Suche
Mein Konto
Black British Women Who Inspire: Lady Phyll
In this final part of our four-part series on Black British women who inspire us, we have selected an individual who so embodies the value of an intersectional foundation in our work as activists and advocates. Ārjava (आर्जव): Sincerity; Self-restraint from hypocrisy as a basis for equal treatment of all Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, also known as Lady Phyll, was born in November 1974 in London. She is of Ghanaian origin. From the beginning, Lady Phyll was clear that her purpose – Dharma – was rooted in the concept of ārjava. She said: "I have always had a conscience that wants to tackle every form of inequality that touches our lives. Discrimination,...
Black British Women Who Inspire: Lady Phyll
In this final part of our four-part series on Black British women who inspire us, we have selected an individual who so embodies the value of an intersectional foundation in our work as activists and advocates.
Ārjava (आर्जव): Sincerity; Self-restraint from hypocrisy as the basis for treating everyone equally
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, also known as Lady Phyll, was born in November 1974 in London. She is of Ghanaian origin. From the beginning, Lady Phyll was clear that her purpose -Dharma– was rooted in the concept of ārjava. She said: "I've always had a conscience that wants to tackle every form of inequality that touches our lives. Discrimination, inequality: that's what I've been concerned about since I was a small child."
Lady Phyll began her career as a civil servant in Stevenage and then worked as a trade unionist. During her career she encountered racism, bigotry and bias. She used these experiences to hone her skills as a lawyer, eventually becoming the first Black senior negotiator.
In 2005, Lady Phyll co-founded UK Black Pride. When she presented the idea to a group of white people involved in major Pride events, she was infamously told to "fuck off" and go to "normal pride." She was shocked at the contempt in her reaction. It encouraged her and her co-founders to push through. Today, UK Black Pride is Europe's largest celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer (LGBTQ) people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent. She continues her work as Executive Director of UK Black Pride.
Lady Phyll declined to accept an MBE for the 2016 New Year Honours. She stated publicly: "As a trade unionist, a working-class girl and a lesbian from Black Africa, I want to stand by my principles and values. I do not believe in the Empire. I do not believe in colonialism and its toxic and enduring legacy in the Commonwealth, where – among many other injustices – LGBT+ people are still persecuted, tortured and even killed under British sodomy laws Imperialists. I'm honored and grateful, but I have to say no, thank you. “
The public rejection of an MBE may be one of the best examples of the absence of hypocrisy imaginable in the UK. A decision that was probably contested by friends and family and with which she will always be associated - hence, at least in partladyPhyll.
In addition to her work as Executive Director of UK Black Pride, she is Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Trust, the UK's leading charity supporting the human rights of LGBTQ people worldwide. She is the first black woman in the UK to lead a mainstream organization campaigning for equality for LGBTQ people.
As the Stonewall riots marked their 50ththTo mark the anniversary, Lady Phyll was invited to lead the World Pride – New York City Pride 2019 march alongside four other grand marshals. One of their ambitions at UK Black Pride is to become a leading LGBTQ organization that other organizations around the world turn to for best practice in activism and advocacy. In interviews she unabashedly states that UK Black Pride has made mistakes and that the process of learning and unlearning through active engagement and collaboration with the community is what makes UK Black Pride unique and what others can learn from it. Acting as Grand Marshal was certainly not only a recognition of her years of activism, but also an opportunity to deepen relations with the city, which has been recognized as the origin of the Pride protests (and, as is well known, often failed communities on the front lines of the Stonewall riots).
In thethe book of strange prophetsLady Phyll's essay poetically expresses through prose the practice of unlearning false narratives of God and faith in order to deepen a spirituality that does not ask her to deny her queerness or reject her blackness in order to be loved by God.
Lady Phyll exemplifies fortitude in upholding values to create meaningful and lasting change. This concept of ārjava and deep-rooted sincerity is fundamental to cultivating and building justice in all facets of society.
Try this week's guided exercise:
Listen to this week’s Spotify playlist:
You can listen to this week's Spotify playlist for inspiration and empowermentHere.