News

In one extra ordinary act of personal bravery Adan Abobaker shone a positive spot light on himself and London’s Somali community.

On a dark cold night whilst crossing over Blackfriars bridge,  Adan noticed a woman in the Thames screaming for help. Unable to get a life Jacket near her he risked his own life by plunging into the near freezing river to rescue the woman.

Diane Abbott has beat fellow MPs to win an award for her website.

The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was praised for embracing web technologies and using them to engage with her constituents. Her website surpass those of other nominees in the awards like Nick Clegg and Meg Hillier to win the award.

A new book and website ‘Black for a Cause...’, telling the story about Black Power activity in Britain during the 1970s was launched last week.

 ‘Black for a Cause...’ aims ‘to promote the ‘tremendous contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of modern British society’ and disseminate images of the period’. 

Lambeth are looking for their next Youth Mayor and to elect Youth Members of Parliament (YMP).

The elections will see the borough get a new Youth Mayor and Deputy as well as two Youth Parliament Members.

The annual elections encourages young people in the borough to get involved in the democratic process and vote for local representatives to fight for their causes.

A  documentary telling the story of the Freedom Riders who helped to bring US bus segregation to an end 40 years ago is released next month. Ashok Viswanathan recalls the actions of the Civil Rights Movement.

A number of new Working Peers were added to the House of Lords today; among them are Oona King, Tariq Ahmad, Qurban Hussain, Raj Loomba and Sir Gulam Noon MBE.

The new appointments will take the number of minority ethnic Peers from 37 to 42.

Former Bethnal Green and Bow MP Oona King who made a bid for London Mayor earlier this year is now a Labour Peer.

Oona King currently Head of Diversity at Channel 4 Television was elected as an MP in 1997 but lost he seat in 2005. Since then she has maintained a high media profile as a journalist and presenter.

Home Secretary, Theresa May has dropped plans to bring back controversial 'Sus' stop and search laws that would have unfairly targeted minority ethnic people.

Pressure from campaigners, including a protest letter to the Home Secretary from the National Black Police Association backed by leading Black organisations, including OBV, this week helped to push the Government to back down.

An online photo competition was launched last month in a drive to encourage more people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities to fill in next year’s census.

The competition, ‘Then and now: family stories’ gives families across England and Wales the chance to celebrate the personal histories behind the changing face of Britain in the last 50 years.

A free conference to provide an exchange of ideas and support for minority businesses will take place in Nottingham next week.

The ‘Establishing a national voice for ethnic minority businesses’ conference organised by Ethnic Minority Business Advocacy Network (EMBAN) will explore the role that ethnic minority entrepreneurs play in future business and job creation.