Main photo: The late Ronnie Vellem received the Lifetime Achievement Award last year. This year’s recipient will be unveiled on March 7.
AFTER months of nominations the final shortlists for this year’s Advancing Race Equality Awards have been confirmed.
The seven judges were sent dozens of entries lodged by members of the public across nine different categories.
After reading each submission carefully, the judging panel decided upon a total of 24 candidates whose names will now go forward to the glitzy awards ceremony in The Everglades Hotel, Derry, on March 7.
The finalists in the category of Advancing Racial Justice and Fairness are Multi-Ethnic Sports and Culture NI (MSCNI), North West Regional College tutor Bronagh Fikri and African and Caribbean Support Organisation NI (ACSONI).
Down to the final three of Anti-Racism Teacher of the Year are Queen’s University lecturer Dr Eiman Abdel Meguid, Oakgrove Primary School’s Edel Sweeney and Principal of Model Primary, Michelle Ramsey.
Strabane Academy has been shortlisted in the Schools Anti-Racism Ambassador category.
While the three people vying for Young Leader are Ahmad Adam, Chaudhary Hamza Riaz and Manasa Ramakrishna.
The Community Champion shortlistees are Adrian Curry of Street Soccer NI, Hilda Orr and ANAKA Women’s Collective activist Reshma Pinto.
The trophy for Anti-Racist Media will go to either BBC Spotlight NI, Belfast Live’s Niall Deeney or VIEW Digital Editor Brian Pelan.
In the running for Anti-Racism Leader are Dr Mukesh Chugh, Sue Divin and Jahswill Emmanuel.
Model Primary School, North West Regional College and Oakgrove Primary School are up for Anti-Racism School of the Year while the Lifetime Achievement Award will go to either the late Eddie Kerr or former NICEM Executive Director Patrick Yu.
If you would like to attend the Advancing Race Equality Awards to support any of the worthy nominees, you can pick up your tickets here: Tickets – North West Migrants Forum (nwmf.org.uk)