My name is Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard and I am the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Praxis.

I had come to know Praxis through my previous role at the Runnymede Trust, but it was the organisation’s involvement in the Windrush scandal that cemented my admiration for their work.

I’m a second generation Caribbean migrant, and the stories, pain and dehumanization experienced by older Caribbean migrants as a result of this scandal; people who looked and sounded like my parents, my aunts and uncles, but also, given the long tail of the Government’s hostile environment, those who looked and sounded like my cousins, my friends, myself, all resonated with me personally.   

Praxis was one of the key organisations that spoke up on behalf of those affected by the Windrush scandal, provided advice and support, but also saw them all as people, humans, who had been wronged. When the Chair’s role became available, it was a no-brainer that I would apply. 

Aside from our work on the Windrush scandal, I’m immensely proud that throughout our long history as an organisation we provided a place of sanctuary for those fleeing political oppression from around the world.   

40 years ago Praxis started out as organisation that welcomed and worked alongside those fleeing civil war, torture, political upheaval, apartheid from South Africa to Argentina. In those initial days, Praxis was a place of both safety but also political organising for diaspora communities.   

I’m incredibly proud that this history rooted in social justice has led us to where we are today; an organisation that advocates for those whom government policy disenfranchises, giving them support, advice, but most importantly agency, so that they can create futures for themselves and their families despite negative policy narratives.  

I would want the people we support to know that we will always advocate both for them and alongside them, that we will always centre their experiences and expertise, that we will ensure our work is informed by them and that we will do all that we can to help them live lives free from discrimination and harm. 

Now and in the years to come, Praxis will continue to be a force for good, an organisation that speaks up for those seeking support to make homes and lives for themselves and their families in the UK, that campaigns on their behalf, that provides them with advice to navigate the incredibly complex and difficult immigration system that exists in this country and that succeeds alongside the vibrant sector we are a part of, to dismantle the hostile environment.