Passionately committed to marginalised communities, Thrive LawChanger Ayan Said has written and recorded a reading of her poem "War Child". Creating diverse and inclusive safe spaces is central to Ayan's work supporting marginalised communities.
Transcript:
War Child
Meaning resilience was embedded into my DNA from the start
As I learned to walk with lions,
Found peace with chaos and conflict as an infant.
Women in war zones surviving mortality rates higher than current statistics
Where in the UK,
40 percent more Black women miscarry in comparison to their counterparts,
Why?
I can't put into words the miracles of being women
And the way our bodies are ripped open to continue our species
Despite the neglect and abuse we face for just existing.
Women who lost loved ones to war
And the consequences of migration
But still women like my Mother
Overcame adversities
Raised us into adulthood
Where we are now
Unlearning and relearning
What it means to be human.
I found my voice and founded Voicing Voices to make a statement.
That we will no longer tolerate any glass ceilings.
We are united intergenerationally,
Interculturally,
Globalisation is in our favour.
We are not ashamed to own our space
To spread our wings
And design better days
Because we now
See and believe in the value we can add to any seat we sit in
Educated and aware.
We will not accept second-class citizen standards
Or treatments.
That's your illusion.
We're magnificent.
Diversity and inclusion,
Misinterpreted, misdirected, misguided,
For policies just to tick a box.
Having women on your board is to your advantage.
Economically, we innately possess transformational skills
For the leadership that we are prevented from accessing.
We're opening summits for business fights, poverty
Working with experts and global leaders committed to gender equity.
Analysing policies with our partners at Thrive and Law Change-makers.
Connecting communities, sisters
In solidarity
We're continuing better conversations.
We celebrate Her-story every month of the year,
But there's just something about the energy March brings that excites me
That gets us standing
Solidified
Against all forms of gender-based violations.
We have no room for discrimination.
We are designing safer spaces for a sustainable tomorrow.
So on International Women's Day
Make sure you participate and celebrate everything it means
To be a woman.