Climate change is real, Black mums & babies continue to suffer, Catholic priest in the neo-Nazi chatroom & other stories from Black, Asian & Arab communities in the UK - curated by Melissa Sigodo
The 20
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Thank you for subscribing to The Source.
I replaced last week’s recap with a Black History Month special to close out the month, but we’re now back to normal scheduling till the end of 2025.
There’s a lot to recap this week as quite a few important stories went under the radar and that is what this newsletter is about - keeping you informed on those underreported stories from underreported communities. So, this week is a recap of the last two weeks combined.
As you know The Sources provides independent journalism from the Black community, as well as this weekly recap from Black, Asian and Arab communities, so, just to make it a little clearer - the recap will now be known as The 20. Think of it as the cousin of The Source. And those who have been here since the start, especially paid subscribers will know I always recap 20 stories so it’s as simple as that. If you know anyone who wants to get The 20, send them the below link to subscribe.
Without further ado, here’s the 20 stories you shouldn’t have missed.
The 20
Babies of Black mums are 81% more likely to die in neonatal care, an NHS study shows. The research showed ‘how existing biases and injustices in society are reflected in clinical settings, disproportionately affecting women and babies.’ Read the full story by Tobi Thomas at The Guardian.
Alleged Violence Against Women and Girls
Ex-British soldier Robert James Purkiss has been arrested in connection with the killing of Agnes Wanjiru after a warrant was issued. He has been remanded into custody ahead of his next appearance in court on 14 November. Read the full story by Sam Holder at ITV.
Police are hunting for a group of men after a woman in her 50s was racially abused and attacked with ‘handheld electrical stun device’ and a weapon described as a “metal bar.” Read the full story by Birmingham Mail.
A 32-year-old man has been arrested after a woman in her 20s was raped in Walsall in what is being treated as a suspected racially aggravated attack. Read the full story by Sky News.
Policing
A 35-year-old Black man from London who was arrested after passengers were stabbed on a train in Huntingdon has been released with no further action. Police say, “It was reported in good faith to officers responding to the incident that he was involved in the attack, and following enquiries we can confirm that he was not involved.” Read the release from British Transport Police. The 35-year-old man who was an innocent passenger on the train was also tasered by police officers. Read the full story by Katherine Lawton at Daily Mail.
A police officer DS Derek Ridgewell who framed at least 13 people, targeting mainly Black people in the 1970s may have set up more than 100 innocent victims. Read the full story by Ryan Prosser at The Metro.
Legal
A Catholic priest Father Mark Rowles, 57, who pretended to be a teenager in neo-Nazi chatrooms where he discussed bombing mosques and shooting Black people has avoided jail. Read the full story by Islam Channel.
Ex-footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of sending “grossly offensive” posts on social media. In a post about football pundit Eni Aluko which he was convicted for, Barton wrote “Only there to tick boxes. DEI is a load of shit. Affirmative action. All off the back of the BLM/George Floyd nonsense”. Read the full story by Nicole Wootton-Cane at The Independent.
Crime
Irish police are investigating attempted arson after a fire at a building housing asylum seekers. Four children, including a baby, were rescued from the scene. Police say they attended following reports of a fire started “deliberately” by fireworks. Read the full story by Hayley Halpin at BBC.
Police are investigating after Deputy Green Party leader Mothin Ali was allegedly subjected to an “Islamophobic hate crime” by a man who told him he should be “deported” and threatened to “smash his head in.” Read the full story by Sam Francis at BBC.
Nursing
A Chief Nursing Officer Evonne Hunt has been reinstated to her role after she was suspended when she raised concerns around patient safety, racism, the leadership culture and equity within the trust. Evonne was told there were allegations against her but an investigation concluded there was no case to answer. Read the full story by RCN.
The number of nurses reporting racist incidents at work has risen by 55% over three years. The Royal College of Nursing says that its advice line receives three calls a day from global majority nursing staff from across the UK. Read the full story by RCN.
Hurricane Melissa
Jamaican communities are still awaiting necessities including food and clean water following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa. The UK government has pledged £7.5m in emergency funding but Denis O’Brien, founder of the movement for reparatory justice says it’s ‘simply not good enough.’ Read the full story by Natricia Duncan at The Guardian.
A GoFundMe launched by British Jamaicans to help Caribbean islands rebuild in the aftermath of the “catastrophic” Hurricane Melissa has reached over £20,000 in donations in 24 hours after previously raising funds for Hurricane Beryl. The group says they will disperse the funds in “more diverse ways” and ‘listen to those who aren’t listened to.’ Read the full story by Melissa Sigodo at The Source.
Black History
A Nigerian woman who moved from Lagos to Deptford, London, says she was shocked to discover her family’s connection to Queen Victoria’s godchild - the daughter of ‘enslaved African princess’ Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Bayo Adelaja says she always thought it was a joke when he mum would casually mention it. Read the full story by Melissa Sigodo for The Source.
Social care
A couple who spent five years trying to adopt hope to inspire more Black people to start the process as “not enough” adopters are coming forward, charities say. Black and Mixed heritage kids are forced to wait approximately five months longer than white children to be adopted. Read the full story by Ayokunle Oluwalana at The Source.
World News
Illinois sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson has been convicted of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Sonya Massey - a Black woman who called 911 for help. Read the full story by CNN.
More than 2,000 people in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher were killed last month after the city was captured by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to humanitarian officials. The International Criminal Court (ICC) said it was investigating whether the paramilitary may have committed “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. Read the full story by Merlyn Thomas, Matt Murphy, Peter Mwai & Richard Irvine-Brown at BBC.
A landslide in Kenya has left several people dead and 25 people missing following heavy rains in the country. Read the full story by ITV.