Human rights campaigns group Black Mental Health UK (BMH UK) has won this year’s Ebony Business & Recognition Award (EbrAwards 2012) for its outstanding work in the area of health, care and wellbeing.
Honouring the work led by BMH UK’s director and Black Women in Europe Power Lister Matilda MacAttam the campigns group won the award during a black tie affair attended by hundreds of black business owners across the capital at the The Regent Banqueting Hall in, Finchley Central in London.
Black Mental Health UK is the only agency working in the area of public policy with a focus on the treatment and care of people from Britain’s African Caribbean communities. BMH UK was voted the winner out of nine other black led organisations working in the area of health care and wellbeing.
Selected by the public who voted online for this year’s winners, the award ceremony honoured winners across 18 separate categories including, Health Care and Wellbeing, Education, Training, Youth Services and Superstar Entrepreneurs.
The Ebr was established to celebrate black and ethnic minority business entrepreneurs in the UK. The work of this award is to draw attention to and recognise the best in businesses from the community as well as honouring and promoting success an innovation and ethics within black businesses.
Ebr business and recognition awards are increasingly recognised as one of the most established recognitions for the most innovative growing businesse.
Matilda MacAttram founder and director of Black Mental Health UK said:
‘Winning this year’s Ebr Award is a great honour, especially when you know that it was achieved by the public vote’.
BMH UK was established as those on the margins of society very rarely have a voice at the decision making table when the law or policy is being discussed.
In the arena of mental health this is unfortunately is often the case for black people and yet it is this group that continue to be over represented in medium and high secure wards. They have the longest stays in hospitals with the poorest outcomes.
Data showing that 61% of those who loose their live lives while detained by the state are mental health service users, makes it is clear that this is a dangerous dynamic which needs to change. The acknowledgment of BMH UK’s work by Ebr Awards s a great honour and confirms the need to have an agency that works at raising awareness about the treatment of one of society’s most marginalised groups.’
