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Asian Woman Festival hosted the UK's first-of-its-kind festival smashing stereotypes and stigma to empower and celebrate Asian Women

Words by Smiley Team

Birmingham founded Asian Woman Festival launched its inaugural 2020 Powerlist, which celebrates South Asian women across the world who have made their mark, raised their voices and are expectational representations of the community. 

It was an intensely competitive process;14 women from across the world have been selected from various industries and creative backgrounds – all who have used their platforms to bring awareness of the stereotypes that South Asian women have been reduced to and highlight that they are in fact the opposite. 

The power list features the likes of Amika George who at the age of 17 started the Free Periods campaign from her bedroom to end period poverty in the UK. She received global recognition for her campaigning work including receiving a Goalkeepers Award by Bill & Melinda Gates, in conjunction with the United Nations, and was listed by TIME magazine as one of the 25 most influential teenagers in the world.

Founder of Asian Woman Festival and proud Brummie, Shani Dhanda who is an award-winning disability specialist who has most recently fronted Linkedin’s first TV campaign #InItTogether, and is the founder of the Diversability, says “The launch of the power list comes at a time when the world is focusing on racial equality. Asian Women are multifaceted individuals facing multiple layers of stigma due to our gender, race, ethnicity and religions. We are one of the largest ethnic groups in the UK, yet our experiences as an Asian woman are not always reflected or celebrated in the same way as others. Representation is more important than ever and true representation is intersectional.

Asian Woman Festival hosted the UK's (and quite possibly the world's) first-of-its-kind festival smashing stereotypes and stigma to empower and celebrate Asian Women.  The annual festival takes place in the West Midlands and is a jam-packed day of panel talks, workshops, art exhibition, live performances, marketplace, street food and much more. Through the power of events, Asian Woman Festival brings together the South Asian community across the UK and internationally through our online platforms.

As the Asian Woman Festival has grown into a fully-fledged platform to empower South Asian women around the world through events, an online community and our latest addition, our support directory, we wanted to shine a spotlight on Asian women who are creating positive change in the world. That’s why this year we launched our first-ever power list. 

For too long Asian women have been reduced to the stereotype of being submissive and obedient, but we know just how powerful, diverse and influential we are. With this list, we hope to not only honour the individuals chosen but also inspire others to take action, however small.” 

The women on this year’s power list can be viewed here 

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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