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Women in the Shade Conference 2026 'Deeds not Words'
100 Black Women Campaign
Additional Information
Women In The Shade is proud to announce the launch of our 100 Black Women Campaign, a powerful initiative to spotlight the voices of Black women in uniformed services — past and present.
Why Your Voice Matters
📊 Data about Black women in uniformed services is rarely published — and often unavailable.
Your story will contribute to ground breaking research that aims to shape real solutions for Black women in these roles.
🎥 These powerful stories will be showcased at the WITS Conference on 29 January 2026, themed “Deeds Not Words.”
This campaign also aligns with the 2025 Black History Month UK theme: “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”
It’s a call to honour our legacy, own our space, and shape a future where Black women in uniformed services' voices are heard, valued, and celebrated.
Our Pioneers
Lilian Bader
Daphne Steele
Daphne Steele
Lilian Mary Bader (1918–2015) was one of the first Black women to serve in Britain’s armed forces and later became a respected teacher and role model. Her life reflects a journey of resilience, service, education, and determination, overcoming barriers of race and gender in a society that often tried to hold her back.
Lilian was born in Liverpool in 1918 to Marcus Bailey, a Barbadian merchant seaman who had served in the First World War, and an Irish mother. Her childhood was marked by hardship. When she was just nine years old, both her parents died, and she was placed in a convent. Life there was strict, opportunities were limited, and as a mixed-heritage child in interwar Britain she often faced prejudice. Yet Lilian’s determination and independence were already clear.
Lilian Bader – RAF Pioneer and Educator - Black History Month 2025
Daphne Steele
Daphne Steele
Daphne Steele
Daphne Steele made history by becoming the first black matron in the NHS.
The first black matron in the NHS, was honoured with the first blue plaque in the new national scheme which is delivered by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Daphne arrived in Britain in 1951 from Guyana. Despite the challenges she faced, she helped to break down barriers and paved the way for nurses from a wide range of backgrounds to play a vital part in running the National Health Service. Her appointment as matron in 1964 attracted national attention and acted as a turning point in the history of the NHS.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
.Professor Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu is an Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.
In 1979 she set up the first ever UK sickle cell/thalassaemia nurse counselling service, based in Brent. She then became a senior lecturer in Community Genetic Counselling at the University College London’s Institute of Child Health. Prior to retirement in 2007, she was Dean of the School of Adult Nursing Studies & Professor of Nursing at University of West London (UWL), before establishing the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice, also at UWL.
Elizabeth was Vice-Chairperson of the successful Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal and is now a Life Patron of the Mary Seacole Trust. In 2016 she published her memoirs Mixed Blessings from a Cambridge Union.
Elizabeth became a Dame in 2017 in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours and was awarded a Fellowship of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (FQNI) in October 2017 and became a Vice-President of the QNI in 2021. She received the Order of Merit in November 2022.
Sislen Fay Allen
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
Born in Jamaica in 1939, Sislin Fay Allen changed the future of British policing. As a black woman who had travelled to London in 1961 as part of the ‘Windrush Generation’, Commonwealth citizens who were invited to help rebuild post-war Britain, Allen would undoubtedly have faced racial prejudice just by moving into historically white areas.
One day in 1968, during her lunch break, Sislin Fay Allen was flicking through a newspaper when she saw an advert recruiting both men and women to the Metropolitan Police. She had always been interested in the police, so cut out and saved the advert to read and reply to when she finished her shift.
Allen’s part in the history of British policing cannot be underestimated. The courage that individuals such as Allen display, knowing they could be faced by discrimination and violence, opens the door for others to see themselves in roles previously withheld from them.
Sislin Fay Allen: Britain’s First Black Female Police Officer | History Hit
Be one of the 100. Help us make history.
What do you need to do
We’re inviting Black women who’ve worked in uniformed services — military, police, fire, paramedic, prison service, and more — to share their stories of challenge and triumph.
Record your story
Record a 40–60 second video or audio clip answering:
- Have you ever felt the weight of being the only one in the room?
- Where were you? What was happening? How did you feel?
Be yourself
Use this simple script to guide your story:
🗣️ “In my role as [Service/Position], I experienced…”
💭 “Being the only Black woman meant…”
🌟 “I overcame this by…” or “That experience made me…”
Be yourself — natural and conversational is best. Your story is powerful as it is
Send us your clip
Send your clip to: info@womenintheshade.com or via the below link
🗓️ Submission Deadline: 20th December 2025
Call to action comment
Your voice is power. Your story is legacy. Step forward, stand firm, and be counted among the 100 Black Women shaping our future.