Man jailed over mosque threats, inspirational boxer blocked from citizenship and other stories from Black, Asian and Arab communities you shouldn't have missed this week curated by Melissa Sigodo
"Cynthia Erivo, and countless other talented Black British women, deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated for their remarkable achievements", writes journalist Marverine Cole.
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This week’s newsletter features the return of the opinion piece section. Yes, you heard right, its back and I’m partially taking down the paywall in celebration. I hope you will consider subscribing and helping The Source grow so that I can commission writers of colour to share their work on my platform.
So yes, the return of opinion pieces has been long overdue but the wonderful award-winning journalist, broadcaster and presenter who you will probably recognise from ITV’s Good Morning Britain, is gracing us with her presence with a piece about the “erasure” of talented actress Cynthia Erivo from the front pages of British press.
As well as an opinion piece, the new trailer for the latest episode of my YouTube series, The Space with Melissa Sigodo has dropped. I’ll send you all an email when it goes live tomorrow at 8pm and I hope you’ll join me then to tune into this deep interview with Fuse ODG. A lot was discussed. Don’t forget to leave a comment, like, share with friends and family and of course, subscribe.
Without further ado, here is Marverine’s opinion piece.
The Read - Marverine Cole
Marverine Cole Marverine has worked as a Reporter, Producer and News Anchor for the majority of Britain’s most watched and listened to broadcasters, including Sky News, 5 News, Talk TV, Classic FM, 5 Live and BBC Radio 4. She is currently best known as a newsreader for ITV’s Good Morning Britain. She also has her own newsletter on Substack - Moments with Marverine.
“The British press, despite its protestations, still has a lot of ground to make up, compared to other news outlets, when it comes to representation.”
Marverine Cole - Saturday November 23, 2024 - The Source
It was disheartening to witness the erasure of a magnificent Black British women's talents in our media earlier this week. The British press, despite its protestations, still has a lot of ground to make up, compared to other news outlets, when it comes to representation. Cynthia Erivo, a home-grown talent with extraordinary vocal and acting abilities, should be celebrated wholeheartedly. And as we all know by now – she’s the lead of the new movie WICKED, which had its European premiere in London on Monday night.
As a journalist and national broadcaster with 21 year’s experience in the game, I've observed countless instances of misogynoir – the unique & despicable blend of sexism and racism that Black women encounter. It manifests in their being overlooked, pushed aside, and often unfairly portrayed. In fact, my score sheet is overflowing.
Cynthia's absence from notable front pages of some papers the morning after the premiere feels like a prime example. She's a Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner, and an Oscar nominee, who delivers a powerful performance as Elphaba. Yet, much of the media spotlight, the big bold green carpet photos instead focused on Ariana Grande.
Now, no-one will dispute Grande's deep ties to the UK, especially after the Manchester tragedy, and her popularity is undeniable. But should that come at the expense of recognising Erivo's achievements at this hotly-awaited occasion? It makes me wonder, is this simply a matter of 'bigger star' power, as some newsroom conversations might suggest? Or is there something more at play here? It confuses me because our press exhalts incredible Black British women now more than ever before. My adorable friends Alison Hammond, Judi Love and Charlene White and BB presenter AJ Odudu all feature in the pages of the magazines frequently.
So I am curious to hear what you think this week has been about? The exclusion of Black women is happening on a daily, on a wider scale beyond the realm of entertainment. It’s deeply concerning. Recent studies highlight the systemic barriers Black women face in professional environments. The "broken rung" effect, for instance, shows that in the US for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 60 Black women advance. They're also more likely to have their skills downplayed, feel unsupported, and encounter microaggressions that chip away at their confidence.
In the UK, 75% of women of colour have experienced racism at work, with Black women facing particularly acute challenges. The report highlights how discrimination impacts their progression, wellbeing, and sense of belonging.
It's 2024, and it's frustrating to see these disparities persist. While the press might deny any racial bias, the optics are troubling.
Perhaps I'm overly sensitive? What do you reckon? But it feels deliberate. It feels like misogynoir. And it raises important questions about whose stories we choose to highlight and whose contributions we deem worthy of recognition. True there are less and less newspapers being sold however the front pages still drive the agendas for daily debate on traditional TV and Radio news programmes. And online the ‘newspapers’ are still garnering ad revenues, albeit it vastly depressed. Maybe we should not even care because legacy media is struggling because audiences in their millions are abandoning it to seek news via social media or worse still avoiding news altogether.
I just think we need to do better. The press has a responsibility to provide fair and inclusive coverage, and we all have a role to play in challenging bias and supporting Black women in the media. Cynthia Erivo, and countless other talented Black British women, deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated for their remarkable achievements.
News
Fuse ODG says that Bob Geldof’s Band Aid song perpetuates the idea that Africa is plagued by poverty as a new version is to be released. Ed Sheeran whose vocals are on the new version says it was done without permission, and he would have otherwise declined. Full story.
Music artist Stormzy has launched a new initiative to help provide young people of UK Black Heritage with employment opportunities and careers resources throughout the year. Full story.
Sport
An inspirational boxer made history at Paris 2024 after she was unable to represent Great Britain because she’s been repeatedly denied citizenship, despite growing up in the UK and even after GB Boxing supported her application to the Home Office. Cindy Ngamba instead became the first ever athlete to win an Olympic medal for the Refugee team as she now says that “anything is possible if you work hard.” Full story.
Hospitality
A family-run Caribbean restaurant Natty’s Jerk has won Uber Eats’ Restaurant of the Year award. Owner of Natty’s Jerk, Natty Crutchfield said: ‘We are thrilled to have been named Uber Eats’ Restaurant of the Year. It’s hard to put into words how much this means to us – it still feels surreal.” Full story.
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