Blacktress UK -
founded by Sharlene Smith and Cherrelle Skeete.
Blacktress UK came out of many conversations and sister meet-ups about tokenism and the effects it can have being the only one. The feelings of isolation and lack of visibility and inclusion in often white spaces. This has created a culture of silence amongst Womxn out of fear of never being hired or thinking it was in their heads and a real lack of validation in their own experience. We are here, some queer, varied across generations in every shade and hue, heritage spanning across the whole of the UK and the globe with varied accents, dialects, languages, cultural practises and faiths.
“Without community, there is no liberation... but community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pathetic pretense that these differences do not exist.”
Blacktress UK hosted their first meeting called A Seat At The Table 29th March 2017 at Jamaican restaurant Mr Jerks on Wardour Street in celebration of Womxns History Month. There, sixteen self-identified Black Womxn actors from different generations came together, ate food, shared stories and started a love journey of listening and sharing.
This is a movement of living loudly and supporting Black Womxn creatives.
Because of the sensitive nature of the work it is vital to have Black Womxn-only spaces as part of our safe space rules. We will always announce when events are inclusive for all ethnicities and genders.
