Southall Black Sisters (SBS) is a non-profit organisation based in
Southall
Southall () is a large suburban county of West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divid ...
, West London, England. This women's group was established in August 1979 in the aftermath of the death of
anti-fascist activist
Blair Peach, who had taken part in a demonstration against a
National Front rally at
Southall Town Hall.
['Against the Grain', SBS Tenth Anniversary book, 1989.] In 1980 SBS campaigned successfully against virginity testing in the UK, a policy which was being used to verify the authenticity of Asian marriages by checking the state of women's hymens.
History
The SBS was originally established in order to provide a focus for the struggle of Asian women in the fight against racism, but became increasingly involved in defending the human rights of Asian women who are the victims of
domestic violence and in campaigning against
religious fundamentalism.
Throughout most of its existence, the group's primary campaigners have been
Pragna Patel, Meena Patel and Hannana Siddiqui.
, the writer and journalist (on issues of feminism, fundamentalism, and racism), film director, and
human rights activist, has also been an active member of the organization.
They are best known for the role they played in the Ahluwalia case in 1989 when a woman named
Kiranjit Ahluwalia set fire to her abusive husband. They supported her in the case, and were eventually successful.
In 2008 SBS won a legal challenge against Ealing Council who had threatened to withdraw their funding for black and other ethnic minority women in the borough, in order to fund services for all women regardless of ethnic background. The Council sought to justify its decision on the grounds of ‘equality’, ‘cohesion’ and ‘diversity’.
Awards and recognition
In 2010 the organisation was awarded
Secularist of the Year by the
National Secular Society, in recognition of their support of black and Asian women's human rights.
In July 2015, Pragna Patel was a co-recipient of the inaugural Bob Hepple Equality Award, alongside
Mauro Cabral of
GATE
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include '' yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wal ...
.
The award is named for
Bob Hepple, the former lawyer of
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...
.
In 2011 she was named as one of the Top 100 Women Activists and Campaigners.
See also
*
Association of Black Humanists
Association of Black Humanists (formerly known as London Black Atheists) is a British organisation based in London, England. It encourages humanists and atheists to meet up, socialise, share information and support other atheists as they "come ...
*
British Asian
British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British citizens of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 6.9% of the population identifying as Asian/Asian Bri ...
*
British Black Panthers
References
*Gupta Rahila (ed.) (2003) ''From Homebreakers to Jailbreakers: Southall Black Sisters'' London: Zed Books
External links
Official website1999 Interview with Black Flag magazine
{{Authority control
1979 establishments in England
Anti-racist organisations in the United Kingdom
Asian-British culture in London
Black British culture in London
Black feminist organizations
Feminism in England
Feminism in the Asian diaspora
Non-profit organisations based in London
Organizations established in 1979
Secularism in England
Women's organisations based in England
Southall
Women in London