Sister Circle, a new professional network for women of African and Caribbean origin, has just been launched in London.

Sister Circle London was founded in London in November 2007 by Angela Rweyemamu as an independent, not for profit organisation. Rweyemamu’s vision with Sister Circle London was to create a unique networking group that focused on professional women of African and Caribbean origin from all sectors of the economy.

Sister Circle is, in essence, a partnership organisation for Black women aspiring to senior management and leadership roles. For Rweyemanu, Sister Circle is filling a vital gap. “Sister Circle London aims to support its members on their journey towards roles of influence and responsibility,” she says. “Our members are women who want to break through and make it in the corporate environment and who want to acquire the tools they need to succeed.”

Inspired by the networks she observed in operation in the USA, Rweyemamu was convinced that a multidisciplinary network for Black women would also work in London. Following a positive reception at a focus group held in November 2007, she moved ahead with establishing the organisation and putting a Management Committee in place. Sister Circle London, says Rweyemamu, will offer a different approach to the needs of London’s professional women. “The aim is to provide a forum where we can celebrate our uniqueness, discuss issues which affect our community and meet other like-minded women.”

{mosimage}Dawn Butler MP hosted the launch of Sister Circle London on 25 March at the Houses of Parliament where guests included politicians such as Tory MP Theresa May; shadow Leader of the House of Commons and the Shadow Minister for Women, senior professional Black women, journalists, government officials and policy think tanks.

As MP for Brent South, Dawn Butler has campaigned for a number of causes including poverty, unemployment, crime, health and youth services and is a strong supporter of black women’s issues. “We want to make it the norm to see Black people succeed,” she said. Citing the disproportionate representation of women in Parliament – 127 out of a total of 636 MPs – Butler commended Rweyemamu on her vision for Sister Circle and its aim to support leadership among Black women in the capital. “There are currently only two Black women Members of Parliament,” she said. Sister Circle, she added, will offer women “a place where you feel safe to have a discussion about the issues that matter – and to pick up the pieces and find solutions. It is important that we talk honestly about who we need to help us succeed.” 

The new organisation will comprise a number of different aspects, says Rweyemamu. “’Sister Talk’ is about providing a safe place for women to come together and learn from one another about what works.” However, solutions are not always expected to come from the organisation’s members but from all sources of experience, she adds. “We want to draw on expertise wherever we can find it.”

Another aspect of the group will be ‘Sister Advice’, offering Black women advice and support with problems such as employment rights and legal information, while ‘Sister Stepping Up’ will focus on profiling Black women who have been successful in their field.

“Profiling senior Black women will help us to see that there are such women out there,” Rweyemamu says. Sister Circle London is also committed to promoting Black women owned businesses and, she adds, ‘to keeping the Black pound within the Black community.’

So what sets this new network apart from others that have been formed to support women of colour? “One of the things that make us different is our research focus,” asserts Rweyemamu. “We want to understand what the issues are and to be clear about them and not rely on the media and others to tell us what those issues are.”

Positioning the network to input into policy development is key to its founder. “We want to engage with the mainstream and to communicate with people about the issues that matter to professional Black women and input into policy development.”

As an example of this research focus, Sister Circle London is partnering with ReConnect Africa on a survey entitled ‘What 100 Black London Women Said’. This survey of professional women in the capital will offer an insight into what professional Black women perceive as the realities of the workplace today and the perceptions and actualities they face when striving for top jobs. The project is being conducted in partnership with a researcher from Cranfield University, one of the UK’s leading universities, and results are due shortly.

Setting out the agenda at the launch for Sister Circle London, Rweyemamu was at pains to point out what the network did not seek or intend to do.

“What we are not about is moaning,” she said. “While we recognise that sometimes people need to let off steam, we are solutions focused. We are not a talking shop; we really want to engage with others in action. We are not for profit; everyone who works with us is in a full-time job already and volunteering their support. We also have no political affiliations and are independent.”

Sister Circle London currently has around 250 contacts and is aiming at enrolling one thousand women by the end of 2008 - a goal that Rweyemamu believes will be achieved with the right spirit. “Let’s all get involved, support each other and see where it will go.”

For further information: www.sistercirclelondon.org.uk.

Photographs: Jide Alakija  www.alakija.com