Migrants saving NHS, sentencing changes blasted, 'waste of taxpayers' money' and other stories from Black, Asian and Arab communities you shouldn't have missed this week - curated by Melissa Sigodo
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The longer I write this newsletter, (which has almost been a year) the more and more I see examples of how little ethnic minorities feature in the media unless it is negative. Recently, it was announced that a new Parliamentary Black Caucus aimed at tackling racial inequality had launched in the UK, but the news barely garnered attention from the mainstream, with only a mere three articles written about it. When you compare the attention that this key moment in British politics received, to the number of hate-articles written about a certain mixed race woman’s cooking show, it’s quite an alarmingly stark contrast.
But do not lose hope. There are great journalists working tirelessly to tell the stories of forgotten communities who allow me to bring you this newsletter. For those of you who are new, The Source aims to amplify important stories from ethnic minority communities by bringing awareness to them in order to make sure that they don’t go under the radar. So, thank you for your support.
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Without further ado, here are the stories you shouldn’t have missed this week.
News
A mum who has helped close to 20,000 women and girls by providing free menstrual products through her charity Flow Happy has been awarded funding to expand her charity. Alvina Appleton who once struggled to afford period pads says she hopes to help end period poverty as 1 in 10 girls in the UK can’t afford the basic necessities. Read the full story by Claudia Lee at South London Press.
A first-of-its-kind photography exhibition has been launched to highlight Black children with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), who are “absent” from mainstream representation. Reflecting Radiance will feature pictures by world-renowned photographer Misan Harriman. Read the full story by Joel Campbell at The Voice.
Politics
MP Dawn Butler has warned the ‘UK is in a scary place’ as she launches a new Parliamentary Black Caucus to tackle racism. The MP said that ‘some people are happy to get to a position and pull the ladder up’ but the group aims to make it fairer for all. Read the full story by me at The Mirror.
The Justice Secretary and other ministers have lashed out at plans for magistrates and judges to look at pre-sentencing reports which provide background and details of a person’s life before sentencing, in a bid to tackle bias and reduce reoffending. Black and ethnic minorities are “overrepresented at almost all stages of the criminal justice process”. Read the full story by Eleni Courea at The Guardian.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has defended the Labour government’s migration policies saying, “we can’t have open borders” and “there’s got to be rules” as he switched on Ramadan lights in Oxford Circus. The mayor told Hyphen Online that “It’s perfectly possible to be pro-diversity while wanting immigration policies that work”. Read the full story by Aisha Rimi on Hyphen Online.
Windrush Scandal and Hostile Environment
An aspiring lawyer has been blocked from receiving university funding after he was asked to provide ‘excessive’ proof of living in the UK such as utility bills for the last 20 years despite being ‘made homeless by the Windrush scandal and hostile environment’. Read the full story by me at The Mirror.
Health
New figures have shown that hospitals in the south of England are “saving the NHS from crisis” as a result of having migrant workers. The study found that 25% of staff working at Bristol's Southmead and Swindon's Great Western Hospital were from abroad as health chiefs said they are “extremely grateful” that gaps were being filled. Read the full story by Matthew Hill at The BBC.
A couple who was told their baby had died in the womb after staff said they could not find a heartbeat were later told just before surgery to remove the child, that their baby was still alive. Story by Alex Taylor-Brown at LBC.
‘Dangerous chemicals’ have allegedly been found in braiding hair brands Magic Fingers, Sassy Collection, Sensationnel & Shake-N-Go according to Consumer Report who say they tested the hair after a woman experienced an ‘irritated throat’ & ‘discomfort’. Read the full story by Leigh-Ann Jackson at Consumer Reports.
Legal
A case against a Black Muslim university student who tweeted, “I’m so p***** off let me get my hands on that f**** n***a”, about Black Newcastle United footballer Alexander Isak has been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. Jamila Abdi, 22, said it was a “waste of taxpayers money” and to say that “I can be racist to another Black person by saying the N-word casually is ridiculous.” Read the full story by Anita Mureithi at Hyphen Online.
Campaigners say that reforming Join Enterprise law which means that a person can be charged with someone else’s crime if it is believed that they knew it was going to happen and planned to help them or encourage the crime - will help solve the justice system crisis. Black people are 16 times more likely to be prosecuted under this law. Read the full story by Chris Osuh at The Guardian.
Actor Noel Clarke known for his roles in Kidulthood trilogy and Doctor Who, began his libel case against The Guardian this week. He is suing over articles they published where women accused him of sexual misconduct. Read the full story at Sky News.
Policing
An exclusive by The Guardian revealed that the President of the National Black Policing Association is under a misconduct investigation after tweeting that the promotion of Metropolitan police officer Martyn Blake who was cleared of murder after shooting dead unarmed Black man Chris Kaba, was a “slap in the face” to the “disproportionate number of Black officers under investigation for misconduct”. The leader said that it was “deeply concerning” that he was under investigation for speaking out. Read the full story by Vikram Dodd at The Guardian.
A Black man who was suffering a mental health crisis was shot three times with a Taser by Metropolitan police moments after they got out of the car, an inquest has heard. Oladeji Omishore died after being Tasered and falling from Chelsea Bridge and into the River Thames. Read the full story by Sammy Gecsoyler at The Guardian.
Housing
Residents who have lived at an estate in Thamesmead, London, for decades say they feel “ignored” following plans to demolish their homes and build 2000 new homes as part of regeneration plans by Peabody Housing Association. Locals believe the redevelopment will “price them out” while some say the buildings would not have been left to deteriorate if tenants “were not Black”. Read the full story by Richard Sudan at The Voice.
A West London man with a lung condition has been forced to pay rent for his Ealing Council flat and pay for a hotel as he has to flee his home due to damp walls that are peeling off and mould which has infested his home. Read the full story by Philip James Lynch at MyLondon.
World News
Armed police have sparked outrage after bodycam footage showed a mother and her toddler lying on the ground with their hands behind their backs during an arrest. Read the full story by Sierra Rains at WFLA.
Several people have been killed in South Sudan after a UN helicopter was shot at as it attempted to evacuate members of the national army, the UN has said. They organisation added that it “may constitute a war crime”. Read the full story by Wedaeli Chibelushi in London & Nichola Mandil in Juba at the BBC.
A Zimbabwean journalist Blessed Mhlanga, who is currently held in remand prison accused of transmitting information that incites violence after interviewing a war veteran who criticised the government - has filed an appeal at the High Court challenging the decision to deny him bail. Read the full story at CPJ.
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