The 1945 Pan-African Congress was one of the most important political events of the 20th century. At this event, which took place in Manchester, African, Caribbean and American intellectuals set up some of the building blocks that would ultimately lead to Black civil rights in the West and decolonisation in Africa and the Caribbean. Yet, only two women were permitted to speak at this conference. One, Amy Ashwood Garvey, remarked that while “very much has been written and spoken” of Black men, “for some reason very little has been said about the Black woman.”
For centuries, Black women have played a central role in struggles for equality, despite their efforts often going overlooked. This Black History Month, GLAMOUR is highlighting Black British women who are making change in their communities and beyond…
Dr Annabel Sowemimo
Dr Annabel Sowemimo is a new mum, PhD student and NHS doctor. In 2018, she founded Decolonising Contraception (now known as the Reproductive Justice Initiative) to combat sexual health inequality in communities of colour. In 2023 her non-fiction debut, Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise, was published by the Wellcome Collection and Profile Books. The book, which dissects how racism has shaped modern medicine, was recently shortlisted for the Orwell Political Writing Prize. Annabel continues to use her platform to speak out against injustice and, in her medical practice, has empowered thousands of patients from Leicester to Lewisham.
Mercy Shibemba MBE
It is an underreported fact that, in Britain, over 30 per cent of people living with HIV are Black. Additionally, the latest figures suggest that over 50 per cent of all Black African people living with HIV in England, were diagnosed at a late stage of infection. This is why the work Mercy Shibemba MBE is doing is so important. Mercy was born with HIV although did not discover this fact until she was a teenager. After discovering her diagnosis, she campaigned with the Children’s HIV Association and ultimately won a Diana Award in 2017. Since then, she has worked as a commissioner on the government-backed HIV Commission seeking to end all new cases of HIV in England by 2030 and is currently leading on the We Move Fund at BBC Children in Need, which has committed £10m to create and support opportunities for Black children.
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Lavinya Stennett
After an impactful year abroad in New Zealand, while a student at SOAS University, Lavinya Stennett founded The Black Curriculum, a community interest company dedicated to ensuring young people have access to Black history every day of the year – not just during Black History Month. The Black Curriculum provides workplace and school training, has published multiple children’s books, released an award-winning podcast and ultimately hopes to firmly embed Black British history within UK school curricula.
Dame Vivian Hunt
Following the resurgence in support for Black Lives Matter in 2020, many Black British people felt frustrated with the status quo. That’s why the Black Equity Organisation (BEO) was founded, a national civil rights group whose goal is to “dismantle systemic racism” across all areas of UK life. Dame Vivian Hunt is a founding member of BEO and is the Chair of its board. Although Vivian was born and raised in the US, she has consistently worked to empower and support Black communities in Britain since moving here over two decades ago. The BEO have produced several well-regarded reports about inequity and inequality in Britain and has provided financial support to multiple businesses lead by Black entrepreneurs.
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Sheri Leigh
According to data produced by the Runneymede Trust in 2020, Black Caribbean households hold 20p for every £1 white British households do while Black Africans hold 10p for every white British £1. Meanwhile, British Business Bank have found that Black business owners report a median turnover which is £10,000 less than white business owners. Due to high rates of poverty within Black British communities, and the unique barriers Black entrepreneurs face when establishing businesses in Britain, Sheri Leigh founded the Black Business Network in 2018 to “strengthen business connections, financing and knowledge” among Black people in Britain. The Network is still going strong and continues to organise several empowering events each year for burgeoning and established Black businessowners and investors.
Marcia Stewart KC
Many of the inequalities in our justice system are well known. It is well-publicised that Black men are more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than other groups. It is well-publicised that Black people are more likely to receive a prison sentence for a criminal offence. And it is well-known Black people are more likely to have force used against them by the police than white people. There are many Black lawyers working to combat these issues and support Black defendants and claimants navigate the justice system. Marcia Stewart KC is one such lawyer, who has represented survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire and the family of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, when it was revealed two police officers took and shared photos of the sisters upon discovering their murder.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
Change does not only come through activism and advocacy. It can also come through politics. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Clapham & Brixton Hill, has consistently worked to represent not only her constituents but also Black people across the country. As chair of the Afrikan Reparations All Parliamentary Group, Bell has called on the prime minister to apologise for the UK’s role in the transatlantic slavery, invited international civil rights leaders to lead talks on social justice and spearheaded the now annual UK Reparations Conference.
Nadine White
Many of the women in this article share the privilege of being reported on by Nadine White at The Independent. As the UK’s first ever race reporter, Nadine’s work is dedicated to researching and unmasking inequalities in Britain. Many of her stories have created and inspired social change and put pressure on government to act to resolve racial inequity. Nadine’s articles have inspired change because influential people have read them. In other words, the written word is an incredibly powerful tool in the fight for equality.
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Mireille Harper
Similarly, I would be remiss if I did not highlight Mireille Harper in this article. Mireille is the Editorial Director at Tonic, a Bloomsbury imprint, and is also a freelance editorial and communications consultant. In 2020, an Instagram post she wrote about non-optical allyship went viral – it currently has over 600,000 likes. She has been working to uplift Black voices in the industry since long before then, though. There are so many Black authors in Britain who have been connected to agents and publishers through Mireille. Most recently, she collaborated with Babes in Development – an incubator for Black female creators – to provide an exclusive networking opportunity for emerging Black authors and publishing professionals.
