9 Black British Women Who Are Making the UK a More Equal Place
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…
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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.
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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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