BLAM UK is a civil society organisation that works with the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) to help defend the rights of Black people in the UK. We act as intervenor between the OHCHR and persons whose human rights have been breached. We are able to support the Black British Community as a whole and Black individuals in drafting direct complaints to UN Human rights council on issues to do with human rights violations in the UK in the areas of policing, education, health care, mental health, cultural rights, children rights, women rights, intersectional rights and discrimination. We provide intervention and support via the use of UN instruments and mechanisms to help ensure your human rights are being upheld and protected.

BLAM - for support with international human rights cases

“In reality, we, like many of those in marginalised communities, fight the discrimination we face because too often our lives depend on it. Ultimately, enduring change will only happen when those who benefit most from the privileges of our current structures are prepared to acknowledge and then relinquish them.”

“When structures and systems are not fit for purpose be that in education, policing, mental health provisions, access to employment opportunities etc; they have to be dismantled and root and branch changes made. That involves changing the mindset, rationale and motivating forces of organisations both internally and at a societal level.”

“Behind systems are individuals and individuals make value judgements. But if their thinking is skewed or imbalanced, their actions and decision-making will be too. Racism is a disease of the heart.”

"I would advocate that now is the time to outright create a movement in the UK that is centered on social and racial justice within the explicit idea of movement lawyering."

"The uncomfortable truth is that the rights we take for granted here are built on the principle that Black life does not matter."

"Good intentions do not give the charity sector immunity from the pervasive nature of systemic racism".

"Without a representative media not everyone’s human rights will be properly reported on & therefore protected. If we care about our human rights we must all fight for media diversity"

"The systemic racism we face has at its roots the legacies of colonialism and enslavement"

"The government is placing boulders and impediments and bureaucracy in the way of justice."

"The answer to the question of how we incorporate anti-racism in our work is not a simple one. It requires retraining, constant reading, and self-reflection but we should view it as essential work."

"If we don’t challenge the colonial roots of our education, we are ultimately breathing life into an ideological framework borne out of an empire steeped in blood. The task then, is for each of us to consciously and intently work to decolonise both our own minds and the institutions that uphold this."

Racism is a stress factor and must be recognised as such within mental health so that professionals can better understand its impact as a trigger for symptoms.

"My view is we have to create the market in a manner that works for black-led charities and social enterprises"

"The fresh perspectives of people from different ethnic backgrounds, as well as different social backgrounds, are needed if we are to truly, fully reflect the concerns and interests of modern Britain".