Community

Luton-based cultural organisation Ghana Society UK  launched a new education drive on Saturday 7 May aimed at supporting rural women and children in Ghana. Maria Lovell receives a donation from the Ghana High Commission  © MisBeee Writes The new initiative - The Luton Ghana Development Foundation - aims to give some of the most vulnerable people in Ghanaian society access to vocational skills, training programmes, and medical support . The Foundation has partnered with Luton-based educational centres the Open Doors Training & Development Trust and Lewsey Farm Learning Trust to offer training opportunities that will arm women with entrepreneurial skills to build a sustainable future. There are also plans to award scholarships to young children so they can continue their studies abroad, said Ghana Society UK founder Maria Lovell. Among the speakers was Phd candidate Anthony Ayakwah who said a few words about the society's work (see below vide...

“If I stand here in my true authentic self, it means I stand here and am able to talk about race without having to leave my gender at the door. I stand here and talk about gender without having to leave my sexual orientation at the door. I stand here being a lesbian - part of the lesbian gay bisexual queer and intersex (LGBTQI) family - without having to leave a hidden disability at the door. Being authentic and turning up the volume on who you are means that you talk about it all. It’s a collective struggle and your struggle must be my struggle and my struggle must be yours.” These powerful words belong to Phyll Opoku-Gyimah LGBTQI activist and co-founder, trustee and executive director of not-for-profit organisation UK Black Pride. She vocalised these thoughts at an event after responding to a question about which prejudice – racism, homophobia or sexism - she would choose to tackle if she only had one option. There is often an assumption that multiple prejudices cannot be t...

It is official - products associated with dyeing and perming your hair are hazardous to your health. This is according to a five-year study of hairdressers by Black Women for Wellness - a US-based education and advocacy group catering to African American women. Black hairdressing tools ©  MisBeee Writes The findings suggest that certain ingredients synonymous with most Black hairdressing techniques could increase the incidence of miscarriage, cancers, uterine fibroids and respiratory conditions - to name but a few. Shocking when you consider how significant Black women are to the hair and beauty sector. Black women spend $9bn on beauty products, twice as many as any other ethnic group. And the sector is estimated to be worth $550bn in 2017. The report highlights six areas of concern:  1. Skin and eye irritation Hairdressers run the risk of occupational contact dermatitis when using certain shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes and bleaches. This cond...