Rose Lewis

Sistah Space is a grassroots organisation set up following the traumatic murder of Valerie Forde & baby RJ, a local woman and her child, responding to the need for space for African Heritage women experiencing Domestic Abuse.

The need was just there, women were saying it would be nice to speak to someone who looked like us, who knew our cultural heritage, our grassroots needs and wants. So we developed wrap around support for African Heritage women, responding to each woman’s individual needs – including supporting women in court, with day to day emotional and support needs, and with practical settling in when a woman is placed in a refuge which may be far from her community.

I would describe our service as fabulous, very hard work and frustrating. A lot of good things have happened, we see some services trying hard, but overall nothing has changed, we hear the same things from women time after time. There’s a huge gap in terms of racism, sexism and classism. And with Windrush, a new level of mistrust.

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