How do the next generation of female Black voices encapsulate this year’s BHM theme of ‘Actions not Words’?
Spotlight on Temi Mwale
Temi has been fighting for racial justice since she was a teenager.
At 19-years-old she set up The 4Front Project, an organisation which empowers young people and communities to fight for justice, peace and freedom -particularly those who’ve been impacted by violence.
She has a law degree, which has enabled her to use her legal knowledge to produce and deliver legal education programmes devised to support marginalised young people.
“My hopes are that Black British Women can access the healing, care and support we need to thrive. In so many ways we are at the forefront of this movement. We are hypervisible and yet our own struggles are often invisible. My hopes for the future include a successful reimagining of what justice, peace and safety mean. Only then will we be closer to freedom.” - Temi Mwale, 2022
Spotlight on Lady Phyll
Lady Phyll talks about the future of Black young people and activism on various social media platforms. She’s also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2005, she developed Black Pride and is executive director of the Kaleidoscope Trust - the human rights charity.
“I’ve been so encouraged by the noise people are making, the reading they’re doing, the lived experiences they’re sharing. I feel emboldened by a new generation in conversation with their elders about how we fight for the future we deserve and not burn out. I’ve been touched by the emotional and vulnerable acts we’ve made in showing up for and looking after each other.
“And I feel full of love and rage. I understand the capacity each of us has to extend ourselves to make space for other people. Showing love in moments of chaos doesn’t always come naturally, but when we remember that we are here to be so beautifully human, we do tremendous things, like love. And this year has shown us, as many years before have, that our rage at inequality, as resource-hoarding, at discrimination, at racism — all that rage is righteous. So, I hope that we can all reflect on what it means to create a world that requires enough space for us all to show up in our rage, as we fight for a world that is full of love.” - Lady Phyll, 2022