Networking and developing relationships with people are key to change
Vivienne Hayes from the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) kindly invited Selma Taha from Southall Black Sisters and SEEAWA to participate in a roundtable discussion with MP Anneliese Dodds who is currently Minister of State (Development), and Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities). Meeting people and working together leads to greater power. Alone as a charity you may go fast, but together you go far.
Be bold and when there is an opportunity, grab it
Vivienne mentioned that it was from seeing a spare chair next to Anneliese at a separate event, that she sat down and started talking to her. This lead to emails, discussions and eventually a meeting.
What do you see? Share it & develop it
When the racist attacks occurred in the Summer of 2024, we noticed that politicians were inviting male leaders from BAME community groups to speak but there was a significant absence of BAME women leaders voices and presence. That led us to sharing how the racist riots affected ESEA women in our community (one of whom was pregnant!). But we also realised we need to help support ESEA to become leaders and to equip them with the tools to change the world. We are excited to develop further women leadership programmes for our community.
Have 1-2 clear asks of what you want from a meeting with a politician
We asked for: an independent national women’s fund to address the funding crisis, and explained how an endowment fund would lead to greater sustainable support and change for the women’s sector; and for MP’s to think of and reach out to women’s groups and BAME women’s organisations as well as mens.
Advocacy is ongoing
Meeting an MP is just one small cog. Next month, Sarah Reid will take on the role of Advocacy and Campaigns Manager to help develop this part of our organisation. Are you a BAME charity or women’s charity looking to network or develop skills in advocacy and campaigning and want some advice? If so, reach out to us! If you are experienced in changing policies, let us know your tips of what really works.