The latest news, updates and events in Birmingham
The significance of Saturday’s demonstration by ex Zulu Warriors and Birmingham City fans in support of Black Lives Matter cannot be underestimated. Flashback to 24 March 2018 and 4,500 supporters of the Football Lads Alliance and the breakaway Democratic Football Lads Alliance, along with Tommy Robinson, amassed in Birmingham in support of the Justice421 campaign.
My parents have always said “Nah iteh jowgeh ah, nah uteh jowgeh ah”, which roughly translated means “We don’t belong here and we don’t belong there”. “Here” was England. They have carved a life “here” and it became their home but they’ve never felt accepted and they always had this fear at the back of…
The 19th annual Festival of Chariots, known as the ‘Birmingham Ratha Yatra’, brought an array of colour and sunshine to the city over the weekend, with music, dance, vegetarian food and positive vibes. The Hindu festival was beaming with smiles and joy as faithful revellers took part in a procession around Victoria Square in the city…
In recent months, there has been furore in an inner-city area of Birmingham. Alum Rock, Saltley and the surrounding areas where the Trojan Horse scandal (aptly renamed ‘Trojan Hoax’) took place. Protests broke out by parents in front of Parkfield Primary School, at its height hosting over a hundred parents. 600 pupils were later pulled from…
Let’s be clear about one thing: life is baffling for everyone. For some people, though, the way society is geared creates extra layers of confusion and alienation to deal with, on top of the existential comedy of (t)errors we call modern life. For many LGBTQ+ people, before ‘coming out’, there has been an extended process…
Recently, I spoke to a friend who works in diversity. She said that she’d only just realised for the first time that large numbers of Muslims had fought in the two world wars to support Britain. This is someone who spends her professional life thinking about integration and inclusivity, yet she said that it had…
Who was the ‘Queen of Kingston’? Cubah Cornwallis became known as “The Queen of Kingston”. She was also known as Couba and Cuba, her birthdate was unknown but she died in 1848. The little known woman and revered figure in Black History is behind Jamaica’s first documented nursing facility.