A Series of Difficult Conversations...

Dr Jack López and the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr Jack López, one of the keynote speakers at the recent launch of Bradford District's hate crime strategy. Here, jack discusses some of the key issues from that speech, together with reflection on the impact of gender discussions on social media, and the dehumanisation of the trans community. We also discuss the importance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance which is held each year on November 20th.

Kendra Orandi - Bradford Hate Crime Alliance Keynote Speaker

To begin Hate Crime Awareness Week 2024, Bradford Hate crime Alliance hosted the launch of the new districtwide hate crime strategy for Bradford Council, setting out plans to tackle hate crime over the next four years. 
Kendra Orandi was one of our keynote speakers at the event and she very kindly joined us afterwards, to record this podcast.

The power of forgiveness - an interview with Dr Nasser Kurdy

In 2017, Orthopedic surgeon Dr Nasser Kurdy was stabbed in the back of the neck, entering his local mosque. The case garnered international attention with much focus given to Dr Kurdy forgiving his attacker. Here, Dr Kurdy joins us to talk about the attack, the power of forgiveness and how that changed his life, how being portrayed as a victim isn't always helpful, and what we can do as a society to tackle hate crime.

The case of David Oluwale - with Assistant Chief Constable Carl Galvin

In 1969, after a sustained campaign of abuse and discrimination from two police officers, David Oluwale was found dead in the River Aire in Leeds. In the immediate aftermath nothing happened, until stories of the abuse, circulating among other officers, reached the ears of young police cadet Gary Galvin, then aged 18. His reporting of the officers in question resulted in the first prosecution of police officers for offences against a person of colour.
In this episode Gary's son Carl, himself now an Assistant Chief Constable with West Yorkshire Police, discusses the case of David Oluwale, the vital role his father played in bringing the offending officers to justice, and the price paid for being an upstander.
The documentary that Carl mentions can be seen here:
https://youtu.be/wJHc5KvoATM?si=CCC37u137ZXa4Z6F

25 Years On - The London Nail Bombings

In this episode we're joined once again by journalist and playwright Jonathan Cash as we remember, 25 years on, the London nail bombings of April 1999, exploring how they affected society at the time, and looking at where we are now as a society in relation to hate crime.
Jonathan recently had an article published in The Guardian about his lived experience as a survivor of the Soho bomb attack which you can read I was having a drink on a warm spring evening - then a nail bomb exploded just feet away
He also contributed to the BBC Radio 4 documentary marking the 25th anniversary of the bombings which you can listen to here: Fragments - The London Nail Bombings

Richard Padwell - Temporary Bradford District Commander for West Yorkshire Police

In this episode, Richard Padwell, the temporary Bradford District Commander, discusses West Yorkshire police's approach to hate crime, how they are building trust in communities, and why hate crime reporting is so important.

Philip Kitson - Stronger Communites Partnership & Engagement Officer

Phil is a partnerships and engagement oficer with Stronger Communities here in Bradford. His influence on establishing support networks for the LGBTQ+ community in Bradford, is undeniable and here, he shares his creer experiences as well as his own personal experience of hate crime.

Jonathan Cash - 25 Years On from the Admiral Duncan Bombing

In a heartwarming interview, Jonathan Cash, author, journalist, and playwright discusses his experiences as a victim of the Soho nail bomb, its impact on his life, the attitudes of society towards victims of trauma, and how his experience moulded his future career.

Leeds Gate - Exploring society’s relationship with the GRT community

In this episode we are joined by Tom Gaffney, the services manager at Leedsgate, and Bernard Cunningham, a member of the GRT community working at Leedsgate in suicide prevention and mental health support as we discuss the issues that the community have to face each day, together with the normalisation of the hate directed towards them. An honest and very frank interview that we hope will be thought provoking, especially as we head into Christmas and its message of peace and goodwill to all.

Heather Wilson - Tackling knife crime and the parallels with hate crime

Heather is the Youth Services Development Manager for Bradford Children and Familes Trust. In April 2023, when the Knife Angel came to Bradford to help raise awareness, Heather produced a stunning piece of work on the impact of knife crime that she very kindly shares with us here. We also discuss commonalities between hate crime and knife crime.