 | |
| Formation | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ngozi Fulani |
| Legal status | Charity |
| Purpose | Domestic violence support |
| Headquarters | Hackney, London, UK |
| Website | www |
SistahSpace is a London-based domestic violence charity [1] that provides specialist services to women of African and Caribbean heritage. [2]
Sistah Space was founded by Ngozi Fulani in 2015, following the 2014 murder of Valerie Forde and her daughter. [2] [3] [4] Sistah Space is "community-based nonprofit initiative created to bridge the gap in domestic abuse services for African heritage women and girls" [5] Sistah Space operated from a retail location in Lower Clapton, switching to accommodation on Mare Street, Hackney provided by Hackney Council in December 2019. [2] [1]
In 2020, the organisation complained about tweets sent by Philip Glanville. [1] In the same year, the organisation entered into a dispute with Hackney Council over premises in Clapton supplied under a voluntary sector lease, which it said were unsafe. [6] Sistah Space subsequently changed its location. [6] The following year, the organisation suggested sensitivity training for police to improve their support for black women who have experienced domestic violence. [7] In August 2022, they were denied permission to have a float at the Hackney Carnival. [8]
The charity attracted attention in November 2022 when its founder, Fulani, alleged that she had been subject to racist questioning by Lady Susan Hussey, a royal staff member, at a Buckingham Palace function. [9] [10] Both ladies later met and Lady Susan Hussey apologised for the comments she had made and any distress they had caused. [11]
In December 2022, the charity stopped much of its work and made a statement on Instagram that online abuse and safety concerns caused the decision. [12] The same month, reports stated that the Charity Commission and the London Assembly were making preliminary investigations into the running of Sistah Space, following a series of more than 200 posts by an anonymous Twitter user questioning the charity's finances and organisation. [13] [14]
The Charity Commission subsequently said "We have carefully reviewed and assessed concerns raised about Sistah Space, and, as a result, have written to the trustees,' and provided advice about preparing and filing annual accounts and managing conflicts of interest. [15] Some commentators felt the Charity Commission was being mis-used, with writer Nels Abbey suggesting the investigation was evidence of an agenda to keep black-led charities in their place. [16]
In May 2024, the charities founder was seen supporting Diane Abbott at a rally, at Hackney Town Hall. [17]
In 2025, Sistah Space launched a £350,000 fundraising campaign in order to open the first UK refuge for Black women and children in a building and on land already bought by the charity. [18]