Head of Curriculum for Service Industries, West London College and member of management committee for local charity Descendants who work with children and young people (4-16) primarily of African and Caribbean descent.

Dr Munir Abbasi has received a PhD and worked in the public, academic and private sectors. He has led and contributed to various national and international programmes/projects and policies covering broad areas such as social innovation, data-driven innovation, smart cities, circular economy, business models, creativity, education, health care, and making cities more democratic. He is also a school governor.

Dr Abbasi believes he will promote race quality by suggesting and contributing new ideas, initiatives and best practices with robust action plans addressing the causes of racial and ethnic disparities.
His motivation to join the Citizen Tribunal is “a more fair and inclusive society so that no one should be left behind”.

Dior is an Ealing resident and, currently, a student at the University of Sussex. He joined the Citizen’s Tribunal with a keen interest in enabling the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations and aspires to a fairer borough that everyone can live and work in without disadvantage. Dior aims to give the benefit of his knowledge as a Law student to improve education and local policing in the borough.

My day job is centred on issues of racial justice and accountability and so it was no surprise that this role resonated with me since I already work in this field with a particular interest in education. What I hope to achieve is to hold our leaders to account by pressing for action in working with the team to dismantle the structures and systems that combine to limit the potential of specific groups within our borough. I’ve lived here for over 30 years and will be keen to see progress that we as citizens can all be proud of.

It is an honour to be a member of the Citizens’ Tribunal and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the Ealing Race Equality Commission’s recommendations are implemented. I live in Ealing and by profession am a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, with over 25 years’ experience as a clinician and trainer in the NHS, private and third sectors. My special interest is in Neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism and ADHD and I have led specialist teams in this area in several CAMH (Child & Adolescent Mental Health) Services, including in Ealing. I also have a Master of Laws in Human Rights and experience of multi-agency work, advocacy and report-writing, which I hope to put to good use in the tribunal.

As a volunteer I have worked with children’s and homelessness charities, the London 2012 Paralympics, Team London Ambassadors and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In the latter two organisations I am currently involved in EDI projects. I am also Disability Officer in the Ealing Central and Acton Constituency Labour Party.

I applied to become a member of Ealing Citizens’ Tribunal in the hope of making tangible improvements to the day to day lives of people who experience race inequality. My area of expertise is in education. I am a skilled teacher, tutor and lecturer with wide experience in researching, designing and teaching curricula and interventions.

Understanding how the education system creates barriers for a range of learners, students of Black Caribbean heritage in particular, has been my area of research interest. The evolution of the assessment gap has been well documented over the decades and, repeatedly, the education system has failed to pursue recommendations of key reports.

I was pleased, therefore, to see the approach taken by the Ealing Race Equality Commission: Emphasis on tight timelines for its demands, and provision of support for the Council and Ealing schools in promoting race equity. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the tribunal to provide this support in identifying and implementing effective interventions.

Public policy consultant with experience of working in the voluntary sector in Ealing, national and local government.

Mohan brings a range of expertise, experience and skills to the commission, from public policy, program development and delivery, research and evaluation, organisational and services development and education, housing and regeneration.

Sharmarke DIRIYE is currently the Programmes Lead at Golden Opportunity Skills and Development (GOS&D), a progressive charity that engages and supports the socio-economic and health aspirations of marginalised communities. Sharmarke has amassed over 15 years’ experience working with and supporting the work of Civil Society organisations, in bridging inequality gaps through various impactful projects. Sharmarke has also undertaken numerous leadership roles where he has always championed ideals of equality, inclusion and unity.

With over 25 years experience working within the National Health Service, Angela is committed to continually strive to commission quality care and health services, especially for diverse communities, and the most vulnerable. This was recently demonstrated in the Covid vaccination Programme where she championed work to ensure the most clinically vulnerable residents living within care homes received primary health care services and their vaccinations promptly. Other experience includes transformation and innovation in primary care to improve access to GP care and development of self-care models, working in partnership with and holding key stakeholders to account.

With her Caribbean heritage and lived experiences, Angela is a keen advocate for making the health service more accessible and services visible to underserved communities. She does this by developing programmes that support and encourage BAME communities to seek early medical intervention, in particular raising awareness of preventable and often undetected health conditions most prevalent in the black community, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension, which if not treated early can lead to life changing conditions.

I applied to be a member of Ealing Citizens’ Tribunal because I want to contribute my skills to develop a fairer and more inclusive community in Ealing and especially in Northolt where I live.
I am an immigrant and the child of immigrants. I know that if my parents had not put a lot of effort into getting the best education possible for my brother and me, I would not have had the opportunities to build a professional and well-paid career and comfortable life for myself.

My professional background is in education. I started my working life as a history teacher in secondary schools in East London. I moved into special educational needs in order to support young people to become enthusiastic, confident and successful learners.
My other experiences of work and voluntary activities include:

• Managing local authority equalities services
• Lecturing and researching in higher education
• Working on two race equality projects in the voluntary sector
• Being a school governor in Ealing for over 20 years

I have joined the Education, Participation and Democracy, and Policing sub-committees to which I hope to contribute my knowledge and also to learn from my colleagues.

My name is Michelle Alexander, Founder of Aka Life Coaching Ltd., offering life coaching, family support, and early intervention for women, families, and underrepresented groups in #EDI. With 28 years of experience, working in education, social care early help, private and charity sector.

I am an NLP Practitioner, childcare assessor, mental health first aider Adults & young people, parenting program facilitator, and specialise in ADHD and Autism. I also volunteer with the TedXLondon Women Speaker team and was a part of the Flexible Working Parliamentary Steering Group. 

Living in Ealing for 44 years, I am honoured to help implement the Ealing Race Equality Commission’s recommendations and ensure all community members thrive and hold policy makers accountable. 

Laurie moved to Ealing in 1993, where she began her working life as a teacher. However, workplace bullying led to the premature end of her mainstream career. Unable to get a job and driven by her experience, Laurie started a Masters in Employment Law degree and worked for Ealing Racial Equality Council over a period of seven years. During that time, she also freelanced as an equalities trainer with Stella Dadzie, bringing council and college employees up to speed on the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Laurie has spent the last two decades engaged in activities designed to uplift and inspire the community she lives in: in 2002, she set up her own African and Caribbean Saturday School and worked alongside the Windrush Consortium led by Jessica and Eric Huntley.

In 2011 and 2012, she was contracted by Ealing Community and Voluntary Services (as it was then called) to run booster classes for primary school aged children in West Ealing. Between 2008 and 2012, she managed Copley Close’s Homework Club, funded by EASE (Empowering Action and Social Esteem).

Over three decades after moving to Ealing, Laurie continues to do her bit for the community, advising parents on school related matters.