Sistah Space: The grassroots organisation tackling domestic violence in the black community

Lateefah Jean-Baptiste

It was great speaking to Rosanna Lewis from Sistah Space. We spoke briefly about her organisation’s work and the need for their services in Hackney, one of the UK’s most diverse boroughs. 

In June 2020, the House of Parliament hosted a debate on black women and domestic abuse, revealing shocking statistics and exposing racial inequalities within these women’s services. According to the Crime survey for England and Wales, in the year ending March 2019, an estimated 10.4% of black British women aged 16 to 74 had experienced domestic abuse in the last year, compared to 7.2% of white women. 

Rosanna Lewis is the Chief Volunteer at Sistah Space, a community-based non-profit initiative created to offer domestic abuse services catered to African heritage women and girls. 

The organisation worked with women within the African & Caribbean community, including the Rastafarian community, who are often overlooked by mainstream support services. Rastafarian women are among those who have the highest rate of underreporting. 

Sistah Space specialised service seeks to assist those who are hesitant about going to mainstream services, such as the Police. The organisation also provides women with support and advice and practical hygiene products, much of which has been donated by the local community.

Thank you for agreeing to take in this interview Rosanna. I have always admired Sistah Space’s work, and I’m excited to find out more about what you do.

Thanks for getting in contact with us! I do appreciate you reaching out to me. 

What inspired Chief Executive Ngozi Fulani and yourself to start up Sistah Space?

The inspiration to start Sistah Space was due to the death of Valerie Forde & her 23-month old baby daughter at the hands of her abusive ex-partner back in 2014.  After the court case, founder & Chief Executive Ngozi Fulani realised that there were no domestic abuse centres for African Heritage women & girls affected by abuse – so she created Sistah Space.

I do remember hearing about this in the local newspaper. This was such a horrific incident. With the work, Sistah Space do hopefully we can put a stop to incidents like this. What’s the most important thing you’re working on right now, and how are you making it happen? 

We are working on educating all cultures about the seriousness of domestic abuse. We want to educate everyone, including our own community about domestic abuse and the impact on the whole community. Also, we’re working on changing government policies and procedures within the Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) sector. 

Has your organisation faced any obstacles along the way?

We have faced many obstacles throughout our journey, the worst being our relationship with Hackney Council (the borough where are services are based). We worked in an unsafe property for six years. When we asked for a new, safer accommodation, we were vilified and bullied by the council. Despite being turfed out and evicted from a safe space during the pandemic, we were never offered a solution. 

In the last few years, we’ve had three protests and submitted a 21,000 signed petition, only for it to be rejected in the council debate. This whole process is very tiring for all of us at Sistah Space, hopefully, shortly we can secure a safe accommodation that we can run our services from. 

This is terrible! I hope it all works out in the end for you. So we just spoke about the organisation’s obstacles, but what do you think are some of the main barriers preventing Black women from accessing domestic violence support services?

Unfortunately, there are so many obstacles in place that can prevent black women from accessing support services. Let’s start with the Police; it comes as no surprise that many people within our community don’t feel protested or are even fearful of Police and the so-called justice system. The fear that these services may involve the law could deter women from seeking help altogether.

Furthermore, some women have experienced racism and discrimination when accessing these services. Immigration issues are also a problem for some, as they may not think they can seek help. 

We can tackle these obstacles by giving black women like myself and Ngozi a ‘seat at the table’. Let us share our insights and information about how best to support black women who are dealing with domestic abuse, after all we have been doing so for many years now. 

What does passion mean to you?

Passion is about knowing that an idea or cause you believe in will work in a big or small way. It is about giving all you got to make it happen. 

What are your passions?

I have so many passions. Women’s issues, fighting for injustices causes, reading and African literature and culture.  

Is there a final message you would like to share with the world?

The message to the world would be love & unity is the key. The support we experienced and continue to experience has proven that injustice is not a love frequency.

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You can donate to Sistah Space Go Fund Me here. 

Be sure to check out their website, Twitter and Instagram for more information and updates.