Search to find 7yo girl, Noah Donohoe inquest, Don Lemon and other stories from Black, Asian and Arab communities you shouldn't have missed this week - curated by Melissa Sigodo
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
Good morning, evening or afternoon,
Thank you for subscribing to The Source.
For those of you who are new around here, this is The 20 - a recap of news from Black, Asian and Arab communities you might not have read in the last two weeks. It’s usually weekly but last week’s rundown was postponed till today. So, welcome. I hope you find this curation informative.
I just wanted to share my opinion on the news these last few weeks and my perspective as a Black journalist. This is not a deep take as I am rushing to get ready for some friends to come over, and I’m late as usual, so I apologise if it lacks a depth or clarity.
For the last month, Black people have watched most of white America wake up to the aggression of their government under Donald Trump following the horrific killings of Renée Good and Alex Peretti. And just last night, we saw the arrests of high-profile journalist Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort. Both respected Black journalists who have reported on the news that matters in this climate of fear are now facing threats to their freedom.
These events made me reflect on my own experience as a Black journalist and how easily we are targeted, disrespected and mistreated. I remember how while covering the Gurkha war veteran hunger strike in the UK, police questioned whether I was “actually a journalist” as I stood reporting across the gates of Downing Street. When I’ve covered the deaths of Black men following police contact, some claiming to work for law enforcement (because you can never really know on social media) flocked to my inbox making threats, while others have publicly attempted to undermine my work. All of this done with the aim of hoping to censor journalism which informs the public and sheds light on the dark. As well as facing this type of hostility in my career, I’ve also covered countless stories on police brutality and the effects on the Black community which has opened my eyes to the true extent of a problem I thought I previously understood. If you’ve followed me when I worked in mainstream media, you’re well aware of my coverage on this issue, and if you’ve been subscribed to The Source long enough, you’ll have read my story last year on the British journalist, Noel Phillips who was struck by a rubber bullet while covering anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
I write this to express two things. One, is that this these attacks on Black press whether through the government or law enforcement are not “unprecedented” in the UK or the states, as some media will have you believe. Perhaps what is unprecedented and please correct me if I’m wrong, is that the US President’s administration is going after Black journalists in a way that is more blatant, less covert and is seemingly done in a manner to attract the most attention like a shot across the bow.
The second thing is that as many Black people know, the violence of law enforcement isn’t new, and has become such a deep part of the fabric of society that it’s as normal as sunrise and sunset. But what has changed however, is that anyone who stands up against this aggression will now face the same consequences Black people have for simply living their lives.
I think Martin Luther King Jr said it best that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and that is exactly what we’re seeing unfold in the west. With the action against the press, it hasn’t been lost on me that over 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli strikes while doing the important work of informing the world of the horrors unfolding in Gaza. The killings haven’t stopped either. Western media looked on at what has become as absolute tragedy with Israel only now accepting that the death toll is 70,000 after previously doubting the figures previously released. Without those journalists risking their lives reporting, what would we have truly known.
But now, in the west, as more Black journalists are forced to take the independent route, they’ve become a more direct target facing more risks without the supposed “protections” and backings of big news outlets. The work they do should not be taken for granted. It is vital and has to continue.
In the midst of all that is happening in the world, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to journalist Kisakye Busuulwa at The South West Londoner about why there are so few Black journalists in UK media and what I think needs to change.
Here’s an excerpt:
You can read the full interview here.
In the article, I also got the opportunity to share the reasons why I founded The Source as a Black news platform. As you know, last week I shared that we need 300 paid subscribers in order to keep going and I am so grateful as a few of you responded to that request. One of you even went above and beyond and making a founding member pledge. I am so grateful. Words can’t express and it truly means the world. Here are a couple of messages from those who made the switch to paid. I hope they won’t mind me sharing.
“You were the first person in the media that I know who was writing about the closure of the sickle cell day centre…..The path you have chosen is not an easy one but a righteous one and I am proud to be able to support you in this little way.”
“Keep up the good work Ms Sigodo. I feel you are the Top UK Black journalist voice in the UK.”
This really touched my heart. When I saw the subscriptions, I got a bit teary-eyed and I am filled with hope that we will reach our goal. We still have a long road ahead, so every week until the end of March, I will be asking you to become a paid subscriber for £5 a month if you haven’t already, to show that you value independent journalism from the Black community and from Black journalists. You can help keep us going. It’s needed now more than ever.
So, without further ado, here’s what you shouldn’t have missed this week.
The 20
Over £50,000 has been raised in efforts to help find a seven-year-old British girl who was swept out at sea while on holiday in Morocco. Inaayah Makda and her family were on rocks by the coast near Casablanca when they were swept into the water. Concerns have been raised over the lack of action by Moroccan authorities. Read the full story by Shulab Khan at The Lancashire Telegraph.
Inquests
The inquest into the death of a teenager, Noah Donohoe who was found in a storm drain in North Belfast has heard from a woman who says she saw recalled seeing a ‘man cycling naked past totally naked’ and thought it was a ‘prank.’ She says she did not realise it was the 14-year-old who was discovered dead six days after going to meet his friends. Read the full story by The Irish Times.
Violence Against Women
A paranoid schizophrenic who killed 66-year-old grandmother Anita Mukhey who stood at a bus stop has been detained indefinitely. In a statement read to the court, Anita’s husband Hari said that her death had “left silence that nothing can fill.” Read the full story by Kaf Okpattah ITV News.
An American student Joshua Michals, 26, at a Goldsmiths University of London has been jailed for life after murdering fellow student Zhe Wang, 31. Zhe’s cousin Xiao Li Wang described her as a “positive” and “hardworking” girl while the judge said she was a “hugely talented writer” and a “gentle woman.” Read the full story by BBC News.
Health
An inquest following the death of Irene Dzifa King Arthur, a mother-of-two who died from sickle cell disease at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey has opened. Irene’s husband Dominic says that while in hospital with his wife, she told him, “she felt she wasn’t being listened to and he was worried about the level of knowledge of sickle cell disease.” Read the full story by ITV News.
Legal
A man who was armed with an axe and made repeated threats to kill Muslims in a while speaking to a police call handler has avoided jail. Dale Rayner said he couldn’t remember making threats and denied being racist as he had Muslim friends. Read the full story by Tony Earnshaw at Asian Image.
A driver has admitted killing Marcus Fakana three months after he was freed from a Dubai jail for a holiday romance. Marwaan Mohamed Huseen, 20, crashed into a lorry while attempting to drive away from the Metropolitan Police who pursued him. Read the full story by Sky News.
Black cleaners at Great Ormond Street hospital were subjected to “indirect race discrimination”, a tribunal has found. Following a four-year legal battle, the employment appeal tribunal accepted the claim brought by 80 cleaners that they had received a lower pay rate of £10.75 an hour, rather than the NHS “Agenda for Change” rates of £11.50 “immediately or shortly thereafter” their contracts were transferred. Read the full story by Chris Osuh at The Guardian.
Slavery
MPs and campaigners have called on King Charles to apologise formally for the transatlantic slavery after research showed how the monarchs trading enslaved people “boost crown revenues and defend the British empire.” Read the full story by Chris Osuh at The Guardian.
Windrush
A Windrush generation man who fell into a coma from undiagnosed diabetes was forced to sleep in a bus shelter when he was discharged from hospital after he was classed as ineligible for state-funded homelessness support. Read the full story by Amelia Gentleman at The Guardian.
Windrush scandal victims may be eligible for exceptional case funding for legal aid after a “landmark ruling” from the Court of Appeal. Hetticia who launched a petition for legal aid after five years of fighting for compensation says this will be a ‘game changer.’ Read the full story by Melissa Sigodo for The Source.
Policing
The family of Chris Kaba who was shot dead by Metropolitan police officer Martyn Blake say they are “devastated” after the police watchdog announced it was pausing gross misconduct proceedings against him. The Independent Office for Police Conduct says this is due to an ‘impending’ law change. Read the full story by BBC News.
The chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation who suggested “claims of widespread racism” and homophobia in the force were “nonsense”, has won his suspension review. Read the full story by Caroline Gall, West Midlands and Nicola Goodwin at BBC News.
Tributes
Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, known as Jimi, who died after jumping into the Thames to save a woman in 2021 has been awarded the King’s Commendation for Bravery. The posthumous award will be given to his next of kin. Read the full story by BBC News.
Tributes have been paid to Black literary pioneer Eric Huntley following his death at the age of 96. The publisher and activist co-founded Bogle-L’Ouverture Publications in 1969 alongside his wife making it one of the UK’s first Black-owned publishing houses in the UK. Read the full story by Leslie Bunder at Ealing News.
World News
The Governor of Pennsylvania has taken legal action after the Trump administration removed slavery exhibits from the President’s House in Old City in an executive order called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” Read the full story by Eva Andersen and Tom Ignudo at CBS News.
US envoys to Israel suppressed a series of memos in 2024 which warned the Biden administration about Gaza becoming an “apocalyptic wasteland.” The memos were blocked as they “lacked balance.” Read the full story by Shraddha Joshi at Middle East Eye.
Dozens of people have been killed following a drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s South Kordofan state as the war rages on, according to local media reports. The UN has described the conflict as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis. Read the full story by Al Jazeera.
Miles of Mozambique remain underwater following the country’s worst floods in more than 20 years. Survivors who cannot access food have to rely on helicopter drops and sickness has begun to spread as the water recedes. Hospitals are also submerged underwater. Watch the full report by Yousra Elbagir at Sky News.
Congolese citizens are being forced to travel to Rwanda to use banks as ATMs remain closed in Goma after M23 Rebels seized the city. An economic analyst speaking anonymously says that “the banks were closed following the loss of control of Goma by the authorities in Kinshasa.” Read the full story by Ajabu Adolphe at Al Jazeera.
Help us reach our goal
For the next two months, The Source is on a mission to reach 300 paid subscribers to help us keep going. As an independent outlet, we are only backed by our paid readers who value the work we do. If you haven’t yet subscribed, click below and help us reach our goal in order to continue shedding light on the Black community and holding power to account. It’s needed now more than ever.