Rushanara Ali

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Rushanara Ali
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office = Parliamentary Candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow
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party =Labour
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birth_place Sylhet, Bangladesh
website = [http://www.rushanaraali.org/ www.rushanaraali.org]

Rushanara Ali is a British politician and is the Associate Director of the Young Foundation. In April 2007, she was chosen as the Labour Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow, selected from an initial field of 67 candidates. [cite web|url= http://www.towerhamlets.labour.co.uk/17386aed-9635-73f4-2923-0c094c2577d1|title= Rushanara Ali - Your Labour Parliamentary Candidate|publisher=Tower Hamlets Labour Party|accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url= http://www.youngfoundation.org/about/people/staff/rushanara_ali|title=The Young Foundation, Rushanara Ali|publisher=The Young Foundation|accessdate=2008-09-18]

Early life

Born in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Rushanara Ali moved to the East End at the age of 7 where she attended Mulberry School and Tower Hamlets College. The first in her family to go to university, Ali studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.

Career

Rushanara Ali began her career as a Research Assistant to Michael Young, working on a project which paved the way for the establishment of Tower Hamlets Summer University, offering independent learning programmes for young people aged 11-25. She also helped to develop “Languageline”, a national telephone interpreting service in over 100 languages. Between 1997-1999 she was also Parliamentary Assistant to Oona King, former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. [cite web|url= http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/media/current/pressdetail.htm?pk=207|title=Commission to tackle child poverty in London|publisher=London Councils|date=2006-02-20|accessdate=2008-09-18]

She worked on human rights issues at the Foreign Office from 2000-2001. Prior to this, Ali was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) focussing on anti-discrimination issues from 1999-2002. From 2002-2005, Ali worked at the Communities Directorate of the Home Office, leading a work programme to mobilize local and national agencies in the aftermath of the 2001 riots in Burnley, Bradford and Oldham, to prevent further conflict and unrest, challenging central Government to provide appropriate support to these areas. [cite book |coauthors=Mohammed Abdul Karim & Md. Shahdoth Karim |title=British Bangladeshi Who's Who, 2008 |year=2008 |month=July |publisher=British Bangla Media Group |location=London |language=English |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=45 |quote="Previously she worked at the Communities Directorate of the Home Office..." ]

Since 2005, Ali has worked as Associate Director of the Young Foundation in Bethnal Green, a think tank focussed on social innovation. She also serves as Chair of Tower Hamlets Summer University; a commissioner on the London Child Poverty Commission; Board Member of Tower Hamlets College; Trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and member of the Tate Britain Council. [cite web|url= http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/user/18 |title=User Profile, Rushanara Ali |publisher=Social Innovation Exchange |accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url=http://213.86.122.139/about/r-ali.jsp |title=Rushanara Ali |publisher=London Child Poverty Commission|accessdate=2008-09-18]

She has published articles on a variety of political issues in numerous national and local media including "The Guardian", "Prospect magazine" and "Progress magazine". [cite web|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/20/2|title=Let power reflect the people |publisher=The Guardian |date=2008-02-20|accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url= http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7329|title=The Angry East End |publisher=Prospect Magazine |date=2006-03|accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url= http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7532|title=One year later |publisher=Prospect Magazine |date=2006-07|accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url= http://www.progressonline.org.uk/Magazine/article.asp?a=2010|title=Homes alone |publisher=Progress Magazine |date=2007-10-01|accessdate=2008-09-18] Rushanara Ali has also appeared on Question Time Extra, BBC Radio 4's "Woman's Hour" and "Thinking Allowed". [cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2008_20_wed.shtml|title=Are more young women happy to vote Conservative? |publisher=BBC Radio 4|date=2008-05-14|accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed/thinkingallowed_20080625.shtml |title=Laurie Taylor discusses the latest social science research. |publisher=BBC Radio 4|date=2008-06-25|accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed/thinkingallowed_20060215.shtml |title=Laurie Taylor discusses the latest social science research. |publisher=BBC Radio 4|date=2006-02-15|accessdate=2008-09-18]

References

External links

* [http://www.rushanaraali.org Rushanara Ali] official site
* [http://www.towerhamlets.labour.co.uk Tower Hamlets Labour Party] website