November 16-24th is national HIV Testing Week and Touchstone held a testing session with our partners Skyline on 20th November for our BAME service users and staff. Our CEO, Alison Lowe and Operations Director, Arfan Hanif led the way in showing commitment to being tested and the video of their test is here and on all this on our social media platforms. https://youtu.be/MiGc9-bICEk HIV Testing Week seeks to promote
Alcohol and Me Some people like to enjoy a glass of wine, beer or gin and tonic after a busy day at work, on a night out or for a special occasion. Drinking can be an escape to help forget the issues you may be facing in your life or it can be used to simply unwind and relax. The Chief Medical Officer suggests that you stay within the recommended
Dwell Time Issue 1 Dwell Time arose from tragic death by suicide of one of our close friends in 2017. He was a passionate advocate of arts being a tool to discuss mental health and bequest us the task of raising awareness of mental health through our work as artists and curators. Art, poetry and sharing personal experiences have the power to communicate, educate and reduce the isolation, marginalisation and
The first professional African-American and Native-American sculptor, Edmonia Lewis earned critical praise for work that explored religious and classical themes. Synopsis Edmonia Lewis was born in 1844 in Greenbush, New York. Her first notable commercial success was a bust of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. The money she earned selling copies of the bust allowed her to sail to Rome, Italy, where she mastered working in marble. She quickly achieved success
Pioneering African American writer Richard Wright is best known for the classic texts 'Black Boy' and 'Native Son.' Who Was Richard Wright? Richard Wright was an African American writer and poet who published his first short story at the age of 16. Later, he found employment with the Federal Writers' Project and received critical acclaim for Uncle Tom's Children, a collection of four stories. He is well-known for his 1940
Barbara Jordan was a U.S. congressional representative from Texas and was the first African American congresswoman to come from the Deep South. Who Was Barbara Jordan? Born on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas, Barbara Jordan was a lawyer and educator who was a congresswoman from 1972 to 1978—the first African-American congresswoman to come from the deep South and the first woman ever elected to the Texas Senate (1966). She
Earnest Everett Just was an African-American biologist and educator best known for his pioneering work in the physiology of development, especially in fertilisation. Synopsis Born on August 14, 1883, in Charleston, South Carolina, Earnest Everett Just was an African-American biologist and educator who pioneered many areas on the physiology of development, including fertilisation, experimental parthenogenesis, hydration, cell division, dehydration in living cells and ultraviolet carcinogenic radiation effects on cells. Just's
(Written by Matthew Hall – LSLCS Crisis Support Worker at WBC) Thursday this week represents World Mental Health Day. At the Well Bean Café, you will not be judged because of your mental health. You will not be stigmatised if you have a mental health diagnosis. You will not be made to feel different because of how you are currently feeling. We don’t see negative mental health, a diagnosis or
Dorothy Johnson Vaughan worked as a mathematician on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program that sent America’s first satellites into space. Who Was Dorothy Johnson Vaughan? Dorothy Johnson Vaughan was an African American mathematics teacher who became one of the leading mathematical engineers in early days of the aerospace industry. After the U.S. defence industry desegregated, Vaughan worked with leading computer operators and engineers, becoming an expert in the FORTRAN programming
Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. She is credited for being an instigator in the Stonewall riots. Who Was Marsha P. Johnson? Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender women who was an LGBTQ rights activist and an outspoken advocate for trans people of colour. Johnson spearheaded the Stonewall uprising in 1969 and along with Sylvia Rivera, she later established the