Last night at Leicester Square’s The Londoner hotel, Stylist held its annual Remarkable Women Awards in association with bareMinerals which celebrated the outstanding achievements of the world’s most inspiring women. Among the 10 honourees was singer and domestic violence campaigner Mel B, actor Suranne Jones and musician Joy Crookes.

Agnes Mwakatuma, co-founder of the mental health charity Black Minds Matter, was recognised as Mental Health Advocate of the Year for her work in creating a safe and supportive space for Black people to share the racism and discrimination they experience on a daily basis.

Presenting the prestigious award, activist and model Munroe Bergdorf became visibly emotional as she paid tribute to the positive impact Mwakatuma and her charity have had on the UK’s mental health landscape.

“It’s easy to talk about making a difference. It’s hard, and rare, to do something about it, especially in the midst of a global pandemic and while living through the trauma of racial injustice,” Bergdorf told the audience.

“In 2020, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, she set up Black Minds Matter, a charity dedicated to connecting Black individuals and families with free mental health services, provided by professional Black therapists. This was after discovering that the resurgence of Black Lives Matter was more detrimental to the mental health of Black people than Covid-19,” she explained.

Bergdorf went on to describe Mwakatuma as “someone who has used her voice to ensure help for the people most in need, as a mental health crisis has extended its grip”, and praised her for helping “thousands of people who have otherwise not been able to access mental health support”.

Collecting her award, Mwakatuma thanked Bergdorf for giving her the confidence to think she could start a mental health charity.

She went on to thank fellow Remarkable Women Awards winner Mel B for her role in representing and inspiring her, saying: “Thank you for showing me as a young girl that I could show up in this world as myself, and amongst women who didn’t look anything like me.”

Speaking to the importance of allyship, Mwakatuma thanked Victoria Magrath for “teaching me that it’s OK to start a charity that centres Black people and still involve white people in our mission”.

“A year ago I was working at the UN, I had no clue that I would be standing here accepting an award for running a charity that helps over 2,000 people get mental health support,” Mwakatuma concluded. “The one thing I want to say to anyone here is that you can do it. Because if not you, then who?”

bareMinerals are the creators of clean beauty to help you look good, feel good and do good. bareMinerals are the official partner of Stylist’s Remarkable Women Awards 2022.

For more on the winners and the awards check out the Remarkable Women Awards hub here.

Images: Dave Benett/Getty