Centred on lived experiences of Black, migrant and minoritised women and children in the wake of the 2024 far-right riots.
What is it?
Stories of Colour was developed in response to the racist, anti-migrant, anti-Muslim and anti-minorities riots that shook the UK in summer 2024. Rooted in the lived experiences of Black, minoritised and migrant women, children and young people, it has made a powerful intervention into the public debates that have ensued – seeking to combine research, healing and creative expression with advocacy and policy change. The project centres the voices of those most affected and translates their stories into action.
Why it matters
The far-right riots made one thing painfully clear: Black, migrant and minoritised women continue to be ignored and marginalised from decision-making and public safety responses. Many women and children were silenced, retraumatised and left unsupported during the riots and in their aftermath. Stories of Colour ensures these voices lead the recovery not as an afterthought, but as the starting point for long-term change.
How we are doing it?
Creative Healing
We create safe spaces for expression, using art forms such as poetry, painting, crafts, spoken word etc. These creative tools support participants in processing and overcoming trauma, reclaiming their voice, and expressing feelings and emotions on their own terms.
Anti-Racist Learning
Through workshops, talks and facilitated discussion spaces, we equip both staff and service users with the tools to navigate racism, build resilience and strengthen solidarity. We also engage professionals and the wider public in meaningful conversations around anti-racism and the urgent need to also tackle anti-migrant, anti-Muslim and other forms of racism from a gendered perspective.
Research, Policy & Advocacy
We document the lived experiences of racism, private violence and structural inequality affecting Black, minoritised and migrant women, children, and families. Our evidence and insights inform advocacy strategies and are shared with funders, policymakers and sector leaders to influence systemic change.
What we are learning
- Everyday racism on the streets, in schools, housing and healthcare leaves deep, lasting scars, especially for women and children already facing multiple forms of exclusion and inequality.
- True healing begins with recognising and validating lived experiences of racism, not minimising or rebranding them as the product of ‘frustration’ or ‘economic hardship’. Attempts to rewrite the riots in neutral terms serves to erase the pain and truth of those most affected.
- Anti-racist learning is most effective when it is continuous, co-created with those who live its realities, and grounded in lived experience that intersects with misogyny and other forms of discrimination. When led by Black, minoritised and migrant women it becomes a powerful tool for truth-telling, accountability, and transformative change that is not limited to raising awareness.
- “By and for” women’s organisations are lifelines in crisis. Yet all too often they are overlooked, underfunded or excluded from decision-making processes.
- Racial justice and gender and social justice are inseparable. We can’t address one without confronting the other.
Report Highlight – Why Do I Have to Hide Away?
The report Why Do I Have to Hide Away? shines a light on the hidden impact of the 2024 far-right riots on Black, migrant, and minoritised women and children in the North of England. Rooted in powerful testimonies, it reveals how racism, violence, and systemic exclusion, particularly the silencing of women in decision-making, have left communities isolated and at risk. Developed as part of the Stories of Colour initiative and authored by Project resist, the report also celebrates the resilience of survivors and the vital support provided by organisations like the Angelou Centre, calling on key stakeholders and policymakers to finally listen, learn, and act.
In the press
”Also, the police and local authorities or service they run about after the community leaders like they can solve the racism, I mean what have they done so far to help? They haven’t included any women in these discussions, they haven’t invested in us or supported us, they do make referrals but even then, only sometimes. The men from authorities talk to men from communities, women are sidelined and this is dangerous.”
Resist Network Member