‘An Anti-Racist Wales?’ Panel and Fundraiser
On Monday 6th December, Hoogah opened its doors for a fundraiser for the Free Siyanda campaign. We were really happy to see so many people come to support Siyanda and the campaign and we thank everyone who came and Greenwich Unite Branch for their generous donations that contributed to us raising £250 for the cause.
As the Community Project Officer of Hoogah, I hosted the event with Sunil Patel from No Boundaries Training & Consultancy and we decided to name the event ‘An Anti-Racist Wales?’ in response to the Welsh government’s anti-racist action plan. As Siyanda’s mum Cammilla pointed out when she joined us via Zoom at the event, if Wales wants to be anti-racist by 2030, those in power must look at cases like these and investigate whether justice was truly served.
Below is a video with more information on Siyanda’s story:
Our fundraiser evening included a live panel discussion and Q&A and a virtual spoken word performance from Queen Niche (Nelly Adam), an NHS worker and Human Rights activist who recently appeared on Question Time.
Our panel was hosted by Sunil Patel and guests included:
Andrew Ogun - Andrew is an artist and BLM Gwent organiser who has been appointed as an 'Agent for Change' by Arts Council Wales and has played a crucial role in the Welsh government's Race Equality Action Plan.
Nimi Trivedi - Nimi was forced to leave Uganda as a child. A lifelong anti racist, Nimi is a UNISON equalities officer, a steward and a member of the UNISON Black Members group in Wales. Nimi has spoken at and chaired many Stand Up To Racism events in Wales and Britain.
Sean Wharton - Sean is a former footballer and was the first Black schoolboy to play for Wales at the age of 14 and also the first Black player to be signed as an apprentice at Sunderland AFC. He is also a qualified social worker having worked within different disciplines throughout social care particularly children’s services since 1991 as well as being a therapeutic foster carer caring for complex and vulnerable children who have experienced early years trauma.
Important and challenging conversations were had between the panel and the audience and there was a strong sense of community during the event which gave many guests the hope that we can create change in our local area and demand justice for Siyanda.
Thanks again to all who supported the fundraiser and if you didn’t manage to come along but want to show your support here are some useful links to help you get involved:
Google Document Template to help you write a letter to your MP