South Asian Heritage Month: why it matters

This is the motto for South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM), which starts from 18 July and runs until 17 August.

First launched in 2020, SAHM strives to mark and celebrate South Asian communities, histories and cultures in the UK.

The dates are of special significance to the South Asian community. On 18 July 1947, the Indian Independence Act gained royal assent and 17 August of the same year marks the date the Radcliffe Line was published, which created the border that separated India from Pakistan.

2022 will be the 75^th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan as well as the 50^th anniversary of the expulsion of Ugandan Asians by Idi Amin.

I am delighted to be celebrating SAHM and I hope we can work together to improve racial equity and inclusion across the legal sector and wider society.

SAHM comes at an important time. Changes have already happened across society in relation to how we speak, write and communicate about race and ethnicity, as businesses seek to achieve better diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.

The legal sector is no different, with law firms and workplaces choosing not to use the acronym ‘BAME’ and instead using other phrases which better respect, and reflect, the differences between those ethnic minority groups.

Law firms have increased their efforts to boost diversity and inclusion.

Shakespeare Martineau announced it is supporting Mercy Mission UK – a British Muslim charity – by launching a new mentoring scheme for Muslim youths across Birmingham, while Browne Jacobson welcomed six work experience students as part of the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme.

The Law Society’s Annual Statistics Report 2020 found that of 202,374 solicitors on the roll, 149,891 solicitors have practising certificates (PCs). Within that figure 20,000 solicitors of Black, Asian and minority ethnic background had practising certificates, and two thirds of those were of Asian/Asian British heritage (including East Asians).

I hope that in marking SAHM, we will encourage the profession to take time to learn a little more about South Asian heritage and culture, and to celebrate the valuable contribution of South Asian solicitors.

In three months, I will become the first Asian, first Muslim and seventh female president of the Law Society. During my term as president, I intend to keep the focus on improving diversity and inclusion in the profession.

I very much look forward to celebrating SAHM and hearing about the journeys and contributions of, my South Asian colleagues in the profession.

Lubna Shuja is vice president of the Law Society of England and Wales