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Dr Hari Shukla moved to Britain in the 1970s from Kenya and has since spent most of that time in Newcastle, where he has raised his family, including his son Nitin Shukla. I spoke to them both about the work they do, their experience of living in Newcastle, and why it’s a place they call home.
‘Parents have a responsibility making sure that their children develop confidence and participate in the life of the community’ -Dr Hari Shukla
They have, and continue to, contribute immensely to the community, with Hari becoming the director of the Tyne and Wear Racial Equality Council in 1974 and Nitin leading on EDI in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria since 2014, among other work. They have helped and welcomed many people in North East, dedicating their time to creating equal access for everyone.
‘Every human being is important, and every human being has something to contribute to life… but it is up to us to give them the opportunity’ -Dr Hari Shukla
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‘Lots needs to happen and things need to change, but I do it in a way in which I want to work with people to make a difference to our city and our communities’ -Nitin Shukla
They spoke about some challenging early experiences of being in Newcastle, and the changes they have seen, with a clear pride and passion for being part of the city’s large community. With their family being born and raised Geordies whilst still being strongly connected to their cultural and spiritual background, they integrate their identity into their work and the progression of Newcastle’s diversity.
‘It shouldn’t really matter the colour of your skin or your sexuality or where you were born or where you grew up, you know, we need to have equal life chances for everybody’ -Nitin Shukla
On behalf of NUREN and everyone they have helped in Newcastle, I would like to thank Hari and Nitin for their dedication to bettering the lives of others, the incredible work they do, and taking their time to share their stories with us.
‘The first thing that came out from his mouth was “I didn’t fight in the war so people like you could come here, you need to go back to where you came from” and for the very first time I questioned my sense of belonging because this was home’ -Nitin Shukla
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‘Don’t sit there and say, “it’s somebody else’s problem”… anything [that] happens in our area is our responsibility’ -Dr Hari Shukla
by Taskeen Nasif-Whitestone (UG), EDI Intern