Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Empowering Black Women in Uniformed Services to Thrive
Meet Women in the Shade founders
MARCIA ORE MSc MA
Marcia Ore is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant and Coach providing a wide range of delivering range of services, primarily in the UK and North America, such as reviewing policies and practices, conducting cultural audits, and grievance, investigations and grievance appeal advisor, and coaching EDI committees and employee resource groups etc.,
Her professional life began as a Police Officer serving in two UK police services from 1982 to 2012, holding EDI-related roles such as Vice-chair of the West Midlands Police Black and Asian Police Association, Chair of the National Black Police Association’s Gender & Sexual Orientation subcommittee, and a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers Working Party exploring the career progression of women and Black and Ethnic Minority Police Officers and staff, British Association of Women in Policing and Women Sergeants Police Federation Representative.
Marcia is on the Advisory Board of Inclusion and Diversity in Nuclear and the UK Chair of Equity & Equality for G100, a global organisation. Marcia is a former Board of Trustees for the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice, a UK charity providing legal advice to parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
KAREN GEDDES QPM
In a world where representation matters, Karen Geddes stands tall, embodying the spirit of resilience, determination, and change. With over three decades in policing, her journey offers invaluable insights into the challenges and triumphs faced by women of colour in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Life rarely follows a straight path, and Karen's journey in policing was no exception "There were times when I could have given up on policing. I described my journey as a roller coaster. The thing that kept me going was my family." She recalls significant turning points in her career, such as the Stephen Lawrence case and the tragic event of George Floyd. These events were not just headlines for Karen; they reshaped her perspective. "They started to change my thinking and focus on what policing means to me. At those points, I became more consciously aware that I was a Black female in a non-black organisation, and that I had an opportunity to make a difference."
Today, Karen is associated with founding 'The Thin Black Line.' "I wanted to have something when I left policing that gave me an opportunity to continue to champion Black engagement within policing." For the young women of colour aiming to carve their path, Karen's advice is: "Be yourself. Do not assimilate. Embrace your individuality."
Meet our Advisory Board Members
Bex Shorunka
Bex Shorunke is a PhD researcher at Birkbeck University and a campaigner focussed on minority rights. Her research uses a much-needed intersectional lens to examine Black women police officers and staff's experience in policing, and the coping strategies they develop in response.
Her professional background is in communications and campaigning, specifically for Black and brown LGBTQ+ young people’s access to education,
healthcare and housing.
Garfield Robinson
I have been involved in sales since my teenage years. (I am now 62) I started in my grandmothers grocery shop and would go on to bake my own products and sell. My dad was a carpenter, so I made picture frames and sold them.
After high school I did community work with farmers and was a data collector with a government ministry in Jamaica. My last job in Jamaica in 2000, was selling online adverting with the Jamaica Gleaner I moved with my family to the UK in 2001 and while selling print adverts in Weekly Gleaner UK, I still sold online advertising.
I simultaneously had a short stint with Loot Hot Car . I started Promoting Our Heritage in October 2002 to sell African and Caribbean Cultural Heritage Books. In 2004 the Voice was bought by the Gleaner Newspaper , allowing me to work with two newspaper; actually three when the first free Black newspaper was launched.
Presently I am an author, publisher, bookseller and event host (for my own Black authors events). Also Sales Team leader at the Voice Media group. I am the coordinator of the Voice Business magazine which will return for its 11th issue in May 2025.
Garfield Robinson | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/garfieldrobinson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/garfieldrobinson/
Alicia Shaw
Alicia Shaw is a former senior police officer who spent 30 years in policing working for Hertfordshire Constabulary.
During her career Alicia performed a number of roles including Change Team Project Manager, Officer in charge of a Policing District, managing response officers, neighbourhood officers and detectives, Hostage and Crisis Negotiator , Senior Investigation Officer and Safeguarding roles.
As first Black female in Hertfordshire to reach the rank of Chief Inspector Alicia recognises the challenges faced by Black women in policing and continues to support under represented groups in mentoring scheme. Since leaving policing Alicia has set up a Consultancy business offering a number of services including EDI reviews , Strategic advice and workplace investigations.
Alicia holds a Masters degree in Applied Criminology from The University of Cambridge.
Dr Marina Hassan
Dr. Marina Hasan is an experienced professional and academic with a unique blend of expertise in criminology, gender studies, professional policing, and human resources. As an academic and independent consultant, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, having navigated the realms of both academia and practical law enforcement.
Dr. Hasan's journey in the field of Criminology began during her years as a Police Intelligence Analyst, providing her with a first hand understanding of the intricacies of policing. This dual perspective, as both an insider and an academic outsider, fuels her passion for making a meaningful impact on the lives of professionals within the police force.
Her dedication to advancing the field is evident in her recently completed PhD in criminology from Northumbria University. The focus of her ground breaking research, titled "Bullying and Harassment of BAME Women within the Police Services in England: Race, Gender, and Police Culture," sheds light on the often-overlooked experiences of women of colour in the police. Dr. Hasan's work aims to amplify the voices of these women and foster their empowerment within the complex intersectional oppression of race and gender. She sits in the advisory body for CTEBRG – Counter Terrorism Evidence Based Research Review Group in the UK and a proud member of the United Nations Women UK. She also works as an independent diversity and workplace conflict resolution consultant, providing confidential and free advice to the victims of workplace harassment, bullying and discrimination. As an academic, she dedicated years of hard work to action and achieve gender equality, in empowering underrepresented women. With expertise in gender-based violence and racial disparity within policing and uniformed public services, she built up a solid reputation through her national and international collaboration with European and American academics and police professionals and is recognised worldwide for her research findings and journal publications.
Dr Hasan’s current research interests lie in the field of Black officers’ recruitment and retention within the UK forces, violence against women and girls, genocidal rape and sexual violence, immigration and forced displacements of people in war zones and the impact of intersectionality between race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and neurodiversity for women of colour, focusing on the historical development of legislative and policy frameworks within the UK and other jurisdictions
CALL TO ACTION- ACE
Transform Your Life with Women in the Shade by
Taking positive Action – Sign up to join our WITS network and attend our future events such as training programmes, access to mentorship and conferences. Support others and share your skills and learning by becoming a WITS mentor or advocate.
Commit to drive Change – Work together with Women in the Shade to collaborate on a project, research or initiative, or sponsor our future events such as training events and the Women in the Shade Conference 2025.
Self - Empowerment – take control of your own journey to foster your own continuous learning and personal development by being part of our future initiatives such as our training and mentorship
programmes, Safe Space events.
ACE
ACTION
EMPOWERMENT
ACTION
WE WILL DEVELOP AND DELIVER ACTION-LED ACTIVITIES
By working with academics and supporting their research, which includes the experiences of Black women.
Creation of spaces giving the opportunity for Black women to have a cathartic release in a safe and supported environment.
Hosting the annual Women in the Shade
conference.
CHANGE
EMPOWERMENT
ACTION
WE WILL BUILD EFFECTIVE COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
We cannot do this alone
We will be seeking to work individuals and organisations who acknowledge and recognise the lack of an intersectional approach in their equality, diversity and inclusion efforts when it comes to Black women.
We will support organisations with their continuous cultural and business improvement efforts.
EMPOWERMENT
EMPOWERMENT
EMPOWERMENT
WE WILL PROVIDE TRAINING TOOLS AND A SUPPORT NETWORK
We will co-create, design, and deliver training and learning and development programmes to support Black women in uniform services.
We will establish a database of Black women who are coaches and mentors to support other Black women with their personal and professional development.
We will deliver workshops and webinars focused on health and wellbeing issues relevant to Black
women