African Rainbow Family are a small charity making waves far beyond their size. Based in Manchester, the organisation supports LGBTQ+ people of African heritage and other Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic backgrounds navigate the asylum system in the UK. For LGBTQ+ History month, we spoke to them about their past and present, and why the real Living Wage is part of their vision for the future: a world without prejudice.
How did African Rainbow Family start?
African Rainbow Family was founded by human rights activist, feminist, and LGBTQ+ equality advocate Aderonke Apata. Aderonke came to the UK for refuge in 2004 from Nigeria, where she faced persecution for being a lesbian due to the draconian anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the country. However, her claim for asylum was refused in 2012 and she was detained In Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. Shocked when the Home Office tried to argue that she was lying about being in a lesbian relationship in order to avoid removal from the UK, Aderonke began to support other detainees with their cases and provide a space for sharing experiences.
Aderonke's journey through the asylum system left her convinced of the need for self-help for LGBTQ+ people trying to claim asylum in the UK. While partnerships with individuals and organisations with learned experience will always be important, she felt strongly that it's people who have lived experience of claiming asylum who have unique insight into it's failings and what needs to change. So, in 2014 Aderonke set up African Rainbow Family, a charity run by and for LGBTQ+ people with lived experience of the asylum and immigration system in the UK. The organisation has grown hugely in the past few years, now hiring staff as well as volunteers to run the organisation.
Tell us about your work.
At African Rainbow Family, we support LGBTQ+ people seeking asylum who are from a Black Asian or Minority Ethnic Background. When people come to the UK seeking asylum, they often don't know what to do or where to turn; we assess everyone based on their needs and give them the immediate support they require. For some, that might be finding a solicitor who can guide them through the asylum process. For another person who has a solicitor when they arrive but doesn't have anywhere to live, we might help them to find housing.
As well as facilitating that material support, we also provide people with a sense of community and give them that safe space they can come to. It makes so much difference for people to arrive in the UK to the community that we provide. We all come from backgrounds where we understand that being yourself can be hard. So with us, people can come to meetings and see people like them, who are going through the same struggles they are. It makes a world of difference. We are people who know what it's like being in Africa or coming from an Asian background and being LGBTQ+. And once peoples' claims are processed, we're always here for them. We're a community. Once you've been part of us, you're always part of the family.
Why do you pay the real Living Wage?
We pay the Living Wage because we believe that everybody should have a good life. African Rainbow Family is a charity that's doing a lot of really important work, and we want to deliver a good quality of service to the people we support. Paying the real Living Wage helps us deliver that, because it means the people that work for us are empowered to live their lives, instead of just scraping by.
Our movement has grown hugely in the past few years, and LGBTQ+ people are so much more visible now. We're hopeful that things are changing for the better. But sadly, it's still true that people take advantage of people when they fall under the minority bracket. There are employers out there that will use the knowledge that you're a minority and that you might not have the experience in the UK to exploit people. Some businesses dismiss the skills of people who have claimed asylum. This is just one of the ways in which LGBTQ+ people still face discrimination. And it's why being a Living Wage Employer is hugely important to us.
Everybody should be rewarded fairly for their work. It only motivates people when you do. Being paid a real Living Wage helps people sustain themselves at work. It helps families. It empowers people. And it makes society a better place.
Help us do right by workers and families by becoming a Living Wage Employer today.