Necessary Rebels

In this episode we talk to Meera Bhogal who runs healthy eating and wellbeing classes for menopausal women of South Asian descent, as well as healthy eating brand Made from Scratch. When Meera started to develop symptoms of menopause at the age of 40, she didn't know where to turn for advice. She's since implemented free menopause training to support women in the workplace and is committed to opening up the conversation about menopause in South Asian communities. 'I've often been told that menopause is a myth and that it is a white person's disease. I have no idea where this comes from but I ask myself whether this is because the people shouting about menopause are not looking like them?'

Meet Swiss, best known as a member of BRIT and MOBO award-winning group So Solid Crew, who rose to fame in the early 2000s. And now most recently, the  creator of Black Pound Day.  BPD first launched in the wake of the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement on June 27 2020 and takes place on the first Saturday of every month. It encourages the community to buy from Black-owned businesses and services for the day. 'Black Pound Day is a positive initiative that is helping rebalance the discrimination that we face as Black people.' Are you buying Black?  You can find out more about BPD here. #BlackPoundDay 

In this episode we sit down with Tashan Jordan to talk about mental health, being released from QPR football academy and racism faced on the job. 

Yomi is a poet, playwright, facilitator, and recipient of the 2019 Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship. He is known by the public thanks to his acclaimed one-man show titled COAT, which has been performed at Brighton festival and the Last Word festival, among other spaces. He also curates an online blog platform for fathers and guardians called ‘Daddy Diaries'.  In this episode we speak to Yomi about all things 'Manorism' which is also the name of his poetry collection due out Oct. 2022. There are some real emotional bits here so hang on to your seat.

In our first episode back we talk with Esther, a social worker and team manager with experience in working in child protection, and children's safeguarding about Child Q, as she is called, a 15 year old girl who was made to remove her clothing, underwear and a sanitary pad, spread her buttocks and cough when her teachers accused her of smelling of cannabis. After they failed to find drugs on her, Metropolitan police officers were called into the school to conduct a strip search .  Let us be clear - this was not a strip search! It was assault and we are outraged! If you are a professional working with young black girls consider what this story is telling other young black girls about how they should feel about those in authority who should be there to protect them. 

Nina Malone is  a Talent Agent at IAG and Founder of Dope Black Mums movement, a digital safe space for black women to navigate motherhood together. Dope Black Mums does amazing work supporting Black mothers and their families, and I'm really excited to be chatting to Nina about her work, parenting, and what it means to be a Dope Black Mum. 

Have you heard of 'farming'? We hadn't. Do a search and you'll see it won't quickly turn up.  It's the practice of private fostering or adoption outside of the local authority.  It  gained notoriety in response to a growing population of African student families taking up temporary residence at British universities in the mid-1950s. On this week's episode Tori Awani shares what it was like being fostered by a white family and the impact it had on her life and now her daughters life.  To find out more about Farming watch The Last Tree. 

On this weeks episode we talk to my friend Louis Howell about his work in the public and private sector on Diversity and Inclusion. We hear him share important life lessons from his childhood and how Black men MUST show up for Black women.  Louis co-runs Revolution Hive, a social enterprise equipping young people for life through personal development and social responsibility programmes. His consultancy, 7PK, helps organisations improve their approaches to Youth and Community Development, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Social Mobility. He is a Trustee for two charities and a proud member of the 100 Black Men of London. 

In this episode, we have the incomparable Colin Grant. He takes us on a journey through the early days of his career.  Shared emotional stories of some of the people in his books. Sit back and relax. Trust me when I say you are in good company here. Colin is an author of five books. They include: Negro with a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey; and a group biography of the Wailers, I&I, The Natural Mystics. His memoir, Bageye at the Wheel, was shortlisted for the Pen/Ackerley Prize, 2013. Grant's history of epilepsy, A Smell of Burning, was a Sunday Times Book of the Year 2016. As a producer for the BBC, Grant wrote and directed several radio drama documentaries including A Fountain of Tears: The Murder of Federico Garcia Lorca; and A History of the N Word. Colin is also Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Director of WritersMosaic, an innovative online platform for new writing. Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation, was a BBC radio 4 Book of the Week and a Daily Telegraph Book of the year 2019. His latest memoir, I'm Black So You Don't Have to Be will be published by Jonathan Cape in 2022.You can find Colin on Twitter and Insta. 

Josh is the creator and host of Busy Being Black (podcast) and Head of Communications for UK Black Pride. On this episode Josh talks to us about the ways in which he navigates the world as Queer and Black. He drops a million other gems too! 

Malik experienced racism from a young age initially in the care system where he was taken into custody aged nine in 1975 after his father had a stroke having committed no crime.  He moved to several different community homes where he suffered varying degrees of physical and racial abuse over the years until his care order ceased at the age of 18. Soon after he was mentored  by Gill Scott Heron who  saw something in him that he did not see in himself - potential! There is so much here including a cup full of gems! Hope you are ready for the ride! The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was inspired by the Last Poets' Niggers Are Scared of Revolution. Letters to Gil available for pre order can be found here. Twitter / Instagram @malikandtheogs Facebook/MalikAndTheOGs 

Jana is a mixed Indo-Guyanese and Egyptian Muslim and is breaking barriers through the intersection of her art and research. Here she talks about  the underrepresentation of the Indo-Caribbean Windrush generation, the journey of Indo-Caribbean people through India and the Caribbean, and how they came to be in London.    You can find Jana here  Her podcast Sae can be found here

Black women who often face racial discrimination throughout their lives experience unacceptably poor maternal health outcomes, including disproportionately high rates of death related to pregnancy or childbirth. On this episode we talk with Liz, a community midwife about racial and ethnic differences in child birth complications and maternal death rates. The disparity has everything to do with the lived experience of race.

‘We are a resilient people. Just like we have generational trauma, we must remember we also have resilience.' On this episode we talk to Sherod Haynes currently an MD-PhD Candidate at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City who has been applying his extensive scientific knowledge and understanding to settings of civilian trauma and the psychological effects of systemic racism. And Temara J. Holt, a Ph.D Candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University ofHouston. Her dissertation and research interests focus on trauma disclosure among women of color and the impact of intergenerational and cultural trauma on interpersonal relationships. I hope you are ready! 

Author and sociologist Fiona Peters joins us to discuss the care system, race and childhood. Fiona wrote the book Fostering Mixed Race Children Everyday Experiences of Foster Care. To purchase a copy please visit: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137541833 For more information and to support the Change The Story Campaign please see: https://littleboxofbooks.co.uk/our-story/changethestory/ The following reports were cited in this episode: DoE The fostering system in England Evidence review (2017):https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629383/The_fostering_system_in_England_Evidence_review.pdf Gov.UK (2018) Independent review of foster care published: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-review-of-foster-care-published The Guardian (2018): Why do we separate the mother and child victims of domestic abuse?: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/20/separate-mother-child-victims-domestic-abuse 

Dionne Usherwood , Head of Children's Integrated Commissioning talks about her journeys from the  outside in.The Leadership imbalance - Black and Asian leaders missing in action cited in this episode can be found here: https://www.ppma.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Leadership-imbalance.pdf

For this episode, we invited  past guests, as well as friends and activists, to share their views  on the government's  recently published Sewell report on race and ethnic disparities. Reactions are resounding! Thank you to the following contributors — Michael Harper,  Martha Daniels, Dionne Usherwood, Rosemarie Jenkins, Marcus Shukla, Dr. Simi, Deborah Gordon, Shabnam Ahmed, Esther Fajoye, Meg Lyons, SiSta QueEn, Ana Barandalla, Dianne Greyson and Josephine Namusisi Riley. 

We are joined again by the wonderful psychologist, sociologist, researcher and anthropologist Abu-Bakr Madden Al-Shabazz to discuss the controversial  report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. We delve into the reactions to the report, the data behind it and its relevance in modern Britain. You can download a copy of the report here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities 

We discuss the ethnicity pay gap with Dianne Greyson - a professional mediator, author and campaigner who specialises workplace equality, diversity and inclusion.For more information on how to support the ethnicity pay gap campaign please see: https://www.synergisedsolutions.com/ethncitypaygap Dianne's website be found at: https://www.synergisedsolutions.comThe Race Inequality in the Workforce report cited in this episode can be found here: https://d1ssu070pg2v9i.cloudfront.net/pex/carnegie_uk_trust/2020/03/27160925/Race-Inequality-in-the-Workforce-Final.pdf 

Abu-Bakr  is a psychologist, sociologist, researcher and anthropologist. At present he is a Black History Officer for Race Council Cymru. Listen to Abu-Bakr school us about Black History told and untold. Hope you're ready! 

Our guest on this episode is Sarah Bentley, the founder of Made In Hackney - a vegan community cookery school and charity. We discuss the food poverty crisis in the UK, what can be done about it and how they've embedded anti-racism work in the charity. If you'd like to support or make a donation to Made In Hackney to help them continue to provide free community meals during the COVID-19 crisis, please visit their website at: www.madeinhackney.org Links to information mentioned in this episode: https://www.trusselltrust.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/SoH-Interim-Report-Final-2.pdfhttp://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/marmot-review-10-years-on https://foodfoundation.org.uk/new-evidence-of-child-food-insecurity-in-the-uk/https://endchildfoodpoverty.orghttps://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l126.fullhttps://www.bigissue.com/latest/food-poverty-in-the-uk-the-causes-figures-and-solutions/https://www.bigissue.com/latest/covid-19-crisis-is-driving-food-poverty-says-government-watchdog/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35873541 https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/16/food-poverty-millions-children-uk-not-enough-to-eat https://cpag.org.uk/news-blogs/news-listings/children-growing-poverty-endure-hunger-and-shame 

Charlotte Williams, founder of  SevenSix Agency, a go-to voice for brands  on inclusive marketing, talks about the  lack of representation in marketing and how an increasingly diverse audience is demanding a shift towards more representative advertising. She also touches on what sparked the viral video she created after the tragic murder of George Floyd. You can find Charlotte here. 

Olivia Vincenti joins us again to discuss being our ‘authentic selves' whilst dealing with the hurts of oppression. We would like to pre-warn our audience that this episode includes content related to racial trauma that some listeners may find distressing. If you have any concerns about the way you are feeling, please see your General Practitioner or Doctor. The Mind website has further advice on seeking help for mental health concerns: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/where-to-start/  Black Minds Matter offer free therapy, funded by the organisation for up to 12 sessions (Tel: 0207 720 9110 or email info@blackmindsmatter.co.uk)For further information on re-evaluation and peer counselling please visit: https://www.co-counseling.org

Today's episode features an interview with Josephine Namusisi-Riley. We discuss her ‘White Allies' campaign and how racial discrimination shows up in schools. Josephine is interested in hearing from White people who want to share their experiences of living with White privilege and/or witnessing racism. If you would like to share your experiences anonymously, please see Josephine's survey link below:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18EdMCglN4zoZ7FMExHFe5vyndy13jyxKQaMBvBRlAcM/viewform?gxids=7628&edit_requested=true Other links: Josephine's blog for the Royal Society of Arts - An invitation to White people to be active allies: https://www.thersa.org/comment/2020/10/an-invitation-to-white-people-to-be-active-alliesWhite privilege - a guide for parents, by the children's charity Bernardo's: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/blog/white-privilege-guide-for-parents 

Getting vaccinated is one of many steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, but are they the only way to end the pandemic? On this episode we talk with  Amran Mohamed and Adama Saccoh who will help us understand the Covid-19 vaccine. Amran Mohamed is a research project manager at an NHS trust responsible for an NIHR/UKRI-funded COVID-19 and ethnicity community intervention study. Adama Saccoh is a cardiovascular imaging research assistant.  Check out her blog "thecatalystinme" where she talks about the pandemic. You can find the WHO here. 

Over 10 million people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in the UK, which gives us a lot of information about the safety of these vaccines. However,  there are growing concerns about the rates of vaccine hesitancy in some black and minority ethnic communities. We invited Dr. Simi, Clinical Director at Titan Primary Care Network, to discuss vaccine hesitancy,  as well as health inequalities in black and ethnic minority communities, and to provide information about the vaccines and address concerns that people have raised. We are joined by Aiwan Obinyan, a friend and producer of our podcast, who also has some specific questions about the vaccines. You can find Dr. Simi here. Articles and websites mentioned can be found below. NHS England The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  BMJ JCVI

Beverley Bryan was actively involved with the Black Panther Movement in Great Britain from 1970 to 1973. She was a founding member of the Brixton Black Women's Group and the Organisation of Women of Asian and African Descendant.  She also co-wrote with two other members of her association, Stella Dadzie and Suzanne Scafe, the Heart of the Race: Black Women's Lives in Britain which was published 35 years ago. Here she talks about the book and the daily realities she and other black women faced personally and politically that are still alive today. 

There is a 30% shortfall in ethnic minority representation amongst Members of Parliament in the UK. In this episode we discuss breaking the mould with local Labour Councillor, Janet Campbell. The UK Parliament report ‘Ethnic diversity in politics and public life Research Briefing' (2020), can be found here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01156/‘Operation Black Vote' information was taken from: https://www.obv.org.uk Please note the following corrections to this episode: Janet is the Cabinet Member for families, health and social care in Croydon (not the ‘Cabinet Minister'). The story concerning an individual losing their job is not related to Croydon Council. 

Colourism, the idea that light-skinned minorities are given more privilege than their darker-skinned peers. This type of bias dates back to slavery. It's part of white supremacy, or holding up whiteness over other backgrounds. It has deep historical implications in black communities from beauty standards to professional opportunities to how families treat one another. Two sisters talk to us about their personal experiences and how colourism has impacted their lives and the lives of their loved ones - Caroline Chinakwe,  who is a London based, Nigerian-born self-taught, mixed-media artist portraying the complexities of melanin heavy black women and men, and her sister Isabella Chinakwe, London born Business Finance Manager for Qatar Airways.  Although colourism cannot be eradicated in a day, we believe sharing testimonies can aid in the healing process and connect us together. You can find Caroline's website here and her instagram here. 

In our Series 1 finale we interview Jade - a professional working at a large media and broadcasting company, and a passionate advocate of workplace equality and transformative change. Jade tells us about her role in promoting media inclusivity, having uncomfortable workplace conversations and encouraging diversity at the table.If you'd like to support us to make Series 2 of this podcast, please head to our crowdfunding page to donate via the link below, and follow us on Instagram @necessary_rebels_pod https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/necessary-rebels?utm_id=2&utm_term=Z9A3MA2YyBook mention in this episode: Diversify, by June Sarpong (2017). Thank you for listening! 

Yoga instructor Jonelle's personal mantra is ‘be brave, be fierce, be free!'.In this episode, we hear about Jonelle's lived experience of the racial and physical  prejudice that she has faced in her career, and she gives us her thoughts on how yoga can be 'for everybody'.  Please note that this episode features strong language from the start.

Our guest on this episode is Toral Shah, a nutritional scientist and cancer campaigner. Toral tells us about her experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29, and discusses the efforts needed to address racial inequalities in cancer care. The following Macmillan reports were discussed in this episode:  The Rich Picture: People with cancer from BME groups: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/_images/bme-groups_tcm9-282778.pdfNo one overlooked: Experiences of BME people affected by cancer: https://be.macmillan.org.uk/Downloads/CancerInformation/LivingWithAndAfterCancer/MAC15365BMENo-one-overlooked--experiences-of-BME-people-affected-by-cancer.pdfMind the Gap - Cancer inequalities in London: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/_images/4057%20MAC%20Report%202017_tcm9-319858.pdfThe NHS England and NHS Improvement three-part video series  ‘Learning from the experience of BME cancer patients' (2020) were also highlighted:Bias: https://youtu.be/BDSurHtFtZACommunication: https://youtu.be/Oe2GKsejxQQ Dignity: https://youtu.be/jhOlem7Hm-o  Please note the following correction to this episode: Toral was re-diagnosed in 2018, not 2008.

Professional coach Meg Lyons tells us about her personal journey in becoming an anti-racist ally.  Reading list for this episode: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad; White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh (https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf); Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Olivia has had a professional 30-year career dedicated working in public services for children and families. We ask her about the journey to leadership, dealing with racial prejudice and how to be an anti-racist ally in the workplace. 

Welcome to Necessary Rebels! We're all about good advice for tackling inequalities and racism – at work and beyond. Hosted by Sandra and Kanar, we'll be speaking to different professionals to hear their approach. Change is a comin'…and we hope you'll join the rebellion! Find us on Instagram @necessary_rebels_pod Thank you to everyone who has helped fund the first series! If you want to support us to continue this work, please head to our crowdfunding page at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/necessary-rebels?utm_term=V9pgwe9wX