COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNERS have joined forces to launch a bereavement fund to support members of the black and minority ethnic (BAME) community who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.
The Majonzi COVID-19 Bereavement Fund was launched by activist and campaigner Patrick Vernon in collaboration with social enterprise The Ubele Initiative.
Helping families
The Majonzi Fund, named after the Swahili word meaning grief or sorrow, will provide small grants to help families and work colleagues, community and faith groups to organise memorial events and tributes to celebrate and commemorate the lives of loved one’s during lockdown and raise money so that individuals can access bereavement counsellors and therapists who reflect their cultural backgrounds.
This will be done through the yourauntie platform which was set up in response to COVID-19.
A recent report from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, thought to be the first of its kind in the world, examined the ethnic breakdown of cases of the virus and found that 35% of almost 2,000 patients with COVID-19 were from a BAME background.
Other figures from NHS England show that 16.2% of patients in hospital testing positive for COVID-19 at time of death, were from a BAME background despite forming only 13% of the UK population.
This Fund with the support of the public can make a small difference to families and communities affected by COVID-19
Patrick Vernon, campaigner
Frontline workers
There have also been several stories of BAME frontline workers who have lost their lives to coronavirus.
Vernon, whose sister’s partner recently died from the virus, said: “COVID-19 is having a significant impact on households in Britain especially those from BAME communities. When you lose a family member like I have you realise the importance of their contribution to society and its impact on families and work colleagues as part of the grieving process.
This Fund with the support of the public can make a small difference to families and communities affected by COVID-19.”
Independent public investigation
The move follows calls by The Ubele Initiative to launch a petition calling on the government to urgently conduct a full independent public investigation into why BAME communities are being disproportionately infected by Covid-19, and urging the release of Covid-19 data based on ethnicity across all UK regions.
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4 Comments
While we are all sympathetic to the plight of our brothers and sisters
I am highly suspicious of Mr Vernon with an OBE and ‘EMPIRE’ at the centre of his achievements raising funds on behalf of BAME mortality.
Send back your OBE and you might gain more respect amongst us. ‘EMPIRE’ is at the centre of the most serious murderous crimes ever committed against our ancestors. The days of parading golliwogs on jam jars and Empire in national awards are over – your OBE makes your efforts seem hypocritical.
Nigel,
What are YOU doing to help our community?
Nigel,
I have just come across this article and your disgraceful attempt at belittling the work that Patrick Vernon is doing in our community.
Unless you have done, or are doing something equally as good, please keep your poisonous rhetoric to yourself, I don’t know Mr Vernon but he seems to be a doer not a talker like so many in the black community.
You sound like a talker.
Before Mr Vernon was awarded his OBE, he was Mr Vernon. Today he is still Mr Vernon.
Have respect for the man as an individual who has worked hard for the people he loves rather than judge him on an award OTHERS felt he should receive.