No N Word

Existing media regulation is based on defending what is deemed as generally accepted standards, however evolving public, political and cultural beliefs often mean redefining these boundaries and setting new standards. These standards must be judged by the values enshrined in the very same human rights legislation that grants us freedom of speech. Media regulation should be Human rights based and promote a social responsibility in media organisations to champion the needs of children, the elderly, minority, vulnerable, voiceless and disadvantaged communities by placing their protection at the forefront of all regulatory principles and polices.

It is time to say No Negative Reclamation, No Neutral Stance, No Negotiation, No N Word.

Click here for details of Ligali's No N Word Campaign

EDM 1010: National Memorial Slavery Day

On 20 April 2004, Louise Ellman MP initiated Early Day Motion (EDM) 1010 calling on the Government to acknowledge the leading role Britain played in transatlantic enslavement and to make the teaching of the ‘slave trade’ and plantation enslavement a mandatory part of the National Curriculum. It further calls upon the Government to initiate a National Memorial Slavery Day so that people throughout the country will remember and learn from the horrors of enslavement. We wrote to several MP’s and British monarchs asking for them to either sign or provide written support for the EDM. Diane Abbott, David Lammy, Baroness Valerie Amos, Adam Afriyie and Paul Boateng were amongst those that we wrote to. We are pleased to see that Diane Abbott has since signed the EDM although we remain disappointed with many responses. To date 59 people have signed this EDM while 381 sighed EDM 757 which called for the House to congratulate the Royal Horticultural Society for its invaluable contribution to the UK gardening.

Has your local MP signed the EDM? Click here to view responses so far.

 

Justice 4 Chris

Following the screening of the BBC documentary ‘Rough Justice’ (14 April 2004), featuring the CCTV footage of Christopher Alder’s last moments, the Home Secretary has decided to review the case for a Public Inquiry into the circumstances that led to his death.

37 year old Christopher, who was also the father of two children, had been arrested in hospital where he was being treated for a bang to the head, following a scuffle outside a hotel. He later died on the floor of a police station where he had choked to death on his own blood and vomit.

The decision to release the CCTV footage was made by Mr Alder's sister Janet, in an attempt to win a public inquiry into her brother's death and question why the officers involved have never been cross-examined. An earlier inquest concluded that Mr Alder was unlawfully killed, yet Sgt John Dunn, and PCs Neil Blakey, Mark Ellerington, Nigel Dawson, and Matthew Barr, of Humberside Police, were cleared of manslaughter and misconduct after a judge directed a jury to find them all not guilty.

The Home Secretary's decision not to hold a Public Inquiry into the circumstances leading to the tragic death of Christopher Alder is sadly predictable. Mr Blunkett said;

‘We deeply regret the terrible distress that has clearly been caused to the family and understand perfectly well the reaction of viewers seeing these distressing scenes… It is, however, six years, a trial and two inquiries later that we are having to assess whether there is any beneficial purpose in reopening the case.. Public inquiries in such circumstances cannot be triggered by TV footage of material, which was already known during the judicial and inquiry investigations… However, I am asking the new
Independent Police Complaints Commission to have another look at this and to report back.’

Janet Alder said she was "disappointed, but not surprised" at the Home Secretary's decision to order a review but not a public inquiry.

Click here to support a petition to call for a public inquiry.

2004 What Are You Doing Campaign

We are disappointed, though not surprised with the apathetic stance of the British Government, local Councils and national media organisations towards marking the UN's International year for the commemoration of the struggles against slavery and its abolition. At the very least, the Home Office could and should publicise the United Nations proclamation Of 2004 as the year recognising the 'Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition' and offer support to community based organisations that wish to engage in this commemoration.

Details of the Ligali's 2004 What are you doing Campaign can be found here

 

Bring Back Bonsu Campaign

On 29 February 2004, BBC Radio London presenter Henry Bonsu said goodbye as his topical late Sunday night show was axed. Why? Well Henry inherited the ‘black Londoners magazine’ show from comedienne Eddie Nestor and turned the horrendously scheduled four hour slot into a compelling forum for what he branded ‘activism’ highlighting issues effecting all Londoners. Together with his silent producer Helen Bart they pro-actively engaged all those who were interested in challenging the continuing socio-economic deprivation facing the African British community.

We in the African British community ask when will the British Broadcasting Corporation acknowledge that we too have been underserved, misrepresented and caricatured as a community with no interests outside music for far too long?

Bring Back Bonsu .

Details of the LIGALI's Bring Back Bonsu Campaign can be found here.

Click here to register your vote in support of our campaign on the BBC iCan website

 

Abolish the colour caste system with institutional recognition of African British

What do Asians and Africans in the US have in common. Both have distinct ancestry-nationality definitions in the Oxford dictionary. However if we look up African British, we still can't find an entry despite widespread local community and internet usage. The next census will not occur till 2011. We cannot wait that long for a change. Some goverment departments in Scotland have removed the label 'black' as a minority ethnic classification for Africans but England has yet to follow suit. For this change to take place the Commission for Racial Equality must reccommend that all institutions adopt a new classification system removing 'black' as a racial identifier. Ligali also needs reference books and dictionaries to recognise African Britons as stakeholders in the UK. It is time to get rid of the colour caste system once and for all.

Click here to register your vote in support of our campaign on the BBC iCan website

Ligali's reccommended classification:

African
- British
- Caribbean
- Other African Background

Ligali does not support the labeling of our community as black nor the acronym BME. For more details click here.

 

African History Month - Sucessful!

Details of the LIGALI's campaign for recognition of African History Month can be found here.

It seems that after months, and for some organisations we know, years of campaigning and renaming 'black history month' 'AFRICAN history month', Lee Jasper, Race Advisor to the Mayor of London has finally given way to pressure and has 'officially' replaced 'black' with 'African'. About time too.

Police create video image database

Ligali has serious concerns about current Police tactics involving the maintenance of ‘a distinctive image database’ of innocent bystanders on occasions when such people are outside the remit of being involved in a criminal offence.

 

MOBO Urban Demo (Money of Bloodied Origins)

To read about Ligali's campaign against music being abused and turned into Money of Bloodied Origins click here.

To read about Ligali's campaign for MOBO sponsors to adopt a corporate social responsibiity policy click here.

 

Channel 4 (Blackometer)

LIGALI's want's Channel 4's offensive 'blackometer' removed, click here for details and to try our alternative quiz.

 

PANR (Protests Against Negative Representation)

Details of the LIGALI's existing protest against negative media representation campaign can be found here.

 

 

Invisible Victims

A campaign highlighting the double standard of existing news institutions placing a lower value on the death of someone from the ABC. To see the register or for more details Click here.

 

 

Injustice

In 1969 David Oluwale became the first African Briton to die in police custody, to find out about the subsequent Injustice click here.

 

 

ELI Hall Human Rights Campaign

'The gunman at the centre of a 15-day siege in London killed himself with a bullet to the head, but was also wounded by police, a post-mortem examination has shown to read about the campaign to discover his cause of death click here.

 

 

Black Quest For Justice Campaign

To read about the BQJC action in response to early day motion on Pan African Reparations click here.

 

 

Beyond The Will Smith Challenge

BTWSC is responsible for the publication of an open letter to the music industry proposing a voluntary code of ethics for artists and record companies. An open letter to the music industry was written by panel member Ms Serwah, co-ordinator of Beyond The Will Smith Challenge.

 

Inquest Campaign

To read about the Inquest campaigns click here.

 

 

United Families and Friends Campaign

To read about the United Families and Friends campaign click here.

 

 

New Cross Fire Campaign

Fourteen young people died in the fire which broke out at a house party in New Cross, south east London, on 18 January 1981. To read about the New Cross Fire campaign click here.

 

 

Africa Reparations Movement

ARM(UK) believes that people of African origin have an historic task to perform, that is to ensure that the truth of what happened to people of African origin is exposed and that reparations are made to African people.To read about the Africa Reparations Movement campaign click here.