where the pay is highest.”
‘We want positive action to combat exploitative labour in EU construction’, EURACTIV, 31 May 2021
“That is why we ask whether the EU is becoming like the Gulf, because it is the same mechanisms that we see in the Gulf region and Qatar. We have a lot of issues with accommodation and abuse of workers who are in a very precarious situation when they have an accident, or don’t receive the correct wages.”
DENMARK
Why is Denmark under fire over a new law to send its asylum seekers abroad?, Euronews, 7 June 2021
“Denmark’s passing of legislation that paves the way for asylum seekers to be held in countries outside Europe has prompted a strong reaction – and many more questions. The amendments to the Danish Aliens Act was approved last Thursday with 70 votes to 20. There were no abstentions and 85 MPs were absent… We can’t yet know for sure; however, there has been widespread speculation that locations are being considered outside of Europe – possibly Africa.”
FRANCE
French ex-skinheads sentenced to 8 and 5 years jail for killing leftist teenager, RFI, 5 June 2021
“An appeals court in a Paris suburb has sentenced two former skinheads to eight and five years in prison for the death of the anti-fascist activist Clément Méric, killed during a brawl in Paris in 2013. The decision comes as supporters of the Méric family and unions organise a march in his memory on Saturday.”
French court rules state guilty of ‘gross misconduct’ over student ID checks, RFI, 9 June 2021
“The Paris Court of Appeal has ruled that discrimination was behind humiliating police identity checks carried out on three high school students of colour in 2017, overturning a previous ruling.”
GERMANY
German church officials face charges for helping refugees, Deutsche Welle, 6 June 2021
“Juliana Seelmann, a nun from the Franciscan nunnery at the Oberzell monastery in southern Germany, was found guilty this week of aiding the unauthorized residence in Germany of two Nigerian women. She was fined several hundred euros. She had aided two women from Nigeria who said they were trying to escape forced prostitution in Italy, where they had first fled to.“
Germany opens fresh probe against police over neo-Nazi chats, The Local, 9 June 2021
“German prosecutors said Wednesday they had opened a probe against 20 police officers, including elite commandos, accused of taking part in far-right online chats and swapping Nazi symbols.”
GREECE
Greece defends use of anti-migrant sound cannons, EURACTIV, 9 June 2021
“Greece’s minister for migration and asylum on Wednesday (9 June) defended his country’s use of “sound cannons” to deter irregular migrants, as a senior EU official called their use “strange” and legally questionable.”
ITALY
Italian police dismantle antisemitic, racist online group, AP, 7 June 2021
“ROME (AP) — Italian police have dismantled an online group dedicated to antisemitic and racist propaganda that incited young people to carry out extreme actions, authorities said Monday. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said the crackdown included blacking out the website of the group that claims 17,000 members, including people abroad.”
Multi-ethnic food truck helps migrant women start new life in Bologna, Euronews, 1 June 2021
“A multi-ethnic food truck selling delicacies in the streets of Bologna has become a symbol of integration for women from war-torn or poor countries trying to overcome their difficult past. A non-profit, MondoDonna Association, is providing them with shelter, protection and the chance to become independent through work.”
SPAIN/CATALONIA
Catalonia’s struggle to defend its language, The Brussels Times, 28 May 2021
“Imagine if the European Union told the French that the primary language used in schools was to become English. Imagine if the Greeks were told that their mother tongue was to become a secondary, less prominent one, to an overarching, more homogenizing and less culturally relevant one.”
Migrant crisis: Thousands of migrants remain in Ceuta as Morocco blocks deportations, EL PAÍS in English
“Two weeks after more than 9,000 people breached the border, life is yet to return to normal in the North African Spanish city, with more than 700 unidentified Moroccans still in the exclave”
Image Credits: Pixabay, Henley Business School, Equinox Initiative.
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