EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
Welcome back to the Black & Asian News UK Edition! As usual, you will find below several news articles and reports that you may wish to read. It includes Imperial College London’s report “Addressing Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Data-Driven Health Technologies” and Black Women in The UK Workplace by the Black Women in Leadership Network.
This week’s must-read for me is however ‘Wokeness’: The Latest Bogeyman Keeping Conservatives Up At Night.
You will receive the latest issue of the Black & Asian News European Edition soon!
Stay Safe,
Thushari Perera
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UK NEWS
EDUCATION
Leeds Trinity to bring international race equality experts together for third annual conference, FE News, 24 February 2022
“Race, Equity and Social Justice: Decoloniality of the Academy will take place online on Thursday 24 March, from 9.00am – 4.15pm. Keynote speakers include Professor Heidi Safia Mirza, Professor Emerita of Equality Studies in Education at University College London…The conference will also feature Professor Shirley Anne Tate – who was previously appointed the UK’s first Professor of Race and Education in 2017 – and Professor of Psychology Mark Mon-Williams from the University of Leeds, in addition to race equality experts from Leeds Trinity University.”
UK universities hit by 40% fall in EU students since Brexit, The Independent, 23 February 2022
“Ucas cites ‘uncertainty’ associated with Britain’s withdrawal from bloc…However, Britain’s higher education institutions saw a 48 per cent rise in the number of US students applying for courses last year… Clare Marchant, chief executive at UCAS, said: “Whilst applications have been very resilient throughout the pandemic, the robust demand from China, India and Hong Kong … shows the enduring appeal of our world-class universities.””
No English and maths GCSE, no university student loan, plans say, BBC News, 23 February 2022
“Sir Peter Lampl, founder and executive chair of the Sutton Trust education charity, said: “Universities are the key route to social mobility, so it is crucial that young people who have the potential to benefit from higher education are able to do so, whatever their background. “The introduction of any minimum grade requirement is always going to have the biggest impact on the poorest young people, as they are more likely to have lower grades because of the disadvantages they have faced in their schooling.””
CULTURE, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
We Are Black and British review – the most intelligent reality TV show in recent memory, The Guardian, 24 February 2022
“Tears, arguments and deeply human conversations about race: this moving, uplifting show sees Black Britons debate the UK’s problems – and it’s a masterclass in empathy.”
How do you sell news to Gen Z? Write about social justice, don’t insult them and stop saying ‘newspaper’, Press Gazette, 18 February 2022
“Gen Z wants their news and commentary gathered and delivered by a diverse cast. Diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, genders, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and life experiences collectively provide a more holistic, accurate view of the world.”
Black promoters ‘being shut out of some of London’s biggest clubs’, The Metro, 21 February 2022
“Mr Edwards, from Hackney, has experience of large music events throughout the UK and Europe, including with the House of Joy series, which turns 15 at the Scala club next month. He has booked and played, including with his Pioneer Plays brand, at some of London’s biggest nightspots, such as Indigo at the O2. But others throughout the capital remain out of bounds because of a misconception that Black clubbers and the urban music crowd in general will bring serious violence, according to the DJ.”
This Afro Hair Exhibition Explores Slavery, Cleopatra, And The USA’s First Female Millionaire, Londonist, 18 February 2022
“Cornrows, bantu knots, dreadlocks, Afro puffs and the iconic Afro — there are many iterations of ‘Afro’ hairstyles — and they’re all the subject of an exhibition in Croydon. The Rich Tapestry of Afro Hair, Whitgift Centre, Croydon, free entry, 18 February-31 March 2022.”
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
NHS to tackle ‘unfair’ maternity outcomes, BBC News, 23 February 2022
“A taskforce has been set up to tackle disparities in maternity care experienced by women belonging to ethnic minorities and those living in deprived areas. Black women are 40% more likely to miscarry than white, studies suggest. Maternal death rates are also higher among black and Asian women.”
New sickle cell treatment given to first patients in England, BBC News, 24 February 2022
“Sickle cell mostly affects black people. During a crisis, patients often need powerful opioid painkillers but Loury, like many others, has faced suspicion when at A&E. “You know the protocol when you go in, which needles and so on. They think straight away you are a drug addict – they don’t believe you,” she says… Ten specialist treatment centres have been set up across England which doctors hope will improve outcomes for sickle cell patients.”
TECH
AI could worsen health inequities for UK’s minority ethnic groups – new report, Imperial College London, 24 February 2022
“A new white paper highlights the opportunities and barriers for artificial intelligence to improve the health of the UK’s minority ethnic groups.” Read the white paper, ‘Addressing Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Data-Driven Health Technologies’ here.
‘Repeated rape threats’: Sexual violence and racist abuse in the metaverse, The Independent, 16 February 2022
“…research into the metaverse carried out by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate discovered a hundred potential violations of Meta’s policies for virtual reality in the space of 11 hours and 30 minutes of recordings of people’s conduct in the app – translating to one violation every seven minutes.”
HOUSING
London’s smallest microflat up for sale at £50,000 for 7 square metres, The Guardian, 17 February 2022
“Property in a Victorian conversion in Lower Clapton has a bed, microwave, bathroom and incumbent tenant… The minimum price set by auctioneers is £50,000, but it is expected to go for more as it was bought for £103,500 in May 2017…The flat is an example of what experts say is a growing phenomenon of tiny homes, driven by soaring rent and property prices. Microflats are becoming more sought-after and even smaller, they say…One in 15 apartments in London fall below the national minimum standard of 37 sq m for a one-bedroom home, while the median size of UK properties below the space standard fell by one square metre to 29 sq m this year…”
As storms batter the UK, homelessness is a political choice for the Tories, The Canary, 22 February 2022
“According to recent data, there’s currently a staggering £200bn worth of empty homes in Britain. In England alone, there are 665,628 vacant dwellings. In London there are currently 80,295 empty homes, and they’re worth around £41bn.”
Homelessness set to soar in England amid cost of living crisis, The Guardian, 22 February 2022
“Rise in number of sofa surfers expected to drive the increase as councils warn of ‘tidal wave’ of need. The number of people homeless in England is predicted to jump by a third by 2024 as councils warn of a “tidal wave” of need caused by benefits freezes, soaring food and energy bills and the end of Covid eviction bans. More than 66,000 more people will be homeless by 2024…”
EMPLOYMENT & WORK
Half of Black women in senior management have resigned ‘due to racism at work’, Metro, 23 February 2022
“The wide-ranging report, titled Black Women in The UK Workplace was commissioned by BWIL Network to address the lack of data and information on the lived experiences of Black women working in corporate organisations in the UK.”
More than a third of NHS trusts have no ethnic minority pharmacists at senior levels, Pharmaceutical Journal, 18 February 2022
“Exclusive: Of 87 NHS trusts and health boards across Great Britain that provided latest data, 34.5% do not employ pharmacists from ethnic minority backgrounds at NHS ‘Agenda for change’ band 8b or above.”
Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett backs our bid to get young people into work, The Evening Standard, 4 February 2022
“Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett has backed the Evening Standard campaign to upskill jobless youth and get them into work, calling our appeal “important” for young people who have had a difficult few years navigating the pandemic while finishing school. His support comes as London’s employers responded enthusiastically to our £1 million Skill Up Step Up initiative in partnership with Barclays LifeSkills with more than 200 pledges of jobs for unemployed youths skilled up by our campaign.”
GOVERNMENT, MIGRATION & COMMUNITIES
Scottish Parliament votes against the Borders Bill, Scottish Refugee Council, 22 February 2022
“The Scottish Parliament has voted against the UK Government’s Nationality & Borders Bill, the anti-refugee bill. Today, 22 February 2022, a majority of MSPs voted to reject the bill. They also agreed that parts of the bill affect laws that the Scottish Parliament has control over. These include the way children are treated in the asylum system and how survivors of human trafficking are identified and supported.”
Chagos Islands: Mauritius’s latest challenge to UK shows row over sovereignty will not go away, The Conversation, 21 February 2022
“In 2019, the International Court of Justice published an Advisory Opinion in response to a request from the United National General Assembly on behalf of Mauritius, stating that decolonisation had not been lawfully carried out. In particular, it said that detaching the Chagos archipelago from Mauritius was not based on the free and genuine will of the people. Consequently, the UK’s continuing administration of the Chagos archipelago was unlawful. The United Nations accepted this Advisory Opinion in a resolution that ordered the UK to withdraw from the archipelago within a period of six months. Almost four years on, the UK has still not done so. Instead the British government continues to hold that neither the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion nor the UN resolution have any legally binding effect.”
‘Wokeness’: The Latest Bogeyman Keeping Conservatives Up At Night, Shout Out UK, 21 February 2022
“In the last few years, the term ‘wokeness’ has been used to decry anything which the speaker finds contrary to their values. Whether it be protesting social injustice, the Black Lives Matter campaign, rights equality or any number of other subjects, they are all subsumed beneath the ‘woke‘ umbrella.”
Whistleblower reveals ‘toxic’ racism of Home Office’s immigration staff contractor, The Justice Gap, 21 February 2022
“The source told the Mirror on Sunday about the ‘toxic’ racism of messages in a 120-strong group of staff at the contractor Mitie called ‘escorts meet and greet’ which featured ‘jokes about Syrian refugees swimming to the UK’, ‘slanty-eyed’ Chinese people, a ‘lewd reference’ to Diane Abbott MP and a ‘xenophobic jibe’ at Home Secretary Priti Patel.”
GREEN & ENVIRONMENT
Return to sender: Sri Lanka ships tonnes of illegal waste back to the UK, Euronews, 22 February 2022
“Between 2017 and 2019, the UK shipped 263 containers of waste to Sri Lanka. The UK had labelled them “used mattresses, carpets and rugs.” But what Sri Lankan authorities found inside the containers was far more sinister… When they were opened, authorities found, amongst other things, biowaste from hospitals. This included rags, bandages and body parts from mortuaries.”
FAITH & RELIGION
UK citizenship-stripping powers ‘discriminate against Muslims’ say UN experts, Middle East Eye, 18 February 2022
“United Nations special rapporteurs tell UK government use of citizenship-stripping powers, set to be extended by Nationality and Borders Bill, is likely unlawful…But the proposed legislation would instead give the government the right to deprive somebody of citizenship without notifying them if it is not practically possible to do so, because of national security or diplomatic considerations, or “for any other reason”.”
ROYALS & THE MONARCHY
Harry and Meghan to be recognised for social justice work at NAACP Image Awards, The Independent, 23 February 2022
“The award is presented for special achievement and distinguished public service, and the Sussexes said they were honoured to be recognised.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal tour of the Caribbean confirmed by palace, Hello Magazine, 24 February 2022
“Prince William, 39, and Kate, 40, will travel to Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas from 19 to 26 March.”
SPORT
Newcastle United legend Shaka Hislop set to be awarded Freedom of Newcastle to honour anti-racism work, MSN/Chronicle Live, 23 February 2022
“The former Toon goalkeeper is expected to be granted Newcastle’s top civic honour in recognition of his role in establishing one of the country’s leading anti-racism charities. The 53-year-old was instrumental in the founding of Show Racism the Red Card in 1996, when he was part of Kevin Keegan’s legendary entertainers side.”
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