Black women excel

With all the big political issues going on at the moment, such as, the furore around what our Prime Minister said about multiculturalism, I almost forgot to tell you some good news. No! Very good news.

A few weeks ago I arrived in Glasgow on a wet Saturday morning for the annual Unison Black workers conference. My only reservation about speaking at the conference was not being able to spend more than a few hours there. Like most parents I also want to spend quality time with my child, and therefore I promised him that I would return home ASAP.

As soon as I entered the conference building the atmosphere and buzz around the place was palpable. I was greeted by the trade union giant Gloria Mills. We sat and talked about the issues facing BME workers and BME communities. Anyone that sits in conversation with Gloria Mills comes away believing that they as an individual or as a community can do practically anything. Before I left she looked me directly in the eye and said, ‘Simon, we need you to be brilliant. We’ll watch your back. Anyone that tries to knock you down will have to know me down first’. How can you not feel strong after speaking to Gloria Mills.

But in essence that is what the Unison conference is about: Believing in ourselves, trusting one another. And so it was just before I was to deliver my speech at a conference fringe meeting, that I was greeted by two women. Catherine Ward and Paidamoyo Mahovo. ‘Hello Simon’, they greeted me. ‘You don’t remember us do you?’ And before I could make a feeble excuse Catherine said, ‘ Don’t worry I’m sure you speak to lots of people. But’, she continued, ‘ the last year when you spoke at this conference it was as though you were speaking to me directly. In fact you were. You told me and others to raise our game. Stop waiting for others to take up public roles, and to do it ourselves. And you know what Simon, we did it, both of us. We became school governors’.

Right there I could have cried. The thought that your words can inspire individuals to fantastically make a difference not only to their own lives but also to the lives of hundreds of school children, is just remarkable. ‘Our lives have changed’, they both said. ‘More confident, knowledgeable, happy that we are doing our bit’.

Actually when I subsequently did give my speech I called Catherine and Paidamoyo on stage with me to applaud their achievement and to use their story to inspire others. It was a fantastic moment. We were all close to tears, not in a sad way, but more to do with the journey that many of us take that says; ‘We will defeat race inequality. Just watch’.

I flew back to London not just physically but spiritually too. Cloud nine you might say. Thank you and well done Catherine and Paidamoyo, you made a lot of peoples day.

Simon Woolley

Main picture: Trade union giant Gloria Mills.