Reflections on 2020
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley recounts her personal experience of events in Hackney during one of the most tumultuous years in living memory
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley
Black History – The Past and The Present: Prominent local figures take part in ‘illuminating’ panel
Hundreds listen as Diane Abbott MP, Patrick Vernon OBE and others cover ‘vast terrain’ in celebration of Black History Month
Meet the Hackney resident fighting for indigenous rights in her native Bolivia
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley speaks to Claudia Turbet-Delof, whose upbringing in Santa Cruz, marked by experiences of racism and gender-based violence, inspires her activism both here and at home
Theresa Ikoko: ‘Hackney is a hub of love, safety and home for so many’
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley speaks to the co-writer of highly praised new film Rocks about the impact of the borough on her work, and why she wanted to use her platform to counter negative perceptions
‘We are an underdog’: Meet the man documenting the Covid experience of the Bangladeshi community
Hackney activist Ripon Ray’s new project is recording the stories of a people often ‘unheard by wider society’
‘We are fearful of things we can’t see’: Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley explores the rise in conspiracy theories during the pandemic
The writer speaks to local experts about how conspiracies take hold, examines ‘reckless’ media behaviour, and finds a troubling history of minorities being blamed for outbreaks
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley: ‘Modern slavery remains one of society’s most considerable challenges’
The local writer on ‘one of the most serious but often overlooked humanitarian crises’, and what is being done to tackle it
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley: ‘We need a curriculum that recognises British history has not just been produced on this island’
The local writer speaks to the team behind the new African Studies Centre, which hopes to train teachers and students in Africa’s history, free of the prism of European colonialism
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley: ‘The maker movement has never been more important’
The writer speaks to Hackney residents who have been making face masks, and a researcher who thinks the pandemic has allowed makers to shake off the ‘hobbyist’ stereotype
Hackney youth charity on its new flower-giving project and the impact of Black Lives Matter
Voyage Youth’s Operation Smiles aims to ‘bring joy’ to those in need, while acting as a gateway for young Black people to become more involved in green activism
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley: ‘It has never been more critical to fight the marketisation of green spaces’
The local writer on how lockdown has brought into focus the importance of our parks, and why we must do all we can to protect them from privatisation
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley: ‘The racist legacies of the past are woven into the fabric of our present’
The local writer on what is needed for meaningful change in Britain – a ‘wholesale shift in an economic system built on the enslavement and sale of human beings’
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley: ‘Despite high-profile errors, technology has proven to be a saving grace during the pandemic’
The local writer looks into the relationship between man and machine as it ‘approaches a critical juncture’
Coronavirus: ‘Now is the time to change our education system for the better’
Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley on the difficulties facing school leavers, and why we should rethink the ‘singular focus on training for exams’
Domestic abuse charity unveils ‘groundbreaking’ coronavirus scheme
After hearing from Solace Women’s Aid about the impact of lockdown earlier this month, Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley catches up with the charity to learn about its new Covid-19 Crisis Project
Coronavirus: ‘It’s not just the health inequities of people of colour that should be up for debate’
The disproportionate number of Covid deaths among the BAME population ‘underscores the inescapable extent of inequality in modern Britain’, writes Tamsin Ssembajjo Quigley