Celebrating women of colour who are making our world a more equal place
Amarachi Nwosu and Ify Obi introduce us to Melanin Unscripted’s 2021 Class of Social Shapers.
Amarachi Nwosu and Ify Obi were tired of the media industry failing to amplify the voices of women of colour and celebrate their contributions. The two creatives had grown up not seeing women who looked like them recognised for their work — and they wanted to make sure the next generation of girls saw themselves and their potential reflected in the women featured in the media today.
Working with Amarachi’s global media platform and creative agency, Melanin Unscripted (MU), the pair created the Say Her Name campaign to highlight women of colour and their efforts to make our world a more equal place. Each year MU’s Say Her Name campaign publishes a list of exceptional women who use their talents to innovate and inspire. The 2021 Class of Social Shapers include journalists like Polly Irungu and Kiki Mordi, activists like Jezz Chung and Sara Mora, entrepreneurs like Fisayo Longe and Odunayo Eweniyi and more.
“Working in the creative industry, one consistent thing I noticed was the lack of visibility women, particularly women of color, faced. I saw that women weren’t given due recognition for their contributions to society and that this phenomenon had existed for a long time. I asked myself if it meant women weren’t working hard enough, speaking loudly enough or that the world just didn’t care enough. I never understood it and honestly, I still don’t,” shares Ify. “What I do know is that women are doing such wonderful work in their various fields and it’s not enough for me to just know that, I need the rest of the world to acknowledge it.”
As a freelance writer and creative director, Ify highlights the intersectionality of culture, music, art and fashion in outlets like CNN, Teen Vogue, Quartz Japan, Highsnobiety, OkayAfrica and more. (Courtesy of Ify Obi)
Through the Say Her Name campaign, Amarachi and Ify want to celebrate female leaders and show other young women of colour what they’re capable of achieving. “I hope more women see their ability to create change in the world around them by using their voice and community to champion the causes that matter,” explains Amarachi. “I want people to see our honorees and know that they too can dream big and be a vessel no matter what industry they are in from, social impact, art, tech, fashion, music or beyond. Whatever space you occupy, girls can be social shapers and contribute to positive change in the world.”
Studies have shown that seeing really is believing when it comes to women of colour role models influencing girls' perceptions of their abilities. Like Amarachi and Ify, I also didn't see many women in leadership positions who looked like me when I was growing up and the lack of Latina and Brown women in positions of power negatively affected my outlook when I was younger. Thanks to technology and an improvement in the representation of women of colour, I have now been able to discover role models who look like me and who remind me of my true capabilities every day. That's one of the reasons I was so excited to speak with Amarachi and Ify: I realise the importance of role models and their impact on the leaders of tomorrow.
During our conversation, we spoke about representation, Melanin Unscripted’s work and how the 2021 Class of Social Shapers is not only spotlighting influential women, but also helping every girl see her full potential.
Carolyn Diaz (CD): You mentioned in an article for a2o Magazine that you didn’t have enough female mentors when you were younger. How did this lack of representation affect you growing up?
Amarachi Nwosu (AN): Growing up not seeing enough representation of women of color in the media and not having many mentors within the creative space affected me most because I didn't always have all the resources, tools and information about being in the creative industry or what it would look like as an African woman in those spaces. While this was very difficult in the early years of my journey, this forced me to learn through trial and error and it also motivated me to be the representation I wanted to see and also create more mentorship examples and opportunities for young women of color.
Amarachi Nwosu is a Nigerian American self-taught visual artist, writer and project manager and founder of the global media platform and creative agency, Melanin Unscripted. (Courtesy of Amarachi Nwosu)
CD: Why do you think the stories and contributions of girls and women of colour are so often overlooked?
AN: I think the lack of stories on women of color has to do with the fact that the people who control the narrative and the voices that echo the loudest in mainstream media are often not reflective of the diversity within our world. When more women of color are in executive positions, reinforced as powerful contributors to society and have ownership within impactful spaces, the more we will see change in how our contributions are celebrated.
CD: Tell us about creating Melanin Unscripted. What do you hope to achieve through this platform and agency?
AN: I grew up wanting to see a platform that connected people of diverse backgrounds and got frustrated with waiting for someone to create that space, so I made conscious decisions to do so. I’ve been an entrepreneur since graduating college and it has allowed me to develop MU with a mission to tell stories in impactful and compelling ways that translate globally. Whether through the platform or agency, at MU we focus on the unscripted and real life perspectives of creatives and storytellers around the world. My hope is that we continue to build our global community, share ground breaking stories and impact young people to pursue their passions regardless of the color of their skin or what background they come from. I believe that MU will be a space where history is made and also kept.
CD: What’s something you’ve accomplished with Melanin Unscripted that you’re particularly proud of?
AN: Storytelling and impact is my main mission as a creative and a CEO and I have been able to do that in a number of ways through MU. From releasing our debut documentary Black in Tokyo that I directed and now has over 1.5 million views to launching our impact platform Rise in Light and raising over $11,000 for COVID-19 relief in Nigeria, to even designing and donating 5,000 notebooks to school children in Lagos, our mission to use storytelling as a tool to impact the next generation. These moments have made me incredibly proud to lead this platform and community at Melanin Unscripted.
“I simply want the world to listen to women of color. When we share our joy, listen. When we speak, listen. When we share our pain and fears, listen. When we share all parts of our being, listen.”
CD: Tell us a little bit about the remarkable honorees who make up the 2021 Class of Social Shapers. How are they making the world a more equal place for girls?
Ify Obi (IO): Each of our honorees is incredibly inspiring and it is an honor to say their names. We have Fisayo Longe. Beyond being the creative director of the highly coveted fashion label, Kai Collective, Fisayo has used her platform to champion body positivity on many occasions. We also have Nadya Okamoto who is the author of “Period Power” as well as the founder of PERIOD, a nonprofit organization which distributes menstrual hygiene products and advocates for an end to tampon tax. Kiki Mordi is an Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist, reporter and filmmaker. For BBC Africa’s #SexforGrades documentary, Kiki played an instrumental role in the investigation and reportage of sexual harassment carried out by teachers to their students in African universities. We have Polly Irungu who is a multimedia journalist and founder of Black Women Photographers, a platform and database created to ensure Black women and non-binary photographers are provided with work opportunities. Jezz Chung is a philosopher, poet and performer. Odunayo Eweniyi is the co-founder and COO of PiggyVest. She is also the co-Founder of Feminist Coalition (Fem co), a group of young Nigerian feminists working to promote equality for women in the Nigerian society. Feminist Coalition was instrumental in sustaining the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in Nigeria by providing food, mental health care, legal and medical aid for protesters. Judith Nwandu is a political reporter and producer at The Shade Room who used her platform to encourage voter education during the U.S. elections in 2020. She hosted talks with then presidential candidate Joe Biden, voting rights activist Stacey Abrams and Congresswoman Karen Bass. Sara Mora who is a poet, storyteller, digital strategist and immigrant rights activist. On our list is also Kayla Zapata Fory who utilizes her position as partner and solutions Manager at Instagram to amplify the need for diversity and representation in tech.
CD: What do you hope that girls take away from the 2021 Class of Social Shapers honorees?
AN: Through our 2021 Social Shapers honorees, I hope more women see their ability to create change in the world around them by using their voice and community to champion the causes that matter. I want people to see our honorees and know that they too can dream big and be a vessel no matter what industry they are in from, social impact, art, tech, fashion, music or beyond. Whatever space you occupy, girls can be social shapers and contribute to positive change in the world.
CD: Why do you think it is important for girls to have women to look up to who they can relate to and identify with?
AN: I believe it is important for girls to have women to look up to so that they see their own greatness and possibilities of how they can push boundaries and create a world where women are valued and respected.
CD: What changes do you want to see in the world as a result of your work with Melanin Unscripted and the Say Her Name initiative?
IO: I simply want the world to listen to women of color. When we share our joy, listen. When we speak, listen. When we share our pain and fears, listen. When we share all parts of our being, listen.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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