In 2006 Evaristo initiated an Arts Council-funded report by Spread the Word writers' organisation into why black and Asian poets were not getting published in the UK, which revealed that less than 1% of all published poetry is by non-whites [REF].
In the 1980s, together with Paulette Randall and Patricia Hilaire, she founded Theatre of Black Women,[REF] Britain's first such theatre company, formed at a time when there were limited acting opportunities for black women in British theatre and film.