This year, for Black History Month, employees of The Maya Centre were encouraged to share their Black role models in celebration of Black History Month. Here are their Black role models! Share yours by tagging us on Instagram @themayacentre
Maya Angelou by Gona, CEO
The first black woman inspired me is Maya Angelou 1928-2014 . As an iconic figure she exemplifies the power of storytelling as a tool for healing and empowerment, showing that our stories, no matter how painful, have the potential to inspire and uplift others. Her life, marked by misfortune, resilience, and a solid commitment to truth, serves as powerful evidence to the strength of Black women. The most significant aspect of Angelou’s words that affected me is the fact that she exceeds boundaries, resonating deeply with all those who have faced oppression and marginalisation. Her ability to transform pain into poetry, and silence into a commanding voice, inspires me and I am sure many others to find our own voices and to use it fearlessly. I am especially loving her poem, “Still I Rise” :
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Elaine Brown by Melanie, Clinical Services Director
Elaine Brown was the first woman leader of the Black Panther Party at it is her book: A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story that gave me a full understanding of how the BPP operated and what its goals were beyond the conspiracy theories and false narratives given by the US and Western media. Her book remains one of my top 3 best reads of my life, with Sisters of The Yam a close second, by bell hooks.
Her book is insightful, beautiful and poetic – it influenced me to think how as a woman and individual, I can contribute to the betterment of my community while understanding that such a goal stands in direct opposition to what the powers that be, want. An underclass is necessary to perpetrate and uphold fear; therefore a united set of people with a united set of goals upsets the status quo too many others preferred and still to this day.
Audre Lorde by Ala’, Women’s Hub project manager
I discovered Audre Lorde by chance while I was in the middle of writing a piece about an art exhibition. At the time, I was trying to understand art, words, and how to be seen and taken seriously as a writer. Was it anger that led me to Audre’s work? Maybe. I was struggling to gain acknowledgment, to use the right words and terms to fit in and say something that would be accepted by the academic mainstream. Then Audre’s powerful statement hit me: The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House.
That article, and many others, made me rethink my relationship with the mainstream. I realized it wasn’t about fitting into a system—it was about finding a language that reflected the change I wanted to make. While I can’t say I’ve completely found a tool outside the oppressor’s box, I am much more aware of the tools and language I use. In times of uncertainty, I turn to Audre Lorde’s work to see how she found her voice and the courage it took to do so. It always reminds me that I, too, have the strength to do the same.
Rihanna by Jo, Communications and Fundraising Manager
Beyond her music career, Rihanna has pioneered inclusivity across the fashion and beauty industry, an industry that formerly only represented one body type for women. Through her brand Fenty Beauty, Rihanna represented for the first time in the mainstream disabled models, diverse body types and ethnicities.
In addition to being a successful business woman and international superstar, bad gal RiRi is a mother of two. She showed the world through her Superbowl performance, that mothers can do anything, including performing a political set on stage to thousands of people.
In the past, expectant mothers have been told by society to wear demure fashion during their pregnancy and to hide their bodies away, Rihanna rejects this and shows other mothers-to-be that they should wear whatever they want, unapologetically.
Through her lyrics, she talks about women’s empowerment, domestic abuse, sex work, power and money, speaking out on behalf of marginalised women through her art.