Ruhul Abdin was born in Bangladesh, brought up with six siblings, spends lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and becomes lead artist for the National Portrait Gallery's project to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh in Britain. RUHUL’S CHILDHOOD Ruhul and his siblings emigrated to the UK in 1993. They settled in Darlington, north east of England, in the county of Durham.   ‘We had an interesting kind of couple of years growing up in a very, very white working class neighbourhood. It wasn't that much like East is East , but it wasn't that far off the style. It was interesting, colourful, there's lots of racism.’ His father had two wives   and they were living in two separate houses in Darlington. ‘I’m one of six children, you know, all these kind of crazy narratives that come with that. I mean -  I'm one of six and I have six half siblings.’ As a 13 year old he read a book and ever since he got excited about education and architecture. ‘I was very lucky… I had some g

It was a pleasure to have hosted another important topic: undocumented migrant and covid vaccines to encourage vaccination campaign for all in Britain regardless of having a password. I would like to thank: Rachel Blake - Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets Nurur Chowdhury   - Senior Scientist from Barts NHS Sunitha Dwarakanath -   Regularise Natasha Howard - Innovation and Information Manager   NE London NHS Naseem Talukdar -   Feed the Homeless All the shared materials can be found below: ttps://www.unhcr.org/cy/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2018/09/ TerminologyLeaflet_EN_PICUM.pdfhttps:// www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/let-s-flatten-the-infodemic-curve     WHOs COVID Mythbusters page https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters   How to Spot Fake News - COVID edition https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/93015   Scroll down for links in different languages British Society for Immunology Guide to vaccinations for COVID-19   https://www.imm

  A community campaigner fought against racism in the East End in life and during the pandemic he campaigned to feed local residents MAIUM'S EARLY LIFE IN BRITAIN ‘My dad had a vision for us to do well: to get good education and a good job,' said Maium. Maium remembers Bangladesh being overcrowded as a child. His initial experience of the UK was completely the opposite.  ‘Everything was different. It was beautiful and nice. It was very different from the country I was born in. Obviously, I was very young at the time. In Bangladesh, I was use to being with Bangladeshi people. When I came here I see a different variety of people.’ Maium came to the UK in 1984. He was 5 years old. Having lived in various temporary accommodations  in many parts of London, his family then settled in the  Isle of Dogs. They were the first few Bengali families moved in to the area at the time. RACISM IN ISLE OF DOGS They lived near a park. They would not go to the park for five years because of fear o

Having spoken about a broad range of minority related subjects during the first, second and third lockdown, this time BritBanglaCovid organised a Zoom public meeting with experts, campaigners and community groups who know the impact of migrant and refugee communities during this pandemic. Migrants are left without any protection from social distancing rules, and health protection when they need help. Professionals had demonstrated how migrants are dehumanised by the NHS and other officials.

Join another public meeting on 7th February 2021 at 3pm. Link:  Here BritBanglaCovid has been at the forefront of raising issues impacting British Bangladeshi and other minority communities during the pandemic. We have noticed how the Windrush generation was and is being treated by the current British government. There has also been a strong community response against racism and the hostile environment in UK and beyond. Let us not forget the Black Lives Matter movement. But the real question for 'Migrants and Refugees under Covid' Zoom public meeting is: 'how did the hostile setting manifest itself during the pandemic both nationally and internationally?' And then to follow up from the issue is: 'what practical strategies worked and did not work against such a hostility?' To understand a complex issue, BritBanglaCovid has invited national and international experts to take part in our 4th Round Table Discussion: Antonia Bright - Chair of Movement for Justice Jame

The U.K. approved a second Covid-19 vaccine, and it’s a homegrown one this time. The government has ordered 100 million doses of the shot developed by  AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, more than any other candidate.  This is how it works:      

  Tanzila Zaman, a community mentor, and writer of a book, ‘Mother Tongue’, shares her experience of the pandemic.  EARLY LIFE Tanzila Zaman was born in Barisal,  Bangladesh. Most of her life, prior to coming to the UK just over 10 years ago, she lived, studied and worked in  Dhaka, capital city of Bangladesh. Her mother was always busy and cooking, cleaning and maintaining their home. Tanzila enjoyed her time in school.  In Dhaka she studied at the best institutions and later she worked for a corporation.  Her passion to excel in her career made her come to the UK. Her employer preferred her to get trained in Singapore. She chose London.  BRITISH EXPERIENCE ‘Most of the things you study in Bangladesh is about memorising things. It is not practical at all. In London you are flexible. In Bangladesh there are restriction, and lots of memorising. I don’t like memorising.’   ‘When I came to London my life changed (dramatically).  When I came to the UK, I started studying and Allah blessed

Hi everyone, I know it's a difficult time for everyone. We just have to play our part in such a time to help and support others who are less fortunate than us.  Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year (if you can) from BritBanglaCovid.  

Thank you on behalf of BritBanglaCovid for taking part in our fourth Public Meeting where we passionately spoke about minority communities, poverty and Covid-19 vaccines. We felt priveledged to listen to the feelings and responses of local campaigners, grassroots activists and East London Mayors and academics. No doubt we still have a lot to do to protect our communities in times the pandemic. BritBanglaCovid will play its part to support minority communities in times of difficulties. If you want to know more about BritBanglaCovid, please check here: www.britbanglacovid.com