It is with great pride that I celebrate Councillor Rahima Farah, whose leadership and community commitment have made a difference across public health, civic representation and social justice.
As a public health specialist and community advocate, she has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black and minoritised communities. She works tirelessly to address them with compassion, cultural understanding and practical action.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rahima played a vital role in addressing vaccine hesitancy within ethnically diverse communities. Recognising that trust and access were significant barriers, she worked at a grassroots level to bring healthcare directly into communities.
Through collaboration with local organisations and faith groups, she helped establish pop-up vaccination clinics in trusted community locations. Using community WhatsApp groups, word-of-mouth networks and culturally appropriate messaging, she helped ensure that accurate health information reached people in ways that felt safe and relatable.
This work supported efforts to increase vaccine uptake among Black communities that were often overlooked or underserved. It demonstrated her ability to turn public health priorities into meaningful action shaped around people’s circumstances and concerns.
Rahima’s commitment to tackling health inequalities continues through her work as a social prescriber, helping people access services and support suited to their needs. Her approach recognises that health is shaped by social, economic and cultural circumstances, alongside access to clinical care.
A key strength of her leadership is her determination to ensure that underrepresented voices help shape healthcare delivery. She has led and contributed to public consultations exploring how ethnic minority and Muslim communities, including Black African Muslim communities, experience mental health services.
By creating inclusive spaces for dialogue, she has enabled people to share their experiences, concerns and suggestions. This work helps bring lived experience into discussions about services, challenges stigma and encourages greater cultural awareness within mental health provision.
In public life, Rahima brings the same commitment to listening and representation. As a councillor representing Toxteth, she works to strengthen relationships between local government and communities who have often felt excluded or unheard.
Through regular engagement and advocacy, she creates opportunities for residents to influence decisions affecting their lives. Her approach is grounded in being available, understanding concerns and helping people navigate the organisations and services on which they depend.
Her dedication received national recognition when she won the Community Champion award at the 2024 LGIU and CCLA Councillor Awards. It was a fitting acknowledgement of her commitment, although awards can only capture a fraction of the difference she makes through her everyday work.
Her contribution to women’s health further demonstrates her commitment to equity. Through her involvement in the Liverpool Women’s Health Taskforce, she advocates for policies and services that recognise the diverse needs of women from different ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
She challenges approaches that assume everyone faces the same circumstances and promotes support that respects the realities of the communities she serves. Listening to those experiences is central to her understanding of effective public service.
Beyond policy and advocacy, Rahima remains deeply rooted in practical community support. She works closely with organisations such as New Beginnings Improving Lives CIC to help vulnerable families, particularly those from migrant and minority backgrounds, access food banks, fuel assistance and housing advice.
Her ability to connect people with the right support at the right time makes a meaningful difference to those experiencing hardship. It is in these everyday acts of service that her care for the community is especially clear.
Rahima is also committed to creating better opportunities for young people. She champions local employment and vocational training initiatives in Toxteth, recognising how economic inequality can contribute to long-term disadvantage.
By supporting pathways into employment for young people from diverse backgrounds, she helps create opportunities for them to build confidence, develop skills and shape their futures.
For me, Rahima is a leader who embodies courage, compassion and purpose. She helps communities and institutions understand one another, working to ensure that services are accessible, inclusive and culturally aware.
She is a trusted community figure, an advocate for change and a role model for future generations. Her contribution to public health, social justice and community empowerment makes her deeply deserving of recognition through Honouring Black Britain 2026.