British Asian Heroes Campaign - The end of our lockdown edition

The term “BAME” (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) is a (largely) unquestioned acronym used collectively to describe 15% of the UK population. However when thinking about it in detail, the inadequacies are somewhat striking. The frequent description of ethnic minorities in the aggregate hides complex and nuanced identities of people that make up this group. The sum often fails to showcase the unique elements of each of its parts. 

This has never been more apparent than over the last few months. As Britain battled coronavirus and people’s lives altered and adjusted to a new normal, the term “BAME” became frequently used by politicians and media commentators alike. First, in relation to the doctors and nurses on the frontline- many putting themselves in harm’s way, some fatally, to support the increasingly over-burdened NHS. With the sad news of NHS staff deaths first announced in March, it was striking how many were from an ethnic minority background, and all from different parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The death toll in subsequent weeks laid bare the disproportionate impact of the disease on the lives of these diverse communities; a fact later confirmed by the government in its COVID-19 disparities report.

In amongst all this, a few of us received a message from British Asian Trust, a charity founded by prominent members of the British Asian community and Prince Charles to tackle poverty in South Asia. As a UK-based charity, the Trust wanted to recognise the hard work and contribution of “British Asian heroes” and needed volunteers to support the campaign. A number of us responded to the call- inadvertently mirroring the communities that the Trust works with; British Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis as well as those who are white British. The campaign would highlight people who were performing ordinary acts of service and kindness during the pandemic, whether on the front line through their businesses and voluntary work or in public life. 

As the team put out a call on social media for nominations, the general expectation was that the stories we receive would likely reflect some of the stories that we already knew. The doctor or nurse on the front line, the shopkeeper selling essentials...insert stereotype here. Of course, it is true that many of our British Asian Heroes were doing just that, however, a degree of unconscious bias had crept in without us realising it, expecting the stories to reflect this narrow experience, despite many of us being from these communities ourselves. The stories that materialised, instead, painted a picture of true diversity, showing how integral these communities are to the fabric of UK society. Shining a light on people who are often typecast or overlooked, we were able to showcase some incredible acts of bravery, kindness and heart.