Who are we?

The Ubele Initiative is an African diaspora-led intergenerational social enterprise founded in 2014 to address the deep systemic and social issues affecting the community. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have launched and coordinated the We Need Answers campaign.

We Need Answers!

There is no doubt that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately impacted black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in the UK since its outbreak across the country earlier this year.

We are demanding that the government conduct an independent public inquiry into the conditions of disparity that exist for the UK’s BAME communities, that have led to so many deaths from Covid-19 in our communities. 

What are we doing about it?

As part of this campaign, we have started an online petition which has accumulated over 32k signatures, in addition to coordinating an open letter to the Prime Minister, sent on 9th May 2020, which has now been signed by over 600 people, many of whom are prominent representatives of the BAME community. 

A second open letter sent to the Prime Minister on 3rd June 2020, following the release of the Public Health England (PHE) report, Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19, reinforced the call for an independent public inquiry. No response to either letter has to date been received from the Prime Minister.

Now we're taking legal action.

We have now instructed Leigh Day solicitors to issue a pre-action letter to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has been given until Friday 26th June 2020 to respond. If no response is given, The Ubele Initiative will proceed to take legal action, in the form of judicial review proceedings.

Why are we raising funds?

We are launching a CrowdJustice campaign to raise £35,000 to fund potential costs of legal action.

Our aim is to fight for justice and hold the government accountable for their ongoing failings to investigate:

• the increased number of Covid-19 deaths amongst BAME communities
• the relevant causes of health disparities in the UK
• the disproportionate economic impact of lockdown measures on BAME groups

How can you help?

Please contribute what you can - any amount helps - and share this page on social media, or via email or WhatsApp!