Exceptional scientist killed, refugee effigies burned and other stories from Black, Asian & Arab communities you shouldn't have missed this week- curated by Melissa Sigodo

Cassie Ventura confronted her abuser but why wasn't she seen as brave or heroic?

Good morning, afternoon or evening,

Thank you for subscribing to The Source.

This week, I was invited to speak on a panel at the Women’s Aid conference in Nottingham alongside Ghadah Alnasseri Executive Director at Black and minoritised feminist organisation Imkaan and Jess Austin First-Person and Opinion Editor at Metro. It was incredibly informative to have these important discussions about violence against women and girls (VAWG) with the brave women who either had lived experience, as well as those tackling the problem and providing support.

Myself and Jessye Berkowitz-Werner at the Women’s Aid Conference

Our discussion reflected on how the media reports on VAWG which got me thinking about the similarities and differences between Cassie Ventura and Gisèle Pelicot’s cases, the destructive idea of women having to be “perfect victims” in order to be seen as heroes or even believed when it comes to VAWG, as well as how consent is viewed and that if a woman says ‘yes’ once, her ever saying ‘no’ is viewed as redundant.

We also touched on the notion of what a perpetrator “looks like” and how race plays a role in this and furthermore, how the idea of white middle/upper class men not being seen as perpetrators of VAWG harms women.

There was so much we unpacked but here’s a little clip of from the day where I spoke about the reporting on Cassie Ventura over the Diddy case.

This week’s newsletter features updates on the latest in Sudan, Gaza as Kenya as well as the story of a heroic migrant. The last stories in the newsletter really put into perspective how women and girls suffer the most during conflict across the world. If you are interested in that news, you can upgrade your subscription to get the whole newsletter and support this work.

But just a quick update as well. A petition for Windrush scandal victims to receive the same free legal funding for compensation claims which is offered to other state-related scandals has now reached over 10,000 signatures. This means the government will now need to respond. Windrush scandal survivor Hetticia McIntosh who launched the petition is also urging people to help by writing to their local MPs and you can see all of the information by clicking here for the petition.

Also, just a reminder to make young people around you aware of the dangers of swimming in open water. We have seen mostly Black children die after swimming in rivers and lakes since the start of the year and it is simply heartbreaking. So please do let your kids, relatives or any young people you know to be aware.

Without further ado, here’s what you shouldn’t have missed this week.

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News

British teenager Marcus Fakana, 18, who was jailed in Dubai after having consensual sex with a then-17-year-old girl during a holiday romance has been freed after being granted a pardon, a campaign group says. Sex under the age of 18 is illegal in Dubai. Read the full story by ITV News.

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Notting Hill Carnival will go ahead next month after securing nearly £1million of extra funding from City Hall and two local councils for “this year only” following concerns over crowd safety and the potential for a mass casualty event. Read the full story by Victoria Cook at BBC.

Crime

An ‘exceptional scientist’ Dr Fortune Gomo, 39, who was weeks from turning 40 was found seriously injured on the street in Dundee before being pronounced dead at the scene. She had moved to Scotland from Zimbabwe. Kyler Rattray, 20, has been charged with murder. Read the full story by Gemma Riley at Daily Record.

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Met Police officers ‘removed paint’ off of the crime scene where portraits honouring the Windrush generation were vandalised. The Met says they did it to ‘prevent permanent damage’ but will now face a review to see if they ‘acted appropriately.’ Chair of Friends of Windrush Square Ros Griffiths says she was not told what police had done and that ‘evidence should have been left as it was.’ Read the full story by me for The Source.

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Police are investigating after effigies of refugees sitting in a boat with a sign underneath that read “stop the boats” were burned on a bonfire. Police say they are treating it as a hate incident and First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle ’Neill described the creation as “openly racist”, “sickening” and “deplorable.” Read the full story by Andrew Madden, Liam Tunney and Amy Cochrane at the Belfast Telegraph.

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A mum from Nigeria whose home was painted with racist graffiti which read “immigrants out” says she is now considering leaving Strabane in Northern Ireland. Uche Ukeje said her two daughters were left traumatised after the incident. Police say they are treating it as a racially motivated hate crime. Read the full story by Keiron Tourish at BBC.

Housing

Black people are having to change their hairstyle, name and accents in order to try and gain housing a new study has found. A three-year research project by Heriot-Watt University found that that Black people are more likely to face racism, are four times more likely to become homeless and are also less likely to get social housing. Read the full story by Liam Gerharty at The Big Issue.

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A family has been forced to live in six different temporary homes since 2019 and are about to move into their seventh after being served eviction notices from private landlords. Ulienge Morais’s children have attended four different schools in less than six years due to the instability. Read the full story by Ruby Gregory at Mylondon.

Grenfell

Grenfell Tower campaigners have accused the Government of a “shameless betrayal” after investigations into possible public contract bans for firms criticised in connection with the fire which killed 72 people, were put on hold. This comes after the government was requested by the Metropolitan Police to pause investigations until criminal proceedings were concluded. Read the full story by Megan Howe at The Standard.

Politics

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s thinktank worked with a project developing a plan for Gaza postwar which included creating a “Trump Riviera” and a manufacturing area named after Elon Musk. Read the full story by Ben Quinn at The Guardian.