Inside THIS MONTH
Rough justice Victim-blaming culture stops reporting p8-9
Schools and special needs M to get kids helps
ROUNDUP NEWSPAPER
News, views, stories & videos
The Voice says
THE 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON VOICE-ONLINE.CO.UK
1. Protests over Ashford attack Anger grows after video circulates on socials
2. Sickle cell ‘cure’ tested Siblings had to fundraise for treatment in India and say it has transformed their lives
Black women invisible to the law
3. What is Tony Blair doing in Africa?
Making money with services to governments
p12-13, 19
Justice for Oliver Miscarriage of justice court battle p14-15
4. ‘You touch one, you touch all’ Coverage of Ashford school protest
5. Why no media for Mariama? Missing teen (since found) isn’t much covered in papers
6. Murder charge over Briton shot in JA
The Forever Prisoners Campaign
Jamaican police charge brother of victim
7. BBC apology over mix-up
sentences p20
Beeb confuse Beyonce with Viola Davis
8. Black nurses targeted
Art of Black female identity Choreographer honours women’s strength p38
Senior nurse hits out at NHS over racism
9. Mariama Kallon spotted
I want muscles Nadine’s got the world in her strong arms p46
An update on missing schoolgirl case
10. Mariama Kallon found safe
Relief as missing schoolgirl from Walworth discovered
This issue is 48 pages
BLACK women are rendered invisible in the law because the out-of-date Equality Act fails to recognise intersectionality. That means a Black woman challenging discrimination at work at a tribunal have to pick from gender or race, or include both as separate allegations. The tribunal then decides each claim separately. This makes no sense. A Black woman might face discrimination in circumstances where a Black man, or a white woman, would not. Fundamentally, this is about believing Black women when they say their treatment is the result of a combination, not a coincidence, of race and gender. The term misogynoir is more used in the States than the UK, but it encapsulates the need to recognise this combination, and it is about time our law caught up with the times. A Black, disabled, lesbian or trans woman might feel the combination of all four identities has brought them unfair treatment, yet the law says each needs to be proven individually. It should be up to the victim to say if they believe they were targeted because they have multiple identities. Black women deserve to be recognised not just as Black people, and not just as women, but as Black women where it is felt the two identities together have caused discrimination. The call for Valerie’s Law, in memory of Valerie Forde who was killed by her partner, is essentially about recognising misogynoir. But it’s not just about the criminal justice system. Black women are worst hit by tax and benefit changes from successive budgets, especially during the period of austerity. When it comes to preventing discrimination in the public sector, through what’s called ‘positive duties’, gender and race are rarely focussed on in tandem. overnment don t even keep figures for Black women taking out employment tribunals, only providing separate statistics for gender and ethnicity. The law is hopelessly out of date. Labour plan to reopen the Equality Act with ‘secondary legislation’ to enable all-Black political shortlists. While they are at it, they should introduce intersectionality to recognise misogynoir.
Got a story? email us at yourviews@thevoicemediagroup.co.uk
NEWSPAPER
EDITOR Lester Holloway E. lester.holloway@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
CORPORATE AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS Paula Dyke E. paula@thevoicemedia group.co.uk
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paulette Simpson E. paulette.simpson@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
NEWS EDITOR Vic Motune E. vic.motune@thevoicemedia group.co.uk
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Joel Campbell E. joel.campbell@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk SPORTS EDITOR Rodney Hinds E. rodney.hinds@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
ADVERTISING AND SALES E. advertising@thevoicemedia group.co.uk NEWS DESK E. newsdesk@thevoice mediagroup.co.uk
CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS E. subscriptions@thevoicemedia group.co.uk
The Voice Newspaper Unit 1, Bricklayers Arms, Mandela Way, London, SE1 5SR T: 020 7510 0340 Web: www.voice-online.co.uk GV MEDIA GROUP LTD
