Rehana Begum

I’d like to see more women in leadership roles

Growing up in Lozells for much of her childhood, Rehana Begum recalls the tough times she’s experienced in one of Birmingham’s most deprived wards.

Rehana came to Lozells in 1982 when she was 5 years old as her father was established in the area. She completed her schooling in the neighbourhood before marrying in 1994 which led to her moving out of the area, “I went to the local primary school, I went to the local secondary school, Holte school. Then in 1994, I got married and moved out the area so I’ve been living out of the area since 1994”. She came back in 2019 after she found work in Lozells.

Rehana recollects the troubling times of 1985 when the Handsworth riots took place. She remembers a specific memory of when she saw a man trying to attack a petrol station, “There was a petrol station outside our house and they were throwing, I can’t remember what it was, but there was a man who was running and he saw me on the front of my house and he came up and said ‘Litlle girl, get in the house! You’re going to get hurt!’ and he actually pushed me into the house and closed the door and I will never forget that memory”.

When asked about the community response to Covid-19, Rehana felt that it brought many challenges and obstacles to Lozells. As somebody who works at Aspire and Succeed, an organisation founded after the 2005 riots, she goes over the services that they provided, “Our doors were open. It was business as usual for us. We were still seeing clients. During that time, people needed us the most. So we kept our doors open, we helped people with advice… we even helped families going through financial hardships, delivering food packs to them as a team”. Rehana goes on to further mention how mental health and telephone advice services were provided.

Growing up in the 1990s, Rehana found it difficult in Lozells due to the lack of provisions for girls and strict parenting, “We were quite isolated, we had very strict parents. Bare in mind, our parents were first generation. Their mentality was different.”. She is of the belief that these norms have changed for the better over the years and there is more support for young people now, “We never had the support we have now like community organisations, members of the community going out there and helping. It’s good to see all that change over the years.”.