On 4th July 6-8pm at Rich Mix, 50 people from all walks of life from the East End and beyond to purchased the ' Covid Crisis: The Brit-Bangla Response ' book and viewed the  Untold Covid  Stories exhibition (preview) which showed extracts of the book to remember the struggles of the Bengali community during the pandemic and their response. The exhibition was opened at 6 PM and were guided by  Saif Aslam and Doug Haywood (exhibition curators), Barney Snow (script editor), Miranda Snow (visual book editor), Chuks Ikediashi (Author's friend) and Ripon Ray (author).  At 7pm, Ripon Ray, spoke about the historical importance of such a book launch to capture the stories during the pandemic from the perspective of the Bengali community and how the campaign organised by BritBanglaCovid had become one of the major platforms for many minority communities predominantly from East London. Kawsar Zaman - campaigner for TaketheVaccine - highlighted the book's significance and the exhi

  Hi everyone, Not long to go for the launch of 'Untold Covid Stories' exhibition and 'Covid Crisis - the BritBangla Response' book launch. I just want to give you an overview of the day: 6:00 - Exhibition opening - you can check out the art corridors, speak to me (the author), speak to editors (Barney and Miranda Snow) and curator (Doug Haywood) and others who are like-minded like you and me. Feel free to purchase the limited editions of the book and T-towels - I genuinely mean limited! 7:00 - 7:30 - Free snacks provided by Oitijjo - everything halal and vegan - tea too. First £150 is free to drink from the bar - so hurry! 😘 7:30 - 8:00 - five-minute speeches by each campaigner, academic and me - just don't cringe!🙂 8:30 - The End, but feel free to party among yourself. The photographer will take photos of you: don't forget to say: 'cheese!' Registration here: https://lnkd.in/ege4JpQM Ripon Ray Founder BritBanglaCovid

  Ripon Ray’s exciting new book, ‘  Covid Crisis: The Brit Bangla Response ,’ and exhibition in the East End of London’s Rich Mix Centre will open on Independence Day, July 4th.  This critical text is “a major achievement as there are very few studies of the pandemic that focus in such depth on particular minority communities in the UK”, Alastair Owens, Professor of Historical Geography, Queens Mary University of London  Highlighting the dynamic response of the British Bangladeshi community during the devastating Covid crisis, the book reveals a unique insight into a marginalised community during a crisis—testimonies of the local community and beyond, collection of livid experiences during an unprecedented global pandemic. A space where marginalised and often vulnerable people's voices are given a platform.  Unheard stories insight detail:  “The Brit Bangla COVID Platform is an excellent and fascinating example of community-wide mediation."  King’s College London, Dr Chris Tan

  He came to the UK in 1962. At the time, he felt the UK was pretty peaceful and safe. There was no rivalry, conflict or tension among many communities. He stayed with Bengali seamen. There were thousands of seamen. All of them were Bengalis from India. They came on a ship, and many married English women and stayed in the UK permanently. We are not speaking about just a few Bengalis. During the global pandemic, many Bangladeshis in Bangladesh lost their lives. If more die in Bangladesh, there may be a call for a national lockdown, according to Badsha Khan. He wanted to go to Bangladesh for Eid to sacrifice a cow. All the flights from the UK to Bangladesh were on hold. Instead, those who lived there shared the cow meat with others. He spent a few hours walking about. It was terrifying for him.

On behalf of Dr. Philippa Whitford MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaccinations for All, I am pleased to invite you to our in-person breakfast event in partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: ' Lessons from the Pandemic '. To commemorate World Immunisation Week, the event will take place on  Tuesday, 25th April 2023 at 9am-10:15am in Parliament  (final confirmation on the room to follow)   and feature a panel of high-level speakers, including Dr Seth Berkley, who will be in London for the last time as Gavi's CEO for this event. Further details will be shared in due course. In the meantime, please respond to this email to RSVP and do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any queries. We look forward to seeing you soon. Kind regards

Keep an eye on the vulnerable during Ramadan As many British Muslims begin to plan for a month of fasting whilst they endure, reflect and build solidarity among fellow Muslim men and women, it is also a time to reflect on what has impacted this community in recent years and protect the most vulnerable moving forward.  Having grown up in a Muslim family, I can imagine many Muslims are beginning to prepare psychologically for a change in their routine where they refrain from eating and drinking between dawn and nightfall. As they break their fast they are going to consume extra sugar content. The weather condition this year is a blessing due to shorter days and chilled temperatures. A few years ago one of my colleagues had to break his fast due to dehydration and exhaustion on an unbearable hot summer's day. Extreme heat can be a threat to many people’s lives. This is particularly the case when there are underlying health conditions and those who are elderly. Living conditions &