 |
||
| Shobha Das awarded MBE for her anti-racism efforts |
|
Shobha Das, who until recently was the deputy director of the Bristol-based Support Against Racist Incidents (SARI) charity organisation, has been awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Das, who suffered racist abuse on the streets of Bristol over a decade ago and went on to help thousands of victims of racism in Britain, is delighted that her work in the area has just won royal recognition. Kerala-origin Das arrived in Britain 1993 for her PhD study, but an incident changed her career perspective. In 1997, she recalls suffering racist abuse from a 5-year-old boy on a street in Bristol in broad daylight. "I will never forget how shocking and humiliating I found that, and my curiosity about racism as well as my desire to challenge it grew from there. I started volunteering with SARI and left the organisation in 2008 as its Deputy Director," Das said. During her time with SARI, she supported thousands of victims of racism, offering basic counselling as well as practical support and advocating with agencies to fight for their rights. "I also helped improve the way major institutions such as the police and councils responded to racist incidents and was recognised as a 'critical friend'. This MBE is not about me alone but equally about my colleagues at SARI, especially the amazing team of caseworkers and education workers. More importantly, it is an acknowledgement of the value of anti-racist work in the UK," she said. Das, who won the Criminal Justice System award in September 2007 for Outstanding Contributions to Engaging Communities, said she was worried about the rise of the far-right in Europe, particularly after the recent elections to the European Parliament, in which two members of the British National Party were elected from Britain. She added: "Events such as the global financial crisis are triggers for increased xenophobia, because people feel vulnerable and often blame 'outsiders' for their problems." "But I don't think racism is exclusively a 'western' phenomenon we have our fair share of it in India too and should be equally vigilant there." Das is currently pursuing an MBA in Geneva with a focus on the non-profit sector, and hopes to work with an international organisation in the field of human rights. - Agencies Related Articles:
Last update: 15-06-2009 09:50
|
No comment posted
