Harun Raza

Lozells has a caring community

Having lived in Lozells for many years, Harun Raza is familiar with the neighbourhood and has witnessed ongoing changes whilst also working in the community.

Regarding his connections to Lozells and Handsworth, Harun explains that he has lived in the area since 1982 despite settling in Aston now. He goes on to further say, “I’ve still worked in Lozells ever since as a volunteer, as a community activist, youth worker, sports work so even though I’ve moved out the area, I’ve been working in the Lozells and Handsworth area.”. Furthermore, he says that he’s worked in Lozells for 25 years, this being an indication of his closeness with the community having familiarised himself with all four corners, from the youth to the elderly.

Considering the fact that he’s lived in Lozells since 1982, Harun has witnessed many challenging times that have had a toll on the area. He recalls the riots of 1985 and 2011 specifically, “I was in my first year of secondary school so it was a horrible experience because two people died at those riots. The thing is, I could see Lozells on fire from my bedroom window… to be honest, we didn’t know, we thought it was some houses on fire on Lozells road.”. Regarding the 2011 riots, Harun says, “[It] was quite frightening to be honest because I was out and about… because I was getting calls from young people and families saying ‘my son isn’t around, where is he?’” indicating the concerns felt at the time.

Speaking on the community response to the riots, Harun believes that the response to the 2011 riots was “really really good” in the sense that community leaders as well as councillors “stuck together”. He goes on to further say, “community leaders came out, and stood out and said that nothing is going to happen in this area… so the community, the businesses that come out, they really did well in terms of making sure it doesn’t happen [again].”

Contemplating the Covid-19 pandemic which hit Lozells very hard, disproportionately compared to many other areas in Birmingham, Harun explains that Covid-19 brought new fears to the neighbourhood that also came with many obstacles. He goes on to further explain the experiences of the community by saying, “In the first lockdown there was a lot of fear from going out, and being associated, mixing, things like that. Nobody wanted to visit anybody’s houses. It was horrible because we had loved ones who were ill that we couldn’t go and see.”

Reflecting on the resilience and changes within Lozells, Harun explains how there is a “community of people out there who look out for Lozells” and the example he uses to demonstrate this was how, during the Covid-19 pandemic, food packages were distributed to those who were badly affected. In short, “Lozells has a caring community”.