Dear readers,

Today is Emancipation Day which commemorates the abolition of slavery across most British colonies in 1834. In Brixton, the annual Afrikan Reparations Day event returns to Windrush Square. Having taken place for over 10 years, the gathering aims to honour our African ancestors’ resistance and renew calls for reparatory justice. US activist Umar Johnson is scheduled to deliver a keynote address later on.

Today also marks 33 years since Joy Gardner died after being restrained by police during an attempted deportation in London. Her killing remains a stark reminder of the human cost of Britain’s immigration policies.

This history feels especially pertinent amid renewed demands for an urgent UK anti-racism strategy and action against the use of public resources for immigration enforcement.

By the way: our very-first Black Current magazine was launched yesterday and is out now! Do you have your copy? If not, feel free to buy it here.

Scroll down for the latest on Black news, culture and joy from across the UK and beyond.

World premiere of Dennis Brown musical announced ahead of the reggae legend’s 70th birthday

A new musical celebrating Dennis Brown, Jamaica’s legendary “Crown Prince of Reggae”, will receive its world premiere in the UK next year, Black Current News can reveal.

Backed by his family and estate, the musical will tour the UK in February and March 2027, marking what would have been Mr Brown’s 70th birthday.

More than 100 organisations call for urgent UK anti-racism strategy

The Runnymede Trust and more than 100 civil society organisations have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding a cross-government anti-racism strategy.

Their intervention comes on the second anniversary of the Southport pogroms, amid warnings that racist violence and far-right rhetoric are becoming normalised.

They want measurable targets, dedicated funding, better equality data and independent scrutiny across areas including policing, housing, healthcare and education.

Lewisham becomes first UK council to refuse assistance with immigration raids

Lewisham has become the first UK local authority to refuse to assist Home Office immigration raids wherever legally possible.

The Green-led council will review data-sharing agreements and has pledged not to use council resources or public money for immigration enforcement.

It now plans to work with Lambeth and other Green-led councils to establish a London “sanctuary corridor”.

Black Joy Bulletin

• Reggae artist Autarchii has launched Overstand, a free app designed to educate users about the history, roots and beliefs of Rastafari. Check it out here

• A grandmother who left school without any GCSEs has graduated with a degree in sports therapy at the age of 55

• Jamaican-born Aileen Chin, 96, named world’s oldest female food YouTuber. Have a look at one of her viral videos!

• Film and TV Charity launches new Anti-Racism Wellbeing Service

• 10,000 Black Interns programme confirms return for 2026/27 after helping thousands secure paid placements

From Sainsbury’s shifts to Sainsbury’s shelves: Original Flava celebrate full-circle moment

Fifteen years ago, Original Flava founders Shaun and Craig McAnuff were working early shifts at Sainsbury’s, from serving customers on the tills to pushing hundreds of trolleys in the cold.

Now, their Jamaican Spiced Pumpkin Rice, created in collaboration with Tilda, is sitting on the supermarket’s shelves. “Be faithful with the small opportunities. They’re preparing you for bigger ones,” Craig said.

The rice is available nationwide from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda, as well as Ocado.

The 50-member choir brought central Brixton to a standstill on Friday 24 July with an impromptu street performance following a nearby wedding.

The group reportedly sang classics including Louisa Mark’s Caught You in a Lie, Dawn Penn’s You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) and Beres Hammond’s I Feel Good.

Among those who stopped to enjoy the performance was Lambeth Council leader Martin Abrams, who filmed the singers and enthusiastically joined in.

What else we’re reading

• ‘Heartless landlords’ switch off families’ air conditioning during heatwave as children suffer nosebleeds and sleepless nights

• Tributes paid as Lorna Service, renowned gospel radio show presenter on The Beat London 103.6FM, dies

• Family of father who died after NHS trust withdrew dialysis takes fight to Supreme Court

• Black people’s risk factors for stroke ‘rising faster than for white people’

• Black Lives Matter commitments failed to bring about “structural change” in UK TV industry, report highlights

• Archbishop of Canterbury committed to £100m slavery fund

• Diane Abbott readmitted into Labour following suspension

• Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been charged with three attacks while in prison and possessing a weapon

• Reform UK councillor charged over alleged racist post about Nigerian people

• ‘Jail Time Records’: The notorious Cameroonian prison with its own music label

• Anti-immigrant chanting surges as discrimination reports in English football hit record high

• British YouTuber Yung Filly acquitted of raping fan in Perth but could face retrial with jury hung on three charges

• Barbados bids solemn farewell to National Hero Sir Garfield Sobers

• Oprah Winfrey to close her school for girls in South Africa

• Child soldiers recount horrors of Sudan’s war and presence of Colombian mercenaries

• Haiti starts to register voters in violent capital under gang menace

• Cambridge’s youngest Black professor is under attack. Campaigners aren’t having it

• Ghana mourns its tallest man - a ‘generous and popular giant’

• Public agencies failed teen boy shot in playground, inquest finds

• Police forces spent at least £631 million on DEI initiatives over the last six years, report finds, and right-wing press feel a way about it

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How’s it going?

This week, we lead with the promotion of Dr Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu, who is believed to be the UK’s first Black Hijabi professor in life sciences, public health and allied health professions. It’s a landmark achievement - but also a reminder of how slowly Britain’s institutions are changing.

Black professors account for just 1.13% of the UK’s professoriate (270 academics). A recent analysis suggests the sector is missing about 699 Black professors because Black academics are promoted at a lower rate than their white counterparts.

As ever, we’ve also rounded up stories that challenge, celebrate and inform, from renewed calls for Windrush justice and Notting Hill Carnival updates to community-led health initiatives and the return of one particularly tired caricature from a hard-back man who should’ve grown up by now (cough Ali G).

Keep scrolling for more and remember to pre-order your copy of our very first print magazine - coming soon.

One love!

Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu promoted to professor at University of the West of England

Dr Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu has been promoted to Professor of Physical Activity, Ageing, and Community Health at the University of the West of England. A medical doctor and expert in healthy ageing, she founded the Ageing Lifestyle in Blacks and Asians (ALIBSA) initiative.

Over 100 lawyers and campaigners demand urgent Windrush compensation overhaul as scandal nears 10-year mark

With the 10th anniversary of the Windrush scandal approaching, over 100 lawyers and campaigners have urged the government to deliver long-promised justice through sweeping reforms to the compensation scheme. Their proposals include an independent statutory inquiry, funded legal representation, citizenship reform and faster compensation payments.

MPs urge Government to confront racism in homelessness system

A cross-party committee of MPs has urged the Government to explicitly address racism and racial inequality in its strategy to end homelessness. The report calls for better ethnicity data, stronger action against discrimination and greater accountability, warning that Black people continue to face disproportionately worse outcomes across the housing system. Campaigners have raised concerns for years, but meaningful reforms have yet to follow.

Black Joy Bulletin

• Two dozen trailblazers named on HSBC UK x UK Black Business Show’s ‘Top 25 Black Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2026’

• Notting Hill Carnival announces official app and 60th anniversary merchandise

• Black-led groups can apply for £15,000 maternal health grants

• Black-owned UK hair brand Ruka lands Sephora US launch

• Meet the NHS clinician delivering hospital-level care in patients’ homes

• Poet John Agard has claimed a record-breaking third win at a renowned literary award

• ‘It’s never too late’: 64-year-old graduates as registered nurse

  after career switch

Campaign secures return of Black history billboards for Carnival

Two new Black history billboards honouring pioneers Claudia Jones and Rhaune Laslett are coming to this year's Notting Hill Carnival. This comes courtesy of a community crowdfunding campaign by award-winning cultural theorist Kayne Kawasaki, which surpassed its fundraising target.

East London pop-up puts Black women's breast health in focus

The Girls' Bathroom is an immersive pop-up health awareness event taking place at UNLOCKED Shoreditch tomorrow (Saturday 18 July). Created by Touchy Feely in partnership with the NHS, it transforms the familiar, judgement-free setting of a women's bathroom into a space for open conversations about breast health, with a particular focus on encouraging Black and Brown women to prioritise screening and early detection. Free tickets can be obtained here.

What else we’re reading

• June Sarpong, Barbara Mills KC and Alison Lowe among 26 new peers to enter the Lords

• Black women less likely to attend breast screening due to systemic and cultural barriers, study finds

• Caribbean reparations body urges UK to return British Virgin Islands

• Black doctors in England four times less likely to get training places than white counterparts

• The UK’s first fibroid summit spotlights a condition that disproportionately affects Black women

• Bob Marley statue returns to Liverpool after conservation break

• ‘If you have been listening to Suella Braverman and think Britain has gone bonkers, let me explain’ | Nels Abbey

• ‘Sacha Baron Cohen’s midlife Ali G comeback is pathetic’ and a forensic analysis of his racist caricature

• First picture of Sikh mum, 24, stabbed to death in what parents fear was ‘racist attack’

• Chef Dom Taylor dies as heartfelt tributes pour in for The Good Front Room founder

• Queen Elizabeth II replaced by Caribbean heroes on new Eastern Caribbean banknotes

• Disney’s new ‘Captain Durag’ cartoon character ignites backlash from Black folks

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We’re back. As regular readers will know, there was no newsletter last week while we spent some time in Florida.

So, naturally, we’ve returned to an overflowing news agenda and a bit of a bumper edition for you.

Grab something cold, find some shade and let’s get into it. This heatwave is not playing!

Also: don’t forget to pre-order your copy of our inaugural print magazine ⬇️.

One love! x

Judi Love launches £9,000 university fund for single parents, carers and low-income students

Comedian and broadcaster Judi Love has launched a new fund offering three University of East London students £3,000 each, alongside mentoring and support.

The award will help students facing financial pressures or caring responsibilities, including single parents and carers.

UK judge rules use of term ‘coloured’ did not amount to racial harassment, even if offensive

A tribunal has ruled that a colleague’s use of the term “coloured” did not amount to racial harassment, despite accepting the language was race-related and caused upset.

Amy Reeves, who is of British and Jamaican heritage, said the ruling left her “baffled” and feeling failed by the judicial system.

MOBO Awards founder Kanya King remembered as loved ones gather for intimate funeral service

Family, friends and close colleagues gathered this week to say a final goodbye to MOBO founder Kanya King, who died on 3 June, Black Current News understands.

The intimate service remembered a trailblazer whose impact on British music and culture cannot be overstated.

Barbados PM Mia Mottley blasts former UK Home Secretary’s ‘asinine’ claim former colonies should repay Britain

Barbados PM Mia Mottley has branded Suella Braverman’s suggestion that formerly enslaved colonies should repay Britain for its historic “investment” as “asinine”.

“We are not asking for charity. We are asking to be able to ensure that justice can be done,” she added. Mottley also warned that “the Caribbean should not be used as a prop” by British parliamentarians seeking to distract from UK domestic politics.

Black Joy Bulletin

• Rapper Giggs is helping to launch a specialist school for neurodivergent children in Kent

• Mum, Natasha Adams, creates cartoon inspired by disabled daughter after lack of representation on children’s TV

• Stephen Lue, family law specialist, shortlisted for Barrister of the Year at Resolution Awards 2026

• Patrice Lawrence appointed as UK’s new Children’s Laureate

• Lady Phyll named No.1 on 2026 Pride Power List

• Maxi Priest’s ‘Close to You’ earns UK Silver certification 36 years after topping US chart

What else we’re reading

• Father-of-two, 38, died hours after hair transplant procedure in Turkey, coroner told

• Painful periods linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts in women with sickle cell disease

• Doreen Lawrence loses privacy case against Daily Mail publisher

• Teenager, 19, drowned after being pulled under by ‘harsh’ waterfall current in Wales, inquest hears

• ‘My mum collapsed with a brain bleed after being sent home with paracetamol’

• Grandmother arrested over £1m cocaine hidden in plantain peels on London-bound flight

• Man arrested in South Africa over alleged murders of wife and two daughters in Bedford

• Umar Dumbuya: Tributes to ‘kind and generous’ student who died during Duke of Edinburgh trip

• Jamaican father who has lived in UK for 26 years detained and facing deportation

• Black British Theatre Awards cancelled for 2026 after company ordered to close by High Court

• Broadcaster Eddie Nestor to take break from BBC Radio London for cancer treatment

• George E. Johnson, pioneering US Black haircare entrepreneur and creator of Afro Sheen, dies

• Award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke will make history by playing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s first Black lesbian Othello

A quick note from Nadine

It's been a busy but brilliant week since returning from holiday.

On Wednesday, I pulled up to the Natwest Conference Centre and joined the Young, Gifted and Black panel at the UK Black Business Entrepreneurs Conference. There, I spoke about building Black Current News, my film Barrel Children and the journey behind creating independent, community-rooted work.

On Thursday, I was invited to sat down in Brixton, my home district, with national treasure Candice Carty-Williams for a brilliant, full-house conversation marking the release of Queenie Is Working on It.

Huge thanks to everyone who came, Candice, Fane and Brixton House. Get the book if you haven’t already!

Two very different conversations - but both left me with plenty to think about.

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Greetings from overseas!

We’re sending this week’s round-up from outside of Britain, where we’ve traded the newsroom for a few days of rest after an incredibly busy first half of 2026. There won’t be a newsletter next week while we’re away, but we’ll be back in your inbox the following week.

It’s been an extraordinary few days, hasn’t it?

Back home, Europe has been sweltering through a heatwave with highs of over 35 degrees and it’s not a good thing, to be honest. This isn’t a case of benign sunshine, nicer days and an excuse to get your legs out 😭. The world is literally burning because of the climate crisis, meaning people in hundreds of cities are experiencing their worst-ever heat stress.

That wasn’t the only thing making headlines this week, though. Monday began with a political bombshell as Sir Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister of the UK, prompting mixed reactions across the country.

Within Black communities, some welcomed the news, others worry about what comes next, while many remain unconvinced that any change at Westminster will materially improve their lives.

Monday also marked Windrush Day, a national celebration of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush and the lasting contributions of Caribbean communities to Britain. Some argued there is little to celebrate while members of the Windrush Generation continue to wait for justice and fair compensation.

We understand that frustration - but we also believe commemoration and campaigning are not mutually exclusive.

For many Black Britons, particularly those of Caribbean heritage, it is entirely possible to honour the courage and sacrifice of a generation while continuing to demand accountability for the injustices they and their descendants endured.

As ever, we’ve rounded up the biggest stories shaping Black Britain this week, alongside a few moments of Black joy.

Enjoy the read and we’ll see you again in a fortnight.

Keep scrolling

Outrage as mummified human head listed for auction in Belfast

A mummified human head has been listed for sale at a Belfast auction house, prompting calls for the Government to outlaw the trade in human remains. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy described the listing as "macabre" and urged the auction house to remove it.

Buy Back Brixton campaign submits bid to bring historic market into community ownership

Campaigners say they have submitted a "competitive bid" to buy Brixton Village and Market Row after raising more than £550,000 and rallying widespread public support. They hope to bring the historic markets into community ownership amid interest from international investors.

Marianne Kilonzi: Boyfriend of Citibank executive extradited to UK over London killing

The boyfriend of Citibank executive Marianne Kilonzi has been extradited to the UK after a 16-month international manhunt. The 43-year-old was found beaten to death at her home in Woolwich in January 2025.

Black Joy Bulletin

• Flake Bake, a Black-owned Jamaican patty company, named one of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses

• 'Life two': Young man functionally cured of sickle cell disease after gene therapy

• ‘I write because it’s vital’: Celebrated author Yusef Bushara wins inaugural UK literary prize

• Black British Initiative launches ‘Unlock Britain’ campaign at House of Commons to boost Black-owned businesses by £20bn

• Twins marry twins in joyous Nigerian joint wedding

• West Midlands GP set to bring gynaecology-themed obstacle course to London

What else we’re reading

• Elderly Caribbean community centre trustee, aged 79, slept inside building to stop council eviction

• Steve Lewis: Black Reform UK councillor quits party weeks after election victory

• 'More than a meal': The mission behind Brixton’s Big Caribbean Lunch

• ‘Bold, truth-telling’: learning from the rich histories of pan-African journalism

• Jason Pitter KC: Meet the Black barrister behind one of Britain's most extraordinary murder prosecutions

• Leading campaigner urges minister to make Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting mandatory

• Windrush ship anchor to be raised for national Black British memorial

• Clive Davis dies aged 94: A towering but controversial figure in Black music

• Caribbean leaders unveil new reparations manifesto, led by Barbados PM Mia Mottley

• Parents jailed after preventable death of seriously ill son in Birmingham

Professor Christopher Balogun-Lynch, pioneering surgeon who developed life-saving maternity technique in the UK, dies aged 81

Professor Christopher Balogun-Lynch, the pioneering surgeon whose life-saving maternity technique went on to help women around the world, has died aged 81.

Developed at Milton Keynes Hospital in 1997, the B-Lynch Brace Suture transformed the treatment of severe postpartum haemorrhage, helping save lives while preserving fertility. He was one of the founding consultants at the hospital, where he helped build the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for over 20 years.

Professor Balogun-Lynch later returned to Sierra Leone to teach and mentor the next generation of doctors.

Paying tribute, his son Josh said: “His legacy lives on in the doctors he mentored, the women whose lives he helped save, the family he loved, and the countless people worldwide who continue to benefit from his work.”

His is a remarkable legacy of innovation, compassion and service.

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Welcome back to your weekly round-up from Black Current News!

As we approach Windrush Day on Monday, marking the 78th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, we'd like to take this opportunity to big up Caribbean communities far and wide, whose magic has enriched Britain and the wider world in countless ways.

We’re actually writing to you from Derby, where we spent time with incredible folks at The Hadhari Project - a vital local hub - for a special Windrush Day celebration last night.

Yesterday was also World Sickle Cell Day, an opportunity to recognise the millions of people worldwide living with sickle cell disease and to reflect on the barriers many still face when seeking healthcare.

A special welcome to our new subscribers. Since launching in October, Black Current News has welcomed new readers every single day without fail and is now the UK’s fastest-growing Black publication. Thank you for your continued support! It genuinely means the world.

And don’t forget: pre-orders for the inaugural Black Current News print magazine, out soon, are now open. Please secure your copy here and spread the word!

As always, we’ve rounded up some of the key stories, conversations and events shaping Black Britain right now.

Keep scrolling for more

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Black teen, 17, wrongly Tasered and detained inside a chip shop

Abdul-Lateef Ajibike was tasered twice and wrongly detained by armed police inside an east London chip shop after officers mistook him for a gunman.

Three years on, he has spoken publicly for the first time about the ordeal, which left him with lasting trauma and unanswered questions.

‘Buy Back Brixton’: Campaign launched to keep iconic market out of developers’ hands

Brixton traders have launched an emergency campaign to keep Brixton Village and Market Row in community hands amid fears the iconic markets could be sold to private equity developers.

The push comes as a separate petition opposes a proposed Gail's Bakery near Brixton station, with campaigners warning that chain expansion risks eroding the area's distinctive character.

Equality Watchdog flags Windrush Compensation Scheme failings to the United Nations

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has raised fresh concerns about the Windrush Compensation Scheme in a submission to the United Nations, warning that many claimants are receiving less compensation than they are entitled to.

The watchdog is also calling on the government to explain why applications remain significantly lower than expected and to increase access to legal support.

Black Joy Bulletin

• London entrepreneur Oludayo has opened a deaf-friendly coffee shop and arts space, creating a hub for the deaf community

• Free Books Campaign founder Sofia Akel teams up with TfL to expand access to books across London

• Dame Kelly Holmes honoured with the Freedom of the City of London

• Inside the Black haircare programme helping fathers in prison to connect with their kids

• Idris Elba has received the ASCAP Creative Voice Award, recognising artists whose work combines creative excellence with a positive impact on their communities

• ‘Make Jerk Great Again’: Black Eats launches UK Jerk Fest 2026 in bid to create Britain’s biggest celebration of jerk food

‘She Changed the Industry’: Tributes continue for Kanya King

Tributes continue to pour in for MOBO founder Kanya King, whose vision helped transform Britain's music landscape.

Black Current News founder Nadine White was among those invited to reflect on King's legacy in a special tribute published by PRS for Music, the organisation representing songwriters, composers and music publishers. Read here.

Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind opens Coventry’s inaugural Windrush festival

Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind, the award-winning film by Black Current News founder Nadine White, kicked off Coventry’s very first Windrush Festival this week with a special screening and Q&A. The five-day festival celebrates the contribution of Coventry’s Caribbean community through music, art and storytelling.

What else we’re reading

• Windrush Day: A guide to celebrations taking place across the UK

• World Sickle Cell Day: The fight for better care continues

• Home Office backs down after High Court challenge to ‘good character’ citizenship policy

• Janice Nix: Stepmum jailed for 1978 killing of 5-year-old girl

• Also: ‘My stepmum killed my sister and made me lie about it but now we have justice’

• '37 Fibroids': Nova Reid's wake-up call on work and wellbeing ahead of her Bloomsbury Theatre show

• Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP launches free Activism Academy for young people in Brixton and Clapham

• Knighthood for Patrick Vernon, Windrush Day campaigner

• ‘Jamaicans and Caribbeans did not know (they were descendants from Africa)…until Roots came out!” - Comedian Gina Yashere says on podcast, sparks mixed feedback

• British actor David Oyelowo issues apology after comments linking Black Southern accents to slavery spark criticism

• Female pastor in court after man ‘drowns during baptism’ in Birmingham

• Wilfred Wood, Britain’s first Black bishop, turns 90

• ‘When my dad died I cleared out his home – and discovered he had a secret wife’

• Black child, 16, wins landmark case against Met Police after being wrongly arrested over mum’s suicide attempt, with ‘up to £130,000 damages’ expected

• Grenfell anniversary: nine years of demanding justice and still waiting

• Naomi Campbell has said that "identity fraud and deception" by a fellow trustee of her former charity was to blame for a serious misuse of funds

• Reform UK councillor reinstated after saying Nigerians should be "melted down" and used to fill potholes

• Mean Girls actress ‘scared to leave house’ as Belfast show is cancelled

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How’s it going?

This week’s newsletter comes as racist violence sweeps across parts of Belfast.

Homes set alight. Windows smashed. Families forced to flee. Black and Asian-owned businesses shuttered. Evening prayers cancelled. Black care workers trapped indoors. Masked mobs chanting “foreigners out”.

One African family, who had lived in their home for more than 20 years, fled after their property was attacked. The Belfast Islamic Centre urged worshippers to stay indoors for their own safety.

This is the reality unfolding in the UK in 2026.

The violence comes against a backdrop of rising hate crime, growing far-right activity and increasingly hostile rhetoric around migrants and ethnic minorities.

Campaigners have warned for years that language once confined to the fringes - which was bad enough - is becoming part of mainstream political debate.

The pogroms follow a knife attack in Belfast on Monday night. The suspect, named as Hadi Alodid, has been remanded in custody after being charged with attempted murder.

As ever, Black Current News will continue documenting not only the stories making headlines, but the wider forces shaping Black life in Britain and beyond.

Here’s what’s gone on this week.

‘This Week In History’: Britain’s first Black MPs won election to Parliament

39 years ago this week, Britain’s first Black MPs were elected

On 11 June 1987, Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant made history as the first Black MPs elected to the UK Parliament.

Their victories marked a watershed moment in British politics, helping to pave the way for greater representation in Westminster and inspiring generations that followed.

A Black teen, 16, came home to find his mother had attempted suicide. Then Met Police arrested him. Now he’s suing the force for racism.

Daryl McLune was handcuffed in front of neighbours and held overnight on suspicion of attempted murder after returning home to find his mother critically injured in 2021. The case was dropped days later when a suicide note was discovered.

Now 20, he is suing the Metropolitan Police Service for racial discrimination and false imprisonment, arguing he was treated as a suspect rather than a child in crisis.

Black dementia patients face poorer access to care. The NHS is now launching a landmark review to investigate why

Black people with dementia face delays in diagnosis, poorer access to treatment and worse outcomes. Now, a landmark NHS-backed review will investigate why.

Researchers will examine barriers including racism, language differences, cultural stigma and underdiagnosis, with findings expected in 2027.

Levi Roots’ daughter makes emotional appeal to missing sister after over a decade apart

Joanne Caesar, daughter of celebrity chef Levi Roots, has made an emotional public appeal for her sister, Sharlene Williams, after losing contact with her more than a decade ago. The appeal comes 12 years after Joanne and Sharlene made headlines when they sold a damaging story about their dad to The Daily Mail. Joanne says the fallout from the interview led to passa, severely straining family relationships and marking the beginning of a painful period of estrangement. She is now appealing for her sister to get in touch, saying she simply wants to know that she is safe and well.

Black Joy Bulletin

• Marcus Garvey Centre in Nottingham saved as community campaign secures reopening

• British-Jamaican Jhané Gibson is 2026 MasterChef UK winner

• Ghanaian women defy odds to get Cambridge degrees

• Windrush descendant honours ancestors with display

• ‘Visual impairment means I’m rejected for jobs - I took matters into my own hands and now help NHS’

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What else we’re reading

• ‘One day is not enough’: calls for a National Windrush Month gain momentum

• N-word and swastikas sprayed across West London leisure centre development

• Manhunt launched for prisoner who escaped from van in Woolwich, South London

• Sierra Leone’s First Lady evicted from London council flat as it emerges that her primary residence is a presidential palace

• Rosalind Bushell: London man missing since 1998 as sister issues heartfelt appeal

• NHS patients with non-urgent conditions could be told to leave A&E and come back later

• Kemi Badenoch says police should stop and search more Black boys

• More than 20 renters paid deposits for the same flat in an alleged scam that highlights the growing cost of rental fraud in Britain

• Lammy jury trial reforms could damage trust among Black communities, MPs warn

• ‘We were totally traumatised’: Black care workers trapped as racist mob targeted Belfast homes

• Lenny Henry says racism in UK ‘still at large’ as he tours standup comeback

• Idris Elba says audiences would never accept a Black actor playing James Bond: ‘That’s not what they like in their culture’

• Kanya King obituary

• Black girls targeted by racism and sexism online, research warns

• Northern Ireland race relations framework ‘not fit for purpose’, warns Amnesty International

• Scrap legal equality duty for public services, says Badenoch

• Top African referee Omar Artan refused access to US and will miss World Cup

• Tributes pour in after death of Talay Riley, 35-year-old British songwriter behind hits for Chip, Dua Lipa and Britney Spears

Thank you!

Black Current News recently surpassed 10,000 Instagram followers, with our work generating more than 2 million views.

We were also mentioned in The Observer this week, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper.

For a small independent outlet only 8 months old, that’s encouraging. Thank you for reading, sharing our work and helping us grow.

We’re just getting started 🥳.

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Got a news tip or story idea? Submit it via this form. Reader feedback and corrections are welcomed separately here.

Welcome back to your weekly round-up from Black Current News.

This week, we celebrate remarkable milestones, from a tiny heart surgery survivor reuniting with the surgeon who saved her life to community champions, centenarians and trailblazers making us proud.

We also examine stories raising urgent questions about justice, representation and opportunity, from France’s long-overdue repeal of a slavery-era law to concerns over the policing of Black children and the ongoing shortage of stem cell donors.

As always, thank you for reading, sharing our work and helping independent Black journalism grow.

Let’s get into it and don’t forget to pre-order your copy of our inaugural print magazine, coming out this summer.

Keep scrolling for more news.

Black Joy Bulletin

• ‘You gave Fleur a life’: Tiny heart surgery survivor reunites with doctor who saved her

• Trevor Turner, a Jamaica-born Royal Air Force (RAF) engineer, recently celebrated his 100th birthday

• French teen Moise Kouame becomes youngest male Grand Slam match-winner in 17 years

• Community collective saves 30-year Black-owned business in Leicester

• Elaine Banton wins the Society of Caribbean Lawyers ‘Barrister of the Year’ prize

• ‘I started handing out food to homeless aged 11 - 14 years later I’m still going’

France finally scraps slavery-era law that classified Black people as property

France has voted to repeal the Code Noir, a slavery-era law that classified enslaved people as property, nearly 180 years after the country abolished slavery. The unanimous vote has been welcomed as a long-overdue reckoning with France's colonial past, though it has also prompted a question from many observers: what took so long?

Bristol woman’s campaign highlights donor shortage on World Blood Cancer Day

As World Blood Cancer Day was marked on Thursday, Bristol woman Beth, 31, renewed calls for more Black and mixed-race stem cell donors to join the register after her acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) diagnosis. While she recently revealed her sister may be a suitable match, she says many others still face long waits due to a lack of donor diversity. The awareness day also coincided with a new EastEnders storyline in which Denise Fox, played by Diane Parish, is diagnosed with AML.

Mum says Black 12-year-old was handcuffed and searched by police after ‘playing with loose stop sign’

A mother's viral social media post has sparked widespread concern after she alleged her 12-year-old son was handcuffed and searched by police in Sevenoaks after briefly playing with a loose stop sign.

Hilary Ibhagbemien says the incident left her son "frightened and distressed" and has reignited debate about the policing of Black children and the adultification of young Black boys.

‘Why not you?’: Cambridge graduate from Brixton launches fundraiser after Harvard offer

A Brixton woman has launched a fundraiser after securing a place on a master's degree programme at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Michaela Mensah, a first-generation university student and Cambridge graduate, has already raised more than £33,000 but must provide proof of funding by 15 June, with the total cost of study and related expenses expected to exceed $100,000 (£74,000).

What else we’re reading

• Windrush Festival plans blocked by councillors in east London over ‘public nuisance’ concerns

• Janice Nix, 67, has been convicted of the manslaughter of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Bernard, nearly five decades after the child suffered fatal burns in a south London home

• ‘I want to tell the world to embrace their past’: Janice Nix video resurfaces after conviction for killing child in 1978

• Exclusive | Protest planned at Oxford college after Black staffer who lost leg alleges racist bullying

• Gilbert Clarke, World War Two veteran and Windrush pioneer, dies aged 100

• ‘Create freely’: Mýa speaks to Black Current News about art, longevity and independence

• Four right-wing newspapers may have breached editors’ code over attacks on Misan Harriman, press regulator says

• ‘Sometimes I wish I'd never played football because some of the pain, I can still feel it’: Roly Gregoire, Sunderland’s first Black player, describes the impact of racism

• Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for church’s role in legitimising slavery

• Clarence B. Jones, civil rights activist who helped to write Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, dies at 95

• Former Southampton footballer Victor Udoh has died at the age of 21, reportedly under “suspicious circumstances”, although the cause remains unknown

• Viral video sparks race debate as Jamaican restaurant denies discrimination claim

• UK Garage legends Mis-Teeq reveal their comeback exclusively to Vogue

‘End of an era’: Popular Black-owned hair shop in Forest Gate announces closure and 50% off sale

BCN featured in Daily Mirror column on rise of creator-led journalism

Black Current News was featured this week in a column by Mirror Assistant Editor and columnist Darren Lewis on the growth of creator-led journalism.

Writing in the Daily Mirror, Darren praised BCN’s reporting, describing it as “the excellent, digital Black Current News platform” and highlighting its coverage of issues affecting women, girls, parents and communities across the country. He also described our editor Nadine White as “brilliant”.

The mention is a welcome reminder that independent, community-rooted journalism continues to make an impact. Thank you to everyone supporting BCN’s growth. You can read the full column here.

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We’re back with another weekly round-up of news from within and around Black communities across Britain.

It’s been a heavy week.

Many of us have been following the circumstances surrounding the deaths of sisters Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walters, 32, and Rebecca Walters, 31, at sea in Brighton with sadness and concern.

Their family have spoken movingly about the women they knew and loved, while also pleading for an end to “online speculation” surrounding the case, including “conspiracies” that reportedly intensified after relatives used AI to create a recent image of the sisters from older photographs because they did not have an up-to-date picture of all three together.

The image was widely shared before the family later released an authentic photograph. So, for those wondering why some news platforms suddenly stopped using the earlier image - that’s why.

The young ladies’ aunt also revealed to The Times that their mother died in Birmingham in 2010 in circumstances involving water; something the family themselves have reflected on while trying to process this immense tragedy.

For clarity, reports relating to the disappearance of a woman named Janice Adetoro, believed to be the sisters’ mother, are dated 2012 rather than 2010.

The conversation surrounding the case has also reignited wider discussions within Black communities about a number of deaths involving Black women and Black people found in water across the UK in recent years.

As Black Current News explored in our recent reporting, those worries did not come out of nowhere; recognising patterns and asking questions is not the same thing as spreading conspiracy theories.

Our communities are capable of holding two thoughts at once: respecting a grieving family while also engaging in wider conversations about trust, visibility and whose disappearances receive urgency and attention.

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In the midst of relentlessly heavy news cycles, we’re intentional about making space for something lighter too, through the ‘Black Joy Bulletin’, below. For our communities, leaning into joy is not frivolous; it’s radical, restorative and necessary.

With that said…if you have achievements, milestones or uplifting stories that you think our communities should know about, send them our way via the submission link at the bottom of this newsletter.

Keep scrolling for more news. One love.

‘No parent should ever have to bury their child, let alone all three’: Funeral fundraiser for Brighton sisters exceeds target with over £30,000 raised

A fundraiser launched to help cover the funeral costs of three sisters found dead off Brighton beach has surpassed its £18,000 target, with over £30,000 now raised by members of the public.

Jane, Christina and Rebecca’s bodies were recovered from the sea near Madeira Drive last week.

This comes as campaigner Ngozi Fulani, founder of the Sistah Space charity, warned Black women to “stay on alert”, describing the discovery of several Black women’s bodies in or near water across the UK in recent years as a “massive concern for the Black community” in an interview with Sinai Fleary.

Yves Sakila: Post-mortem fails to determine cause of death of Congolese man restrained outside Ireland store

A post-mortem has failed to determine the cause of death of Yves Sakila, the 35-year-old Congolese man who died after being restrained outside Dublin department store Arnotts last week.

Further tests, including toxicology, are pending as two investigations continue into the incident, which has sparked protests and renewed concerns over the treatment of Black people in Ireland.

David Lammy unveils plans to fast-track working-class and minority lawyers into judiciary - but Black legal figures warn bias needs addressing

David Lammy and the most senior judge in England and Wales are drawing up plans to accelerate the recruitment of minority ethnic and working-class solicitors into the judiciary.

But senior Black legal figures, including Cordella Bart-Stewart, say the real issue lies within the appointments process itself, warning that “internal biases” continue to exclude underrepresented candidates from the bench.

Black Joy Bulletin

• DJ Adrian Graham appointed first Black mayor of Gloucester in its 798-year history

• Croydon plumber fixes pensioner’s home for free after she was conned out of £7,000

• Councillor Sylvia Erskine becomes Mayor of Wellingborough

• Dylan Patsanza named winner of Bloomsbury’s annual Fiction Mentorship Programme

• Audrey Dinnall takes office as the new Sheriff of Nottingham

• Stormzy and Adidas launch youth football tournament offering young Londoners the chance to win a trip to the 2026 FIFA World Cup

• Beyoncé’s Cécred and BeyGOOD fund set to invest $250,000 into beauty schools across the US and UK, supporting aspiring hairstylists, barbers and beauty professionals through scholarships and workforce initiatives

What else we’re reading

• ‘I have not committed any crime’: Sierra Leone’s first lady has defended having a London council flat despite living in a presidential palace

• Afua Hirsch | ‘Have no doubt: the campaign to sack Misan Harriman is part of an assault on Black figures in public life’

• Net migration to the UK falls by nearly 50% amid tighter policies

• Belgian ex-diplomat dies before standing trial over 1961 murder of Congolese leader

• Michelle Sadio: Two men jailed after mother killed in drive-by shooting outside wake

• City Splash: The festival reggae legends keep choosing

• The father of Kiyan Prince, the teenager who was stabbed to death outside his school 20 years ago, says it is a "scandal" that so many youth clubs have closed

• Primary school children are being taught about white privilege. Conservatives are furious

• Mother of Nottingham triple killer tells public inquiry ‘the system is so broken’

• Paul Boakye | ‘A moment that changed me: My HIV diagnosis seemed like a death sentence – how have I survived for another 40 years?’

• Music industry risks excluding working-class talent, says Tinie Tempah

• Exclusive | Grenfell remembrance festival faces axe amid £50,000 funding crisis

• Church of Scotland formally apologises for role in chattel slavery

• Dawn Butler wins influential union backing for future London mayoral bid

• ‘Inappropriate’: Pork sausages served to Muslims on deportation flight from Ireland

• Man in Scotland jailed for stabbing wife 22 times while children were in flat

• ‘It’s about recognising our role in history’: Bradford exhibition to revisit live Somali display

• USA: The word “Black” has been erased from a set of bills aimed at addressing the Black maternal health crisis

Blaize Henry: Tributes paid to ‘irreplaceable’ Chineke! Orchestra violinist after death announced

Blaize Henry, the British violinist and former Chineke! Orchestra performer, has died.

Born in Bromley to parents of Guyanese heritage, the musician also worked as a teacher and conductor, performing at leading venues across the UK.

Chineke! - Europe's first professional, majority Black orchestra - remembered him as “a spirit unlike any other” who carried his Black identity with pride.

Thinking of Blaize's loved ones at this time 🙏🏾.

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We’re back with another weekly round-up and the fallout from Britain’s local elections continues to unfold.

Reform UK’s rise has unsettled many minoritised communities, while pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Keir Starmer following Labour’s bruising losses and growing calls for his resignation.

Among those voicing concern about Labour’s direction are its own Miatta Fahnbulleh, a junior minister in the housing and communities department, plus MPs Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Diane Abbott, Paulette Hamilton, Kim Johnson and Clive Lewis.

This adds to broader questions about the party’s messaging, leadership and relationship with the communities it has long relied upon.

Moreover, opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has been dealing with Labour’s case during PMQs. We mean properly tearing them a new one, prompting praise from ever-controversial rapper Nicki Minaj, across the pond, in the process. Absolute scenes!

Against that backdrop, this week’s newsletter once again reflects deeper conversations around race, belonging, power and identity in modern Britain.

By the way: demand for our commemorative print magazine has been strong, so don’t leave it too late to order your copy.

It features huge political voices, cultural trailblazers, Black British history and more. Trust us: you’ll want to say you got the first one 😁.

Scroll for the news!

Good news

• Yassin Mohamud becomes Bristol’s first Somali Lord Mayor

• Bob Marley’s children are backing a growing call for a landmark Rastafari Rights and Justice Act in Jamaica

• Lewis Hamilton backs students at risk of exclusion during London school visit

• ‘It’s a joy’: Actress Jo Martin honoured at BUFF Awards for outstanding contribution to British film and TV

• Black Eats Fest returns to Hackney Bridge in 2026

Jamaican MP blocked from speaking patois in parliament because it isn’t the “Queen’s English”

Jamaican MP Nekeisha Burchell was interrupted in parliament on Wednesday after beginning a speech in patois, with Speaker Juliet Holness invoking rules (“Standing Orders”) requiring proceedings to be conducted in English.

Burchell - who is also Opposition Spokesperson on Creative Industries, Culture and Information - later switched to what she called the “Queen’s English”, but argued patois still struggles for acceptance in Jamaica’s most formal national spaces.

Supporters noted that Minister of State Alando Terrelonge previously addressed Cuban guests in Spanish inside the chamber and the Speaker did not object, stating that Mr Terrelonge had been granted special permission in advance to speak the foreign language.

…this is the same Jamaica that is reportedly striving to become a republic and remove the British monarch as head of state. The moment has naturally reignited wider debates around colonial legacies, language and identity.

Drug trafficker from Cyprus granted UK residency under Windrush scheme, raising questions

A tribunal heard that a Cypriot man convicted over major heroin trafficking offences was granted settled status under the Windrush scheme while still in prison.

The case is likely to reignite debate over how the Windrush scheme is being interpreted and applied, particularly given that it was originally introduced to correct historic injustices experienced by long-settled Commonwealth citizens, especially from the Caribbean.

For some critics, the concern is less about the individual’s offences and more about concerns around eligibility, nationality and whether the Windrush scheme is now being interpreted and applied beyond the communities many believed it was originally designed to support.

Sickle cell cases rising as NHS appeals for more blood donors from Black communities

Cases of sickle cell disease are rising in England, driving a 132% increase in demand for specialist blood transfusions over the past decade and prompting a renewed NHS appeal for more Black donors.

Experts say Black donors are crucial for closely matched transfusions, yet they remain significantly underrepresented among England’s blood donor population.

‘Patients tried to punch me because of my skin colour’: Racism against NHS staff rises, data suggests

Reports of patients racially abusing NHS workers in England rose by 17% in a year, according to BBC analysis of NHS trust data.

Some frontline staff say the abuse has become so severe that they are questioning whether to remain in the profession.

What else we’re reading

• St Paul’s Carnival will not go ahead in Bristol this year after organisers said rising costs had made the event impossible to deliver safely and sustainably

• Trump supporter and German financier charged over ‘racist’ assault at London station

• £20,000 reward offered in drive-by Brixton shooting appeal

• Black and Asian communities fear rise in racism after Reform UK gains

• Over 100 academics, writers and activists condemn plans to axe Birmingham City University Black Studies MA

• Reform councillor condemned over ‘non white persons taking over’ park remarks

• Stormzy to Executive Produce Biopic of Arsenal and England Soccer Legend Ian Wright

• Nine health watchdogs move to address racism in healthcare workplaces

• Elon Musk sparks racism accusations after questioning Lupita Nyong’o’s beauty in The Odyssey

• Revealed | Black woman faces jail in Lithuania. Her “crime”? ‘Mocking white people’

• Expert says ‘government rhetoric feeds Islamophobia and racism’

• Reform UK councillor Glenn Gibbins only now suspended over racist comments suggesting Nigerians should be “melted down” to fill potholes - despite warnings before election

• Met Police judicial review victory clears path for wider facial recognition use across London

• ‘Minority communities in Northern Ireland ‘living in perpetual fear’

• Record complaints filed over UK press ‘smear’ of Misan Harriman

• ‘Names can be a barrier’: Black lawyers tackle inclusion

• UK slavery reparations must be top issue at Commonwealth summit, says former Caribbean leader

Farewell, Clarence Thompson

Trinidad-born social scientist and educator Clarence Thompson has died.

Mr Thompson was a key figure in Britain’s post-war Black civil rights movement. As chairman of the West Indian Standing Conference, formed in 1958 following the Notting Hill riots and the racist murder of Kelso Cochrane, he helped organise Caribbean communities and push for change during a deeply hostile period in British history.

Over the decades, he worked to build understanding between Britain’s white population and African heritage communities, contributing to the foundations of modern equality work in the UK.

His legacy is that of a generation that challenged racism head-on and helped shape the Britain many know today.

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How’s it going?

As many of you will know, local elections took place across England, Scotland and Wales on Thursday, ushering in a new and deeply concerning political landscape.

Reform UK, a right-wing populist party whose ranks have repeatedly been dogged by allegations of racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia, surged to become the largest party by councillor numbers in England.

As of this afternoon, the party had won over 1,450 council seats and taken control of several local authorities.

Reform’s surge and why many Black folks are worried

Among those elected were Reform candidates Glenn Gibbins, who previously said Nigerians should be “melt[ed] down and fill in the potholes”, and Stuart Prior - a white supremacist who said that the racially aggravated rape of a Sikh woman was good, white people are the “master race”, Black people have smaller brains and Muslims are “rats”.

Reform’s rise is alarming to many, particularly Black and Asian communities, because of what the party represents.

This comes amid a wider backdrop of rising hate crime, anti-immigrant rhetoric, religiously motivated attacks and the growing normalisation of far-right politics not just in Britain, but across parts of Europe and the wider West.

Meanwhile, Labour suffered a seismic collapse, recording one of its worst local election performances in modern history.

The fallout has been so severe that dozens of Labour MPs are now openly calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign or announce a timetable for his departure.

The Conservatives also endured heavy losses, reflecting growing public dissatisfaction with Britain’s traditional two-party system.

The Green Party made historic breakthroughs, taking control of councils including Lewisham, Hackney and Waltham Forest, while continuing to attract support from younger and more progressive voters.

In Hackney, the Greens are also set to appoint Dylan Law as Deputy Mayor, a move that would make the 20-year-old Black student one of the youngest people in the country to hold such a position.

Of course, many are questioning the Green Party’s track record on race and commitment to Black communities, as we recently revealed, and Green leader Zack Polanski’s pretty promise to have Black people’s back isn’t going to cut it.

Summarising why some Black voters are increasingly engaging with the Greens without fully abandoning Labour, renowned journalist Lester Holloway wrote: “Our community’s marriage to the Labour Party has never been a blissful union”, arguing that the alternatives still feel uncertain. We agree.

As this newsletter is being sent, some election counts are still ongoing.

But the broader picture is already becoming clear: Britain’s political landscape is shifting and, for many communities, there is uncertainty about what comes next.

Keep reading for your regular news round-up!

Good news

• Mentivity House launches on Aylesbury Estate with focus on youth support

• England rugby captain Maro Itoje launches drive to donate unused trainers to people who lack suitable footwear for exercise

• City Splash and other major Brockwell Park festivals will go ahead after a High Court judge dismissed a legal attempt to stop them

• Leeds unveils memorial garden to honour Caribbean RAF veterans from WWII

• Google settles Black employees’ racial bias lawsuit for $50 million

• British-Ghanaian artist Tanoa Sasraku has been shortlisted for the prestigious Turner Prize 2026; her work explores geopolitical themes through sculpture and film

• Remi Burgz wins prize at the Music Week Awards 2026 for her BBC Radio 1Xtra programme

• Ethiopian woman’s joy at rare quintuplets after 12 years trying for a baby

Telegraph criticised over ‘smear’ of Southbank chair Misan Harriman after Golders Green comments

The Telegraph is facing criticism after accusing Southbank Centre chair of promoting a “conspiracy theory” when he questioned disparities in media and police coverage surrounding the Golders Green attacks.

Supporters say Misan raised a legitimate point after reports largely focused on two Jewish victims, despite charges also relating to an alleged earlier attack on a Muslim man the same day.

Since publication, figures including Hirsch, Femi Oluwole, Mehdi Hasan, Sangita Myska and Nels Abbey have rallied behind Misan, alongside outlets including The Voice Newspaper and .

Campaign launched to preserve portrait of John Ystumllyn, one of Britain’s earliest known Black gardeners

A rare portrait of John Ystumllyn, believed to be the earliest known image of a Black gardener in British history, could be lost from public access unless £420,000 is raised to secure it for the nation.

The painting would become part of a permanent display on Black gardening history at the Garden Museum.

The museum told Black Current News that the portrait is currently in private ownership. Support details are here.

Antigua drops oath to King Charles after landslide election win

Antigua and Barbuda has officially scrapped its oath of allegiance to the British monarch, with officials now pledging loyalty only to the nation, constitution and laws.

The move, introduced after Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s latest election victory, is likely to reignite wider Caribbean debates around sovereignty, identity and ties to the Crown.

Welcome, Davina!

We’re proud to welcome award-winning journalist and author Davina Hamilton as Culture and Lifestyle Editor for Black Current News’ commemorative print magazine, out this summer.

Formerly Arts & Entertainment Editor at The Voice, Davina has interviewed icons from Maya Angelou to Idris Elba and remains one of the most respected cultural voices in Black British media.

Pre-order your copy of the magazine here! 💫

What else we’re reading

• UK Black Pride cancel 2026 festival as organisers promise ‘landmark return’ in 2027

• ‘Watching us is like watching a cousin’: the online creators reshaping Africa’s news ecosphere

• Sky News presenter Gillian Joseph begins Scotland trek to raise awareness of blood cancer affecting Black people

• Stepmum ‘burned girl, 5, in hot bath’ after ‘years of abuse’ in South London, court hears

• Family pay tribute after Keanu Taylor, 25, killed in Brixton BBQ shooting

• ‘I’m here for the people, not for politics’ | Michael Pusey on Croydon local election mayoral bid

• Lawsuit claims New York Times didn’t promote white male editor because of race or sex

• Sgt Martyn Blake, the Metropolitan Police marksman who shot and killed Chris Kaba, is expected to know by the end of July whether he will have to face gross misconduct proceedings

• Who was he? Appeal issued to trace mystery ‘Redemption Man’ as podcast uncovers a hidden Windrush-era story

Amnesty Media Awards 2026

This week, our editor Nadine White also had the privilege of presenting an award at the Amnesty Media Awards at BFI Southbank, having once again served as a judge in the Written News category.

Congratulations again to Christina Lamb and The Sunday Times for winning with their reporting piece, Syria Returns to Bloodshed!

Check out Nadine’s Instagram page for some highlights.

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We’re back after a short break. It’s a bumper edition, as anticipated!

Firstly: we want to acknowledge the victims of the Golders Green and Great Dover Street attacks, carried out by Essa Suleiman. Our thoughts are with the Jewish community and everyone affected, including Black communities.

One of the victims is a British-Somali man, Ishmail Hussein, understood to be a friend of Essa’s. His name has not featured prominently in much of the reporting around the incident.

Essa is Black. When a Black perpetrator commits a heinous crime, many Black people worry about how they will be perceived and treated, as cases like this can be used to stereotype Black communities and fuel discrimination.

Revelations of Essa’s mental illness raise difficult but necessary questions, reflecting other violent incidents involving vulnerable Black male perpetrators. These conversations need care, context and empathy, not knee-jerk reactions.

Quick one: magazine pre-orders are flying, so if you’ve been meaning to grab a copy, now’s the time. If you value this work, subscribe to our digital platform to help us keep building and join a growing community of thousands.

Keep scrolling for more. One love!

Good news

• Afrori, the UK’s largest supplier of Black books, avoids threat of imminent closure after 1,000 sales target surpassed

• Ife Thompson wins Rising Star Barrister 2026 at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards

• UK rap star Konan launches awards to back emerging artists

• Gary Younge named chair of top UK book prize

• Alex Wheatle Day launched to honour late ‘Brixton Bard’ and uplift young Black storytellers

• Dawn Penn’s “You Don’t Love Me” (No, No, No) certified platinum in the UK, reportedly becoming highest-certified solo reggae song by a female artist

• Over The Top Under The Radar, a leading news podcast hosted by Carys Afoko, celebrated in Spotify campaign

Essa Suleiman: Golders Green stabbing suspect was under mental health care at time of attack, court hears

A man accused of stabbing two Jewish men and a Black Muslim man in north London was under mental health care and living in supported accommodation at the time, a court heard.

Essa Suleiman, 45, faces multiple attempted murder charges after the attacks in Golders Green, which were initially declared by the police as terrorism for reasons that are, frankly, unclear.

He has been remanded in custody and is due at the Old Bailey on 15 May.

What does the new Renters’ Rights Act mean for Black people?

From yesterday (1 May), the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 marks the biggest shake-up of the UK rental sector in a generation, introducing new rights for tenants and rules for landlords.

For Black renters, who are more likely to rent privately and face discrimination, the changes carry particular weight. We break it down here in the latest of our ‘Make It Make Sense’ explainer series.

Right-wing commentator launches legal claim over Black-focused internship scheme after being unable to apply

GB News commentator Sophie Corcoran is taking legal action after being unable to access a scheme for Black people run by the 10,000 Interns Foundation with the Bar Council.

She claims the programme unlawfully restricts applicants by race, saying she was “shocked” it was limited to certain backgrounds, despite longstanding underrepresentation of Black people in the judiciary.

The Bar Council denies wrongdoing and says it will contest the claim, with this summer’s internships still set to go ahead. The scheme is aimed at improving access for those from backgrounds that have historically had limited entry into these professions, particularly Black students and graduates.

Local election uproar as Starmer’s niece ‘parachuted into safe Croydon seat’ - while popular Black women councillors blocked

Two Black councillors in Croydon, Eunice O’Dame and Enid Mollyneux, have reportedly been prevented from standing again in a safe Labour ward, Inside Croydon has revealed.

Their exclusion, as Keir Starmer’s niece is selected instead, is fuelling concerns about transparency and race within the party.

Man jailed for beating Black pensioner, aged 79, to death in a “savage and unprovoked attack”

Phillip Fraczek has been jailed for life after beating 79-year-old retired seafarer Franklin Agbotui to death in a “savage and unprovoked” attack in east London.

Mr Franklin died days after the assault in his West Ham flat, with his family remembering him as a kind and respected member of the community.

What else we’re reading

• Sophinia Bertrand, who died after being found with head injuries in Fulham, named and pictured for the first time

• Black women ‘face UK’s toughest workplace barriers’

• Black and ethnic minority workers face ‘shocking’ increase in explicit racism, union reveals

• Councillor Marsie Skeete, former Mayor of Merton, dies

• Britain ‘stole 25 million years’ of life through slavery, report finds

• DJ AG teams up with UK music college to offer funded degree for artists - as he faces backlash for defending Charlie Sloth’s “digital blackface” and blasphemy”

• Bristol launches summer of activist events to become UK civil rights capital

• Racism-linked stress may explain why Black women more likely to die in childbirth, study finds

• Sabastian Sawe breaks marathon record as first man to complete London run in under two hours

• Tony Cesay, British national champion boxer, dies aged 58

• Black children almost 8x more likely to be strip-searched by police, report finds

• Channel 5 and ITN reach settlement with Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije ahead of tribunal over discrimination claims

• Former X-Factor finalist Gabrielle Carrington faces murder charge after influencer Klaudiaglam hit by car in Soho

• Wolverhampton solicitor, 28, died from sepsis after plastic surgery in Turkey

• Black beauty queen who represented South Africa at Miss World during apartheid dies aged 76

• ‘African tribe’ leader deported from UK after eviction from Scottish woods

• Widow died in Ghana crash after losing up to £1m in romance frauds, inquest hears

Canada was lovely! 🇨🇦

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago: we took a short trip to Canada and it offered a rare moment to pause.

There was still some work in the mix, but having the space to reset ahead of what’s shaping up to be a busy few months made all the difference. Toronto, in particular, was a joy. A reminder we’re holding onto: there is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. You need both!

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Dear readers,

How are you?

This week’s news moves between progress, scrutiny and the stories in between.

As always, we’ve brought together the key headlines, along with moments of recognition and good news, to give you a clear picture of what’s shaping the week.

There will be no newsletter next week as we’re travelling to Canada, but we’ll be back the following week with a bumper edition.

Good news

• Jeriah Boateng received the Joe Thompson Legacy Award, recognising people in football who have overcome adversity, at this year’s Football Black List

• Landmark exhibition showcasing 125 years of Black British music opens at V&A East

• Merlita Bryan sworn in as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire

• Dr Jeffery Quaye lands CEO role at Arco Academy, an independent sports-specialist school in London designed for students aged 11–16

• Elderly couple jailed after racial abuse video goes viral

'Cancer care gap': NHS adds gene test to reduce chemo risks for Black patients

Routine NHS genetic testing for chemotherapy has been expanded to include a gene variant more commonly found in Black patients, aiming to reduce harmful side effects. The move addresses a longstanding gap, as previous testing focused largely on variants found in white populations, leaving Black patients at higher risk.

Anti-Islam influencer granted UK travel approval, fuelling disparity claims after Kanye West's refusal over antisemitic remarks

Valentina Gomez, a US far-right influencer known for anti-Islam and anti-Black rhetoric, has been granted UK travel approval ahead of a planned London rally. The move has sparked backlash, with critics pointing to Kanye West’s recent visa refusal and the subsequent cancellation of Wireless Festival, which he was set to headline, as evidence of inconsistent enforcement. Organisations, including Muslim Women UK and MPs such as Ayoub Khan, have urged the Home Office to intervene and bar Gomez from entering the UK altogether.

Nursery worker sentenced to just 3 years over killing of Black toddler restrained to sleep

A nursery worker has been jailed for just three years after the death of 14-month-old Noah Sibanda, who died after being restrained face down while staff tried to force him to sleep. CCTV showed the toddler pinned and left unchecked for hours, with his mother saying he died “alone, scared and in pain”.

Tau Kleio Rodriguez-Fairplay: High alert issued for British girl missing in Jamaica

A six-year-old British girl, Tau Kleio Rodriguez-Fairplay, has been reported missing in Jamaica after being taken there by a parent, with police issuing a high alert. The child was reportedly abducted in February 2025 from her home in the UK by her other parent, Athena Belle-Fairplay, and taken to Jamaica.

King’s College London accused of stripping Black student of First Class degree days before graduation - without warning

A former King’s College London student says her First Class degree was downgraded to a 2:1 just days before graduation, leaving her unable to graduate nearly two years later. Ceana Agbro claims the decision relied on a hidden peer review system she could not access or challenge, and is now crowdfunding for a Judicial Review.

What else we’re reading

• More than half of Windrush compensation claims rejected by Home Office, report finds

• French man, aged in his 80s, becomes country’s first to apologise for family’s role in slavery

• Green Party and Reform UK urged to cut ties with London candidates over racist posts

• Ernie Smith, beloved Jamaican singer, has died

• Zimbabwe’s iconic stone birds were taken by colonialists. Finally, they’re all back home

• NHS nurse wins payout after suspension over trans patient row

• Sharon Osbourne plans to attend Tommy Robinson’s anti-immigration march after past racism row

• Why are Harvard’s slavery researchers quitting or being fired?

• Badenoch calls for Axel Rudakubana’s parents to be deported after damning Southport attack report

• ‘I’m in remission for the first time due to new cancer drug’

• After years of homelessness and addiction, man turns his life around to help others

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Sade, Luther Vandross, Fela Kuti and Wu-Tang Clan among 2026 inductees

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Hi everyone,

Happy Saturday. How’s it going?

Here are some stories that are definitely worth your attention this week. Real wins, key issues, serious developments and moments that hit close to home.

As always, we’ve pulled together the moments shaping Black life right now, in Britain and beyond.

Keep scrolling!

Good news

• Bahrain Mujagata, thought to be the city's youngest licensed taxi driver, was awarded his badge on his 21st birthday

• Adeyinka Adedeji appointed as a District Judge, serving in the South Eastern Circuit, based at Willesden County Court, effective from 5 May 2026

• Caroline Dubois becomes unified WBO and WBC world lightweight boxing champion

• Artemis II: Victor Glover returns from landmark lunar orbit as first Black astronaut to travel to the Moon

• Ghana announces visa-free entry for Africans

Six-year-old girl saves mum’s life after dialling 999 during brain bleed

A six-year-old in Croydon called Pearl has been honoured after calmly calling 999 when her mum collapsed with a life-threatening brain bleed. Emergency crews said her quick thinking and clear instructions helped save her mother’s life, with the child later saying she acted “because I really love my mum”.

Brixton Plaza traders win High Court fight to stop eviction

A group of 27 independent traders have secured an injunction blocking their eviction to make way for a supermarket. Through representation by Leigh Day, the ruling means they can continue trading for now, as a legal battle over their tenancy rights continues.

UK to introduce anti-racism training for midwives amid Black maternal health crisis

New national principles will require universities to embed anti-racism and bias awareness into midwifery training across the UK. It comes as Black women remain three times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth compared to white women.

Britain’s first Black ballerina has historic shoes restored on TV

Trailblazing dancer Julie Felix has had her pointe shoes restored decades after being excluded from a London ballet company due to racism. The shoes date back to her first professional solo; she went on to build a career in the US before returning to teach in the UK.

What else we’re reading

• Remembering the Brixton Uprising of 1981, 45 years on

• Black food business owner convicted after storing fish in bathtub beside toilet

• ‘I dropped my baby off at nursery – within hours staff caused his death’

• BAFTA apologises and says its handling of n-word awards incident is not evidence of institutional racism after review

• Afrika Bambaataa, hip-hop pioneer accused of sexual abuse, dead at 68

• UK issues Kanye West travel ban over antisemitism, leading to festival cancellation

• Politics of Black hair: why grooming rules are under scrutiny across the diaspora

• Reform UK says it would restrict visas for countries like Jamaica and Ghana over slavery reparations

• Sadiq Khan spends £30m on late-night youth clubs in bid to prevent repeat of Clapham disorder

• Leader of UK flag-raising group arrested on suspicion of causing alarm and distress

• Teenager charged with murder after boy, 14, shot dead in London

• ‘Is calling a woman ‘auntie’ ageist harassment – or a mark of respect? It’s a trickier question than you think’ | Lola Okolosie

TikTok star Khadejah Sutherland, 26, dies after documenting stage four cancer journey

Khadejah, a popular TikTok creator who documented her cancer journey, has died aged 26 after being hospitalised. Swipe left for a statement from her team.

The Birmingham native had been living with stage four cancer since 22, which spread from her breasts to her liver and stomach.

She recently fell seriously ill after a trip to Japan and was flown back to the UK, later sharing that doctors found internal bleeding and urgent surgery was needed.

Her journey drew huge support, raising over £21,000, with many now paying tribute to her honesty and strength.

We’re thinking of Khadejah’s loved ones at this time. May she rest in peace. 🙏🏾

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Hi everyone,

How are you keeping?! Just like that, the first quarter of 2026 is done and we’re back with your weekly news round-up.

Over the weekend, organisers say around half a million people took to the streets in central London for a mass protest against far-right politics.

The Together Alliance rally, described as a stand against the “politics of division”, saw crowds march through the capital before speeches in Whitehall, including a video message from Sadiq Khan, and a music event in Trafalgar Square.

Let’s go!

Good news

• Government commits to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers

• Michael Walsh appointed as King’s Counsel in latest round of senior barrister honours

• Mystery donor steps in with £80k to save Black-owned music school in South London. The Music Boutique was founded 30 years ago by James Osho

• Mel Thomas appointed Leicestershire’s first Black High Sheriff after decades of service

‘Enslaving Africans wasn’t illegal at the time, so no reparations owed,’ Britain says as it abstains on UN vote

The UK has been criticised for abstaining from a UN vote recognising slavery as the gravest crime against humanity, arguing there is “no duty” to pay reparations because it was not illegal at the time.

According to YouGov polling, almost half of white Britons strongly opposing reparations, while a majority of Black Britons strongly support them, exposing a stark gap in how the issue is understood and experienced.

Notting Hill Carnival secures £5m boost ahead of 60th anniversary

Notting Hill Carnival has secured £4.66m in funding to strengthen safety and support the event as it rings in 60 years of celebrating Caribbean culture. Organisers say the investment will help deliver a “safe, spectacular and sustainable” carnival while easing pressure on police and infrastructure.

Black writers’ books pulled from UK school library amid censorship row as author speaks out

Nova Reid, an author whose work was reportedly removed from a school library, has spoken out, warning that the targeting of books by Black writers risks fuelling “cultural ignorance” and erasing vital perspectives.

Michael Pusey, also known as CK Flash, launches bid to become Croydon mayor

Michael Pusey, also known as DJ CK Flash, has launched a bid to become Mayor of Croydon, pledging to focus on opportunity, local enterprise and youth empowerment.

Standing for the Taking The Initiative Party, he says he will invest in people and businesses to unlock the borough’s “potential, creativity and resilience” ahead of the May 2026 election.

What else we’re reading

• NHS worker wins harassment case after Ghanaian colleague repeatedly called her ‘auntie’

• Nursery in Dudley admits corporate manslaughter after toddler suffocates to death

• Police officer handed written warning over use of force in arrest of Black children

• Changes at the General Medical Council are expected to result in more doctors accused of racism on social media being struck off

• John Boyega to appear in BBC Damilola Taylor documentary

• Lupus patient says hospital ‘mistake’ left him with severe skin-peeling condition

• MOBO Awards 2026: All the stars and celebs spotted at huge event in Manchester

• Housing estate faces High Court action over claims residents were left “to rot” in squalor

• Lenny Henry slams Trump in fiery speech as he receives huge award

• Famous English diarist Samuel Pepys removed parts of his correspondence to hide that he had been offered an enslaved boy as a bribe, research suggests

Pressing Forward: new study charts 25 years of Black British media

Authored by Nadine White and developed by Brixton Heights Media, Pressing Forward examines the Black British press in modern times.

Featuring a foreword by Professor , the study offers a vital historical record of Black British media’s impact at a time when representation remains key and sets out a blueprint for what comes next. Copies can be accessed here.

Ashley John-Baptiste’s campaign helps secure siblings’ rights in care

New legislation strengthening children’s rights to stay connected with their siblings in care has been announced, following years of campaigning led by broadcaster Ashley John-Baptiste.

Ashley, who is of mixed Black and white heritage, grew up in care.

His BBC documentary, Split Up In Care: Life without Siblings, helped drive national attention to the issue, with campaigners saying the change is long overdue.

Out & about!

Our founder Nadine White recently joined BBC Radio presenter Kamilah McInnis to discuss the work behind Black Current News and the importance of centring Black British stories in the media. The conversation also touched on our reporting on the death of Irene Dzifa King Arthur and wider systemic failings in healthcare. Listen here!

Nadine also guest-wrote an article on the rise of ‘political homelessness’ among Black communities for - one of the UK’s leading current affairs magazines. Read here.

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Dear readers,

Welcome back to our weekly news round-up, where we track the stories, voices and debates shaping Black Britain and the wider diaspora.

Here’s what caught our attention this week!

Good news

• Chimdinma Nwaigwe, the youngest and first Nigerian president of the Leicestershire Law Society, reflects on qualifying as a solicitor while pregnant and working full-time

• Marsha Blake appointed CEO of St Basils, charity helping young people at risk of homelessness

• Ebruba Abel-Unokan has been appointed Commissioning Editor at Simon & Schuster UK’s literary imprint Scribner

• Laverne Thomas has joined The Film and TV Charity as Chief Operating Officer

• Hereditary peers to be removed from Lords as bill passes

London rapper Fekky on swapping the ends for a farm in country

Lewisham-born rapper Fekky has traded city life for a farm in Cambridgeshire, where he now keeps chickens and grows his own food. The artist is documenting the journey in his YouTube series Hood 2 Farm. He hopes the project will inspire more young people from urban backgrounds to connect with nature and rural life. The series follows him travelling across the UK, learning farming skills from experienced farmers.

Black residents up to 48 times more likely to be stopped and searched in richest parts of London

Black people are up to 48 times more likely than white residents to be stopped and searched by police in some London neighbourhoods, analysis of more than 150,000 stops has found. The starkest disparities were recorded in areas including Richmond-upon-Thames, Dulwich Village and Hampstead. Researchers also found the grounds used to justify stops of Black individuals were often weaker or vague, with officers citing reasons such as a “furtive glance.”

Jury trial restriction bill clears first hurdle amid legal backlash

MPs have voted to advance controversial plans that could limit jury trials in England and Wales, allowing some cases to be decided by a single judge. Lawyers later marched on Westminster this week in protest. Black Current News has also examined concerns that the changes could disproportionately affect Black communities. The bill now moves to committee scrutiny, where MPs will examine it line by line and push for possible amendments.

Student Tory leader removed after alleged racist remark about Kemi Badenoch

A university Conservative society leader has been removed after allegedly telling others that party leader Kemi Badenoch should “go back to the tribe in Africa that she came from”. Witnesses say the comment was made during a student political debate in London.

UK museums hold more than 260,000 human remains from overseas, investigation finds

An investigation has revealed UK museums and universities hold more than 260,000 items of human remains from around the world, with many taken during the colonial era. The findings come as descendants of Zimbabwean anti-colonial resistance leaders call on Britain to locate and return the skulls of their ancestors.

Pioneering Grime MC and producer Dot Rotten dies, aged 37

Grime MC and producer Dot Rotten, real name Joseph Ellis-Stevenson, has died aged 37. The South London artist was a key figure in grime’s early era, known for sharp lyricism and production that helped shape the genre’s sound. Tributes from fans and fellow artists have been pouring in, though details surrounding his death have not yet been widely confirmed. News coverage of Dot Rotten’s passing sparked criticism after outlets including the Daily Mail mistakenly used another rapper’s photo (Saskilla).

What else we’re reading

• Exclusive | ‘Foxes before Mary Seacole’: Bank of England accused of ducking diversity over banknote changes

• Mother given wrong antibiotics died from sepsis

• Edna Ombakho: Body found in Berkshire water believed to be Black woman reported missing weeks ago

• ‘Who decides what’s news these days? For all the diversity talk, it certainly isn’t Black journalists’ | Omega Douglas

• Labour in ‘deep trouble’ with Black voters, Operation Black Vote chair warns

• Leone Ross: ‘I was ignorant about racism in Britain’

• Nationals from St Lucia now require a visa to enter Britain

• Schoolgirl, 12, dies after bus stop fight as mother finds her unresponsive

• King Charles III hosts a reception to celebrate the Nigerian disapora in the UK

Our founder signs book deal with Jacaranda Books

Nadine White has signed a deal with Jacaranda Books for her debut non-fiction title Unclaimed Lullabies: The Barrel Children Story. The book will explore the emotional and historical legacy of Caribbean migration and family separation, centring the experiences of so-called “Barrel Children”. Publication is scheduled for 2027.

Out and about!

Yesterday, we attended an invitation-only gathering at Apple in Battersea Power Station, the brand’s UK headquarters, marking 20 years of the PRECIOUS Awards, which celebrate outstanding achievements by women of colour in the UK. Our founder Nadine, who won the Social Impact award in 2021, was among a select group of past winners invited back for the milestone. Hosted by founder Foluke Akinlose MBE, the event brought together alumni and partners to reflect on two decades of impact. Beautiful scenes!

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Hi everyone,

From a reversal over a vital sickle cell service in London and warnings of “apartheid” in British TV newsrooms, to a viral debate about Jamaican accents and a man dying after a tooth infection in a US immigration detention facility, it’s been a busy week across Black news, culture and politics.

We’re also reflecting on the 45th anniversary of the Black People’s Day of Action, one of the most significant protests in modern Black British history.

Here’s what you may have missed.

Good news

• Royal London sickle cell unit to reopen after no Equality Impact Assessment found

• World Book Day gift to Manchester primary school pupils aims to inspire a new generation of Black heritage blood donors

• Nala’s Baby, a Black-owned skincare company for infants, has announced a collaboration with PAW Patrol, the number one pre-school franchise in the UK and globally

• Red vs Blue school violence fails to materialise as Croydon stands united

• Idris Elba, Stormzy and Kanya King among 100 most influential British-Ghanaians honoured in UK Parliament

• Coldr CEO Kamiqua Lake featured in the 2026 PRWeek UK PowerBook - an extensive list of the most influential and respected comms professionals in the UK

1) What a viral speech in Ireland reveals about colonial history and Caribbean English

A viral speech by Irish politician Thomas Gould has reignited claims that the Jamaican accent has Irish roots. Linguists say the reality is more complex: Jamaican speech was shaped mainly by regional English dialects brought to the Caribbean during the colonial era, rather than large numbers of Irish settlers. The renewed debate highlights how myths about language, empire and identity continue to circulate online. Our founder Nadine White wrote this for the Guardian.

2) Black women left unprepared for menopause, first UK-wide survey finds

Black women are often entering menopause feeling unprepared, with new UK research finding nearly 9 in 10 received no education about it at school. Many said stigma, lack of information and poor experiences with healthcare left them struggling to understand symptoms and access support. Researchers say the findings highlight the need for culturally competent menopause care and education tailored to Black women. The full report by UCL academic Prof Joyce Harper can be accessed here.

3) Lewis Hamilton calls for African unity, says leaders should “take it back” from former colonial powers including the British

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton called for greater unity among African nations, saying the continent should have more control over its resources and future. While these comments have been praised by socially conscious members of society, sections of the right-wing press are in their feelings with one outlet calling for him to return his knighthood or "stay in his lane".

4) Hackney teenager honoured for his incredible writing talents in House of Lords

Hackney teenager Romeo Bremmer has been honoured in the House of Lords for his writing achievements and community work. The young author has written nine books and helped around 60 Windrush elders document their life stories. He received the British Citizen Youth Award medal recognising young people making a positive impact across the UK. Read Sinai Fleary’s report here.

5) Comedian Junior Simpson forced to retire aged 62 after dementia diagnosis as £25K raised for care

Renowned actor and stand-up comedian Junior Simpson has stepped away from performing after being diagnosed with vascular dementia at the age of 62. The British comic, known for roles in Death in Paradise and Love Actually, had suffered a number of strokes in recent years. Friends, fans and fellow comedians have since raised over £25,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to help support him and his family with care and day-to-day costs.

What else we’re reading

• Rapper Ghetts sentenced to 12 years after causing student’s death in hit and run

• Black and Asian journalists in UK TV newsrooms ‘facing backlash from white colleagues after 2020 anti-racism movement’, report finds

• ‘Did I just hear what I thought I heard?’: Sinners’ Delroy Lindo on Bafta N-word controversy

• British woman who reported rape in Hong Kong faces 7 years in jail after conviction

• A creative centre to help disadvantaged young adults secure long-term employment is being built in west London in honour of the late music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards

• Spiritual abuse and immigration abuse have been included in prosecution guidance for the first time to help prosecutors tackle emerging harmful practices

• Haitian man dies from tooth infection while detained in US ICE facility, family says

• Most Reform members believe non-white UK citizens born abroad should be forced or encouraged to leave, poll finds

• ‘Muslim women are not afraid to be seen’ - the power of the printed hijab

This week marks 45 years since the Black People’s Day of Action, when around 20,000 people marched through London in 1981 following the New Cross fire that killed 13 young Black people.

The march became a defining moment in Black British history, as communities demanded justice, dignity and recognition in the face of grief and anger.

In this short documentary directed by our founder, Nadine, for HuffPost UK in 2020, June Thompson, who helped organise the march, reflects on demonstrating with thousands of others. We also hear from Wayne Haynes, a survivor of the New Cross fire, and Joshua Anthony, whose uncle Peter Campbell, aged 18, died in the blaze. Joshua grew up watching his grandmother campaign tirelessly for justice on behalf of her son.

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Professor Patrick Vernon among UK figures elected to Global Jamaica Diaspora Council

Patrick Vernon OBE and Abigail Brady Rhoden have been elected to the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council and Youth Council representing the UK South.

Marcus Humphrey will serve as the UK North representative, while Reccarnei Phillipson has been elected as Youth Council representative for the Northern region.

The appointments form part of Jamaica’s global diaspora governance structure, bringing together representatives from across the UK to support engagement between Jamaica and its overseas communities. We broke down the council’s aim a few weeks ago here.

A new survey aims to document the “often under-recognised” contributions of the UK Jamaican diaspora to Jamaica’s development and disaster response.

Individuals, churches, businesses and community groups are invited to register their interest in participating. Sign up here.

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Joe Appiah says sanitary bins in men’s toilets would have helped him feel more confident leaving the house after prostate cancer treatment left him incontinent.

The charity Prostate Cancer UK is calling for sanitary bins to be made mandatory in men’s toilets, saying many men rely on sanitary pads after treatment but often have nowhere discreet to dispose of them in public spaces.

The campaign also comes as campaigners continue to highlight stark racial disparities in the disease. Black men are around twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as white men.

Read more about the Boys Need Bins campaign.

Got a news tip or story idea? Submit it via this form. Reader feedback and corrections are welcomed separately here.

Good evening everyone,

Can you believe we’re already nearing the end of the first quarter of 2026? Time is flying.

We’re back with your weekly round-up of news from within and around Black communities.

It’s another full edition. The week began on a hectic note with the BAFTA n-word debacle and, as the days unfolded, further revelations came to light.

We’ve also learned that modern slavery cases are rising across the UK.

In other news, Black Current News was recognised with a ‘Writing Excellence’ award this week, officially making us an award-winning independent platform.

Scroll through to catch up on what you may have missed. We’ve welcomed a surge of new subscribers in recent days, so to those joining us: welcome.

And to all of you: thank you for backing independent, Black-owned media.

‘Til next time!

Good news

• Five Black scholars now working in Formula 1 teams as Lewis Hamilton-backed scheme expands

• Dr Giovannie Jean-Louis launches app aimed at increasing Black participation in medical research, as reported by Black Things UK

• Eastern Caribbean currency to replace Queen’s image by 2027

• Guardian announces Leah Green as head of Guardian Studios

• Over £13,000 raised in community appeal after child’s custom wheelchair stolen from “secure” London garage

• Lilly Koranteng, a Black communications specialist, has been selected for UN Women global gender equality summit

BAFTA n-word debacle

This year’s BAFTA ceremony was rocked after the n-word was shouted at actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo on Sunday, sparking widespread backlash.

Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson made the involuntary outburst while the pair presented the first award. The slur was reportedly shouted at least three times, including at production designer Hannah Beachler. Davidson told Variety that the BBC should have “worked harder” to prevent his words from being broadcast and questioned why he was seated near a live microphone.

Warner Bros executives reportedly asked BAFTA to have the incident removed from the BBC’s time-delayed broadcast, but their concerns were ignored.

Black communities raised concerns about duty of care. Black Current News first reported that BAFTA judge Jonte Richardson stepped down and that Google apologised after a push notification displayed the slur in full.

Our founder Nadine White spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Gloucestershire - and wrote an op-ed in the Guardian examining what the episode reveals about race in Britain.

The BBC has since launched a fast-track investigation, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calling the broadcast “completely unacceptable and harmful”.

Family of Henrietta Lacks, an African heritage woman, secures settlement over ‘stolen’ cells

The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black mother whose cervical cells were taken without consent in 1951 and used to transform modern medicine, has reached a second settlement with a biotech firm. Her “immortal” HeLa cells led to breakthroughs including the polio vaccine and advances in cancer and HIV research - and were distributed to laboratories worldwide, including in the UK.

Exclusive | Police investigate alleged ambush on Black teen as mum says school ignored plea for help

West Midlands Police say they are investigating a “disorder involving a number of teenagers” in Willenhall, West Midlands, which resulted in a Black boy being injured on 23 January 2026. Officers told Black Current News they are reviewing mobile phone footage and CCTV. However, the child’s mother maintains that neither the police nor school are taking the incident seriously.

Racism and ‘poor’ staff relationships factors in maternity care failings, report finds

An interim government-commissioned review has found maternity services in England are failing “too many” families, with problems at every stage of care. Baroness Amos identified racism, poor staff relationships, capacity pressures, and a lack of accountability among six key factors. Black and Asian women were found to face higher risks of adverse outcomes, with families describing trauma, discrimination and inconsistent care.

Government to review racial bias risks as jury trials face axe in major court shake-up

The UK government will review whether replacing juries with judge-only trials increases racial bias, as part of sweeping court reforms aimed at tackling the record criminal case backlog. The move follows concerns that axing juries for thousands of cases could disproportionately impact Black defendants, who previous findings showed had greater confidence in jury trials. Read our explainer here.

What else we’re reading

• Modern slavery reports in London have risen by almost 10% in a year

• Antiques auction selling neck shackles accused of ‘profiting from slavery’

• Drop in overseas workers is ‘car crash’ for UK hospitals and care homes, say experts

• Met police to pilot facial recognition identity checks, mayor confirms, while critics brand move ‘alarming’

• Man charged after Churchill statue daubed with “Zionist war criminal” graffiti in Parliament Square

• British woman who reported rape in Hong Kong may face prison

• Jamaica’s PM Holness raises concern over 24% decline in Jamaica’s birth rate

• ‘She isn’t sorry’: is anyone rooting for Tyra Banks now? Eight things you need to know

Sickle Cell Society exhibition returns

Our Journey, Our Story: History and Memory of Sickle Cell Anaemia in Britain 1950 - 2020 returns.

Originally launched at Black Cultural Archives in 2021, the exhibition continues to share the history and lived experiences behind sickle cell advocacy in Britain.

Black Current News is now an award-winning independent news platform

On Wednesday, 25 February 2025, Black Current News became an award-winning independent news platform after founder Nadine White won the Writing Excellence award at the UK Black Comms Network Trailblazer Awards, held at Kindred in West London.

The award recognises excellence in communications and storytelling, acknowledging Nadine’s work launching and leading Black Current News, alongside 14 years of holding power to account and journalism centring Black stories in Britain.

The evening brought together leaders across media and communications. For us, the recognition marks an important milestone in our early growth and affirms the demand for independent, Black-led journalism rooted in clarity and accountability.

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Dear readers,

There’s movement everywhere right now, as always.

From cultural honours and community wins to goodbyes, health updates and hard-hitting investigations, this week’s round-up reflects the breadth of what’s shaping Black Britain and beyond.

Based on your feedback, we’ll be trialling Saturday editions for a while. Many of you told us that a weekend dispatch gives you more time to sit with the stories, scroll properly and engage without the rush of the working week, hustle or bustle. We hear you!

We also spent some time in Derby this week working on a heritage project, which was cute. More on that below.

As always, thank you for reading, sharing and backing independent Black-led journalism.

We’re building a record of Britain out here.

Good news

• Online influencer Simply Sayo says her sister Becky is now sickle cell free following a sibling bone marrow transplant in December, after Sayo donated her stem cells for the procedure

• Abeola Johnson started her own skincare line, Derma Warrior, after an eczema battle

• Sinners actress Wunmi Mosaku won the Spotlight Artist Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival’s UK & Ireland Honours

• Sir Lenny Henry supports Jamaica’s recovery after Hurricane Melissa

• Ghana’s first female High Commissioner to the UK, H.E. Sabah Zita Benson, celebrated at London event

• Author Pamela R Haynes shortlisted as finalist for the 2026 International Women’s Awards by Divas of Colour

Remembering Jesse Jackson: the civil rights giant who stood with Black Britain

Earlier this week, many of us were saddened to hear that US civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson died. He was 84 years old.

Beyond his decades of campaigning in the United States, Jackson was a consistent presence in Black British political life.

From anti-apartheid protests in Trafalgar Square alongside Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant in 1985, to supporting Operation Black Vote, backing events that led to the launch of Black History Month in Britain and attending the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square, to name a few examples, he repeatedly travelled to the UK to stand in solidarity with Black communities that faced structural inequalities.

I was honoured to pay tribute to Rev Jackson in the Guardian; his message to “keep hope alive” resonated on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mona Hammond, pioneering Jamaican-British actress, honoured with RADA and Talawa lecture series

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Talawa Theatre Company have announced the Mona Hammond Lecture Series, launching in September 2026.

Ms Mona, who died in 2022 aged 91, enjoyed a remarkable 50-year career, with roles ranging from Blossom Jackson in EastEnders to ‘Aunty Susu’ in the beloved sitcom Desmond’s.

A RADA graduate and co-founder of Talawa, she helped shape Black British theatre as we know it.

The three-year lecture series will address key industry issues while marking RADA’s 120th anniversary and Talawa’s 40th, Marcus Ryder, RADA’s chair, wrote online.

Free blood pressure checks launched as Black communities face higher hypertension risk

Free NHS blood pressure checks are now available at more than 350 Tesco pharmacies across the UK, as part of a partnership with the British Heart Foundation.

High blood pressure often has no obvious symptoms, yet up to five million adults in the UK may be living with it undiagnosed.

Given that Black communities face a higher risk of hypertension and related conditions such as stroke and kidney disease, knowing your numbers could be one of the simplest but most important steps you take this year.

Inventors win prize for hair-braiding robot. Imagine!

A US-based startup founded by Harvard Business School alumni Yinka Ogunbiyi and David Afolabi has won the 2025 President’s Innovation Challenge for its patent-pending hair-braiding robot.

The concept, called Halo Braid, is designed to support stylists by finishing braids they start, reducing styling time from hours to minutes and easing physical strain.

While the concept is US-based, this idea is bound to spark conversation far beyond America.

Anyone who has ever spent six to eight hours perched over a salon chair will understand the appeal.

‘Midwife told me to shut up’: Black mums describe ignored pain in UK maternity care

Black women across the UK say their pain was dismissed during childbirth, with some describing being ignored, denied pain relief and left traumatised.

The accounts add to growing concern over racial disparities in maternity care, with campaigners calling the pattern “insidious” rather than overtly racist.

Read this powerful report - and watch the full video (full credit to Sky News) - by Shamaan Freeman-Powell.

What else we’re reading

• Police in Australia may be unfairly targeting Black people with warrantless search powers

• Woman dies after unwitnessed cardiac arrest in A&E while awaiting mental health bed

• TfL Facebook ad banned for ‘negative stereotype about Black men’

• British and French groups write to airlines undertaking “cruel, inhumane and racist” deportations to France

• MP warns that ending sickle cell emergency pilot ‘could be fatal’

• Bukayo Saka becomes Arsenal’s highest-paid player as he signs five-year contract extension

• Papa Eric Huntley, iconic Black British publisher, has been laid to rest

• Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested - then released

• Police issue statement on racist poster in Scotland bearing ‘n’ word (below)

Ras Judah Adunbi: Veteran race equality campaigner who challenged police injustice dies aged 70s

Judah Adunbi, known as Ras Judah, has died. He was in his early 70s.

A lifelong race relations campaigner, he was twice mistaken by Avon and Somerset Police for the same wanted man, including in 2017 when he was tasered in the face while walking his dog.

I interviewed Ras Judah for HuffPost UK in 2018, in the aftermath of those incidents. He was calm, warm and resolute.

“Why should Black people be treated any differently from anyone else in the UK? We should be treated with respect because we’re all human beings,” he told me.

He spoke about the toll it had taken: “Since being tasered, I’ve had difficulty sleeping and wake up in cold sweats. I suffered a stroke last June, my speech has been affected and one of my teeth broke.

“The fact that I might not have been alive to see my children and grandchildren, it has a heavy impact on me emotionally and psychologically”.

As well as being a respected elder in the Bristol community, Ras Judah was a passionate, principled man who never stopped insisting on dignity and equal treatment under the law. May he rest in peace.

Out and about!

We spent time in Derby earlier this week, working on a project exploring Caribbean migration stories.

While there, we visited the Hadari Project, a community centre serving Black elders through welfare, educational, social and recreational activities. The charity behind it has been running since 1982.

Ah, we were privileged to spend the day and evening there, chatting with folks, watching people - including our friend Mr Burchell Davidson - “slap two domino” during lively matches, ordering drinks from the on-site bar and tucking into an authentic Jamaican lunch together.

A reminder that heritage lives in places like this, sustained by people who keep culture, memory and connection alive.

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Dear readers,

You’re receiving this edition slightly later than planned after a hectic few days.

On Wednesday, when it would usually land in your inbox, we were invited to the London Transport Museum by the Mayor of London’s team for a media and content creators’ drinks reception.

So, we braved the non-stop rain and headed to the London Transport Museum on behalf of Black Current News readers. Scroll down for reflections from the evening, delivered this Valentine’s Day with gratitude for the community that keeps us going.

From groundbreaking research on Black women’s exposure to toxic hair products and Windrush scandal victims continuing to die without justice, to Britain returning looted artefacts to Nigeria and the UK’s first Black female Senior Coroner speaking about her trailblazing career, there’s plenty to unpack below.

Shout out to The Lead for recommending our reporting and it’s good to see so many of you reading our ‘cocaine in shoes’ explainer.

As ever, we appreciate you for reading and supporting our work!

Good news

• ‘If I don’t, who will?’: how a Lewisham dad’s Black history-themed puzzles found success and ended up on John Lewis’ shelves

• Broadcaster Angie Greaves honoured with the Pinnacle Award by Barbados High Commission in London

• Barrister Ife Thompson named finalist in Women and Diversity in Law Awards

• Cambridge Uni returns 116 Benin artefacts looted by British forces to Nigeria

• Lewisham launches online NHS Health Checks to tackle ‘silent killers’ like diabetes

• MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has proposed new legislation to ban the sale of human body parts, amid evidence of a significant global market. Black people’s body parts have been disproportionately commodified and sold within this market

Dual British nationals warned to carry UK passport or risk being denied boarding

From 25 February, dual British nationals may be refused boarding on flights, ferries or trains to the UK unless they travel with a valid British passport.

The Home Office change means those without one could face paying £589 for a certificate of entitlement, as new travel authorisation rules come into force.

Does this affect you? Look about your documents as soon as possible…

Manchester United co-owner says sorry after claiming UK ‘colonised by immigrants’

Sir Jim Ratcliffe faced backlash over remarks that Britain had been “colonised by immigrants” and then issued a statement expressing regret for his “choice of language”.

“I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern,” he said, adding that it was “important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth”.

Oliver Campbell among wrongly convicted men calling for change to compensation law

Oliver Campbell, a Black man cleared in 2024 after serving 11 years of a life sentence he received at 21, is calling for reform after receiving no compensation despite losing more than a decade behind bars.

In England and Wales, even after convictions are overturned, the wrongly convicted must prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt to qualify for a payout. Read more here.

Hair extensions found to contain far more toxic chemicals than previously known

In the most comprehensive analysis to date, researchers identified dozens of hazardous chemicals, including in products made from human hair, offering the strongest evidence yet of potential health risks.

The largely unregulated products, disproportionately used by Black women, were found to contain substances linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other harm.

Read our recently-published ‘is your hair relaxer killing you?’ explainer for more context about these products.

Xielo Maruziva: police apologise after delay in telling mother her toddler had fallen into river, as inquest rules accidental death

Police have apologised after an inquest heard it took around an hour to inform the mother of two-year-old Xielo Maruziva that he had fallen into the River Soar in Leicester in February 2024.

A 26km search, described as one of the UK’s largest water searches, ended almost four months later when his body was found; his death has been ruled an accident by the inquest’s jury.

What else we’re reading

• ‘Cocaine in shoes’: Jamaica drug case involving two British women explained

• Black teaching assistant wins discrimination case after being accused of having ‘angry face’

• Over 60 of the UK’s leading cultural and legal voices - including Giggs, Gary Younge and Leroy Logan - are urging the government to set restrictions on the use of art as evidence in criminal trials, warning that the practice leads to wrongful convictions

• Tunde Olawoye is one of many pharmacists around Wales struggling to stay afloat as their business costs soar "through the roof"

• Barbados PM Mia Mottley wins third term in landslide victory as her party sweeps every seat in election

• Black Current News reviews My Father’s Shadow: ‘a must-see that rewards repeat viewing’

• Hurry for justice’: Windrush victims dying without redress, commissioner says

• ‘You escape, or you die’: African men say Russia duped them into fighting in Ukraine

• Cicelia Deane departs as editorial & commissioning executive at BET UK

• Congo, Angola and Namibia have agreed to take back foreign offenders and illegal migrants after the UK Home Secretary threatened them with visa penalties

Inside the Coroner’s Court: David Lammy in conversation with the UK’s first Black female Senior Coroner

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy sits down with Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish to discuss the vital, often overlooked role coroners play in investigating unexplained and state-related deaths.

From inquests to Prevention of Future Deaths reports, she explains how the work brings answers for families and accountability when it matters most.

Out and about!

Earlier this week, we attended a media and content creators’ drinks reception hosted by the Mayor of London, bringing together journalists and digital voices from across the capital.

The Mayor thanked members of the media for their role in holding power to account and praised London’s diversity as one of its greatest strengths.

In lighter moments, he joked about living “rent-free” in Donald Trump’s head, drawing laughter from the room, before reinforcing his defence of our city’s diversity and speaking up for migrants (particularly timely in light of Ratcliffe’s “colonisation” remark, referenced above).

It was nice to see some friendly faces, including Deputy Mayors Debbie Weekes-Bernard and Kaya Comer-Schwartz; Marvyn Harrison (Dope Black Dads/Come Nyam), Bus Aunty aka Ms Bemi Orojuogun, London Centric’s Jim Waterson, cousin Charlene White (ITV), plus more.

See here for more highlights.

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Hi everyone!

It is Black History Month across the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and elsewhere.

This year marks 100 years since historian Carter G. Woodson launched the first Negro History Week on 7 February 1926 in the US, a moment that laid the foundations for Black History Month in the States and later inspired its introduction in the UK in 1987.

A century on, the need to document, interrogate and preserve Black history and Black life is as urgent as ever. That is precisely why platforms like Black Current News exist: to tell our stories clearly, consistently and on our own terms.

Below is our round-up of key headlines from the past week.

Good news

• Aamilah Aswat made history by becoming the first Black female jump jockey to win a race in Britain

• Renowned actress Jo Martin to receive honorary award from British Urban Film Festival

• Broadcaster Marverine Cole launches new podcast ‘Midlife Messy & Marvellous With Marverine’ - and Brenda Edwards is her first guest

• Andrez Harriott to run London Marathon in tribute to Stephen Lawrence

• Jacqueline Shepherd becomes patron of youth media charity MAMA Youth Project

• The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) launches initiative to strengthen support for Black and diaspora nursing professionals

Black men put at risk by limits on prostate cancer testing, patient warns

Limiting prostate cancer tests to men with specific genetic markers puts Black men at greater risk, a patient has warned.

Guy Griffiths, 76, from Coventry, said Black men are being overlooked despite facing double the risk and urged them to push for PSA tests regardless of current guidelines. Read more here.

African and Caribbean nations move to label chattel slavery humanity’s greatest crime

CARICOM and the African Union are pushing for the transatlantic slave trade to be formally recognised as the greatest crime against humanity.

Ghana’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said during a visit to Jamaica that the joint effort is moving towards a resolution at the United Nations. Sinai Fleary reports.

Exclusive | Black British public figures rally behind Don Lemon and Georgia Fort after arrests while reporting in US

Dozens of prominent Black British public figures, including journalists and activists, have issued an open letter condemning the arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort while carrying out reporting duties in the United States.

Marcus Ryder, Lenny Henry, Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, Gary Younge, Afua Hirsch, Adrian Lester and Misan Harriman are among the figures who have signed the letter. Read the document, first reported on by Black Current News, here.

Calls for King Charles to formally apologise for slavery after yet more research shows crown’s role

MPs, experts and campaigners are urging King Charles to issue a formal apology for transatlantic slavery, following research into the British crown’s role in sustaining the trade for centuries.

The findings are detailed in The Crown’s Silence by Dr Brooke Newman, which shows how monarchs used enslaved labour to boost royal revenues, despite the monarchy never issuing a formal apology.

The author also penned this new article which breaks down a lot of her findings: ‘unjust and inhuman’: how royal family ignored a Black abolitionist’s plea to end the slave trade.

Stormzy backs bid to get adults into books: ‘Reading really is a superpower’

Stormzy is encouraging adults to rediscover reading after backing Quick Reads, a scheme designed to make books more accessible.

The initiative comes as nearly half of UK adults say they do not read, with 2026 named the National Year of Reading and new titles including Hunger Pains by Derek Owusu.

What else we’re reading

• What is ICE and what powers do its agents have to use force?

• Black Current reviews ‘Wasteman’ film: David Jonsson shines in a tightly wound prison drama

• ‘There is an attempt to get rid of me’: leader of UK’s Black police association alleges campaign to silence him

• Foundation honours Beverley Knight long-term collaborator Paul Reid

• Event targets Home Office scandal victims to offer support

• Editor of a groundbreaking Channel 4 show claims BFI has frozen him out of multicultural TV season

• Jamaica’s former MP for Western St. Mary, Jolyan Silvera, is standing trial over the killing his wife, Melissa

• Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show cancelled, citing “evolving daytime television landscape”

• Cool Runnings 2.0: Jamaica’s bobsleigh crew want their own Hollywood ending

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Out and about!

Last week, we visited Windrush Food Culture, a free exhibition at the National Maritime Museum exploring how Caribbean food travelled from the margins to the mainstream in post-war Britain.

Through photographs, objects and stories, it traces food as comfort, survival, resistance and celebration for Windrush generations and their descendants.

Curated by the National Windrush Museum, a research initiative, the exhibition is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am - 4 pm, and runs until 30 July 2026.

Sky News cites Black Current News on air after exclusive reporting

Last night, Sky News cited Black Current News on air as the outlet that broke the story about an open letter condemning the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort.

The mention came on The Wrap, Sky’s new nightly programme presented by Gillian Joseph, with Afua Hirsch discussing why she signed the letter and the wider implications for press freedom.

The moment underscores the growing impact of independent Black-led journalism and how stories first reported outside the mainstream can help shape national debate. For more original reporting, analysis and investigations, subscribe below.

And stay tuned, a big announcement is coming soon.

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Got a news tip or story idea? Submit it via this form. Reader feedback and corrections are welcomed separately here.