Wednesday 13 March 2013

independent women

Fantastic Day at the Southbank.  A day of inspiration, experience and knowledge sharing.  I don’t agree with everything I have heard today, but I’m not expected to. The conversations and raising of issues is what this weekend is all about.

What are we teaching our young women and little girls today?  How are we guiding them to reach their full potential and aspirations that maybe society doesn't readily promote?  I listened to a space scientist today? And Maggie Aderin-Pocock rocked!

Coming together with black women who have loved and loathed their hair and now have a contrast of opinions about how, what and why we do what we do with our hair.  Do Caucasian women have the same dilemmas? Does hair choice affect them the same it does me? I heard today that we must be more than our hair, our identity should outweigh what is growing out of our heads.  On one level, yeah sure. But I know, and some of you out there know the difference that feeling good about your hair can have on your day, your week, your career!

Blogging is now part of my daily life. Reading, commenting, writing and telling other people to start one too – usually when they’re moaning off to me about something. Get it off your chest…start a blog.  The newbies and expert bloggers I met today were so diverse. But we all had something to say.  For a person who normally chews the ears of family and friends, I found I had lost my voice in crowds today – don’t worry, I told myself, you can blog about it later. So what did I learn? Research, be true and happy with your blog and make sure you eidt…cough…edit.


Is Feminist a dirty word? Is the journey to power and success the same for black and white women?  Who are the role models for the young generation and why?  You know, I hear these discussions and think that 1 hour is just not enough; these theories need to be ongoing. And not just with us adults, what do our young women think?  We cannot step in their shoes and argue for them; our experience was different (as it was for our mothers) and in order to make a real change, they must be present to hear our herstory.

For me, this WOW was different. For the first time, I saw faces similar to mine, I heard voices relevant to me, and I met some wonderfully beautiful women Lulu and Vanessa.I was happily exhausted travelling home tonight, will I have the energy to do this all again on Sunday?  Hell to the Yeah!

Goodnight London, wherever you are.

2 comments:

  1. It was wonderful to meet you too! I know what you mean about 'happily exhausted' (I still haven't gathered the energy to blog about WOW – kudos to you!) – a thoroughly well spent and uplifting weekend :) – Lulu

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  2. Learnt so much, it'll keep me going until the next one.

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