News

On Friday January 26th, India celebrated its 69th annual Republic Day. The holiday marks the anniversary of India’s constitution going into effect, replacing the Government of India Act as India’s primary governing document, and officially completing India’s transition to a fully independent republic. This date was chosen to commemorate India’s independence, as it also marked the anniversary of the Indian Declaration of Independence, made known on January 26th, 1930.

Starting the first of many articles for OBV is our new US intern from North Carolina, Chapel Hill - a Pschology major, Dominique Brodie.  He will be writing regularly for OBV up until mid-April.  Welcome Dominique!

OBV reported on the plight of Vivienne Lyfar-Cisse back in 2017 when a petition was set up to force Sussex NHS trust to reinstate her. That is still ongoing, but OBV can report today that this tenacious Black woman has won the first of her six year battle against the hospital at an employment tribunal. The tribunal concluded that she had suffered both racial discrimination and victimisation by her employers.

When science and history are combined they area a wonderful, almost irrefutable phenomena. This was particularly so yesterday when the very clever people from the Natural History Museum unveiled what they described as the first modern Brit 10,000 years ago, was Black. Their scientific DNA rigor allowed them to confidently say that the remains , found in a cave in Cheddar, -thus the ‘Cheddar man’- was not as many would have expected, -a white Nordic type-, but rather black skinned, African nose with, interestingly, blue eyes.

Who would have believed that 50 years after one of the most notorious race baiting rants ever given by a British politician - Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood' speech - that today some people want to revere him with a celebratory Blue Plaque.

The car insurance industry appears to have been shaken up by allegations – which they deny – that they are quoting higher premiums to people with non-English names.

An investigation by The Sun reported that several car insurance provider quotes were higher for a ‘Mohammed’ than ‘John Smith’.

Admiral, which came out worst, hit back claiming that the newspaper was not comparing “like with like”, and threatened legal action. The paper said they stood by their story.

Car insurance companies which charge higher premiums for non-English names should face a boycott and be probed by the authorities.

A newspaper investigation earlier this week found that people with foreign-sounding names like Mohammed where quoted up to £1,000 more for car cover than English names like John.

Reading Afua Hirsch in this week’s Guardian and watching the painful discussion on her Sky News progamme, The Pledge, with four media talking heads about racism, thrust me to thinking about  Rene Edde Lodges book, ‘I’m no longer talking to white people about race’.

Operation Black Vote launched a programme to find Britain’s future political leaders - maybe even a future Prime Minister - at a glittering event in parliament last week.

38 dynamic individuals, have been paired with MPs from four parties, heard speeches from the Speaker of the House, John Bercow, plus OBV alumni and now MPs Helen Grant (Conservative), Marsha De Cordova and Tan Dhesi (both Labour). Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable was also present.