Immigration
Photos revealed of planned 10-foot Wolverhampton memorial to 19th century Sikh soldiers
Images have been revealed of a new memorial planned for Wednesfield which commemorates the bravery of 19th century Sikh soldiers. Guru Nanak Gurdwara commissioned Black Country sculptor Luke Perry to develop the Saragarhi Monument on land close to the temple in Well Lane, with the City of Wolverhampton Council agreeing to the transfer of land for the…
REVIEW: His House – a different kind of horror film for Halloween
A new horror film arrives on streaming giant Netflix in time for Halloween which explores guilt, grief and alienation. ‘His House’ is the feature film debut of writer-director Remi Weekes and he shows real flair and control of the themes at the core of this horror film.
Wolverhampton woman raising domestic violence awareness through lived experience
An inspiring woman from Wolverhampton is hosting an online event to raise awareness about domestic violence, both towards women and men. Farisai Dzemwa, 48, who herself suffered years of abuse in her homeland, is hoping the virtual workshop will help those struggling with physical and psychological abuse from a spouse, partner or family member.
Fraudulent charity bosses jailed for illegal trafficking racket exploiting undocumented migrants
A woman who set up a bogus charity purporting to help asylum seekers was secretly smuggling undocumented migrants into the UK and exploiting their labour to enrich herself. Turning a blind eye as scores of migrants worked in cannabis farms to pay for her ‘charitable’ services, Pranvera Smith established ‘Freedom to Stay’ in 2014 and ran the Birmingham-based group…
West Midlands migrants create and launch community magazine for Black History Month
A team of budding citizen journalists from migrant communities across the West Midlands have launched an online magazine for Black History Month. The group of mature students from Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry and Walsall have made the leap from learning basic media skills only a year ago to producing their first fully-fledged professional magazine this month.
New photographic exhibition celebrates Birmingham’s commonwealth heritage
An exciting new photographic exhibition, which will take place during the Commonwealth Games 2022, will be previewed this Black History Month during a panel discussion celebrating Birmingham’s diversity through rarely seen photographs of some of its Commonwealth citizens, who settled here and enriched the city with their contributions. The panel discussion to launch the photographic exhibition will…
Migrants bike together at Edgbaston Reservoir to defy “hostile environment”
Local community groups joined city migrants for a bike ride in Birmingham over the weekend to show unity in the face of the “hostile environment” faced by refugees and asylum seekers in the region. Citizen empowerment organisations Centrala and Migrant Voice organised a socially distanced community bike ride despite the downpour of rain on Saturday 3…
Midlands residents show solidarity for refugees following dangerous far-right hotel raids
Residents from across the Midlands are joining forces to welcome refugees and asylum seekers to the region, after a spate of hotel invasions were carried out by “far-right thugs” hoping to to intimidate migrants being housed inside. Local citizens groups and community activists have been coming together to show solidarity for vulnerable migrants by providing a visible…
Black History Month launched in Birmingham with special virtual event
Birmingham’s celebration of Black History Month has been launched with a special virtual event held over the weekend. As well as reflecting the city’s diversity and heritage, this year’s programme also reflects on the Black Lives Matter movement and the impact COVID-19 has had on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
Writing competition launched for women from Birmingham, Bangladesh and Pakistan
An international writing competition for women and girls from diverse communities in Birmingham, Bangladesh and Pakistan has been launched. My City, My Home is part of Transforming Narratives, a ground-breaking three-year project to establish Birmingham as a global centre for contemporary arts from Pakistan and Bangladesh.