Celebrating Freedom and Diversity: Embracing ‘Free to Be Me’ During South Asian Heritage Month 2024
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) runs from 18 July to 17 August every year. It began in 2020 and aims to elevate and celebrate British South Asian heritage and history across the UK. SAHM’s aim is to increase the understanding of the diverse heritage and cultures that continue to link the UK with South Asia.
The theme for SAHM 2024 is ‘Free to Be Me’, which is beautifully simple. This also encompasses what is so special about the UK, the freedom to be ourselves. Despite the current temporary political divisiveness in the UK it is more important than ever to highlight how diverse the UK is and celebrate this. We in the UK will always band together and stand up for our British values, which are ‘Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.’ This is why I believe it is a perfect month to celebrate SAHM 2024 theme, ‘Free to Be Me’.
In the context of the theme, it is important to acknowledge how wide and diverse South Asia is. It is so easy to think of different parts of the world as one single entity. South Asia is made of 8 countries, with a population of 1.94 billion people, speaking 650 different languages. In the UK South Asians make up 7.5% of the British population and our various cultures are so intricately intertwined.
I am a South Asian background. I was born and raised in the UK and will be going on to be a trainee solicitor and Hodge Jones & Allen in the near future. My mother was born and raised in the UK. My dad immigrated to the UK in the 1980’s from India. I have had the unique experience and hearing the very different perspectives of what life was like for my parents and grandparents living in the UK overtime. I am lucky enough to have had the freedom to be myself and celebrate both cultures equally. However, I am acutely aware that not everyone gets that chance to.
It is therefore essential for us to recognise the challenges and disadvantages different groups of minorities face in the UK. This can be from any racial, socio-economic or cultural prejudices. Only in recognising this can we address the specific issued they are facing. We should then face these issues head on. This is extremely important in the legal profession. Only in ensuring that we protect and celebrate the freedom to be us, can we uphold the rule of law.
In the legal profession we encounter individuals who have had an aspect of their personal freedom and liberties infringed upon on a daily basis. These individuals come from every kind of background. As legal professionals our goal is to right wrongs for our clients. This ability to celebrate the freedom to be us is how we at Hodge Jones & Allen fight for what’s right and achieve successful outcomes to allow individuals.
Even though the theme for SAHM 2024 is ‘Free to Be Me’, I believe that this is a right that we all in the UK should be entitled to.
