My name is Sheri Lawal, and I am the founder of Choices (London) C.I.C. Ltd, established in August 2010.

 

My journey into community work comes from years of working alongside people in housing and seeing first-hand the realities many of our communities’ face, poverty, lack of opportunity, barriers to education, financial struggles, and over-policing. Those experiences didn’t just inform my work, they shaped my purpose.

 

I am a committed community leader and social justice advocate, with deep roots in supporting African Caribbean communities in Islington. Through Choices, an African Caribbean-led organisation, we provide holistic advice, guidance, and support that speaks to the real, everyday challenges our people face, from food poverty, housing and employment to education and digital exclusion.

 

At the heart of my work is a passion for justice, dignity, and access, especially for women, who make up the majority of those we support. I believe in meeting people where they are, standing with them, and creating pathways that lead to real opportunities and lasting change.

 

As the founder and former Chair of the Black Leaders Alliance, I have worked to try and bring organisations together to challenge long-standing inequalities affecting Afro-Caribbean communities, building collective power across health, housing, education, and employment.

 

Over the years, I’ve been involved in initiatives with our communities and our voices at the centre. This includes the Black Urban Growers Project, creating safe, empowering spaces through food growing, and Diverse Communities Health Voices, where we worked collectively to push for fairer, more accessible health services for our people in Islington.

 

I also serve as a Management Committee member of GIDA, a fully mutual housing co-operative focused on giving racially minoritised communities real control over their housing.

 

Nationally, I contribute through The Phoenix Way, supporting Black-led organisations to overcome systemic barriers and access the funding and recognition they deserve.

 

I currently chair the Islington Stop and Search Community Monitoring Group, holding the local police to account and making sure community voices are heard where it matters, and sit on several strategic boards, including the Pan London Stop and Search Community Monitoring Network, the Independent Office for Police Conduct Community Reference Group, the Citizens Advice Advisory Board, and the Islington Food Partnership.

 

Through this work, I’ve supported initiatives funded through the Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) programme, helping organisations reflect honestly on their practices and take action towards becoming more inclusive and anti-racist. Choices London was proud to support work that looked at both access to culturally appropriate food and the deeper structural changes needed within partnerships themselves.

 

Everything I do is grounded in a belief that our communities already hold the strength, knowledge, and resilience needed for change. My role is to help create the space, the support, and the opportunity for that to grow.

 

I am committed to building trust, standing in truth, and turning conversations into action that delivers real, lasting impact for our communities.