Nominations have opened for the leading national Baton Awards 2019 as they gear up to yet again acknowledge and empower BAME women of past, present and future.
A young inspirational speaker who recovered from a coma, a children’s coordinator for musical The Lion King, a British Bangladeshi former boxer, a domestic abuse survivor- those were just a few of the winners stories from The Baton Awards inaugural ceremony, which was held at the Houses of Parliament in London last November and gathered an impressive host of key influencers that included Vanessa Vallely OBE, Maggie Semple OBE and Heather Melville OBE; CCMI.
The Baton Awards is the highly-respected platform for recognising BAME young women in Britain. The awards celebrate BAME women of Past, Present and Future by acknowledging Britain’s BAME pathfinders and inspiring future pioneers across diverse sectors.
The Racism Ruins Lives study has recently found that a majority of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers have experienced racial harassment at work in the last five years or believe they have been treated unfairly by their employer because of their race. At the same time, The Global Shapers new report reveals that London’s BAME women are suffering a ‘double disadvantage’ in the workplace. In 2019, BAME women are living, learning and negotiating their lives in an increasingly complex and challenging world. This has left a huge need for BAME women, who play a crucial role in modern Britain, to be encouraged, empowered and inspired. This is where The Baton Awards 2019 comes in. On May 29th, nominations will be accepted from all over Britain, with a special category for global submissions, in 14 categories, including Entrepreneur of the Year, Third Sector of the Year, Thought Leader of the Year, and STEM trailblazer.
“Racism remains a widespread issue in everyday working life for BAME women in the UK and the world over as we continue to be served a ‘double disadvantage’ in education and industry. Last year, I was humbled to see that our female BAME community was achieving so much in spite of such adversity, barriers and inequality. This year is the second annual Baton Awards is needed more than ever as we work to celebrate and acknowledge our vital BAME female community.” Founder, Dr Diahanne Rhiney BCAe
The Baton Awards will take place on November 29th on International Women Human Rights Defenders Day at The House of Lords.
The inaugural event raised more than £1,800 for children’s domestic Abuse charity Strength Within Me foundation (SWIM), a non-profit organisation, providing comprehensive intervention in response to the prevalence of domestic abuse among young girls and women.
