After leaving school at 13, he went from wanted criminal to best-loved poet, refusing an OBE, fighting institutional racism and working with Nelson Mandela. Now a university professor (and part-time Peaky Blinder), Benjamin Zephaniah is turning 60, publishing his autobiography and going on tour – and he’s as political and radical as ever.
December 10 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a landmark in international human rights law. The commitment to essential rights and freedoms intended to underpin a global drive to promote safety, peace, and dignity for all. These 12 accessible events are an opportunity to explore human rights in context… Read more »
While some see faith spaces –churches, mosques, synagogues or temples – as safe havens, the reality can be starkly different for the most marginalised. Mina Hadi interviews two writers whose book invites 30 disabled people to share their experiences of access and exclusion in UK churches. Writers Dr Naomi Lawson and Emily Richardson, both disabled… Read more »
China’s crackdown on fantasy literature and video games poses a critical obstacle to readers, authors, and those who seek to make these works accessible. Why restrict these apparently innocuous stories? Eric R Stone interviews censored writers who describe how censorship and outright banning of certain concepts, words, and allusions render works of fiction unintelligible. In… Read more »
In the diaspora, students with Nigerian heritage are retracing their roots with Yoruba language classes. The lessons aim to inspire confidence about a culture and heritage that might otherwise feel beyond reach. Xaymaca Awoyungbo explores how Yoruba lessons, poetry and music are breaking down barriers.
Why are Women of Color in STEM faced with a graduate student mental health crisis and a challenge to cling on as each stage of academia filters black women out? Yale PhD student Kathryn Graves finds that behind the walls of the ivory tower, academia is wringing the life out of its female scientists of color.
The story of one woman, Rahil Azizi, highlights the impossible situation of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers seeking safety in Pakistan. Arjumand Bano Kazmi believes Azizi’s story could be a timely aid to hundreds of other Afghan refugees who are subjected to arbitrary arrests, detentions, trials and deportation.
Many teachers are trying to decolonise their curriculums and classrooms, but how does this work in practice? School teacher and writer Lola Okolosie finds opportunities to approach lessons in English, geography and science through a decolonial lens.
This collection includes a letter from father to son, a translated story of a night in police custody, and a graphic novel about growing up under oppression. Many are award-winning and our choosers explain what each story means to them.
Many people dream of a human rights career, helping others and creating change, but how do you take the first steps? We asked human rights lawyers, humanitarians and journalists to tell us about essential qualifications and experience, and offer valuable advice to students just starting out.
