As we reflect on South Asian Heritage Month this August, we at Leeds Women’s Aid want to recognise the South Asian communities that are a core part of our city and central to our client and employee base.
South Asian Heritage Month was a chance to celebrate South Asian culture, history and identity. From the Cornucopia mural in the City Centre featuring a South Asian dancer, to stories of factory workers heating up their tiffin boxes on hot pipes, to the restaurants and businesses that we love, South Asian culture is woven into Leeds.
The theme of this year’s South Asian Heritage Month ‘Free to be me’, closely connects to our belief that every woman deserves freedom and respect. At Leeds Women’s Aid, we are proud to embrace all women, of all ethnicities. Our latest impact report found that from 2022-2023, Leeds Women’s Aid helped women from 34 different nationalities, with 1 in 10 women accessing support using an interpreter, 30 different languages being spoken and around 13% of all women supported by us being of an Asian or British Asian background.
‘Free to be me’ is important not only in empowering the women we support, but also the women we employ. We spoke to Leeds Women’s Aid team member, Mariya, about what ‘free to be me’ means to her. Mariya said: “It means being able to have the freedom to have my opinions and identity. The ability to express my mind and vision without having to think how I will be perceived by others.”
Mariya continued: “I am proud to be part of such a diverse city and love all the different communities and learning about everyone’s backgrounds and cultures. It doesn’t matter what background you are from, as above all is humanity. I believe we should all be respected and celebrated as we could all maybe learn a thing or two!”
At Leeds Women’s Aid, we understand that women of colour, including South Asian women, face greater isolation and additional barriers to accessing help and support for domestic abuse. It is important to us recognise the intersectionality of these issue in our efforts to support all women and treat them with culturally appropriate respect. Visit Diversity & Inclusion to learn more.
After the abhorrent race riots that recently spread across the nation, it is especially important to be actively anti-racist, mark these cultural events and celebrate the wonderful people that make up our diverse community.
More resources and events for South Asian Heritage Month:
https://secretlibraryleeds.net/2023/06/01/south-asian-arts-blog-not-ready/
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom–leeds/south-asia-centre/
Spotlight on researchers for South Asian Heritage Month | School of Law | University of Leeds