“Every day, brown women are resisting, challenging and thriving. But where were their stories? Enter, Brown Girl Like Me.” 

Jaspreet Kaur is a teacher, award-winning poet and all-round inspiring woman. Brown Girl Like Me, her debut manifesto-come-memoir celebrates identity and provides tips on how to respond to society’s expectations of brown girls and women. It’s an essential read, and we’re honoured that young women in our Ambassador Community were invited to take part in Jaspreet's journey to write the book.

While researching and writing the Brown Girl Like Me, Jaspreet traveled across the country to hear first-hand about the experiences and insights into living in England as a brown woman. Five of our ambassadors, young women who have been mentored through our charity and now receive ongoing support, were invited to meet with Jaspreet and contribute to the book. Their insight, voice and words are championed as part of this special, one-of-a-kind debut, bringing essential focus to the experiences of brown women in the 21st century. 

To celebrate the launch of Brown Girl Like Me, and continue to raise the voices of the young women in our network who contributed, Jaspreet is hosting a special event for our whole network on World Book Day, Thursday 3rd March. She said:

“When I was younger, I always wished there was a guidebook on how to deal with growing up brown, female, marginalised and opinionated, but there was no blueprint at the time. I remember growing up feeling like I didn’t see Asian women anywhere; our voices and experiences were missing from history books, from positions of power, from the boardrooms and on TV screens.

“When I did see Asian women, they would also be conveyed as passive, quiet and docile, but I knew brown women were so much more than that and I wanted the rest of the world to see that too. Every day, brown women are resisting, challenging and thriving. But where were their stories? Enter, Brown Girl Like Me.

“By hearing the stories of inspirational brown women from across the UK and the diaspora, my hope is that this book will empower brown women to take the wheel, and help others understand the issues facing brown women. From beauty standards and mental health to family and education, this book is essential reading for anyone wanting to build a fuller picture of women’s lives in Britain today across a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.” 

Our collaboration continues into spring, with Jaspreet set to visit schools in London and the West Midlands to meet mentees in our network and share her influential story. She will also feature on our very first episode of After Work With, a podcast series that launches later this year. 

Watch this space!

Find out more about Jaspreet at www.behindthenetra.com and follow her on Twitter @behindthentra.