UK Black lawyers ball. Bleaching-cream passa - and a new statue for a runaway enslaved woman near Newcastle
Key headlines: celebration in the legal world, fresh controversy in the beauty sector and a tribute to resistance near Newcastle
Good morning everyone,
Another week has flown by and, with that, we’re back with another newsletter.
Every week, In Focus will bring you:
The biggest headlines affecting Black and marginalised communities, which mainstream media often underreport or miss
Good news, highlights and achievements worth celebrating
Good News
A Black-led, multi-award-winning charity has launched a £350,000 fundraiser to open the UK’s first domestic violence refuge designed specifically for Black women and children. The campaign was first reported by brilliant journalist Sinai Fleary
Landmark study aims to close genetic health gap for Black communities
£2,500 raised by Original Flava during their cookathon for Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa relief. Black Current News is proud to have been a media partner for this initiative
West Yorkshire Police apologise during special service after officers violated Black elder’s memorial in church
Musician YolanDa Brown is set to open second restaurant-music venue in Westfield Stratford
Dr Nnenna Osuji will become the new Chief Executive of NHS North East London (the Integrated Care Board), marking a big leadership win for a highly respected Black woman in UK healthcare
Scotland’s top police chief reinstated racist officer who called takeaway staff “f*cking n*ggas” and “p*kis”
Scotland’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell reinstated PC Katie Barrett, who had been sacked for using racist slurs against takeaway staff. Farrell sat on the Police Appeals Tribunal that overturned Barrett’s dismissal in 2019, but the High Court later reversed that decision and ruled the original sacking was correct.
The move has raised fresh questions about whether Farrell is fit to lead Police Scotland
Mary Ann Macham: New UK statue honours mixed-heritage woman who escaped slavery
A new statue in North Shields, close to Newcastle, honours a woman who escaped slavery in the US and found freedom in the town in the 1830s. After hiding in Virginia and stowing away on a ship, she was taken in by a Quaker family, married locally and lived there until her death at 91
London beauty store at centre of racism scandal fined over £30k for dangerous skin-lightening products
The shop, formerly Peckham Hair & Cosmetics and now trading as Kings & Queens Beauty, is the same one that sparked outrage in 2023 after footage showed a staff member strangling a Black woman during a dispute over a refund. The incident prompted widespread boycott calls.
It has now been fined over £30,000 for selling illegal skin-lightening products containing harmful ingredients. Trading Standards seized dozens of items and warned that they pose serious risks to users’ health.
After the strangling incident, our editor Nadine White - who was working at The Independent then, revealed that Trading Standards had opened an investigation into the shop and look now…
Almost half of Black adults say England flag has become a racist symbol, poll suggests
The shift is linked to the flag’s visibility at far-right rallies, anti-immigration protests and football flashpoints, which has shaped how communities perceive it. Pakistani and Bangladeshi adults are the most likely to read racist sentiment in the flag, while most white adults reject the idea; the Union Jack is viewed a little differently. Read more here
Ian Wright: ‘England isn’t ready for a Black superstar’ as he defends Jude Bellingham
Ian Wright has backed Jude Bellingham after a media pile-on, saying the criticism is rooted in racism and driven by a need to control him. Ian warned he is “worried for Jude” as the young star refuses to shrink himself for anyone
What else we’re reading
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says illegal migration is fuelling racism in Britain…
Miss Jamaica still hospitalised 3 days after fall from Miss Universe stage - and doctor says she ‘isn’t doing as well’ as hoped
Twenty people allege that Nigel Farage has a racist past. He denies it. Who’s telling the truth about his school days?
Asylum seekers’ jewellery could be seized to pay for processing costs, says Home Office minister
Black people can’t be English, insists Reform councillor
Hunting down those who kill people to sell their body parts for ‘magic charms’
Where we’ve been
Last week, our editor Nadine White was invited to a media briefing with a visiting CARICOM delegation, the regional body leading the Caribbean’s slavery reparations movement, during their “historic” first official visit to the UK. She had an insightful discussion with Professor Sir Hilary Beckles (Vice-chancellor, University of the West Indies), Barbados ambassador David Commissiong - both pictured below - and others. More on this soon
Nadine also attended the Black Solicitors Network’s 30th anniversary ball, hosted by renowned broadcaster Charlene White - a powerful celebration of Black excellence in law. It was a joy to be in that room and an honour that Black Current News materials were circulated among guests, introducing the platform to some of the most influential legal professionals in the country
Barrel Children Part 2: Call-out for contributors
Brixton Heights Media, the production company behind the Barrel Children films, is gathering contributors for Barrel Children Part 2: Echoes of Separation.
Got news, a tip, a story idea or thoughts on our coverage? Email admin@blackcurrentnews.co.uk. We read everything and take our community seriously.