News

Victory was celebrated by campaigners and victims all over the country last week, as the government set a powerful message about forced marriages. On 16th June 2014, this modern form of slavery was made a criminal offence in the UK, with a punishment of up to seven years in prison.

Earlier this month, the NHS BME Network organised a conference entitled ‘BME Equity and the NHS: Time for Action’ held at the Hilton Hotel in London. The national conference created a great opportunity to discuss what needs to be done to promote greater equity for BME staff and patients within the NHS. The event covered various topics including bullying, the lack of career progression, quality of care, the issue of whistle blowing and the failure to access training programmes.

David Cameron has urged firms to be more transparent about the ethnic breakdown of their staff in a bid to improve diversity, which is to be applauded. However, critics argue that he could do much more in regards to the lack of BME Special Advisors within his own Government.

The prime minister told Colourful Radio earlier this week that more needed to be done to "level the playing field" and suggested he would consider further measures for transparency, like making firms publish an ethnic breakdown of their employees, would help.

Calls to make Windrush Day a national holiday

Last Sunday, June 22nd was Windrush Day and was marked in Brixton by a special gathering at Windrush Square. The event began with a two-minute silence which was observed to show respect for migrants who lost their lives in World War 1 & 2. Many notable individuals attended the event to show support for this significant anniversary in Black British history.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.’s historic run for President of the United States. International, national and local political leaders and activists, including OBV, will meet to reflect on that momentous occasion and discuss where we go from here.

On June 28th for five days, Rainbow PUSH Coalition will be having their 43rd Annual International Convention in Chicago, starting with the Global Human Rights Forum followed by the Africa Investment Forum.

According to Child Action Against Poverty, 3.5 million children are currently living in severe poverty in the UK, which is more than 25% of the nation’s children. For BME communities, the poverty imbalance is widened. Around 40% of people from ethnic minorities live in low-income households, double the rate for white communities, and within ethnic groups there are significant variations with 70% of Bangladeshis living in low-income households.

Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott turned the race to become Labour Mayoral Candidate on its head by heading a poll beating all her rivals.

Diane Abbott has leapfrogged Dame Tessa Jowell as Labour supporters’ choice to be the party’s contender for London Mayor in 2016, a new poll reveals today.

The longest serving Black MP, Abbott surpassed the former front Dame Tessa Jowell with 17 percent of people intending to vote Labour at the 2015 General Election, compared to 14 percent for Dame Tessa, according to the YouGov survey.

First it was in the Republic of Ireland which recently witnessed migrant families literally being driven out of their homes because of threats of racial violence and intimidation, now the same thing is occurring in Belfast, Northern Ireland where a Nigerian family for a second time have been subjected to a gang of racists turning up on his door demanding he leave his home.

Michael Abiona, stated it was ‘like a flashback’ three years ago when a gang of youths attempted to racially assault him and his family.

Seeing the rise of Far Right parties across Europe was frightening enough, however it gets worse. Last month, Ukip’s Leader, Nigel Farage pledged that he would avoid alliances with far-right parties in the European Parliament, however merely weeks later, he has not stuck to his words.

Colchester police are investigating whether or not a Saudi Arabian student was murdered for being a Muslim.

Although the police are keeping an open mind about the motives for what seems to be a senseless killing they are very much aware that the victim was wearing a dark navy-blue full-length robe called an abaya, with a patterned, multicoloured hijab headscarf.

The woman named as Nahid Almanea, 31, was walking on the Salary Brook trail on Tuesday morning. Paramedics tried to save her but she died at the scene from head and body injuries.