Jaspreet Kaur recognised with the Diversity Champion Award 2022
Jaspreet Kaur, better known as 'Behind the Netra' for her poetry, was recognised with the Diversity Champion Award on 6 July 2022 by equality charity Diversity UK. Presented by Anne-Marie Taylor, Trustee of Diversity UK, Jaspreet was lauded for ‘her courage and resilience in exploring the controversial themes highlighted in her Amazon #1 best seller ‘Brown Girl Like Me’, and for ‘the brilliant work she is doing to raise awareness of lived experiences, diversity and shared identity’. Jaspreet mesmerised the audience with her poem about “I am enough” urging women to applaud themselves and put their needs first in their journey towards better mental health and happiness. Jaspreet ended the evening with a book signing for ‘Brown Girl Like Me’.
Brown Girl Like Me: The Essential Guidebook and Manifesto for South Asian Girls and Women
Publisher: Bluebird; Main Market edition (17 Feb. 2022)
Language: English
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1529056314
Guide Price: £8.99 - Kindle Edition | £13.75 - Hardcover | £9.99 - Paperback
Click to buy Kindle Edition | Hardcover | Paperback
Brown Girl Like Me is an inspiring memoir and empowering manifesto that equips women with the confidence and tools they need to navigate the difficulties that come with an intersectional identity. Jaspreet Kaur unpacks key issues such as the media, the workplace, the home, education, mental health, culture, confidence and the body, to help South Asian women understand and tackle the issues that affect them, and help them be in the driving seat of their own lives.
Jaspreet pulls no punches, tackling difficult topics from mental health and menstruation stigma to education and beauty standards, from feminism to cultural appropriation and microaggressions. She also addresses complex issues, such as how to manage being a brown feminist without rejecting your own culture, and why Asian girls – the second highest performing group of students in the country – aren't seen in larger numbers in universities and head offices.
Interviews with brilliant South Asian Women of all walks of life as well as academic insight show what life is really like for brown women in the diaspora. Part toolkit, part call-to-arms, Brown Girl Like Me is essential reading for South Asian women as well as people with an interest in feminism and cultural issues, and will educate, inspire and spark urgent conversations for change.
About Jaspreet Kaur
Jaspreet Kaur, better known as 'Behind the Netra' for her poetry, is an award-winning spoken word artist and writer from East London. She is also an educator and spent five years teaching History, Sociology and Politics in secondary schools across London. With an academic background in both history and gender studies and a passion for social justice, Jaspreet has been committed to using her writing and spoken word to tackle gender discrimination, mental health stigma, the postcolonial immigrant experience, and taboo issues within the South Asian community.
Over the last three years, Jaspreet has performed at a number of events across the arts, corporate, political and charitable space. Key performances include the Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, Theatre Royal London, Oxford and Cambridge University, London City Hall, the House of Lords, Trafalgar Square and Wembley Stadium. Her TEDx London Talk 'How Poetry Saved My Life', to an audience of 1200 people, explored how the power of words gave her the confidence to overcome her own mental health struggles. She has made regular appearances on BBC One Sunday Morning Live and Radio 4 and has featured in Stylist Magazine and The Metro.
As well as performing, Behind the Netra also facilitates workshops and motivational talks for all ages and sectors.
Jaspreet is the author of #1 Amazon bestseller, Brown Girl Like Me. One of the first books to speak directly to the experiences of South Asian women in Britain since 1978, delving into some of the most complex conversations brown women are tackling today. 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.
Jaspreet has been awarded the Asian Women of Achievement Award for her work in Arts and Culture, the 'We Are The City' Rising Star Award in Education and was a Finalist for the National Diversity Award for being a Positive Role Model. Jaspreet was also voted one of the Top 10 Inspirational Sikh Women in the UK. Jaspreet is also a Research Fellow at Birkbeck University's Centre for British Political Life.
