British Bangladeshi Dr Nazia Khanum OBE DL, chair of the United Nations Association Luton Branch, has made history by being granted the Freedom of Luton, Luton Borough Council’s highest and rarest honour.
Dr Nazia received the honour for her dedicated work for the wellbeing of Luton since 1983. She is the first ethnic minority woman to receive this honour.
At a unique ceremony organised by Luton Borough Council on March 26, Dr Khanum was bestowed the Freedom of the Borough of Luton by the Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Yaqub Hanif, for her dedicated work over many years.
Freedom of the Borough is the highest honour a local authority can bestow upon “persons of distinction who have, in the opinion of the council, rendered eminent service to the Borough.”
This honour joins over 30 local, national international awards Dr Khanum has received, most notably a Royal Honour OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) from the late British queen, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bedfordshire, an Outstanding Citizen Award from a previous mayor of Luton, Ambassador for World Peace from the Women’s Federation for World Peace (Head Quarters in South Korea) and many from across the multicultural communities in Luton, Bedfordshire, and beyond.
She was commissioned in 2014 as the very first ethnic minority woman deputy lieutenant to the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire in the 500 years of the Lieutenant's history. She was recently included among 100 successful British Bangladeshis in a special issue of the prestigious Business America magazine.
Dr Khanum started her career as a lecturer at Eden Girls College, Dhaka, and Dhaka University. After completing her PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, she has been head of equalities in 5 English local authorities covering housing, education, employment, social inclusion and community regeneration.
She has served as member and often chair of many boards, for example local NHS board (Equality Committee), Luton Sixth Form College governor, Bedfordshire Employers Equality Network (Chair), advisor to Probation Service, Equality Training for Police and other agencies.
She is founder chair of 6 thoughtful and dynamic community organisations, such as Luton Multicultural Women’s Coalition, Luton Community Health Forum, Purbachal-the eastern sky, Luton Women’s Network against Violence and Extremism, Luton British Bangladesh Helping Hand, United Nations Association Luton Branch and founder director of Equality in Diversity CIC – a management, research, training and community empowerment consultancy.
She has authored guidelines for eliminating unlawful discriminations and promoting equality of opportunity in many areas in society. She is a published poet in Bengali and English.
She is proud to call herself a British Bangladeshi Lutonian and a citizen of the world. She is determined to carry on promoting Luton’s socio-economic wellbeing, human rights, equality, justice and peace across communities and restoration of a healthy climate for all.
Dr Khanum said “I dedicate my honorary Freedom of the Borough to all peace makers in Luton and beyond. I love my adopted country, the United Kingdom, and my heritage country, Bangladesh, where I was born and spent my formative years.”
