What happens when you speak out about racism within your own community?

Steph Edusei is joined by Aiysha Saleemi , registered pharmacist, Senior Implementation Manager at UCL Partners Health Innovation Network, and founder of Green Diamond Boxing. A proud Muslim woman of Indian-Pakistani heritage, Aiysha isn’t afraid to tackle the uncomfortable reality of anti-Blackness and colourism in South Asian communities.

Together, Steph and Aiysha explore:

• How colourism is rooted in the caste system and colonial history
• The gap between Islamic teachings and cultural practice
• The personal cost of challenging discrimination within your own community
• Why diversity in friendships, workplaces, and marriage circles matters
• How open conversation can break down stereotypes and build solidarity

Aiysha’s honesty, passion, and refusal to “keep it under the radar” make this a vital listen for anyone committed to true equity, both within and across communities.

What does it take for white people to stop being “not racist” and start being anti-racist?

Steph Edusei sits down with Nikki Brooker, also known as the Anti-Racist Mum, in a fearless and deeply personal discussion exploring the uncomfortable, necessary, and transformative work of challenging white supremacy from the inside out.

A white mother to a Black mixed-heritage daughter, Nikki shares how her family’s experience of racism shattered her worldview, and how she turned that pain into action through radical accountability, learning, and allyship.

Together, they unpack:

• Why “I’m not racist” isn’t enough
• The emotional toll of raising Black children in white spaces
• What it means to unlearn your conditioning
• How white tears, fragility, and silence uphold harm
• The power of language, labels, and showing up with integrity

This episode isn’t about comfort. It’s about truth, growth, and doing the real work.

It’s been one year since the 2024 UK riots shook the country. In this raw and reflective solo episode, Steph Edusei unpacks the racialised fear, silence, and scapegoating that followed, and what it revealed about Britain’s ongoing relationship with race, justice, and belonging.

Steph shares her personal reflections on:

• The impact of the riots on Black and minoritised communities
• The double standards in media, protest, and safety narratives
• Why Diane Abbott's words matter
• The everyday emotional toll of existing in a racialised body
• What it means to sit with discomfort, and to challenge it

This episode is a reckoning and a call-in. Because racism doesn’t disappear when headlines fade, and real safety means truth, accountability, and solidarity.

Is it just hair, or is it something much deeper?

In this episode, host Steph Edusei is joined by social entrepreneur and founder of Teakisi, Salha Kaitesi, for an insightful conversation about the cultural, political, and professional impact of Black hair discrimination.

From school policies to workplace bias, and from childhood identity to adult self-worth, Salha shares her personal experiences and why she launched a campaign to end hair discrimination, especially in places too often left out of the conversation.

Together, Steph and Salha unpack:

• How Afro hair is policed, politicised, and misunderstood
• Why “professionalism” is too often coded in whiteness
• The deep history and meaning behind Black hairstyles like braids and locs
• The emotional labour of constantly defending Black Afro-textured hair
• Why visibility, celebration, and education are key to real change

This isn’t just about hairstyles. It’s about dignity, identity, and challenging the systems that tell us we must change to belong.

Ban hair discrimination petition https://www.change.org/p/ban-hair-discrimination-in-the-north-east-cumbria-enforce-real-protection-now

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/teakisi

Website https://teakisi.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teakisi/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Teakisi/

What happens when a young Black boy, newly arrived in the UK, faces racism, isolation, and nearly loses himself trying to fit in?

In this deeply honest episode of Black All Year, Steph Edusei speaks with Ghanaian artist Kelvin Frimpong, whose journey from self-erasure to self-expression is as compelling as his art. Kelvin shares how cultural shock, racial trauma, and toxic messaging nearly radicalised him, and how reconnecting with his Blackness through creativity helped him reclaim his identity.

We explore:

• The impact of racism on young Black minds
• The dangerous link between white validation and self-worth
• How art became a tool of healing, truth-telling, and resistance
• Why rejecting whitewashed success is a radical act of self-love

Kelvin’s story is raw, real, and necessary, and his art is a powerful reminder that our stories are worth telling on our own terms.

Connect with Kelvin:

On LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kelvin-frimpong-9158a2340

On TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@kfrimpongart?lang=en-GB

On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kelvinfrimpong_art/

On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@kelvinfrimpong6863

Why does talking about race make so many white people uncomfortable, and what happens when that discomfort shuts the rest of us down?

In this solo episode of Black All Year, Steph Edusei unpacks the concept of white fragility, a term coined by Dr. Robin DiAngelo, and explores how defensive reactions to conversations about racism can silence progress, dismiss lived experiences, and uphold structural inequality.

Steph shares real-life examples and practical strategies to:

• Recognise white fragility in action
• Understand why it’s not about being “a bad person”
• Move past discomfort into growth
• Become a more active and informed ally

This episode isn’t about blame, it’s about accountability, empathy, and building a more inclusive world together.

What does it mean to die with dignity and who gets access to that dignity?

In this deeply compassionate episode of Black All Year, host Steph Edusei speaks with Dr Karon Ornadel, a specialist palliative care physician and co-lead of the Hospice UK Race Equity ECHO. Together, they unpack the uncomfortable truths about race, access, and inequality in palliative and end-of-life care.

This conversation explores:

• What palliative and end-of-life care really means (and why it’s misunderstood)
• The barriers ethnically minoritised patients face in accessing care
• Why cultural understanding, right down to hair care, matters at the end of life
• How racism and lack of representation affect staff in the sector
• What’s being done (and what still needs to change)

From historic mistrust of medical institutions to present-day disparities in access, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who believes that equity shouldn’t end at the end of life.

Karon Ornadel's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/karon-ornadel-26a16a1bb

Hospice UK Race Equity ECHO https://www.hospiceuk.org/innovation-hub/support-for-your-role/networks-communities/project-echo/race-equity-echo-complete-your-registration

How do racism, bias, and systemic inequality show up in our healthcare systems—and in our bodies?

In this eye-opening episode of Black All Year, host Steph Edusei sits down with Dr. Tina Sikka, Reader in Technoscience and Intersectional Justice at Newcastle University, to unpack the often-invisible forces shaping medical care and outcomes for Black and minoritised people.

From pulse oximeters that misread dark skin to myths about pain tolerance and body size, Steph and Tina explore:

• Why race is not a biological risk factor but racism is
• The dangers of outdated clinical "truths" still influencing patient care
• How medical training fails to reflect diverse realities
• The impact of daily microaggressions on long-term health
• What real change in health equity could (and should) look like

If you’ve ever felt unseen in a doctor’s office or wondered why healthcare outcomes remain unequal, this episode is essential listening.

Contact Dr Tina Sikka

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-sikka-a8b190113/

Contact Steph

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-edusei/