Editors Letter – June 2025

As we embrace the month of June, I find myself reflecting on the transformative month of May that we’ve just experienced.

May was a powerful reminder of our strength, our resilience, and our unwavering spirit as a global community. With so much happening in the world, it was a month filled with reflection and the deep connections that bind us together, especially as we reflected on Mental Health Awareness Month.

A thought-provoking piece from Jacqueline Hinds shone a light on the emotional and mental toll Black women face in UK workplaces, ‘where expertise is too often questioned, and your identity too often dismissed’.  Her article explored how emotional intelligence can ‘help you reclaim your authority, protect your wellbeing, and navigate spaces not built with you in mind.’ Importantly, she said: ‘Your mental health is a priority. Your voice matters. Your authority is valid.’

In May, with our rich cultural heritage, celebrate the stories of our ancestors who paved the way for us to thrive today. As we head towards Windrush Day, Black Wall St Media reported on a parallel history that has remained less known. France also had its Windrush, and its name was ‘Bumidom’.

Between 1963 and 1982, the French government orchestrated the migration of approximately 160,000 people from the overseas territories of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, and French Guiana to mainland France and this was a truly insightful piece that reminded me that ‘no man is an island’ as diaspora we travel similar paths no matter what part of the world we are in.

We also paid tribute to the first black footballer Arthur Wharton. Born on 28 October 1865 in Jamestown, Gold Coast (now Accra, Ghana), Arthur Wharton was a man far ahead of his time, a trailblazer who carved a path not only through the world of football but across the wider field of sport and civil courage. It was an honour to learn more about him; I feel that these are the names our children should learn about in school.

We also witnessed the beauty of our collective voices rising in unison, advocating for justice and equity, and reminding the world of the power we hold when we come together.

Black Wall Street Media featured a piece that reminded us that five years ago, the world changed when on 25 May 2020, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by a police officer in Minneapolis.  ‘His final words, “I can’t breathe,” came to symbolise a much larger truth: the suffocation of Black lives under the weight of systemic racism and unchecked power.’ It was an emotional read to reflect on how much has changed, and sadly how much hasn’t, since George Floyd’s murder.

From 19th to 25th May 2025, Britain observed Knife Crime Awareness Week, which was an effort to educate, to remember, and to prevent knife crime. Led by the Ben Kinsella Trust, the week called upon the nation to look itself squarely in the mirror.

Black Wall St Media’s article asked a powerful question: ‘What is awareness in a world that would rather police pain than cure it?’ This article also reminded us that this ‘country has a remarkable capacity to forget, especially when the blood is Black, or Brown, or poor. It remembers Shakespeare and Churchill but forgets the names etched into headstones in council estates. And yet, these names, these children are no less England’s sons.’

It was a month that urged us to look back at the roots that nourish us while pushing us forward into a future filled with hope and possibility.

As we step into June, let’s carry the lessons of May with us. Let’s continue to uplift one another, embrace our unique narratives, and champion the causes that matter to our community. Together, we can create spaces where our voices are heard, and our dreams are nurtured.

The world around us is in turmoil. So, this month, I invite you to reflect on your own journey. What are the aspirations that ignite your soul? What stories are waiting to be told? Let’s discover them and tell them.

Together, let’s continue to shine our light and uplift one another as we navigate the month ahead.