Extraordinary 100yo midwife saved by paramedic she delivered, digital-visa failure & more stories from Black, Asian & Arab communities you shouldn't have missed this week - curated by Melissa Sigodo
"Asked if he'd visit the scene of the crash, he responded, ‘You want me to go swimming?” - an inept and soulless response". This week's opinion by me.
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My name is Melissa Sigodo. I am a journalist. I also have a YouTube Channel, podcast and I sometimes host panels. I curate The Source newsletter which recaps stories that went under the radar from Black, Asian and Arab communities living in the UK. It also includes opinion pieces from writers of colour. This work is supported by paid subscriptions so if you would like to directly contribute, please go right ahead. I hope you find The Source informative.
Without further ado, here is this week’s opinion piece is written by me.
Opinion: The Longer Read - Melissa Sigodo
“DEI was introduced to combat racism and forms of discrimination. Denying, banning or dismissing it allows racism to thrive. A racist’s top agenda.”
Melissa Sigodo - Saturday February 1, 2025 - The Source
This week, the newly sworn in President of America held a press conference after a tragic plane crash killed 67 people including children. In a sensitive moment where many felt shock, grief and sorrow, he chose to use the opportunity to speculate that this horrific incident was allegedly caused by “diversity”.
An investigation has barely begun but this hasn’t stopped one of the most powerful men in the world from claiming that a deadly mid-air collision in which hopeful, young figure skaters and their coaches died - was allegedly caused either by policies aimed at helping those who are not white, straight, non-disabled men, or by said people working in operations. This is what the new President of the United States prefers to ambiguously refer to as “diversity”.
A growing trend of late is that influential men and women in the public eye opt not to fixate on specifics and facts when seizing a moment for political gain. They prefer to dog whistle and sow confusion by co-opting a term and weaponising it as a slur, or by posting a loaded meme or throwing a fascist salute and allowing people to argue over whether it’s a wave or not. Some even choose to pseudo-race-science their way out of simply admitting and saying, ‘I’m a racist white supremacist’.
With this being said, I’ve often felt that the term DEI never truly went the distance in addressing racism for what it is and therefore, it is now that we see it can be so easily put aside or bastardised. Language matters and the term DEI, specifically the inclusion aspect in a post-George Floyd era, presents a seemingly Barney and Friends approach to tackling this violent ideology. In my view, it removed accountability and mollified the heavily racist exclusion. Instead, the term DEI rather than the term anti-racism, focuses more on a hold-hands-around-the-campfire policy that minorities could be ‘included’ by well-meaning corporations and welcomed into spaces they are so deliberately and harshly rejected from every single day. A false belief evidenced by the fact that 76.1% of chief diversity officer roles are held by white employees, while 3.8% are held by Black employees, according to a report from Zippia.
Almost five years since George Floyd and promises for change, we now see an age-old racist view legitimised in the highest office. The sickeningly poisonous idea that qualified marginalised groups who have finally been given a fair opportunity where their CVs aren’t immediately dismissed for bearing an African name for example - are in fact dangerously incompetent and somehow allegedly to blame for this tragedy.
The moment the words were uttered, revealed how entrenched the racist belief is that Black people and other minorities are intellectually inferior and could never be in positions of power and authority without “useless woke” initiatives. Useless because racism doesn’t exist according to the racist white supremacists. But the truth is, DEI was introduced to combat very real racism and forms of discrimination. Denying, banning or dismissing it allows racism to thrive - a racist’s top agenda. Another, dangerous undercurrent that flows through this false idea is that white, non-disabled, straight men could never find themselves behind such disasters and therefore, of course it only makes sense in their minds that they dominate in all fields. Hiring among other things should return to the supposedly “legitimate merit-based” way it was before for our “own” safety. Fear-mongering and white supremacy 101.
But when all is said and done, the most disgraceful part is how the 67 lives that were lost have become political fodder, spared no grace and dignity in their horrific end. During a press conference, Trump was asked if he would visit the scene of the crash, to which he responded, ‘You want me to go swimming?” - an inept and soulless response from a man voted to oversee the safety of millions.
As Trump sets out his tenure, so continues the revision of everything as we know it. It all now stands at risk of being redrawn, reset and redefined, clouded, convoluted, diluted and muddied. The UK is on the same course after the summer riots unfolded last year.
One can only hope that once the investigation concludes into how this tragedy occurred, it isn’t appropriated for political gain but instead it brings closure to the families whose loved ones died.
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News
An exceptional midwife who delivered 2,000 babies was saved by one of them who went on to become a paramedic and later rushed to her aid. Albertina Aparicio known as Tina was part of the Windrush generation. She is now turning 100 years old. Full story.
A 23-year-old medical student has become the first person with a Scottish accent to feature on a Ring doorbell. Azkah Sardarfrom Glasgow, won a national competition beating 300 candidates. Full story.
A “groundbreaking” gene therapy treatment for people suffering from sickle cell disease has been approved for use on the NHS. The debilitating and potentially life-threatening disease commonly affects people from Black African and Black Caribbean heritage. Full story.
A new scheme offering “diabetes friendly” options for African and Caribbean meals will support those self-managing type 2 diabetes. The Heal-D programme was inspired by Professor Louise Goff who found that the NHS’s diabetes education programme had no information on African and Caribbean foods. Full story.
Immigration
People attempting to use the government’s digital visa system have been left unable to access benefits and housing with some forced to sleep rough or in churches or mosques after it failed. Full story.
A lesbian whose life was threatened in Kenya has been refused asylum after the Home Office “did not believe” she was gay. Virginia Wairimu, 51, said she felt it was as if LGBTQ+ people are “supposed to have something that identifies them.” Full story.
Missing People
A vulnerable pensioner Anthony known as Reggie has been missing for over two months from Ladbroke Grove in London. The 70-year-old has dementia and has not been in contact with family or friends which is extremely out of character, police say. Full story.
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