The official newspaper of Leeds University
Police Officer Accused of Murdering Leeds Student in Kenya Goes to Trial
www.thegryphon.co.uk Twitter: @TheGryphonLeeds Instagram: @thegryphon Issue 1 18/10/21
Leeds’ BME Hub Abigail Olalaye stresses the importance of community building and prioritising Black mental health and wellbeing (Page 8-9)
Image: The Guardian
Alex Gibbon Emmanuel Ambunya Oyombe, the police officer accused of murdering former University of Leeds student, Carilton Maina, will go to trial next Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya. Maina was fatally wounded by police on December 21st 2018 in Kibera, one of the poorest areas in Kenya and the largest urban slum in Africa. He had returned to Kenya from the UK to visit his family for Christmas when his life was tragically cut short. At the time of the incident, he was returning home from watching a football match when he was cornered into an alleyway and shot four times. Maina had previously studied an Engineering course in 2016-17 at the University of Leeds and was a straight-A student in High School. He had also previously hosted a TEDx talk in 2016 entitled ‘Poverty’ where he talked about his experience growing up in one of the poorest urban areas in Nairobi, Kenya. The police at the time reported that
they received a call alledging that Maina was part of a gang terrorising and mugging locals. Kilimani police boss Michael Muchiri also claimed that a home-made gun and knife was recovered at the scene. His mother alleged in August 2019 that police placed a gun on Maina’s body in order to frame him, according to an interview with The Guardian, and the family denied the police version of events at the time. Josephine Wangare, Maina’s mother, appeared in court, backed up by a legal team from Amnesty. She said that seeing someone being brought to court to face trial had restored her faith in justice. An inquest was launched by the Independent Police Oversight Authority into Maina’s death due to widespread uproar and protests about the incident. There was widespread international coverage of Maina’s death and the rise of extrajudicial killings by police in Kenya. After the onset of the investigation, the police service tweeted that they
would take on board the IPOA’s findings, stating that “we further wish to assure the public that the Service, just like in similar instances in the past, will enforce the outcome of the investigations that IPOA will recommend”. Emmanuel Ambunya Oyombe, a police officer, was arrested for ending Maina’s life on the 15th April 2020, 18 months after the incident. The accused remained in police custody for seven days in order to undergo a compulsory mental health assessment. He was then released on a KSh600,000 bail on April 23rd. Oyombe pleaded not guilty. ‘Missing Voices’, a group which focuses on extra judicial killings in Kenya has said that the arrest of Oyombe was “a big milestone in the fight against extra judicial killings and police abuse of power”. The organisation has alleged that in just the first 100 days of this year, the police have been responsible for 49 deaths in Kenya, and that of the 107 civilians killed by the police last year, just 10 Continued on Page 7
Wellbeing brand Female Magik Business editor Caoimhe O’Donohue takes a look at the community wellbeing brand amplifying the voice of women of colour in the North (Page 35)
Closing the student grade gap Black scientists are underawarded and underepresented at every level in our institutions, Science editor Catherine Upex attempts to find out why (Page 38)
Being a Black athlete on Team GB Sharon Andrews reflects on her career and how much racism in sport has changed since the 90s (Page 39) In the Middle Music and Clubs, Fashion, Arts and Culture, Blogs and Lifestyle (Midway)
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1. Sex position and 1993 album from rapper Snoop Dogg (10) 4. Adjective meaning outdated or disused; or the final word in the title of a work by Angela Davis (8) 7. 90s sitcom starring Will Smith - The ____________ of Bel-Air (5,6) 9. Love Island 2021 finalist and influencer, ___ Kamwi (3) 11. City home to Europe’s longest-running Caribbean carnival (5) 14. Type of braids often plaited in narrow strips (8) 16. British music awards honouring Black artists (4) 18. Country with capital Kigali (6) 19. South London district often dubbed as “Little Lagos” (7) 22. ‘Binz’ and ‘Cranes in the Sky’ singer with pop icon for a sister (7) 26. Natural pigment deriving the amino acid tyrosine that is responsible for the tanning of skin exposed to sunlight (7) 27. Hairstyle associated with Diana Ross and the Jackson 5 (4) 28. ‘Best Friend’ rapper and star of the “Let’s Go” TikTok meme (8) 29. Drag queen and winner of season 13 of Rupaul’s Drag Race (6) 30. Tina Turner track and Angela Bassett film - What’s Love _____________ ? (3,2,2,4,2) 32. LGBTQ+ Drama and winner of the 2016 Best Picture Oscar (9) 33. Nigerian singer William ________ whose hits include ‘Atomic Bomb’ and ‘Fantastic Man’ (8) Down 2. Baldwin novel following a Gay American in Paris (9,4) 3. Trumpeteer and Jazz icon Miles _____ (5) 5. Caribbean island, birthplace of Rihanna (8) 6. Man City forward and England player (8) 8. One-pot West African rice dish usually consisting of tomatoes, spices, onions, vegtables and meat (6) 10. Euphoria actress and red carpet star (7) 12. US holiday commemorating the emancipation of AfricanAmerican slaves (10) 13. Somali-American fashion model and former wife of David Bowie (4) 15. Capital of Kenya (7) 17. Month of changing clocks, Halloween and UK Black history (7) 20. 2016 film chronicling the obscured Black women of NASA (6,7) 21. Religion developed in Jamaica that regards Jah as a deity (14) 23. French-Italian Hyde Park takeaway with adorable owner (4,4) 24. Hendrix track, ‘All Along the __________’ (10) 25. Tion Wayne and Russ Millions song regarded as the first Drill song to top the UK Charts (4) 31. Spice girl and Hyde Park legend (4,1)
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Dear Readers, I was once asked who you do you identify with more, the Black community or the female community. I remember scoffing. I shook my head and respond ‘I am a Black woman, I identify with Black women’. The intersectionality of national discussions right now is lacking. Women are scared and feeling unsafe but for Black women and women of colour, there is another level of it. I heard people feeling worried about if they went missing, they’re worried that people won’t care. Which is just terrifying. I am scared, we as a community are scared. I stand in solidarity with all women but when talking about Black Liberation we have to remember that no one is free until we’re all free.
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In place of Editor-in-Chief, Alex Gibbon, Leeds University Union’s Equality and Liberation Officer, Natasha Fowler-Ekar, is taking over the opening letter for The Gryphon’s Black Liberation issue.
fight. Our LGBT+ Black community, our female Black community, our Black male community, our Mixed-Race community, our other POC allies. Even our white allies are important in the fight for liberation. I also want you all to remember what liberation is. It’s about freedom, it’s about having space to live the life you want free of restrictions. It’s about fun and celebration as much as it’s about the protest. So live your life, as free as you can and I promise that this year with our Liberate LUU campaign, all of us at LUU will facilitate that as best we can.
I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Natasha, LUU’s Equality and Liberation Officer, I just finished my degree in Chinese and International Development. I am a Black woman and am working to make this university, this city, this country a better place for all minorities. My Liberate LUU campaign is all about that. Embedding liberation into all that we do. Making Liberation mainstream. It is the reason this is called the Black Liberation issue. Black Liberation is embedded into UK Black culture. From the Black Panther Party in the late 60s to Black Lives Matter UK starting in 2017, Black liberation is at the heart of what we do. The biggest thing for me personally when I look at Black Liberation at this university is bringing together different types of Black people for the common
Natasha Ekar-Fowler Equality & Liberation Officer
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Campus Watch
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Howard University
$5.4 Million Scholarship Endowed to Students in Honour of Chadwick Boseman
A scholarship worth 5.4 million dollars has been financed by Netflix to commemorate the late actor Chadwick Boseman for students at Howard University in Washington D.C. The Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship covers four years of tuition fees for one student per year and facilitates pupils who share Boseman’s values of passion, drive, leadership, and respect to pursue higher education. The Marvel star, most famous for his role in Black Panther, was an alumnus at the university and remained a strong supporter of the institution up until he lost the fight with colon cancer in August 2020. In his speech at Howard, he claims that although many students enter a world of systems, “that have a history of discrimination and marginalization,” they, “can use [their] education to improve the world”. After receiving financial aid during his time at the fine arts university, Boseman was able to continue his education at The British American Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford. This scholarship is a way to pay forward the opportunities provided by financial support to future alumni in need, and enables the late actor to continue to empower and inspire the actors of the next generations. Ellie Gorton
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University of Leeds
Reclaim the Night hold Leeds Vigil for Sabina Nessa
On Wednesday 29th September, people gathered at the steps of the Parkinson Building on the University of Leeds’ campus for a vigil in memory of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa. 28-year-old Nessa’s body was found five minutes away from her home on 17th September after she was due to meet a friend nearby. The vigil was held by Leeds’ Reclaim the Night, an organisation which stands for ‘women’s right to feel free from the fear of rape and sexual violence,’ formed following the Yorkshire Ripper murders in the late 1970s. Speakers included Marvina Eseoghene Newton, founder of Black Lives Matter Leeds; Brittany Coffey, Reclaim the Night Member; Jo Gray, a trained counsellor working in Leeds schools; Sharon Slinger, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant with Constructing Rainbows and Natasha Fowler-Ekar, Leeds University Union’s Equality and Liberation Officer. It is the second vigil Reclaim the Night have held in Leeds’ in 2021 following one held in March for Sarah Everard and the noticeably lower turnout was noted by attendees and speakers with Eseoghene Newton stating, “Why isn’t violence against black and brown women treated the same as white women?” highlighting the disparity in public reaction between the two cases.
University of Bristol
Henrietta Lacks Statue Installed
Bristol University installed the first sculpture of a Black woman made by another Black woman. The statue of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken for medical research without her or her family’s consent, is now on display on the Bristol campus. Artist Helen WilsonRoe created the life-size bronze statue to commemorate the 70th death anniversary of Lacks, whose contribution to modern medicine had gone largely erased. In 1951, a young mother of five, Lacks’ cancer cells were sampled and retrieved by The John Hopkins Hospital without her knowledge in Baltimore, USA. To researcher Dr. George Gey’s surprise, Mrs. Lacks’ cells did not die in his lab. Instead, they doubled every 20 to 24 hours outside the body. These immortal “HeLa” cells are now used to study the effects of toxins,
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University of Exeter Exeter Pro-life Society Sparks National Controversy
Students For Life, an anti-abortion society run by four students at The University of Exeter, has recently faced fierce public criticism. As the new academic year has begun, The University of Exeter has encountered widespread debate and outrage due to the launch of the Students for Life Society. The society claims to “advocate against abortion, promoting the dignity of human life and striving for its protection,” which many students from both Exeter and other national universities argue threatens women’s rights and safety on campus. In response to the society, an opposing petition has been launched by three students from the university, George Adamson, Lauren Gollop and Isobel Maddocks, which has the support of over 3,000 people. The society members are now calling on the university to take action as they report having received death threats after sharing such views on the controversial topic, as “Abortion ends an innocent human life. It is wrong to end an innocent human life. Therefore, abortion is wrong.” As online dispute continues, with many enraged by the “direct attack on women’s rights,” The University of Exeter Students’ Guild says that it will investigate any alleged breaches of the code of conToni Stephenson duct that all societies must follow. Ellie Jones
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drugs, hormones, and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans. They have also been a great help in virology and radiobiology research, and were key in the development of the polio vaccine. Mrs. Lacks’ granddaughter, Jeri Lacks-Whye, said, “It is only fitting that she be memorialised to educate future generations on her legacy and the importance of advancing health equity and social justice for all” Artist Helen Wilson-Roe expressed: “Knowing that my children and their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will be able to see Henrietta’s statue is just fantastic, especially at this time when Bristol is starting to address its past.” Clarissa Leung
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Universities Minister Spoke Out Against Lecturers’ Strike
Universities minister Michelle Donelan has come out in opposition to the “inevitable” proposed lecturer strikes that are likely to take place this term. According to The Tab, General Secretary of the University and College Union, Jo Grady, explained a month ago: “Employers represented by Universities UK (UUK) have voted to implement a set of regressive USS pension proposals that will reduce member benefits, discourage low paid and insecurely employed staff from joining USS, and threaten the viability of the scheme as a whole. “Unless employers allow for a rapid consultation on our proposals with a view to revoking their decision, the path looks inevitably to lead to industrial action – and that is the responsibility of UUK.” Michelle Donelan spoke out against the strikes and said she wants to see, “a return to as much normality as possible both for an academic side and also a social side,” and that the strikes would be detrimental to students’ studies. President of the National Union of Students Larissa Kennedy spoke in support of an overhaul of the current education system so as to improve both staff and students’ conditions. Kennedy emphasised that if vice-chancellors and employers fail to address the fundamental problems repeatedly raised by staff, students will “hold employers responsible.” Clarissa Leung
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Leeds Caribbean Takeaway Owner Nominated for Woman of the Year Myrto M. Hantzis Maureen’s Caribbean Takeaway, located in Roundhay Road, Leeds has been serving delicious meals for almost two decades now. The restaurant is owned by the 63-yearold Maureen Wilkes; however, Maureen is much more than simply a restaurant owner. During a difficult lockdown, especially for shop owners, Maureen bigheartedly provided food from her kitchen to doctors, nurses, and her community. Her act of kindness was appreciated by the community, and admired by her daughters, who nominated Maureen for Woman of the Year on ITV’s Lorraine. On Monday the 27th of September, a crew of reporters visited Maureen in her restaurant announcing the news to the nominee. This came as a shock to Maureen as she was unaware of what her daughters had done.
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“If I have food to give, I don’t mind giving it. Everyone needs to eat.”
Following the announcement, the restaurant owner was interviewed by the YEP. In her interview she said how she wanted to offer her services to do good, she wanted to feed the ones in need in such a challenging period for society. “If I have food to give, I don’t mind giving it. Everyone needs to eat.” Maureen is now on her way to London for the ceremony.
AUKUS: What it Means for International Relations
Matthew Plant
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credit: chinaobservers.eu
President Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki said
On the 13th of September, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, President Joe the agreement “is not about any one country”, Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched AUKUS, a thus denying claims of the pact being geared new trilateral security arrangement. This new security partnership will towards Chinese containment. cover areas, such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and greater military integration, as well as allowing a closer relationship on regional defence policy. All members of AUKUS have stressed that the pact is not aimed at China specifically. Arguably the most significant aspect of the pact is Australia gaining nuclear President Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki said the agreement “is not about any one powered submarines. This will necessitate the UK and the US sharing nuclear country”, thus denying claims of the pact being geared towards Chinese containment. propulsion secrets with the Australian military, something the US has only Despite these protests, however, it has been suggested the pact is aimed at curbing ever done once before having previously shared the technology with the UK. China’s increasing naval might in the Indo-Pacific, as America increasingly tilts to Prime Minister Morrison was clear, however, that Australia is “not the region as its central focus. Furthermore, Australia and China’s relationship has seeking to establish a nuclear industry or establish a civil nuclear soured in recent years, with a trade war between the nations costing about $4 billion. capability”. The deal took shape on the sides of the G7 summit in Cornwall, China itself has denounced the agreement as “extremely irresponsible”, where all three leaders met and laid the groundwork for the deal. citing a “Cold War” mentality. North Korea has also denounced the Yet, the AUKUS agreement means the cancelling of a French-Australian agreement, saying it could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific. submarine deal, signed in 2016, which would have provided 12 diesel-electric Yet, perhaps the most vocal denunciations came from the French, whose contract submarines to Australia. This £47 billion contract with French firm Naval is now void. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told French radio that the Group has been ripped up, with Australia instead opting for nuclear submarines. cancellation was a ‘stab in the back’. The country recalled its ambassadors from the The benefits are clear for Australia in terms of the technical capability US and Australia in retaliation, although it did not recall its ambassador to the UK of the submarines: nuclear submarines are quieter, have a much with Le Drian dubbing the UK “Opportunistic” and the “fifth wheel on the wagon”. greater payload and can remain submerged for months at a time. It is unknown what the long-term impacts of the snub to the French This technological advancement of the Australian military is of benefit to the US, as on NATO or Anglo-French relations will be. However, an EU-Australia it would make a powerful ally in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the rise of China. trade agreement, which was hoped to be finished this year, has been For the UK, this represents a clear opportunity to showcase ‘Global Britain’, as called “unthinkable” by France, citing a lack of trust in Australia. well as gain influence in other regions of the world post-Brexit. This idea is also The AUKUS deal is not the only way in which the US is seeking to demonstrated by HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden voyage being in the Indo-Pacific, counter China’s rising influence in the Indo-Pacific: for instance, the where she is currently engaged in military exercises with partner nations including ‘Quad’ of the US, Australia, India and Japan was held in late September Japan, Australia and the US, and shows the UK government’s own tilt to the Indo-Pacific. and is seen as another way to curb China’s increasing power in the region.
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Youtube Removes Anti-Vaccine Content
credit: chinaobservers.eu
credit: trustedreviews.com Tasha Johnson YouTube has committed to removing content promoting false information about approved vaccines, building on the ban around misinformation on the Covid-19 vaccine. Videos falsely discrediting approved vaccines will now be removed alongside anti-covid vaccine content, according to YouTube. False claims against the vaccine have included causing autism, infertility and cancer, as well as a high mortality rate. The new policy will include the termination of high-profile anti-vaccine accounts. The ban on Covid vaccine misinformation came into place last year, but has since been expanded. YouTube has announced that 130,000 videos have been removed since then. The false claims surrounding Covid vaccines have stretched to cover misinformation about vaccines as a whole. YouTube’s new policy will also target misinformation about long-standing vaccines, such as the measles vaccine and
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Content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed.
the Hepatitis B vaccine. Large platforms such as YouTube have received criticism for not doing more to stop the spread of fake health news on their sites. In July, US President Joe Biden implored these platforms to resolve this issue, stating that social media platforms were primarily responsible for people’s mistrust and suspicion of vaccinations. Regarding their new policy, YouTube released a statement on their official blog, saying: “Content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained
in vaccines will be removed.” Personal stories about being vaccinated, information about vaccine policies and videos recounting historical success and failure of vaccine trials will not be removed, as they do not violate the new guidelines. This new crackdown on misinformation follows the Fazze anti-vaccine scandal, wherein an influencer marketing agency reached out to several influencers and offered to pay them to spread misinformation about the Covid vaccine. These influencers included German YouTuber and journalist Mirko Drotschmann, and French science YouTuber Léo Grasset. Both pretended to be interested in the deal in order to learn more and blow the whistle on the organisation. Influencers were asked to share what was claimed to be leaked information that showed an inflated number of deaths among those who had received the Pfizer vaccine. They were told not to disclose that the video had a sponsor, which is banned by many social media platforms and illegal in Germany and France. The agency also instructed influencers to share links from a list of articles corroborating this false information. At least four other influencers have spoken out with similar stories since Drotschmann and Grasset made their stories public. Fazze is currently being investigated by both the German and French authorities. Fazze is a branch of digital marketing company AdNow, which is registered in both the UK and Russia. Accusations have been levied against the Russian government, with many believing this to be a ploy to discredit existing COVID vaccines in order to promote Russia’s own vaccine Sputnik V. The Russian embassy in London denies these claims, stating: “We treat Covid-19 as a global threat and, thus, are not interested in undermining global efforts in the fight against it…” Of the incident, Grasset stated: “If you want to manipulate public opinion, especially for young people, you don’t go to TV. Just spend the same money on TikTok creators, YouTube creators. The whole ecosystem is perfectly built for maximum efficiency of disinformation right now.” This further highlights the importance of YouTube’s new ban. Similar bans have been implemented by other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.
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My son was an innocent boy.
- Carilton’s mother, Josesphine Wangere
Continued from page 1 of these cases resulted in the arrest of officers. As well as these killings, Kenya sees around 10 incidents of what the organisation calls “enforced disappearances” every month. Amnesty International defines enforced disappearances as “people who have literally disappeared; from their loved ones and their community. They go missing when state officials (or someone acting with state consent) grabs them from the street or from their homes and then deny it, or refuse to say where they are.” Missing Voices’ celebration of the arrest of Oyombe is however overshadowed by their list of innocent victims who have still not found justice. This list includes other university students just like Maina, children, and a baby killed in a police raid. Missing Voices have also published a list of demands to the Kenyan authorities including “a public pronouncement by the Inspector General of police and interior CS condemning police excesses”. It is clear that Oyombe’s arrest this month has come about due to the unceasing work of human rights groups and organisations such as Missing Voices, Amnesty International, Defenders Kenya and individuals who have ensured the momentum of the pursuit for justice has been maintained over the year and a half which has passed since Maina lost his life. It is not just civic organisations that have demanded justice. After Carilton’s untimely passing, citizens from Kibera went out into the streets and protested against Maina’s death shouting ‘we want justice’ but were brutally dispersed by police using tear gas. One of the individuals who campaigned for justice on Maina’s behalf was human rights activist Caroline Mwatha. After vocalising her opinion that Maina’s death was an unjust killing and an abuse of power, Mwatha died just two months later. Mwatha’s family reported her missing on the 6th of February 2019. Mwatha was brought into hospital by a man who claimed to be her husband, who at the time was in Dubai on business. Her body was then brought to the city mortuary by a woman who booked her under the false name ‘Carol Mbeki’ which meant that she was not found by her family for a week when they came to look for her at the morgue. The result of her autopsy was recorded as a ‘botched abortion’ where it was found that her uterus was ruptured causing excessive bleeding. In Kenya, abortion is illegal and is a crime which can be punishable by death. However, a few months prior to her death Caroline had asked her family to keep her work a secret as it was sensitive. Her father Stanlus Mbai believes
that “Caroline’s death was neither an accident nor a sickness, she was killed for speaking the truth”. In her Twitter bio, Mwatha called herself an “African woman, a proud mommy, feminist, human right defender, activist, a mobilizer”. Mwatha’s last tweet was February 5th, 2019 where she tweeted about political injustice and infringements on human rights in Kenya. In the past few years, numerous police officers have been found guilty of murdering innocent civilians such as Officer Ruaraka Nahashon Mutua, who tortured a suspect to death five years ago. In another landmark ruling, two police officers were sentenced to death after the court found them guilty of killing three people on suspicion that they were robbers. Constable Oyombe’s arrest last month was due to the relentless work of official agencies such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and the Director of Public Prosecutions and human rights organisations such as Missing Voices, Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists and local community activism. It is these groups who ensured that the call for justice over Carilton’s death has not been silenced in the year and a half which has passed since Carilton lost his life. Maina had no criminal record and was a high achiever both academically and in sport. Carilton’s mother stated that “the killing of my son on grounds that he was a thief really hurts me. My son was an innocent boy.” Maina grew up in Kibera, which is the largest urban slum in Africa. Those who live in Kibera suffer from extreme poverty, poor hygiene and insufficient medical care. However due to Maina’s extraordinary academic ability he was able to secure a place at Maseno school in 2010 where he became a student leader. He then achieved a scholarship to Brookhouse secondary school where he was a member of the football team, the Innovate Kenya club and won an East African essay writing competition. After school he attended the University of Nairobi where he studied actuarial science, and he then won one of just two full scholarships to study in the UK at a Northern Consortium university of his choosing. He chose the University of Leeds and moved there in 2016 to study Electronic Engineering. Carilton was keen to pursue a career in engineering and was interested in clean energy solutions. However, in Christmas 2018 his dreams were abruptly extinguished as he became yet another victim to police brutality in Kenya and we lost a light which shone so brightly in our generation.
Collince Onyango is a community leader in Kibera and was a good friend of Carilton. He was pleased to give the following statement to the Gryphon: “Carilton David Maina would have been central to my team supporting the needy and most vulnerable families in Kibera slums during these terrible times of the Coronavirus pandemic. As it was always part of his passion to help his community. Carilton and I discussed at length starting a community group to unite youths of the different villages in Kibera within our area of Nyayo Highrise Ward, but he was murdered before we could begin. I have since gone on to start the Soweto Silanga Welfare Group with 70 youths, and during this pandemic we have so far distributed food to almost 5,000 vulnerable people in Kibera, funded largely by donations from those that knew Carilton in the UK. I know that Carilton’s heart of humanity wouldn’t have let him just sit and wait for further directives in handling the current problems. As a brilliant youth, he would have come out defiantly to help in one way or the other in the fight against Covid-19. It’s now about a month after the court released the murder suspect on bail. We are still waiting for the next day of hearing and finally the ruling. I think it’s time our judicial systems stand with the cries of the oppressed and help them find justice… I hope all shall be well. We miss you. RIP Carilton.” Some months after Carilton’s death, the community created a large mural in memorial to Carilton at the entrance to Kibera. The mural shows on one side the shacks of the Kibera slum formed into a fist of defiance against police brutality. The mural demands “the right to live and to empower the dreams of Kibera’s residents.” From there a bridge traverses a book of learning to an image of the Parkinson Building at the University of Leeds. To Carilton’s right are keys and engineering imagery representing the key to his and his community’s future. The mural prominently features the Twitter hashtag #JusticeForMaina that trended in outrage at Carilton Maina’s death. Carilton’s image in his now-famous headband sits in the centre of the image. Clearly visible from the busy commuter highway Mbagathi Way, the mural stands proudly and defiantly as a powerful reminder to the tens of thousands that pass it each day of the continued outrages of police brutality. Oyombe denies the charges and the trial continues.
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Features
Credits: Abigail Olaleye
INTERVIEW: Abigail Olaleye, Leeds BME Hub Isabel Ralphs speaks to Leeds BME Hub Project Leeds, Abigail Olaleye, about how her organisation is working to help black people and culturally diverse people across Leeds. Isabel Ralphs
The hub is a Council Equality Hub, which means we are one of Leeds City Council’s hubs but hosted independently by the charity Voluntary Action Leeds. We exist to make sure that voices from culturally diverse communities are heard across every aspect of the city. The hub and its members have identified priority areas that they want to be focused in, namely arts and culture, health and wellbeing, and education, employment and training. We work on these areas, and our members will volunteer an hour or two of their time every month or so to move forward the agenda in that space. We support organisations and individuals with things like funding advice or facilitating connections to help any projects that have a racial equality theme. We also consult with organisations to help them be as inclusive as they possibly can be and think about issues they might not previously have thought about.
Who is in the hub? The hub is special because it’s a member-led organisation, made up of organisations who are led by culturally diverse people or members of the community themselves. Any organisation or individual who has a vested interest in what we do and wants to be part of the conversations can be involved. It means that organisations can pick up on any changes or initiatives that are happening in Leeds on a grassroots level and make sure they are actually adapting to keep up with those.
Can you give any examples of specific things you are working on at the moment?
On our arts and culture theme, we work very closely with Leeds Museum and Leeds Art Gallery – in addition to other organisations in the city sitting in the arts and culture space that aren’t just statutory bodies.
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What is the Leeds BME hub?
One project we’ve been helping with is looking at decolonising and understanding the history of the art currently in Leeds Art Gallery. Similarly, in Leeds Museum we are looking at what they currently have on display and seeing what
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“These are long term projects - it takes time to look internally and dismantle things. But we are continuing to have conversations aroud that and making sure the community has an impact in how these changes are shaped.”
they can offer to attract more culturally diverse people to the museum.
What are your current priorities for black and diverse communities in Leeds? In terms of health and wellbeing, mental health is currently a massive focus for us – especially given that some of the communities we support are really overrepresented in the statistics in this area. For example, for black men, we know that services are more likely to become aware of their mental health problems at the crisis stage, as opposed to at the beginning when they could have been helped much earlier. So we are working
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to find out why that is and what can be done to make sure people get contact at those crucial beginning stages. There’s a lot of strategic work being does across the city around mental health at the moment. For example, a really good move has been the appointment of a new mental health inequalities lead of public health and an equivalent for children and young people, within the Council. This is a new role that has never been done before, that is specific to culturally diverse communities and will be working with organisations to try and close the inequality gap.
You recently hosted some events on the theme of ‘I Choose Joy’. What was the thinking behind this theme? We hold regular hub meetings throughout the year and one of the themes that kept coming up was exhaustion. With the murder of George Floyd last year and all the coverage on social media, as well as trying to go about your normal life whilst feeling like you had the responsibility of educating people and protesting and dismantling the system, a sense of fatigue and exhaustion starts to set in.
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That movement is actually happening all over the country. I’ve come across several events and projects recently that are centered around joy and talking about what that means in black spaces. At the end of the day, we are human beings and we experience love and loss like everyone else, on top of this added trauma and re-traumatization that is currently happening. Obviously that’s
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“I think there’s a really important conversation to have about how you centre wellness in all that heaviness.
something that has always been happening, but it has really intensified in the last year.
How can people get involved with the hub’s work? I’d encourage people to sign up to the hub bulletin, or send me an email if they want to be involved. The bulletin is a good way of finding out about what is happening in the community and where we need voices and input. It also has updates on ongoing projects or opportunities in the city to be involved with. I know that the Council is currently looking at pulling together their City Plan strategy for the next few years and they want to speak to as many people and engage as many communities as possible before that’s fully written up. So keeping up to date with the hub bulletin means people could get an invite to actually come and have their say in a conversation like that.
What would you recommend to students who want to understand more about black and diverse communities in Leeds? I know from personal experience that university can be a bit of a bubble, but Leeds is such a history- rich place and there are so many incredible things going on across the whole city.
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Jo Williams (@leedsblackhistory on Instagram) does black history walks where he explains the historical context of the city and celebrates black civilisations
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“I’d really encourage people to properly explore the city around them and all that it has to offer.”
and their links to Leeds and Yorkshire, which is a really good thing to get involved with.
What do you think is the best route to achieving positive change for black people and culturally diverse communities in our society? Protesting and demonstrating are very much needed. But I always say that there is also the added work, especially when we’re talking about institutional racism, of actually being in those spaces and trying to influence change. Not that it’s easy, I definitely don’t want to make it seem like change is some easy thing. But by engaging with the work of the hub and other organisations in Leeds, you can at least start to know about what’s going on and have a chance to actually be part of those conversations. We’ve had people that have come before us and done their bit and moved it forward but we really do need people to get engaged and move the work even further for our generation. So please do get in touch!
Find out more about the Leeds BME Hub, subscribe to the bulletin or get in touch with Abigail here - https://doinggoodleeds.org.uk/networks-forums/bme-hub/ If you’re interested in what’s going on around Leeds, and wider, for black and culturally diverse communities, check out some of these other organisations and initiatives below: • Racial Justice Network Leeds: RJN brings together individuals, communities and organisations across West Yorkshire to proactively promote racial justics, ‘holistic economic, spiritual and cultural repairs to end racial injustice and address legacies of colonialism’ • • Black Health Initiative: A community engagement organisation working towards equality of access to Health and Social Care around Leeds • • @whatcan.wedo (on Instagram) are a grassroots collective dedicated to supporting Black and Brown trans and non-binary people across the UK. They uplift the people they support by financially supporting their healthcare, housing and mental health needs • • @2girlscollective (on Instagram) was created by two girls in Nigeria (one of who is based in Leeds) who use their art to make change. They host events, exhibitions and workshops for everyday creatives and noncreatives.
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Features
Image: Sky News
Behind Vaccine Hesitancy: A History of Medical Abuse and Systemic Racism
Credit: Guardian
Clarissa Leung investigates the historical routes of the higher COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate amongst black populations, and its links with institional racism. Clarissa Leung It has been over a year and half since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, vaccines have been made widely available in the Global North, and we triumph over news of successful vaccine trials and rollouts for privileged populations in developed countries. But, the fact remains: not everyone is willing to put trust in these shots. Pro-vaccination slogans and sentiments continue to contrast with fervent accusations of “fear-mongering” from anti-vaccine protestors and high vaccine hesitancy rates. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the issue of vaccine hesitancy cannot simply be attributed to misinformation campaigns or stubborn anti-vaxxers. From our positions of privilege, a lot of us might have overlooked the unrelenting grip that institutional racism has had on Black communities throughout history, and the culture of mistrust and antipathy towards the healthcare system this has created. A December 2020 US telephone poll found that 35% of Black adults said they would definitely not get vaccinated, and about half of those respondents cited mistrust of vaccines and worries about getting COVID-19 from the vaccine as the main reasons. This phenomenon of Black vaccine hesitancy is sadly corroborated by the hard data of demographic characteristics of the vaccinated US population. In a 2021 study conducted by America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of fully vaccinated Black people was significantly lower than expected. In Britain, Black or Black British adults have the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy (21%) compared with White adults (4%), according to the Office for National Statistics. The Black community’s distrust of the healthcare system is not exclusive to COVID-19. A 2017 US study found that high-risk Black adults are less likely than high-risk White adults to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza, which contributes to greater influenza-related morbidity and mortality. All African Americans in the study, except those who always receive vaccinations, also had less to medical care and less knowledge of vaccine recommendations than their White counterparts. All this scepticism of the healthcare system points to a protracted legacy of questionable drug development practices and medical abuse against Black communities, deeply steeped in systemic racism. In 1932, the US government sponsored the ‘Tuskegee study’;
a biomedical experimemt on the effects of untreated syphilis, involving 600 Black men. The male subjects were not informed they were part of the research as participants, and were instead made to believe they were being examined for “bad blood”. By 1943, penicillin was the popular, widely available treatment of choice for syphilis. However, none of the participants was actually offered the drug, since the study was designed to withhold medical treatment. Many died. The survivors spread the disease to family members, partners and their children. It was only four decades later, in 1972, that an Associated Press story pressured authorities to investigate the study, which was then deemed “ethically unjustified” and consequently stopped. The first and only formal Presidential Apology came from President Bill Clinton, 65 years later, in 1997. Omar Neal, the nephew of one of the subjects of the study, expressed: “There was shame. And there was disbelief. Disbelief that the government would do that. How could you? How dare you use my humanity for such an egregious activity.” Neal has also lambasted the US government more recently, for cuts to public health funding and pared down infrastructure across the Black Belt, the region historically known for its slavery and plantation system pre-existing the Civil War. In one county on the Belt, Lowndes County in Georgia, where 75% of residents are Black, one in every three Black residents live below the poverty line. Lowndes Coutntry only has one physician and no hospital. George Thomas, their one doctor, revealed that up to 40% of his patients receive no health insurance. Scandalous historical cases and institutional racist neglect are only the tip of the iceberg. The abuse, maltreatment and implicit healthcare bias trickle down to the everyday lives of countless Black people. It has been suggested that Black patients could receive less pain relief than White patients, simply due to false beliefs about Black people’s perception of pain being different from people of other races. Only 35% of minority ethnic patients received the appropriate prescriptions compared with half of the White patients, a study of racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations showed. It cannot be denied that getting vaccinated and combating against anti-vax conspiracies remain important items on our agenda. But calling on BIPOC and the Black community to get their jabs no matter what, or blaming them for “irresponsibly causing harm to society” with no regard for their worries, comes from a place
of ignorance and casual racism. Black people are not ignorant or insolent for opting out of vaccinations. They understand the science behind the shots, but the fear of systemic and historical abuse often overpower their government’s vaccine slogans. To reduce vaccine hesitancy to a simple issue of educated vaccine positivity vs misinformed conspiracy madness is to brush over what are very legitimate and rational concerns. African Americans are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 compared to their White counterparts. It has been argued that the disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rates of Black Americans could be attributed to pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, obesity, asthma and cancer. To a certain extent, all of these things can also be traced back to discriminatory neglect and/or abuse from medical staff, which is further intensified by housing, environmental and healthcare inequities and deprivation. The stark contrast in COVID-19 mortality rates and attitudes towards vaccination between racial groups should be enough to convince the international community to address the racial disparity and bias in treatment of ethnic minorities, especially Black patients, through genuine action. That means speaking candidly about the decades of abuse BIPOC communities have been suffering from, ensuring adequate representation of BIPOC in clinical vaccine trials and senior medical research positions, and increasing funding into public healthcare and infrastructure in Black-populated regions. Lest we forget that the responsibility of safeguarding public health and ensuring the wellbeing of the People should fall on the state governments and intergovernmental institutions, not the victims, who have been used, abused and failed by the system for generations. It is high time for the world to focus their energy on addressing misinformation campaigns and anti-scientific attitudes in anti-vax crowds, rather than to condemn marginalized communities for being doubtful of the authorities.
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Destigmatising Whistleblowing: the ‘Freedom to Speak Up Guardians’ of Leeds Med School
Credits: NRB Construction Management Ltd.
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Alex Gibbon
Alex Gibbon highlights the appointment of two new members of staff at the University of Leeds Faculty of Medicine and Health to who students can now report cases of discrimination, abuse, or malpractice.
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for dealing with complaints and feedback, what prompted the Faculty of Medicine and Health to look to the NHS for inspiration? Professor Bryant quotes: “We asked if they had experienced microaggressions and more serious things like race hate crime and sexual assault. We were concerned by the results of our survey how few of our students would report such an event happening to them whether it was university related or not. Students were really afraid to speak up about it because they were afraid that it would have a detriment to themselves perhaps in terms of their career and what would happen to them in their peer
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“I am a member of staff who has been a student at this university and I wish this kind of role existed when I was starting off,” medical education tutor Robina Mir tells me. “I wish I had somewhere safe where I could go and talk to somebody.” She, along with Carly Miller, is one of two Freedom to Speak Up Guardians appointed to the Faculty of Medicine and Health in March this year. The newlycreated role seeks to encourage students studying in the faculty to speak up about any issue, big or small, including any form of discrimination (such as racism, sexual harassment), bullying or anything that could be improved. “We are not here to judge, we are not here to take sides. We need to have that neutral space where we are listening to that individual who comes to us in order to provide them with the opportunity to get it off their chest,” she explains. “I often say to my students that we all need places where we are safe to vent and safe to explore our thinking; this is a nonjudgemental space with someone you trust who can help you make an informed decision about what to do next.” Although the faculty may be the first university department in the country to appoint Guardians especially for students, the role itself has a much deeper history. Professor Louise Bryant, researcher of Psychological and Social Medicine and Associate Dean in the School of Medicine for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion explains: “[The role] mirrors something that already exists in the NHS. It recognises that if there is bullying or racism going on or other incidents and staff can’t speak up about that then that puts patients at risk… We feel that the role is really helpful as we are not just educating students for a degree but we are training professionals who are going to work in the NHS. they need to become familiar with Freedom to Speak Up Guardians.” Bryant also tells me that the change has also come about as a result of the Medical School signing up to the British Medical Association charter to prevent and address racial harassment. Yet, considering all departments at the university have procedures
“Since 2015 we have run student surveys in the school of medicine asking for their perception of equality initially around gender equality but last year we asked about experiences of racial equality as well.”
groups if they spoke up about a fellow student. We were really concerned about that and the impact that hiding these incidents then has on people’s ability to do well in their studies.” However, the scheme isn’t solely focused on reporting bad behaviour but also aims to influence change to improve student experience in a broader sense. Mir asserts that the role is “also about asking what we need to change about the culture of the environment which students are working and studying in. It might be something to do with trip ping over a piece of lino or feeling that they are not catered for in the canteen for some reason with those vegan options or those halal options.” Not only are the Guardians able to network with every piece of the University jigsaw - from the secretariat, to campus security, to the chaplaincy - but they are also able to deal with concerns that arise outside of the faculty like on clinical placements or during intercalation. It’s the job of the Guardians to also keep students informed with the process of complaints. Mir says: “One of the criticisms students have had in the past before our role existed is that they would raise a con-
“I often say to my students that we all need places where we are safe to vent and safe to explore our thinking”
cern that they then wouldn’t get any feedback on. As a Guardian I would keep in touch with them to say: how are you feeling about the way things are going at the moment, is there anything outstanding or anything that you’ve not been able to get feedback on? Then I’d be in a position to then contact the rel-evant parties and say what’s the update on this.” Warm, affable and an attentive listener throughout our conversation, Robina Mir seems like an ideal candidate for the role of a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. What’s more, she is unwavering in stating the importance of this new scheme. “I’ve had students say to me well before this job, when I was a tutor: ‘This happened to me. I don’t know if this was racism. I don’t know if this was bullying. I don’t know what it was but it wasn’t right and I don’t know who to talk to about it. It’s those kind of niggling things when you are not sure what to do about it when it’s worth coming to chat to us. We would be able to help you pick it apart to work out what key things need to be addressed there. Whatever you may assume about us, test us out! I am here to listen to you in an impartial way and think about how I can empower you to make decisions so you get the best outcomes for you.”
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Features
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Reclaim the Night - As Long as You’re White Jada Bas
The Influence Race Has on the Reaction to Gender Based Violence. Sarah Everard’s murder sparked outrage across the nation, and rightfully so. We rallied together; protesting, posting, and pouring our hearts out to express our anger and pain over the betrayal of Sarah’s right to safety. Yet, our anger and fight fell to a slumber when news broke of Sabina Nessa, a young woman who was murdered last month. On 17 September at around 8:30pm, Nessa left her home in Southeast London to meet a friend at a nearby pub - a journey that should have taken five minutes. After suffering a fatal attack, her body was discovered the following day in Cator Park in Kidbrooke. Nessa’s murder clearly illuminates stunted progress in the issue of
violence against women and girls, so doesn’t this call for an even bigger outcry that our voices have been ignored? Where is the same reaction we gave to the murder of Everard? We didn’t allow anyone to escape the injustice she faced; we saturated the nation’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds with our rage and demanded better for women’s safety. Yet, there was only the odd article and post to report on Nessa’s murder. Additionally, if you look at Google Trends, you will see a striking difference in the number of times Sarah’s name was googled after her murder in comparison to Nessa’s name being googled after her murder. Why was there not as much coverage for her and why wasn’t she deemed worthy enough to deserve it? Many have argued that Everard’s and Nessa’s cases aren’t comparable. They say the reason Everard’s case gained the coverage and fury it did was because it reflected police sexism and violence, and the mistrust in the police it has fostered. Sarah’s case undeniably exposed this, however, what is irrefutable is the media’s bias against girls and women of colour. I still remember the weekly roster of ‘missing’ posters when I was growing up for different women and girls of colour, placed by their families, whose names and faces I’ve now forgotten. Journalist Gwen Ifill’s ‘missing white woman syndrome’ highlights this if we look at the case of Madeleine McCann, who needs no introduction. The government spent over £11 million looking for her; she is the world’s most famous missing girl. Can you really tell me she would be if she wasn’t white? This only goes to show that the media (and society) is obsessed with victimised white women. They are not violated women, but the perfect damsel in distress trope. While missing and/or assaulted girls and women of colour continue to repeatedly be underrepresented and silenced. Our hyper-obsessive focus on white, middle-class female victims of gender-based violence is a structural issue designed to normalise white privilege through implicit means. Furthermore, it’s a reflection of the media’s and our own ‘white feminism’ and internalised racism. This isn’t about taking away from the brutally horrific tragedy that happened to Sarah Everard and the many other white girls like her.
“After all, we can’t really call ourselves activists or feminists if we only care about white women”
Credit: Maariyah Fulat
“our anger and fight fell to a slumber when news broke of Sabina Nessa”
“if you look at Google Trends, you will see a striking difference in the number of times Sarah’s name was googled after her murder in comparison to Nessa’s name” But our activism must stop being performative because we can’t all look like Sarah Everard and Madeleine McCann, and so we have to fight for women and girls of colour like Sabina Nessa too. After all, we can’t really call ourselves activists or feminists if we only care about white women.
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Sex Education: How do Leeds Students Feel About Black Representation in The Show? Credit: Netflix
Emma Dodd
Emma Dodd hits campus to ask what students think of the show. Is Sex Education doing enough to tackle underrepresentation of POC in British television?
“I
feel like they represented culture with Eric’s characters such as the struggles of different cultures through his trip to Nigeria. They also showed multracial relationships which was good. However, I feel like it wasn’t that diverse in terms of main characters and next season that could be something I loved the fact to improve.
three incredible black main characters and it doesn’t seem tokenistic. It’s also great to
I don't feel massively represented but I think
"As a non-British native
there are
see non-binary (NB) representation and a small insight into the issues they face, especially as more and more people are coming out NB that representaas tion felt rare and it was great to see” Jade, 3rd Year Communications and Media
“I felt like there could have been a lot more representation. There
was lots on sexuality but not for race. Even when Eric’s character visited his Family in Nigeria, that was an opportunity for representation but instead the focus was on him cheating.”
Amber, 3rd Year Philosophy, Psychology + Scientific Thought
the show does a good job of highlighting progressive values and the struggles faced daily by minorities. Also, Emma Mackey used to go to Leeds so I would say Hyde Matteo, 3rd Year Economics Student
"It was good, and I feel that it did well to tackle a lot of issue including the introduction of a non-binary characters, but I can’t help but thinking that they could have addressed more issues relating to bisexuality such as biphobia which I feel is a big issue facing the bi community" Ella, 3rd Year Economics Student
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Credit: Kantar
The Significance of Diversity in Advertising Ella Nelson
Knowing your audience is a fundamental part of marketing; people react to and are affected by vastly different things. It would follow, then, that one would need to design advertisements in specific ways to reach specific consumer groups. Minorities should be no exception. There is a great need for businesses to develop their understanding of minorities and minority cultures in order to successfully target those groups. If marketing is to have its desired effect – ultimately a high demand for a particular product – then the targeted consumers must be able to envision themselves using whatever is being sold. Is it, however, possible to successfully market to a specific culture if the marketer is not part of that community? Since minorities are severely underrepresented in the advertising industry, many target audiences are repeatedly overlooked. To successfully direct their advertising to minorities, companies need the competence and expertise of those minorities. This is pointed out by the CEO of marketing agency Demographica, Warren Moss, in his article for Chief Marketer, writing that “Audiences all across the globe are diverse, so in order to reach and resonate with those diverse audiences, you need a diverse output.” This he suggests can be achieved if companies “Diversify the input to the creative process”, enabling a “different, completely unique and powerful output.” There is a fair amount of data showing that consumers respond positively to
companies who demonstrate a social and moral awareness. According to Senior Director Daren Poole of the data and consulting company Kantar, “65% of consumers say that it’s important that the companies they buy from actively promote diversity and inclusion in their own business or society as a whole.” This suggests that, from a business point of view, promoting diversity in advertisements can have a positive impact on a company’s economic outcome. In a Forbes article, the author, David Vinjamuri, introduces the idea that if “marketers go beyond the window dressing of diversity, they’ll discover even more fertile fields.” He goes on to explain that “niche audiences can be a strong market for premium products, not just targeted advertising.” One can hope that economic profit is not the only driving force for companies to proffer change and bring about an increase in their social and moral awareness. Their advertising does indeed have the powerful ability to shape society and has a wide influence on consumer behaviour. Yet, in the end, without being culturally diverse, companies will miss the opportunity to profit on a large target group: minorities. Unless minorities are represented in the board rooms, the creative departments, and the marketing departments, the product will not accurately represent their culture. The ultimate goal should be for inclusivity to become second nature. Only then will advertising become more authentically diverse and thereby have a greater impact on a greater audience.
Petrol Shortage: Is Panic Buying Crippling Britain? Many of the supply problems facing the UK economy today relate to Britain’s current shortage of lorry drivers. According to Logistics UK, 96% of logistics businesses are having problems recruiting, and as a result companies are beginning to run short of warehouse staff, van drivers, and transport managers. The Trade Association cited that upwards of 19,000 HGV drivers have left the UK following the pandemic and Brexit, and approximately 45,000 new drivers have not been able to begin work due to Covid restrictions. In recent weeks, this shortage of HGV drivers has triggered a fuel crisis that has left parts of the UK with a significantly lower fuel supply than is necessary to meet demand. The reported shortage of lorry drivers sparked fear among motorists and has led to mass panic buying of fuel. Some petrol stations have been forced to temporarily close, with major fuel companies such as BP and Esso warning of petrol and diesel shortages at some of their stations. Others have rationed the amount of fuel customers can buy in an attempt to reduce long queues outside many petrol stations.
Credit: Flickr
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a honeypot. Everyone flocks there and within a few hours it is out again.”
Many countries across Europe have recently experienced driver shortages, but in the UK, Brexit has compounded the problem. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, many European drivers returned to their home countries because working in the UK involved additional border bureaucracy which negatively impacted their income. British politicians have been reluctant to blame Brexit for the crisis. Although, Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves stated it was “obviously a contributory factor” to the shortage of HGV drivers. The pandemic saw even more drivers return to their home countries, as travel became increasingly restricted last year, and large parts of the economy shut down. Many UK haulage companies have said few have returned to work. To make matters worse, there is a huge backlog in HGV driver tests due to current Covid restrictions. The industry warned the prime minister in June that there were 25,000 fewer candidates passing their test in 2020 than in 2019. Recent analysis of fuel data has also revealed that panic buying exacerbated the shortage. In the run-up to the peak of the crisis last week, national supply of fuel did fall, although not drastically when compared to imbalances of sales and deliveries in previous days and months. Petrol Retailers Association chairman, Brian Madderson, said he believed social media was a driver of the petrol crisis. He stated that “One of the reasons for this panic buying is social media. As soon as the tanker arrives at a filling station people on social media are advising that a tanker has arrived and it is like bees to
Who is affected by the shortage? The shortage has affected areas of London and the South-East most severely. Fuel is now, generally, more available, especially in the North of England. Last Thursday, however, 12% of petrol stations in the region were still without fuel, according to the Petrol Retailers Association.
What is being done? The government has implemented multiple strategies in an attempt to curb the crisis. Competition law has been suspended between oil firms, in hope that it would become easier for companies to share information and prioritise areas most in need. There are also plans for the process of getting an HGV driver licence to be sped up and nearly one million letters have been sent to existing HGV drivers, encouraging them back into the industry. In conjunction with these measures, last week, the government said they would offer temporary visas for 5,000 overseas HGV drivers - including 300 immediate visas for tanker drivers. According to the Prime Minister, however, only 127 petrol tanker drivers from the EU have applied for temporary visas to help tackle the fuel crisis.
Is there another fuel crisis looming? The past few days have seen many UK petrol stations manage to recover their stock levels to almost pre-crisis levels. However, the challenge for Britain goes far beyond the government’s offer of temporary visas to foreign lorry drivers in an attempt to solve supply chain issues for a time. Brexit has made it more dif-
Credit: Female Magik
Celebrating Women of Colour in Business: Female Magik Caoimhe O’Donohue Behind the community wellbeing brand heightening the voices of women of colour in the North of England.
encouraging millennials to prioritise their wellbeing. We believe self care and love goes hand in hand with becoming successful!
Community wellbeing brand Female Magik provides a platform for women, in particular women of colour, to share their stories and gain access to opportunities and resources to facilitate personal growth and job security.
What inspired you to found the brand?
“More women need a platform to speak and express themselves in the North instead of feeling like they need to travel miles away just to be heard”, Female Magik’s founder, Esta Suma, explained in one of the brand’s podcasts. “We have seen the struggles, the opportunities and the potential for Leeds and other Northern cities to come together.” Through various podcasts and workshops, Female Magik have tackled issues including racism in the workplace, the challenges of managing a business alongside motherhood, and the lack of opportunities available for women, especially within creative industries, in Northern cities such as Leeds. The Gryphon spoke to Esta on the background behind the brand and how students can get involved.
After completing a degree in Broadcast Media Technologies, I realised there was a massive lack of job opportunities for women, even more so women of colour, in Leeds. After endless trips to London, attending workshops and events, it became apparent that the North of England, especially Leeds, is underrated and easily forgotten when it comes to talented and skilful people.
What makes Female Magik unique? We are unique because we have chosen to work with companies and organisations from grassroot level all the way up to big corporations. This allows our voices and messages to circulate across the board. We also ensure we are completely inclusive and create strong representation for women of colour.
How can students get involved?
What is Female Magik?
We are always looking for volunteers/students to gain paid work experience with us. We do a lot of events throughout the year, run digital campaigns and so much more. If you would like to get involved, contact femalemagik@gmail.com
Female Magik is a community wellbeing brand that focuses on heightening the voices of women in the North of England. At our core, we are passionate about
Follow Female Magik on Instagram, @femalemagik
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Science
POC MENTORSHIP SCHEME As part of The Gryphon’s committment to become a more diverse and inclusive paper, we are continuing the mentorship scheme established by previous editor Safi Bugel for students from minority ethnic backgrounds. Mentees will be matched up to current members of the Gryphon team based on their interests. As well as shadowing and accessing one-to-one advice through the assigned mentors, mentees will gain hands-on experience with using Wordpress, InDesign and with helping to run meetings and edit content. The programme will run throughout semester 2 in line with each mentees timetable and committments. Depending on prefeence, this will take up around one hour per week. If you are a student from a minority ethnic background with interest in any of the following: - Writing - Editing - Photography - Illustration - Graphic Design - Social Media Use the QR code below to fill out a short application form by November 15th 2021.
If you have any questions, contact Editor-in-Chief Alex Gibbon at editor.leedsstudent@ gmail.com
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Black pioneers in the field of mental health For too long, Black scientists’ contributions to the field of mental health have been overlooked and minimized. Here, we take a look at several of the most influential Black pioneers in mental health. Zehrah Nanji
Joseph L. White, PhD
nised Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to bring an understanding of the mental health concerns that underrepresented communities had in the US.
Known as the “father of black psychology”, White was born in 1932 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He obtained his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State
Herman George Canady, PhD
University. Most of White’s career was spent at the
Herman George Canady, PhD, was a clinical and
University of California and he has held titles includ-
social psychologist. He is known for being the first
ing Researcher, Dean and Consultant at a variety of
psychologist to explore the impact of bias in IQ tests,
locations around the US.
as was the subject of his master’s thesis “The Effects of Rapport on the IQ: A Study in Racial Psychology”.
White was instrumental in founding the Educa-
He addressed the effect of the race of the examiner on
tional Opportunity Programme that provided educa-
students taking I.Q. tests and probed the reliability
tional access and opportunity for low- income stu-
of these tests given to Black children by white exam-
dents within California, with the majority of them being the first generation in
iners. It was hypothesized that there would be sig-
their family to attend college. White assisted in the success of many students who
nificant differences between the I.Q. scores of Black
were of colour and worked as an advocate to restructure the education system, this
children tested by a white examiner as opposed to a
led to him co-founding the Association of Black psychologists in 1968.
Black examiner. Although Canady’s study resulted in no significant differences in I.Q., it initiated further studies that investigated the
In 1970, the publication of “Toward a Black psychology” for Ebony magazine
effects of the race of the examiner on the result of the individual taking the test.
contributed to the modified perception of Black psychology. It was credited as being the first ever positive and strength-based evaluation and account of Black
During his career Canady succeeded the position of Francis Sumner, the first
behaviour as well as culture. This article showcased the unique variances of how
Black person to obtain a PhD degree in psychology as chair of the Psychology
ethnic minorities should be treated in psychology. It claimed that whatever the
Department at the West Virginia Collegiate Institute. He was chosen as the diplo-
future of race relations and the destiny of black people, the creation of a Black
mate of the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology and played
psychology was essential as the psychology formed by white people could never
an essential role in establishing the West Virginia State Board of Psychological
effectively apply to African Americans. The article went on further to point out
Examiners, the West Virginia Psychological Association and the Charleston (West
that the presentation of conventional white psychology to Black people resulted in
Virginia) Guidance Clinic. Canady was also a member of the American Teachers
weakness-oriented deficit finding, as opposed to an accurate consideration of the
Association, an association formed due to the National Educations Association’s
situation of people of African descent.
discriminatory ban on black teachers.
White was the recipient of several prestigious awards including the honorary
Canady received a variety of honours during his career including the North-
Doctor of Laws from the University of Minnesota in 2007, Citation of Achieve-
Western University Alumni Merit Award and the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Mid-
ment in Psychology and Alumnus of the Year from San Francisco State University
dle Eastern Provincial Achievement Award. His work enabled Black psychologists
in 2008.
to be accepted into society and therefore facilitated the progress of the way that
Bebe Moore Campbell
Black psychologists are treated today.
Bebe Moore Campbell was an American teacher, author and mental health advocate who worked diligently to spread light on the mental health needs of the Black community. The founder of NAMI (national alliance on mental health) she worked to provide a safe space for Black people to converse about mental health struggles. As an author, Campbell’s fictional work described the devastating impact of racism on her community. Her novel ‘Your Blues Ain’t Like mine’ inspired by the murder of Emmett Till in 1955, was described as one of the most influential books of 1992 by the New York Times Magazine. Campbell’s advocacy for mental health provided the catalyst for her first children’s book called: “Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry”, The book, depicting a young girl coping with her mother’s mental illness, won the NAMI outstanding literature award. Credit: Pixabay
As an advocate, Campbell travelled to DC in 2008 and congress formally recog-
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Credit: Wikimedia
How can we close the student grade gap?
Black scientists are underrepresented and underawarded at every level within our institutions. Catherine Upex takes a look at some possible answers. Catherine Upex Last year, our own Morwenna Davies investigated why no Black scientist has ever won a Nobel prize. The problem? Purely a case of numbers. “For every Black scientist excelling in their field, there are hundreds of white scientists doing the same thing.” Research has found that this begins even at an undergraduate level, when students are just beginning their academic careers. However, a study has highlighted new ways that institutions can begin to close the grade gap between minority-ethnic students and their white counterparts. Last year it was reported that white students in the UK were twice as likely to graduate STEM degrees with a first-class mark. This followed the trend of other countries, such as the Netherlands, United States and Australia. Researchers warn that these academic differences can trigger a snowball effect: lower undergraduate grades mean the students are less likely to get onto post-graduate programs or receive the graduate positions required to kickstart their career. Indeed only 18.07% of the UK’s PhD students are from minority-ethnic backgrounds. It must be noted that these statistics in no way reflect the academic ability of BAME students. At an undergraduate level, students within a university cohort, irrespective of background, have all achieved similar A-Level grades. Even assessed coursework within university modules showed no disparity in results. The problem, a new study suggests, lies with exams. The study, published in eLife last month, was conducted by Louise Cramer of UCL. She assessed the results of a cell biology module, in which 47% of the students identified as members of a minority-ethnic group. She found there to be a grade gap of 8-13 percentage points between white and BAME students. This gap was the most prevalent in exam results, which Cramer puts down to the “stereotype effect.” What is the “stereotype effect?” Research has found that negative stereotypes associated with one’s race are likely to cause a student to put high levels of pressure on themselves to not conform to them. This results in high levels of anxiety and stress that can actually inhibit academic performance.
The stereotype effect is of course exacerbated by the racism BAME experience on campus. Kevin Laland of St Andrews also puts it down to a lack of a sense of belonging, noting that he is the only person of colour on the academic staff of the biology department. In STEM subjects, only 3.5% of Black academic staff are professors, compared to 11.9% of white staff. Furthermore 48.3% of minority-ethnic staff have research-only contracts, meaning they have limited opportunities to interact with students. As a result, students could complete their degree without seeing a BAME member of staff. Laland believes “It is easy for them (minority-ethnic students) to fall into the trap of thinking that they don’t belong, that they are outsiders…. and if that is the case, that can be a very alienating and demotivating experience.” So what needs to change? Cramer’s study identified new policies aimed to speed up the closure of the award gap. This included decolonising the curriculum, as well as suggesting that universities hire staff to analyse their student’s performance data, allowing them to assess and begin to tackle the award gap in their institutions. The London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium has also removed the requirement for students to have a first-class degree to be accepted for PhD funding; an indirect way of supporting minority-ethnic students. Kevin Laland also suggested that universities take a leaf out of the book of the Athena SWAN Charter, which is used to support gender equality in higher education and beyond. Strategies implemented by the charter included changing the wording of job advertisements and introducing bias training. “No marginal gain is too small to be dismissed” says Laland What’s next for tackling the grade gap? Cramer’s study suggested that more research should be put into engaging with the lived experiences of minorityethnic students, as well adopting more scientific and quantitative approaches to assessing the performance of students and effectiveness of equalling strategies. Of course, one of the biggest obstacles here is money. However, as seen with the Athena SWAN Charter before, if institutions are dedicated to the cause, the results of Cramer’s study show that we can begin to close the racial award gap.
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Former Team GB Athelete Sharon Andrews: “I did feel like I was an imposter” While the world of sports has certainly come a long way with regards to diversity over recent years, much work still needs to be done to ensure equal treatment of all ethnicities. In honour of Black Liberation and the continuing work ahead, Tasha Johnson speaks to Sharon Andrews, former UK athlete, to discuss her experience competing for Team GB as a black woman. Can you describe your experiences and achievements in athletics? I was a discus thrower and shot-putter, and I represented Great Britain and England. I represented GB Athletics numerous times in the discus and went to major championships. I was the England Number 1 and Number 2 for quite a few years, culminating in attending two Common Wealth Games. The first was in 1990 in Auckland, New Zealand, where I came 8th and made the final, which was a very big experience for me, because it was my first major championship. In 1994, I competed in Victoria, Canada, where I came 4th, which was a big achievement for me, going from 8th to 4th place. I retired from athletics in 2002, at 33 or 34.
Was this a largely positive or negative experience? It had its ups and downs, but for the most part, I think it was the making of me. I travelled and I met friends who have stayed with me all these years. I started at 16, and I did athletics for 16 years at an international level. The people that you meet along the way become like family. It was about finding out who I was as a person. In terms of athletics, there was no judgement - it was only based on what you threw, jumped or how fast you were. It was never like with netball or with hockey – those were always about if your face fitted. With the team events that I played at county level, I was always a bit sceptical about who they would put in the team, because of race. Whereas with athletics, it was just on my prowess, just my ability, so for me, there were never any real problems with athletics. But team events, now that was a different kettle of fish.
Do you mean you were less likely to be picked
or more likely, for ‘diversity points’? Less, much less. We’re talking back in the 80s. I was in Essex, where playing hockey was a predominantly white middle-class field. It was always the private schools, the ‘better’ schools that played hockey, because it was expensive - you had to have the hockey sticks, the hockey boots, the shinpads. We were lucky, our school bought into hockey, so we were able to play. Netball was pretty much the same, but we had a very strong netball team, and then I got picked for the borough team. You always felt that there was an undercurrent of bias, because you weren’t of the right wealth or the right colour - there was always something that you felt was holding you back, especially in the team events. That’s why I went to the athletics side more than the team sports, because in team sports, I felt I was just as good as my white counterparts, but I never quite got in there. You always have that doubt in your head, that feeling that it was because you weren’t from the right part of the borough, or the County, or the right background. Coming from a working-class Black family, you just didn’t fit into what they wanted.
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome? Yes - I think that was mainly during the beginning of my netball and athletics career. You felt a little bit inferior to the people you were around, because you felt, ‘I don’t have what they have.’ I was never somebody who was taken to sports by my parents, it was, ‘I’m going to get there on my own steam’ – which was to get on the bus, get to the club, and that was it. My PE teacher was absolutely brilliant, she was the one who encouraged me to go to these clubs, and we got a bit of funding and the occasional grant to help us with expenses. When I got to the borough level, then the county level,
then the international level, I was seeing girls and boys who were being bought by their parents, coached by their parents, who had the latest equipment and clothing. My clothing was either hand-me-downs from my sisters - I’m the sixth one out of seven - or paid for with the sponsorships I managed to get. So yes, I did feel like this was a different level. It was only when I started to perform that I thought, you know what, I’m good at this. And even though I might not have the right equipment or the right clothing, I’m beating you girls - I’m doing well. It was a change of mindset after a while, but in the beginning, it was daunting. I did feel like I was an imposter. And the looks that you got from other people sometimes. You just felt you weren’t supposed to be there. Because it was a predominantly white area, I just felt a bit out of place. It wasn’t until we started to perform that we got the respect. And then people were saying, would you like to be coached? Would you like this, would you like that? And even the athletes would start to talk to you more, because they wanted to know more about you, and that’s when you became accepted.
I think that’s an interesting point that you made about being accepted when success comes, especially in light of England losing the Euro finals and the racism that the Black British players received. What are your thoughts on that? I knew it was coming, that’s the thing. The moment those guys missed those penalties, it didn’t even take seconds. I just thought to myself, how bad is it going to be? Is it going to be every black person targeted because England lost? Or was it just going to be those three guys? There was never any point when I thought, these guys are going to be praised or given some form of support. And lo and behold, there has
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Credit: Wikimedia
been a lot of support for those young men, because of what has gone on before. I think the biggest thing for me that showed a change was when that crowd went to the Rashford mural in Manchester, and they rubbed out what was graffitied there, and people left notes of encouragement, and there was a big group of people, very diverse. It’s not brilliant yet, but it showed a change.
What do you think about the treatment and portrayal of black women in sports, like Serena Williams? I think it’s horrendous. It’s better than it was, but it’s always that negative connotation and criticism. I remember years ago there was an article about Anna Kournikova, a blonde tennis player, about how she looked and how she came out. Everybody was all over her, and she was getting sponsorship upon sponsorship. She was never ever as strong of a tennis player as Serena Williams, but because of her looks, she was the face of tennis. Whereas Serena was more athletic and more powerful as an athlete and champion, but it was always of a negative presentation – the media never gave her the accolade she should have got. Even now, I think there’s always somebody that they will put above Serena just to make the sport look better in terms of how the media saw her and presented her, it wasn’t fair. I think it’s nice now that more and more athletes are speaking out against racial or gender bias in their sport. The media is not getting away with the same things they used to, because people of all colours are calling them out on it, which is important.
Do you think the attitude towards black women in sports has gotten better or worse? Better, because there are more out there and there are more in the limelight as well. For example, in the current Olympics, there are more black women presenting and giving their opinions on what’s being done in
sports than ever before. And there are more women with a more natural look, without conforming to European beauty standards. But the way we’re portrayed is sometimes not good. There was an article done on Dina Asher-Smith in Vogue, and there was an article with Denise Lewis as well, in Fabulous Sunday Magazine. For Dina, on Vogue, she’s very pretty, but she looked quite hard and they didn’t take into account that there are certain presentations, lighting and colours that work on black skin. I’m glad they’re doing more representation and there are more front covers, but do us justice. Don’t make us look hard or like men or make us look like we’re aggressive or angry black women. Whereas now on Fabulous, Denise was presented in a different way - much softer, her hair was done nicely, her makeup was done softer, and she looked very, very good.
Sport is amazing, it opens so many doors. I travelled all over the world - I don’t think I would have travelled as much if I hadn’t been an athlete. The discipline as well – everything I’ve gone for in my professional career all comes back to the discipline I got from my sport. And if I never had that, I wouldn’t be able to take the knockbacks that I take from people in my life today. I would push anybody into sport, but I would make sure to give them guidance, because psychologically, you’ve got to be strong.
What advice would you give young black women trying to break into the world of sports? Work hard. Know what you want, and just go for it. But it depends on which sport you’re going into. Athletics is always about your own ability, but when it comes to team sports, you’re always going up against those who select the team. And some of those selectors are old in the tooth – they’re getting better, but some of them don’t always see the quality of the players. For example, if we look at the England football team that played in the Euros, a lot of players on the bench were black. Could you imagine the England team being only black players, if those men had been playing instead of being on the bench? I don’t know if they would allow it. If there was not one white person on the team and it’s England? There are all these questions that are brought up by selectors, especially when it comes to team events. There were a number of young men that were on that bench for the England squad who could’ve played, but they still stuck with Kane, Pickford and Maguire. I just think in the team events, you have to play out of your socks. You have to be better, and you have to get a lucky break.
Credit: Fabulous