Page 42
Motherhood: The New Age Activist
Words Faith Wilcox
The definition of a mother can be simply narrowed to a female parent, not every female may have had this experience. However, there is a generation of females rising as mothers without giving birth to a child but rather a generation that will not stand for injustice.
On this day we celebrate mothers and motherhood; society tries to define and shape women in a way that we might feel ‘boxed’ in or stereotyped. You might not think of yourself as a mother but if you are able to shape, form and create people you are a mother indeed. Let me pose this narrative, the new age activist is one that does not see limitations in situations that appear limited. These are a few notable women that have stood out to me over the years. Each one in her own distinctive way has stood up for groups or causes that have been either forgotten or seen as burdensome.
I would like to introduce to social activists that have gained my attention in the recent years, I would classify them as mother’s clearing paths for the next generation of women to rise. As we continually honour those that have fought for these causes let's continue to raise awareness of pertinent issues in our communities.
Malala Yousafzai
A young activist born in Pakistan; she became notorious for publicly standing against the Taliban. Growing up her family had several schools to encourage girls in education. At 11-years old the Taliban had military occupation. This led to Yousafzai, writing undercover for the BBC and New York times about her life in these perilous times. An assassination attempt led to her being flown out of the country, this sparked further protest in Yousafzai’s name sparking further threats of assassination. Her continuous efforts led her to be the youngest person awarded a Nobel Prize Laureate.
Yara Shahidi
Famously known for being a young actress, Shahidi became well known for efforts to address diversity in Hollywood and social issues in education. Shahidi also started Yara’s Club, a partnership with young girls online to discuss social issues within education. Raising awareness about current issues and formulating strategies to tackle what otherwise will remain the norm.
Temi Mwale
A British homegrown activist, Temi grew up on the infamous Grahame Park estate in north west London. The death of her friend sparked her activism against youth violence and trauma awareness. Mwale continued this throughout her studies at LSE engaging communities and governmental figures and agencies. She enlightened raising awareness on issues of systemic racism, poverty and impoverished neighbourhoods like Grahame park that have been overlooked.
Hauwa Ojeifo
As a young person, Ojeifo struggled with depression, and later in 2014 she was sexually assaulted, leading to further challenges with her mental health. She decided to turn her experiences into something that could help other women in similar positions. Ojeifo founded She Writes Woman Foundation in 2016. The foundation aims to help women who have experienced sexual violence that need support with their mental health across West Africa.
In February 2020 Nigeria’s bid to pass the first mental health law, Ojeifo testified in front of the government on the rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities in proceedings.
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
Labelled child genius, Dr Anne Marie is well known for completing her master’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at the tender age of 20. She has an extensive CV of prestigious positions in top corporate companies. However, Dr Anne-Marie noticed the gap of young females and ethnic minorities in STEM subjects and careers. Dr Anne-Marie co-founded Stemettes, a social initiative inspiring the next generation of women into the STEM and tech sectors. Dr Anne-Marie continues to appear as a keynote speaker to promote the cause.