THE ANGELOU CENTRE
WOMEN'S CHARITY & BEAUTY IN GIVING BONANZA
The Angelou Centre
Website: www.angelou-centre.org.uk
UK Registered Charity No: 1044344
The Angelou Centre provides specialist support across the North East of the UK to Black, Migrant and Minoritised i.e. Black & Minority Ethnic Women and Children, who have been subjected to domestic and sexual violence, who face multiple forms of discrimination and often have associative complex needs.
The Centre's holistic approach to violence against women and children is fantastic. It include services comprising of refuge accommodation (including the provision for women without recourse to public funds), specialist advocacy, outreach, therapeutic support, and recovery programmes for survivors.
The Angelou Centre has been instrumental in assisting with improving legislation and collaborating with other organisations across the UK to ensure that the voice of marginalised women is heard.
What Is Domestic Abuse/Violence?
Domestic abuse is currently defined by the UK Home Office (2013:2) as:
Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.
This can encompass, but is not limited to the following types of abuse:
- psychological
- physical
- sexual
- financial
- emotional
The definition of domestic abuse also includes so-called "honour based" violence and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The Angelou Centre & Sistah Space are Members of Imkaan
Imkaan is the only UK-based, umbrella women's organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and Minoritised Women and Girls i.e. women which are defined in policy terms as Black and 'Minority Ethnic' (BME). To learn about Imkaan, click here for more information.
Valerie's Law
As seen in Valerie’s case and with many others who experience domestic violence, police officers and relevant agencies have a severe knowledge gap when it comes to the Black community and its domestic violence victims. As with every culture, the Black community has a plethora of colloquialisms, languages and customs within itself that must be acknowledged and understood in mainstream institutions, to better protect Black women fleeing violence.
Valerie’s Law advocates for mandatory Cultural Competency training that accounts for the cultural nuances and barriers, colloquialisms, languages and customs that make up the diverse black community. Valerie’s Law will enable police officers, relevant government agencies and domestic violence safehouse staff to acknowledge and protect black women in abusive situations through an understanding.
The Angelou Centre annually supports over 350 women and their children directly through our specialist advocacy (IDVA, ISVA, Outreach) and refuge accommodation services – and over 200 through our wider recovery programmes, training and counselling. The Angelou Centre also directly supports 150 children and young survivors of violence and abuse each year. Of the 700 Black and Minoritised survivors of abuse that The Angelou Centre supports, over 60% of the women and children will have uncertain/unknown immigration status or no recourse to public funds at the point of initial contact.
BEAUTY IN GIVING BONANZA - ANGELOU CENTRE
Beauty In Giving Bonanza
Thank you to everyone who donated, and those who attended our fun and interactive makeup application workshop!
We had attendees across England who participated in our virtual, live workshop, with us all dancing and having a great laugh together in support of a fantastic cause. Many congratulations to our Raffle Winner, Denise!
We are so grateful that £1,490 GBP had been raised at the time that as a group, we checked the GoFund Me page together on 28th April 2022! 100% of the funds raised and the funds that we continue to raise following the Bonanza, are going to support the women and children for whom The Angelou Centre is a lifeline.
A free/complimentary makeup consultation via Zoom was offered to all attendees in preparation for the Event.
For the Event itself, the following was advertised to have to hand:
- Makeup brushes
- Mirror
- Foundation (Concealer is optional)
- Eyeshadow
- Eyeliner
- Mascara
- Blush
- Lipstick and/or Lip Gloss
Stay tuned for our next Beauty in Giving Bonanza in Autumn!!!