International Migrants Day prompts us to reflect on our own stories. For Black Brits, whether from the Afro-Caribbean or African diasporas, migration isn’t just a distant concept, it is family history. Our parents, grandparents, and communities often arrived as migrants, helping build this country. On this day we recall those journeys and the truths theyContinue reading “Black British Perspectives on International Migrants Day”
Author Archives: blam UK
Left Out and Let Down: Exclusions, Discrimination and Black Children in UK Schools
Schools are meant to be places of safety, learning, and opportunity. But for many Black children in the UK, the school exclusion system tells a different story: one of unfair discipline, implicit bias, and institutional neglect. Permanent and fixed-term exclusions are supposed to be last resorts, used only when a pupil’s behaviour seriously breaches schoolContinue reading “Left Out and Let Down: Exclusions, Discrimination and Black Children in UK Schools”
When Will Justice Be Served?: Why Britain’s Empire Debate Still Ignores Reparations
A recent televised confrontation between journalist Mehdi Hasan and historian Nigel Biggar brought Britain’s colonial legacy into sharp focus. Hasan challenged Biggar, whose new book Reparations: Slavery and the Tyranny of Imaginary Guilt argues that Britons should not feel responsible for slavery, on his double standards regarding national history. Hasan pointed out that Biggar feelsContinue reading “When Will Justice Be Served?: Why Britain’s Empire Debate Still Ignores Reparations”
Understanding AI Surveillance: Risks for Black Communities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a powerful force in everyday life. But one of the most important, and least understood, areas where AI is growing fast is policing. At BLAM UK, our AI Accountability Project is focused on ensuring that Black communities understand how these technologies work, how they are used, and what rights andContinue reading “Understanding AI Surveillance: Risks for Black Communities”
Gaps in the Curriculum, Gaps in the Plan: A Black Radical Breakdown.
The UK government’s recent Curriculum and Assessment Review claims it will build a “world-class curriculum for all,” yet from a Black radical perspective it’s clear there are gaping holes in this plan. The Review document pays lip service to “diversity” and “equality of opportunity,” but nowhere does it confront the reality of racism in education.Continue reading “Gaps in the Curriculum, Gaps in the Plan: A Black Radical Breakdown.”
Empire, Racism and the NHS: Why Sickle Cell Awareness Month Matters?
Sickle cell disorder distorts red blood cells into a “sickle” shape, making them clump in vessels and cause painful crises. This inherited condition was first recognised in the UK in the 1950s, just as waves of post-colonial migrants arrived and the NHS expanded. In that era, many white Britons refused to acknowledge it as aContinue reading “Empire, Racism and the NHS: Why Sickle Cell Awareness Month Matters?”
Language, Power, and the Global Majority.
In Britain and around the world, people are rethinking the words we use to describe identity. Terms like “ethnic minority” or BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) have long been used to label Black and brown communities. But today these terms are being challenged and a new phrase, “Global Majority,” is gaining ground. Coined byContinue reading “Language, Power, and the Global Majority.”
Black August and the Power of Global Black Resistance
Every year, as summer peaks in August, Black communities around the world observe Black August, a month-long reflection on Black resistance, revolution, and the enduring fight for liberation. Unlike festive celebrations, Black August is solemn and purposeful: it began in the late 1970s among Black activists and prisoners in California, intended as a time toContinue reading “Black August and the Power of Global Black Resistance”
32 Years On: We Still Say Her Name. Joy Gardner
We remember Joy Gardner, a 40 year old Jamaican student in London, who was killed by police during a dawn deportation raid in July 1993. Officers handcuffed her, bound her with leather straps and gagged her with 13 ft of surgical tape until she collapsed. Joy suffered catastrophic brain damage from asphyxia and died in hospitalContinue reading “32 Years On: We Still Say Her Name. Joy Gardner”
MUA – A look into the influence Black UK make up artists have on the make up scene.
In this blog post, we will be looking at Black Makeup Artists in the UK who stand out and are well accomplished, on a national or international level. We love and support our talented service providers, and we will be showing appreciation for their dedication to the arts. A glimpse at looks that have causedContinue reading “MUA – A look into the influence Black UK make up artists have on the make up scene.”
BLAM UK CIC 