WOMEN from all walks of life have come together to inspire each other and talk about the challenges they face in today's society.
Taking place at the YMCA centre on Graham Road, Friday's event was organised by Cross Culture, a community service group that supports immigrants.
The get-together highlighted the accomplishments of women throughout history who have broken barriers, challenged gender stereotypes, and fought for women's rights.
But more importantly, it gave women from Black, Asian, and ethnic minorities (BAME) a chance to celebrate the progress that has been made towards their culture.
Three women spoke to the Echo about the challenges BAME women still face in the current world and what they can do to overcome them.
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Sandra Hall migrated to the UK from South Africa in 1982 after marrying her husband.
She joined Chat over Chai, a community group that provides support to older members of the BAME community, in 2016.
She told the Echo: "I think women from our community lack self-confidence.
"I myself used to be just a housewife, looking after my children.
"But then there came a point in my life where I asked myself if I just wanted to be a stay-at-home mum, and I didn't.
"I started volunteering and other sorts of training programmes to better equip myself.
"I am still a shy person today, but a bit more confident."
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Meanwhile, Jasmine Breen brought attention to the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the need for continued action and progress.
Jasmine, who is a volunteer at Lighthouse International Church Hall in Southampton, said: "There are a lot of challenges that we as women of colour face in today's world. One of them is having men as dominant figures in the household.
"Thank God that we have a right in this country because there are many other countries where women have no right at all.
"I would take this opportunity to tell women to speak for themselves and protect our rights."
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Nagina Kaleem, who organised the event, says she was surprised by the turnout.
The 55-year-old added: "My effort is to bring them all together on one platform, to bring more harmony into the community, and to understand each other's cultures. And I think we have achieved that.
"One of the barriers that women from our community face is being in our own comfort zone. And this comfort zone is stopping them from mixing up with other people.
"They just want to live in their own pockets, but my effort is to bring them here and to give them a wiser picture of understanding each other's culture."
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