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Award-winning London slam poet Fauzia Agbonhin kicked off a virtual event Monday on the eve of International Women’s Day.
Slam poet Fauzia Agbonhim Photo by Submitted photo
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Award-winning London slam poet Fauzia Agbonhin kicked off a virtual event Monday on the eve of International Women’s Day.
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The Nigerian-Canadian is the author of I Never Truly Hated You, a poem about growing up in Western society as a visible minority.
Agbonhin, 20, addresses diversity, racism, mental health and anxiety in her poetry.
“My feminism rests on my bedroom stand. She doesn’t move, always ready to fight for me when I need her, when I remember her, when I remember someone needs someone like me,” Agbonhin recited at the start of the All Women L.E.A.D. NOW event.
Alexandra Kane, a musician who leads Black Lives Matter London, also spoke about being a Black woman in an often unfriendly world.
“Strong Black woman isn’t the compliment you think it is because that means that because I’m strong I don’t get to be weak. I don’t get to be vulnerable. Because I’m strong, I am facing racism on a daily basis. I am facing discrimination,” she said. “I am opening up those flood gates every day and because I choose not to react, that is what makes me strong.”
International Women’s Day highlights “the achievements of women in the climb for gender equality,” said Melissa Maloney, co-host of All Women L.E.A.D. “It is about recognizing the unique challenges and opportunities for women and we want to create a safe place for that conversation to continue to happen.”
Nayla Bahri, former dean of Columbia University’s business school and current co-host of Inside Job, a podcast about the intersection of life and work, was the keynote speaker.
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https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-slam-poet-jumpstarts-international-womens-day-celebrations
