This year, Black History Month has come at a strange time. We’re still in the midst of a global pandemic, police brutality is a piping hot topic in mainstream media, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has had another global resurgence and we’re spending large amounts of time online to feel connected. But for some […]
Category: Culture & News
A Broken System: Refugees Crossing The Channel And Indefinite Detention
As 2020 charges on, a refugee crisis rages on the English Channel, with border crossings and indefinite detentions shedding light on the UK government’s approach to this humanitarian issue. For the majority of the 2010s, Conservative politics and press defamed refugees, characterising them as a ‘cultural threat’, linking them to violent crime and misconstruing their […]
London: A Black History Tour
There are a multitude of important Black History landmarks dotted throughout London. Here is a run through of some of the locations you should know about this Black History Month (and beyond). Brixton Black Cultural Archives – Founded by activist Len Garrison in 1981, the centre moved to it’s Brixton base in 2014. The archive […]
The Impact of Covid-19 on QTIBPOC
akt is a charity supporting LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness, experiencing familial rejection and living in a hostile environment. The charity works across London, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol to provide safe refuge and forge better futures for the young people accessing our services. 24% of the U. K’s homeless population identify as LGBTQ+. 68% of […]
Meet Black Honey Toys, the black owned sex toy retailer
I needed to take a deep breath when I went into Sh! for the first time. I knew that going to buy my first toy would be exciting but at 19 years old I had no idea to expect, especially growing up in a household where sex was never discussed. Apart from being wide-eyed and feeling shy […]
How to support the Black LGBTQ+ community this Pride Month
The beginning of this year has been difficult with the outbreak of Coronavirus which has impacted everyone across the world in one way or another. As we enter Pride month and are thinking of ways to celebrate our history and 50 years since the first Pride march whilst feeling heavy by fighting racism and police brutality, […]
Addressing issues surrounding identity, sexuality and vulnerability, watching ‘Steven Universe’ took me on a journey of self-actualisation
Steven Universe is an Emmy nominated cartoon set in a fictional universe predicated on the existence of gems: ageless alien beings whose existence can be located in magical gemstones that take on female humanoid forms. The TV show follows Steven Universe, a gem-human hybrid that lives in the fictional Beach City, with a group of […]
Grime Artist Miyagi on Music That Inspires Him
On Saturday Urban Slag will host its annual Halloween party in Birmingham. This year it feels extra special because long-time friend Miyagiwill be performing. Miyagi describes himself as a LGBT Grime Artist. From nearby Wolverhampton, he has been part of the Urban Slag family since its inception in 2010. Over the past 9 years Urban Slag […]
Why LGBT+ ethnic minorities need to attend the People’s Vote March Lauren Pemberton-Nelson
Brexit is one of the biggest political issues being discussed in the UK right now, with the Government trying to force us out of the EU at the end of the month. Brexit isn’t just about what happens to big companies or frequent travellers, it will impact everyone’s life from job opportunities to healthcare. For […]
To Bey Or Not To Bey: How A Freakum Dress Got Black Queer & Trans* Folk Into Formation
There are very few recording artists who can capture the public’s attention to become a global household name. There are even fewer artists who achieve icon status and maintain their solo success for 16 years, growing ever stronger with each passing year. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter has done just this in a wide variety of ways, […]