Brighton sisters: Over £30,000 raised for funerals as grieving family receives wave of support
Plus: Yves Sakila, first Black mayor of Gloucester and 'Good Samaritan' plumber
Morning everyone,
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.
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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