Celebrating Black Excellence in the Fora Community
MEET SIX YOUNG, INSPIRING BLACK LEADERS DRIVING CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
While Fora is committed to advocating for and celebrating Black women and gender diverse leaders year-round, this Black History Month we’re spotlight six inspiring Black women in the Fora community who are driving change locally and globally.
Fora's Program Officer, Maxime Matthew sat down with Anna-Kay Russell du Toit, Brianna Nelson, Lindsey Alcy, Nyasha Duri, Schekina Israel, and Tiyi Ayeva for an in-depth conversation about meaningful allyship, and to share ideas on how the Black community can support and uplift each other in professional and academic spaces. They share insights on the causes they’re advocating for and advice to other young Black leaders.
WHO WE’RE TALKING TO: MEET SIX INSPIRING YOUNG LEADERS
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As the co-founder of the Canadian Black Policy Network and the Director of Strategy and Governance Manager at Leading Change Canada, Anna-Kay has worked to engage historically underrepresented communities in the public policy process to improve socioeconomic and sustainable outcomes for all Canadians. A frequent public speaker, DEI advisor and media commentator, Anna-Kay was recently named a Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader in 2020 by Corporate Knights and a COP26 Canadian Climate Champion by the Canada Climate Law Initiative and British High Commission in Ottawa.
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With a passion for social justice work, Brianna is currently completing her Masters of Social Work, hoping to specialize in social justice and diversity, and sits on the board for Habitat for Humanity Canada. She is the founder and Executive Director for the Womxn of Colour Durham Collective. She currently works with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) supporting research and youth engagement.
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Linsdey is a community advocate and is currently pursuing her degree in Global and International Studies at Carelton University. A recipient of the Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award from Volunteer Ottawa, Lindsey is always engaging with her community to support youth and child-care oriented spaces.
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Nyasha is an advocate for equity, education, technology, and more mostly based in the United Kingdom and France, who is currently leading user experience (UX) research, design, and product at InnovateHer. She founded the social impact initiative Chiye, a full-service agency to light paths forward through problem solving primarily via learning and development (L&D). Its mission incorporates serving underserved womxn and girls. A multiple award-winning expert generalist, creative practitioner, and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action / Antiracism) innovator, she serves on multiple boards.
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Schekina is a digital marketing & advertising professional with a strong passion for using data and advertising technology to reach and convert audiences. She is an avid public speaker who specializes in talks on digital trends, marketing best practices, diversity & inclusion, and more. She is an equity, diversity, and social justice advocate striving to improve the world we live in.
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Tiyi is French-African equity activist, currently based in Japan. She is the founder of Project Iridescent, and HOGO Women, an organization dedicated to educating youth about gender-based discrimination in Japan. She also co-hosts the self-help and development podcast Iced Black.
HOW CAN THE BLACK COMMUNITY SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER WITHIN PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC SPACES?
Lindsey: For me, it’s simple – show up. We need to show up to each other’s events, we need to show up to these initiatives. You can show up physically. You can show up by creating emotional space. We really do need that support around young professionals who are just starting to go up the ladder.
Schekina: If there’s talent, if there’s passion that you see within someone, take the initiative to advocate on their behalf. Make an introduction. Help them brainstorm an idea. Encourage them to step beyond their comfort zone and really hold that space, not just for yourself. When I’m thinking of new work opportunities, I’m not always just thinking about myself. I’m thinking about those that will come after me. If they’re able to see me thriving in a space or a role that wasn’t previously representative of our community, maybe that will give someone else the courage or drive to also pursue that same path, or to do something extraordinary. If you have the capacity to do so as a member of the Black community, hold space for others, and mention their name in a room full of opportunities.
Anna-Kay: It's about creating spaces to have these conversations, so that we can share our thoughts and ideas and feelings amongst each other. I think, especially with the pandemic right now, it’s so easy to feel alone. I’ll admit that I felt quite alone in my experiences, both personally and professionally. Creating spaces to have honest, open, real talk conversations in academic and professional spaces is really, really powerful. And having Black Mentorship is so important. If you have a door open to you, you’re able to leave it open for others after you.
WHAT DOES ALLYSHIP MEAN TO YOU?
Nyasha: Even though it’s a noun, for me it’s definitely about action. It's about centering other people and doing what you can to contribute to making things better. I think it’s really about coming from a place of empathy, care, and love. I strive to take up issues which affect other groups that I’m not part of, and in turn I feel eternally thankful for the colleagues – one of many settings where it’s key - who were there for me. Helping me feel seen by treating me as fully human to name just one aspect.
Brianna: I feel like allyship for me is a very muddy term. Because some folks say “I went to a rally, I'm an ally,” and will call themselves that for doing that one specific engagement. But it's so much more than that. It's also about self-reflection. How has my allyship helped communities? What do I hope to see in the future? How can I challenge systems, but in doing so, restore power to those who may be marginalized by those same systems? It really is an action, but it fluctuates, and it's a lot more nuanced than people make it out to be.
Tiyi: I think that a lot of people think of allyship in a very one-dimensional manner. A lot of people only think of allyship in regards to Black communities versus white communities, or straight communities versus LGBTQ+ communities. When it goes way beyond that. I feel that allyship is listening. It's educating yourself. It’s actually putting in action to make the lives of other people better using the privilege that you have. It’s definitely more of a way of being and understanding in the world, than just a badge. Even me, as a Black person, I have to teach myself how to be an ally. When it comes to hate crimes against Asian Americans for example, I educate myself and I uplift Asian American voices. It’s something you kind of learn as you go, you kind of learn every day. And it doesn’t necessarily come naturally. But to actually show that you’re trying, that is really important to me.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG, BLACK LEADERS?
Lindsey: My advice is to find your community. Build your network. We all grow together, we all prosper together. As a professional, if you can find your niche, you find your community, you can get along and don’t feel lonely or alienated, especially in a post-colonial state such as Canada.
Anna-Kay: One of the key lessons that I’ve learned about leadership is that you need to ensure that your leadership is defined by you. There are so many templates of leadership out there. And I’m sure a lot of them are great. But what I’ve come to really understand for myself is that I need to be the leader that I want to be. And the leader who I know I would be proud to see out there. I think it’s so easy to just follow the status quo and fit a certain mold but, at least for myself, whenever I tried to do that, it just never felt like a proper fit. It’s almost like putting on somebody else's clothes, when it’s not your own. I think authentic leadership is sustainable leadership too.... it’s a lot more sustainable than trying to be somebody else for however many years.
Nyasha: Integrate self-care as much as possible. Just think about what you need, and how you can show up for yourself - the way that you’re doing for other people especially as a servant leader. Then try and give yourself that. While it’s important to hold ourselves accountable to seeking to achieve our potential while standing on the shoulders of the giants who have come before us, that should be balanced with being mindful of not to be too hard on oneself. And learn as much as you can, as that’s one of the best parts of the journey.
Tiyi: I think it’s just a matter of trusting and putting yourself out there. Because there’s so many times when I thought ”Oh, I can’t go speak to that person because I have way less experience,” or “they’re not going to value my work.” Sometimes, you have to put yourself out there and literally ask for help. Ask for support. For financing. For scholarships. Most of the biggest opportunities I've had, I had to put myself out there. And sometimes you’ll get rejected, and that’s completely fine because rejection is also another lesson you might need. My biggest advice to you is not to be discouraged by the lack of support you have, but to take it as a sign to look for support that you need, and want, and deserve.
Schekina: If you’re looking for opportunities or connections, it’s important to be mindful of the spaces that you’re entering, and to be very selective and very intentional about what you’re going after. It’s important for young professionals to look at their organization’s intentions. Are these organizations trying to help advance diversity, equity, and inclusion? Do they have fleshed out initiatives and budgets behind them? Do they have a Black Employee Engagement Group – do they hire diverse consultants to improve the workplace? These kinds of organizations, that are putting their money where their mouth is, is where you want to be. In the long-term, it’s going to help you grow as a person, and help grow your network of meaningful connections.
Brianna: There’s no one way to be a leader. When I first got started and put myself out there, I did not see myself as the leader. I was scared and was definitely going through the motions of Imposter Syndrome. But being part of the Leadership Summit and Girls on Boards programs has given me the confidence to go into spaces and really know that I have expertise. As a young person who has gone through certain experiences, I have expertise in that! I'm always going to continue to learn and grow, it's okay to not get things right sometimes. And that's the part of the journey. And that's something that you really can't learn unless you experience it.
A big thank you to our six inspiring leaders for sharing their stories, advice, and insights. If you’re interested in being part of the Fora community and sharing ideas with inspiring folks like these, have a look at our available Programs.