News

Building successful black businesses has an important role in supporting the nation’s economy so we are delighted to highlight the forthcoming Black British Business Awards, an event that recognises, rewards and celebrates exceptional performance and outstanding achievements of black people in businesses.

Highlighting the dynamism, excellence, creativity and resilience of British black businesses, the BBB Awards state they are ‘designed to transcend stereotypes and highlight the often unsung contributions of black people to the British economy.’

Almost ten year ago to the day, Merlene Carrington was sworn in as one of Her Majesty’s ‘Justice of the Peace’. Otherwise known as a magistrate.

But that doesn’t tell half the story of this incredible woman. A year earlier she had taken part in one of OBV’s magistrate shadowing schemes, a project to change the face, culture and the perception of our local courts.

http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/new-nhs-rules-overseas-nurses-not-wanted-0

Here we reprint an posting on Facebook by a group of young Musilm women from Leeds. Yusra Ahmed and friends claim they were denied entry onto a National Express Coach for reasons that sound like pure bigotry. Islamaphobia is on the rise across the UK as OBV and many others, have said repeatedly, this example provides a small insight into the prejudice some Muslim women face. Here is their account, published on June 17th which we reprint below in full.

The NHS is the one public sector workplace where diversity thrives and its benefits are self evident. How many times have we heard these wonderfully warm words from our politicians? Yet, if that really is the case, then can someone tell me why Black and Asian ethnic minority NHS staff, are much more likely to face disciplinary charges than their white counterparts?

Harris Bokhari, is a young man who is clearly going places. An accountant by profession, Bokhari has found his calling by nurturing young talent, particularly those from BME communities. He’s the CEO of Patchwork UK, which undertakes master classes in civic engagement, and it also runs an ‘MP of the Year’ award. Bokhari is a modest man, and rarely seen in pictures. So the picture we’ve used is of his beloved late father.

There was some recent research that received little attention in the national news, (see link below), but if the Labour party were smart its findings  should have raised serious alarm bells for them.

Professor Richard Webber from the Kings College London, and former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips, undertook a study to look at BME voting patterns and how that might look in the not too distant future. Their analysis suggests that by 2050 more than half of Labour voters will be non white.

Yesterday, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) released new research revealing that changes to immigration rules that will see the number of nurses in the UK fall dramatically, which, the RCN have argued will compromise patient safety whilst simultaneously costing the health service millions.

New rules proposed by Government will mean people from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), and let’s be clear that predominantly means non-white people, must be earning £35,000 or more before they are allowed to stay in the UK.

Once again OBV is making international headlines with news just in that our "Don't Drain The Colour' voter registration advert campaign, featuring Hollywood star David Harewood, rapper Tinnie Tempah, football legend Sol Campbell, and paralympic athlete and TV presenter Ade Adetipan, has been shortlisted, in what is the equivalent the Oscars for the advertising world.

The international event in Cannes, Southern France is the most prestigious advertising industry awards ceremony in the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9oem60eU6M

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/