Get ready for an unforgettable evening of powerful voices, raw storytelling, and electric energy. Featuring three incredible poets plus an open mic competition, Skin Like Mine and Poetic Unity’s Spoken Word Pharmacy will take place on Thursday 23 April 2026 celebrating the art of some of London’s finest Black poets at Brixton’s iconic Ritzy Cinema!
If beauty is more your thing, a curated Glam Squad of trusted Black British beauty stylists will be popping up at Morley’s Department Store on Saturday 25th April, bringing free beauty appointments, wellness and relaxed sexual health conversations directly to local Black women.
The Glam Squad—a stylist, a makeup artist and a nail specialist—will offer complimentary makeup, nail art and personal styling consultations in the heart of the community to celebrate Black women, uplift confidence and make self‑care and health awareness as natural as booking a beauty appointment or touching up a lipstick.
Alongside the glow‑ups and glossy nail polishes, women will also have the option to take simple, on‑the‑spot health checks, from blood pressure and cholesterol to diabetes screening and HIV testing, all offered in a joyful, discreet and judgement‑free way and delivered by trained health professionals.
Delivered by Do It London, the capital’s city‑wide HIV prevention programme, this pop‑up is part of a broader series of Glam Squad events taking place across three other iconic local venues in north and south London: the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Wood Green Shopping Centre and Peckham Palms. Each event runs from 11am to 4pm, with no booking needed. Skin Like Mine is funded by London HIV Prevention Programme (Do It London) and supported by all London councils. As London’s newest HIV prevention programme by and for Black Londoners, Skin Like Mine brings HIV prevention to Black heritage communities, making testing easy and education accessible.
These series of events have been created as a response to data which shows that despite progress in HIV prevention, Black Londoners remain disproportionately affected by the virus. Lambeth has the highest rate of new diagnoses of HIV in the country, and for heterosexual and bisexual women, almost half (46.2%) of diagnoses are made at a late stage, which can lead to worse health outcomes. This shows the importance of providing accessible testing options for women and Black Londoners in Lambeth.
Glam Squad events bring HIV prevention to women in Lambeth, recognising that practical barriers like travel time, childcare, and work commitments can limit access to testing, whilst the Spoken Word Pharmacy collaboration with Poetic Unity recognises poetry as a therapeutic tool that unites and heals communities, celebrates identity and challenges injustice.
Marc Thompson, Lead Commissioner for the London HIV Programme, said:
“Too many women and young people are still missing out on timely HIV testing simply because it isn’t available in the places they naturally spend their time. We’re bringing a different perspective to health through collaborations with beauty creatives and performing artists, and together, creating an environment where women and young people feel energised, comfortable, and informed. When we normalise testing, we protect lives—and we move London closer to its goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.”
Whether people come for a glam‑up, a check‑up, or to share their story, these series of events offer people a chance to unwind, feel seen and celebrated, and leave feeling beautifully empowered inside and out.
