Former tennis great Ilie Nastase handed four-year ban for racist Serena Williams slur

Former grand slam winner Ilie Nastase has been banned from any official roles in tennis until 2021 and fined $10,000 for his foul-mouthed outbursts during a Fed Cup tie between Great Britain and Romania in April.

During the tie, Nastase, the Romanian team captain, made “racially insensitive” comments about Serena Williams’ unborn child, the London-based organization said in an emailed statement on Friday.

He also made “abusive and threatening comments” to British No. 1 Jo Konta and a female British reporter who had reported his comments about Williams.

On the first day of the tie, Nastase had wondered out loud what skin color Williams’ unborn child would have after Romanian No. 1 Simona Halep was answering a reporter’s question about the 23-time grand slam winner.

“Let’s see what color it has,”

Romanian and British reporters had quoted Nastase as saying.

“Chocolate with milk?”

“It disappoints me to know we live in a society in which people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and unborn child, and sexist comments against my peers,”

–Serena Williams

Editor’s note – This is just Another example of why our work is so important. Help us compile the most comprehensive directory of organizations across Europ? that support black women. Send submissions to contact@bwiesmg.org.

2017-07-14

In her own words: A South African tourist was hospitalised in Amsterdam after she was pushed down a flight of stairs in Amsterdam by her Airbnb host.

South African visual artist Sibahle Steve Nkumbi was thrown down a staircase while leaving an Airbnb address she was staying at in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Nkumbi came to Amsterdam to work an exhibit at the Amsterdam Stedelijk, where work was being showcased of the artist collective Zanele Muholi. Nkumbi was scheduled to check out of the apartment at 11 am but was still there after 12 pm.

At this time, the landlord arrived at the property, which ultimately resulted in Nkumbi being thrown down the stairs. Nkumbi stated that no one was arguing with the landlord but were trying to reason with him. She believes that he was verbally aggressive and that the attack was racially motivated. Besides Nkumbi being able to give a firsthand account of what happened, there is also a video footage of the incident. The mainstream media is reporting that the suspect can face attempted murder charges.

Another example of why our work is vital. You can support us by making a donation and by submitting the names to contact@bwiesmg.org of organizations across Europe that support black women as we build the most comprehensive directory of its kind.

2017-07-112017-07-11

Did a British Conservative MP say “nigger in the woodpile”?

In fact, yes she did. Here is the headline:

A Conservative MP has been suspended from the party after it emerged she used a racist expression during a public discussion about Brexit.

nigger — Ms Morris has been MP for Newton Abbot since 2010

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation??Anne Marie Morris, the MP for Newton Abbot, used the phrase at an event in London to describe the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Don’t believe me? Click on the image below to listen to her say it courtesy of the Huffington Post UK:

Why in the world would Morris say,

Now we get to the real nigger in the woodpile

when suggesting that just 7% of financial services would be affected by Brexit is beyond me. And apparently beyond the grasp of PM May who acted swiftly saying,

“I immediately asked the chief whip to suspend the party whip,” she said in a statement.?”Language like this has absolutely no place in politics or in today’s society.” ?(source : BBC) That’s a no-brainer but was a necessary statement and move.

And it didn’t stop there.

Leader Tim Farron said he was “shocked” and called for her to be suspended from the parliamentary party.?”This disgusting comment belongs in the era of the Jim Crow laws and has no place in our Parliament,” he said. (source: BBC)

Now why is this a big deal? ?The BBC breaks it down like this:

The phrase originated in the American Deep South in the mid-19th Century and is thought to have referred to slaves having to conceal themselves as they sought to flee north and secure their freedom.

It was subsequently used in the 20th Century – including by a number of leading novelists – as a metaphor to describe a hidden fact or problem.

Speechless, not just at the remark being made but also at the reported lack of a reaction from the Tories there. Utterly appalling. https://t.co/aYcZtA8n9u

? Labour MP Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) July 10, 2017

This is another example why The Black Women in Europe? Social Media Group non-profit is vital. We face attacks like this daily whether others see or hear them or not. It is not in our heads. It is a reality.

You can support us by making a donation and by submitting the names to contact@bwiesmg.org of organizations across Europe that support black women as we build the most comprehensive directory of its kind.

2017-06-192017-06-19

Don’t let the Gollywogs get you down :(

My heart sank when I spotted them. And suddenly the small gift shop felt even smaller and tight as if all of the air has been sucked out of it when I inwardly gasped. I remained cool though and, in Swedish, asked my Swede to take a picture of the Gollywogs while I continued my I’m just looking lap around the store.

Maybe it was my imagination but it felt like I was invisible, at least no one wanted to let me pass easily as I slinked around the shoppers looking at rows and rows of British beach pier souvenir junk. I was the only black person in the store. Just me and the box of Gollywogs. I wondered if they were invisible too to did people come in looking to buy a Gollywog when they visit the seaside.

When we got outside I remarked, that was some racists sh*t (or something to that effect). My Swede asked why I didn’t say anything to the store owners. I replied, no, I’ll blog about it. This is why my non-profit is needed. We need a directory for black women across Europe so no one ever feels alone.

Help us build the largest and most comprehensive directory.

2017-06-192017-06-19

About Irene Opira – Meet another board member

Freelance Writer, Producer, Social Entrepreneur

Board Member

Irene Opira is the founder of the groundbreaking Maisha African Diaspora Awards in Sweden. She is also the founder and owner of the Miss Africa Sweden brand, working to promote healthy ideals in the beauty industry and create diversity. Irene has been the producer and concept developer for both initiatives since inception.

Irene Opira holds a Bachelors?s degree in the Social Sciences and a Masters in Social Anthropology from Stockholm University.

She has worked in both government institutions as well as civil society organizations with a focus on human rights including minority rights, the human rights of children, women empowerment and diversity. Irene has also served as board member in various organizations such as Noaks Ark Stockholm and the Swedish Women?s Lobby.

2017-04-182017-06-19

Blogger and plus-size model forced to take a break from Ireland?s community Twitter account after being told to ?return to your ancestral lands? by trolls

Source: The Guardian

Editor’s note: While this article is 8 months old it highlights the need for organizations like ours and why compiling a directory that supports black women across Europe is critical work. Help us by submitting the names and website links of those organizations that are missing from our directory to contact@bwiesmg.org. Thank you.

Black woman inundated with racist abuse while tweeting for @Ireland

A black British woman who was chosen to tweet from the @ireland account for a week has been subjected to a barrage of racist abuse, forcing her to take a break from Twitter.

Michelle Marie took over the account ? which is curated by a different Twitter user in Ireland each week ? on Monday. She introduced herself as a mother, blogger and plus-size model.

Originally from Oxford in England, she wrote she had settled in Ireland and ?it has my heart?.

However, just hours after taking over the profile ? which is followed by nearly 40,000 people ? the abuse began.

Marie received a lot of tweets of support, with many users urging her to report the abuse and block the users responsible.

She posted a statement saying that while she had expected

?trolls, backlash and criticism?

she had experienced

?racism, sexism, fatophobia and homophobia to a degree I have never known.?

After

?8hrs of non-stop hate?

she said she was hurt, shocked and appalled but promised she would try again tomorrow.

Marie told the Guardian that the experience had been upsetting.

?I?m saddened that such extreme racism and vitriol is still rife. I am fortunate that experiencing this level of hate is a rarity, but for too many it?s a daily reality,?

she said.

2017-03-012017-06-19

Meet more of our Board

Board Member

Award-winning writer and photographer Lola (Akinmade) ?kerstr?m has photographed and dispatched from roughly 60?countries for?various publications.?Her photography is represented by?National Geographic Creative.

Her work has appeared in?National Geographic Traveler,?BBC,?CNN,?The Guardian,?Travel + Leisure,?Slate,?Travel Channel, Lonely Planet, Fodor?s, National Geographic Channel,?several in-flight magazines,?amongst others. She was?in South Africa on a photography assignment for National Geographic Channel and was featured in?a?vignette?called ?Through The Lens? which airs on Nat Geo channel across the globe.

She also owns and runs?Geotraveler Media?? a?multimedia and travel consulting firm providing a spectrum of travel media-related services from writing and photography to web design and social media. She is editor-in-chief of?Slow Travel Stockholm?? an editorial site which encourages travelers to explore Stockholm deeper and slowly.

She is?also a founding member of the?Nordic Travel Bloggers?(NordicTB)?collective which brings together the top professional travel influencers and digital storytellers?in the Nordic countries of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.

Board Member

Kathy Thompson is a former classical, neo-contemporary and modern professional dancer. Amsterdam (Scapino). She performed with the Basel Ballet, Switzerland, Cie Nomads, Vevey, Switzerland, Phillip Treh?t, LeHarv, France, Pretty Ugly, Freiburg, Germany, and Dortmund Stadtheater, Germany.

After dancing in various productions in Berlin she?re-educated herself, moved to Stockholm and worked for foot specialists Scholls where she honed her skills before opening her own salon. Kathy is a foot therapist, lymph mass?r and Alexandria Body Sugaring hair removal practitioner and Educator. It is not by accident that Kathy is able to use her innate ability to be in tune with the body and mind to bring healing and beauty together in a professional setting in Stockholm city.

Board Member

A native of Gambia, Daphne Norman-Sandberg has called Sweden home since she was two years old.

After earning a Business Administration degree from the?University of Gothenburg Daphne spent 24 years as a Social Worker and Human Resources Champion fighting to prevent sexual violence against women and children. She was an advisor to the Swedish Delegation to the UN Commission for the Elimination of Discrimination Again Women in 2010.

She is the proud mother of 3, grandmother of 1 and foster mother to over 40 children from various backgrounds. Somehow, she has found the time to fuel her love of travel. In addition to her monthly trips to the UK to visit the Gambian community, her travels have included visits to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Poland, Iceland and all 3 Baltic States.

2017-02-072017-06-19

Help us build the most comprehensive directory of its kind

We are compiling the largest and most comprehensive directory of organizations in Europe that support black women.

You can help build our directory. Send submissions to contact@bwiesmg.org.

2017-02-072017-07-14

Meet our Board – Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer

Founder and Chair

Adrianne George has won many awards for her work in the blogosphere including the Maishagalen Entrepreneur of the Year. She is a sought after speaker with past engagements in San Francisco, Amsterdam, and London. Her 10-year old multi-award winning?Black Women in Europe? Blog?received media credentials from the Democratic Party to cover 2012 Democratic National Convention. She was part of an accredited blogging team in 2008.

In 2005 she founded JobsinStockholm.com which at the time was a ground-breaking job board for English speakers in Sweden. She is the co-founder of the Women of the African Diaspora website and social network, BlackExpat.com website, and StockholmExpat.com blog. She is a founding board member of the?Black European?Women?s Network?in Vienna, that received recognition from the European Commission.

Vice Chair

Lesley-Ann Brown is a Trinidadian-American author, freelance journalist, activist and poet.?Her recent work examines methods of decolonial narratives fused with political activism. She?s one of the co-founders of Say It Loud, a spoken-word-poetry collective, consisting of Black women poets in Copenhagen, Denmark.? Say It Loud is now the R.A.M. Poetry collective (Random Access Memory). Brown has been featured and invited to participate in a range of events, including ?BE.BOP 2016 Black Europe Body Politics, in Berlin and Copenhagen, and she was one of the panelists in and organizers for the first ever?Women of Color Panel in Denmark?.?

Brown attended the New School for Social Research?s Eugene Lang College where she studied Writing & Literature. She later went on to work in New York publishing while freelancing for various magazines. Her move to Copenhagen, Denmark in 1999 inspired her to create the blog www.blackgirlonmars.com ? which she has since retired. She?s currently working on a memoir entitled ?Decolonial Daughter?, to be published in the UK in Spring, 2018 by Repeater Books.

Board Member & Treasurer

Jonas Lind is a career Military Officer with over 35 years of service to Sweden. ?During his career he has moved from the Platoon, Company, Brigade and Joint Staff levels on Gotland, Halmstad, ?Stockholm, and England. He has been a popular instructor, mentor, and lecturer and is an avid reader and visitor of historic sights.

He brings his unique Swedish perspective, level-headedness, and talent for forward thinking to our Board.

2017-02-062017-02-07

Black Women in Europe?Social Media Group registration

It is official! We are a recognized non-profit, known as ideel f?rening, in Sweden.

Special thank you to Irene Opira for her insight, keen eye, and above all the time she dedicated to ensuring that our paperwork was correct.

More thanks to our entire Board for taking the necessary time required to hash through, section by section to guarantee our Statutes reflect our values and goals.