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Equality and Diversity

October 10th, 2011

The week that was…

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Equality and Diversity

October 10th, 2011

The week that was…

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Celebrating Black History Month and World Mental Health Day, racial segregation in schools, smiling depression and more in the E&D weekly news.

Last week marked the beginning of Black History Month in the UK. The significance of Black History Month lies in recognising Afro-Caribbean legacy and contributions. LSE has plenty lined up to celebrate Black History Month throughout October. LSE’s staff network EMBRACE is hosting a talk on ‘What were Black People doing in World War I?’, LSESU is geared up with a variety of events for all and LSE’s Widening Participation is once again organising its annual Black achievement conference ‘Black to the Future’. Check for details and updates on the blog.

A headteacher has warned that London schools are “sleepwalking” into racial segregation. David Levin, vice-chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), said he was alarmed at the way the capital was dividing into ghettoes and “becoming a silo society”. Levin cited the example of Stepney Green school where 97% of the pupils are of Bangladeshi descent. The Mayor Boris Johnson defended London by calling it a champion of diversity. 

And while we are celebrating Black History Month, just a little reminder to say that today, 10th of October, is World Mental Health Day.

Experts believe that millions of people in Britain are suffering from ‘smiling depression’. These people display a happy public persona to mask depression. People suffering from smiling depression  display an ability to carry on normally with life but may feel worthless, anxious and suicidal otherwise – this is what distinguishes ‘smiling depression’ from other types of depression. If this rings a bell, please contact your GP for a correct diagnosis. If you are at LSE, you can also seek help from LSE’s free and confidential counselling service for both staff and students.

UK has decided to modify passport forms to accommodate gay parents. Currently, those applying for a passport have to fill in columns marked ‘mother’ and ‘father’. These columns will now be changed to ‘parent 1’ and ‘parent 2’ so that  gay parents are not forced to list themselves in the gendered categories of ‘mother’ and ‘father’.

Last, the big news of the week – this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded jointly to three women. The Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen were recognised for their “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”. “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women achieve the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,” said Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland in Oslo.
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Equality and Diversity

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