National leaders and congregations of the black majority churches in the United Kingdom have issues a statement to express their horror at the "shameful and inhumane actions" on a 15-year-old girl on school premises by officers of the Metropolitan Police. Signatories include Rev Alton Bell, chair of MJR. Read the full statement here.

In our previous post we reported a main BBC news item on the Government Windrush Compensation Scheme, where a group of MPs were asking for it to be removed from the Home Office due to the low rate of payouts made so far. We have since been contacted by a member of the Windrush Cross Government Working Group who told us the data used by the MPs was "dated" and therefore now inaccurate.

The latest situation includes:

• 42% of those who have applied for compensation have received a final offer, while 29% of compensation claims have received a payment. 
• The 5% figure some news outlets have used is based on the number of payments made against old estimates on the number of people eligible for compensation (which estimated there were around 15,000 people eligible), which we have since revised (to 4,000-6,000) following analysis and insight from extensive outreach and engagement with people affected. 
• Since the changes the group made to the Scheme last December, the amount of compensation paid has risen from less than £3 million to over £31.6 million, with a further £5.6 million having been offered. 
• There is no cap on the amount of compensation that can be paid out and the group will ensure that members of the Windrush generation receive every penny of compensation that they are entitled to
• Over 13,800 people have been issued with documentation confirming their status or British citizenship.

  He went on to say: "The Working Group is a critical friend of the Home Office and Government and my main interest is accuracy of information to counter any attempts to either talk up or talk down the actual state of play. Whatever people make of the statistics the government put out – and part of my group’s work is to provide robust challenge internally – the latest information on the Compensation Scheme is available here". 

The main story on BBC News today was the continuing delay on compensation payments to victims of the Windrush scandal. The scandal saw thousands of UK residents - most of whom were originally from the Caribbean from back in the 40's, 50's and 60's, wrongly classed as illegal immigrants. The compensation scheme was started in 2019, but delays have meant that by September 2021, only one in five of an estimated 15,000 eligible claimants had applied to the scheme and only a quarter of these had received compensation. 23 have died before receiving compensation. Now a cross-party group of MPs have asked that the scheme be taken from the Home Office and recommended an "independent organisation" should be handed responsibility for running the scheme, to "increase trust and encourage more applicants". Read the full story and listen to interviews here.

After this year's Black History Month the Guardian asked prominent Black British figures to assess where the UK stands in terms of equality and cohesion. Actor David Harewood says: 'There are voices on the right that are aggressively seeking to stamp out any discussion of white complicity in the disadvantage of black people. ... But that’s because they don’t understand that slavery and colonialism are the roots of what we go through today. The legacy of slavery is racism.'

Other voices include MPs, academics, writers and designers. Lester Holloway, editor of the Voice comments: 'a narrative of “common cause” is emerging between all oppressed communities'. (This is exactly the dynamic MJR has been seeking to draw attention to!). Read the full article here.

For Black History Month Experience London has teamed up with the Black Cultural Archives to launch the first ever Black History Tube map, celebrating the rich and varied contribution Black people have made to London and the UK from Pre-Tudor times to the present day. Read more about some of the people featured here. Click the image to see the full map.

Author Jeremy Williams' book "Climate Change....is Racist" looks at the connection between climate change and race as well as what can be done to bring about climate justice. He will be discussing these issues at an online event on November 18. 

​Climate change is an example of structural racism – something that will affect people in different ways and can result in divides along racial lines. The effect of climate change on the Global South is rarely highlighted and it’s something that will affect us all in the future. Those in the world who have contributed the least to this crisis will undoubtedly suffer the most. More information and booking here.

This is a podcast series by Dr Nathaniel Adam Tobias C------. Episodes 1 and 2 were launched online on Wednesday 22 September at 6pm, with Episode 3 to follow in November. This is part of the Henry Moore Institute's Our Monuments Research Season.

There has been a lot of talk, to put it mildly, about Britain’s statues and slavery. But what about Britain’s statues and anti-slavery? It turns out, that, while statues of slavers are among the statues Britain shows off, statues of anti-slavery activists are, in curious contrast, some of the statues Britain hides. To take us into Black History Month in the UK, this podcast series asks what, exactly, in its anti-slavery statues, Britain is hiding.

More info and links to download the first two podcasts and transcripts here.

A special event as part of this year's Black History Month, hosted by UNISON Manchester.

An afternoon of celebration, history, inspiration, culture, recognition and engagement with performances, speakers, a play and refreshments. All are welcome and you don't have to be a union member to attend.

The event is being held at Manchester Central Library, St Peter's Square on Wednesday 6 October 2021 from 2pm - 5pm. more information and booking here.

A statue of slave trader Edward Colston that was torn down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol last June has been put on public display as the centrepiece of a temporary exhibition at the city's M Shed museum. Visitors will also be asked to share their views on what should happen to the statue afterwards. Options include removing the statue from public view entirely, it being part of a museum or exhibition about Bristol's role in the transatlantic slave trade, or replacing the statue back on its plinth.
​Read more here.

On the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, some thoughts from our advisor Joe Aldred.

The killing of #GeorgeFloyd a year ago has etched itself into our memories. Sadly one of millions over many years. Change comes when the oppressed finds the God given strength to throw off their oppressors - metaphorically, literally, socially, spiritually, economically and politically. The powerful never tires of their power and never gives it up! So, don’t wait. The most important change to the debate is this: ‘Let the weak say I am strong’.