South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS) Information

SASS creates safe spaces for South Asian women in the UK to share their experiences openly. We were founded in 2016 by Sheetal Mistry and Shirin Shah. To date, we have run the following sell-out initiatives: Brown Girls Book Club (every three months) - we meet every few months in London (and online) to discuss issues which affect our community through reading works by South Asian women. We also facilitate conversation with our wider community across our social media. Smashing the Stigma (Jan 2020) - sold out panel event exploring the impact of mental health on South Asian women. Our panellists and audience discussed stigma, inter-generational trauma, the suitability of treatments for ethnic minorities and more. Lost Histories (Nov 2019)- a sold out event taking place this coming Saturday which focuses on the history of South Asian women, our migration to the UK, and how this continues to affect how we are perceived in wider British Society. Brown Girls Book Club: An Evening of Exploration (May 2019) - we co-produced a sell-out evening of performances and discussions with Tara Arts based around Meera Syal’s iconic novel ‘Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee’. This event was the culmination of a three-month writing course which nurtured the talent of eight of our regular book club attendees. Who We Are (April 2018) - we organised a panel event in Leicester, bringing together diverse South Asian panellists to discuss what it means to be a South Asian women in the UK and the complexities of a dual identity. This was following the success of our first panel event in London. In addition, we have been invited on BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio London and other channels to discuss our work and facilitated events alongside BecauseWeveRead, Believe In Me CIC and TwoBrownGirls.