How young women are fighting racism in Brazil, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the U.S.

We take a look at the conversations girls are having about racial discrimination and their work to create a more equal world.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement began with a Facebook post when Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors and Alicia Garza spoke out about anti-Black racism after the 2013 acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Since then, it has grown into the one of the largest movements in U.S. history, with activists around the world echoing its demands of racial equity and an end to police violence. In Colombia, France, Japan, the U.K. and more, people are standing in solidarity with protesters in the U.S. and challenging racial inequality in their own countries.

Many young women are at the forefront of these conversations. Whether they’re organising rallies, sharing their experiences on social media or creating petitions, they are speaking truth to power and championing equality for all. 

We take a look at the conversations girls are having about racial justice in Brazil, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the U.S. and highlight their work to break down systemic racism in their communities.

(Courtesy of Agaton Strom Photography)

U.S.

In 2020, BLM gained increased momentum following the murder of George Floyd by the police; an estimated 15–26 million people in the U.S. have participated in demonstrations since May. Community leaders are demanding that governments defund and redistribute large police department budgets to social services and address various forms of racial inequality, including the school-to-prison pipeline. Young Black women are also addressing related issues, like healthcare disparities, sexual harassment and abuse and the vulnerability of Black trans women.

19-year-old activist Nupol Kiazolu works to ensure the movement addresses Black girls’ experiences with police brutality. As former president of Black Lives Matter Greater New York, she recently organised demonstrations to raise awareness about the underreported murder of Breonna Taylor. “It is imperative that we raise awareness specifically about the experiences of Black girls and women because Black women show up for everyone else, but no one shows up for us in the same magnitude or capacity,” shares Nupol. She explains that without an intersectional approach, social movements forget the unique experiences of Black girls who confront both racial inequality and sexism.

(Courtesy of Midday)

India

In India, BLM has sparked important conversations about colourism, prejudice against darker skin. The ancient caste system and colonisation have contributed to a long history of discrimination based on skin tone in India; because of negative stereotypes, many people today continue to associate darker skin with poverty, ugliness and criminality.

Skin lightening brands such as Fair & Lovely dominate the country’s billion-dollar whitening industry with a clear message: Fair skin is beautiful and dark skin is not. Bollywood and the entertainment industry reinforce this message with majority light-skinned casts. However, young women are challenging these practices with the viral hashtag #unfairandlovely.

Chandana Hiran, a college student, is one of the young women leading the fight against colourism in India, creating a petition to change the name of Fair & Lovely. In an interview with News18, Chandana described the company’s “regressive advertisements and branding” used to sell the whitening cream and called for increased representation in popular culture of all skin tones. Supporters rallied around Chandana and the petition received nearly 35,000 signatures. In response to Chandana’s petition and several others, Fair & Lovely’s parent company Unilever recently announced it will remove the terms “fair” and “fairness” from its branding language. 

(Courtesy of Yasmin Velloso / Malala Fund)

Brazil

In 1888, Brazil became the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, and its legacy of anti-Black racism continues today. Although Brazilians of African descent make up the majority of the population, they are underrepresented in politics and universities and face inequalities in health, employment, education and wealth. In 2019, more than 75% of the 5,800 Brazilians killed by police were Black. Following the murder of João Pedro Matos Pinto by police in mid-June, protests have broken out around the country with participants demanding an end to police violence.

The effects of racism and violence have wide-reaching implications for Black Brazilians’ access to education. Malala Fund Education Champion Benilda Regina Palva de Brito is fighting for racial justice by improving learning opportunities for Black girls in Brazil. “What motivates me is that Brazil is so unequal, so racist, still denying its racism,” Benilda explains. At Instituto Odara da Mulher Negra, Benilda works with families who have lost children to police and racial violence, and researches the reasons why Black girls drop out of school. “Here in the Northeast region of Brazil we have the worst data on poverty, inequality, school dropout, violence,” she shares. With the evidence from her research, Benilda will advocate for policies to improve Black girls’ enrolment rates, retention and success. 

(Courtesy of Abeer Sinder)

Qatar and Saudi Arabia

During the Arab slave trade, which spanned from the seventh century to the 19th, Arab and European enslavers captured Eastern Africans (Bantu people in particular) and forced them to work throughout the Middle East. The legacy of the Arab slave trade is still present, with racial slurs and discrimination against migrant workers continuing to this day.

Social media has been a powerful tool for Black Arabs to speak out about systemic racism in their countries. Beauty blogger and influencer Abeer Sinder shared a heartfelt post about her experiences with racism in Saudi Arabia. She discussed how racism and bullying shaped her childhood, how she was often teased for her dark skin and referred to as a slave because she was Black. Abeer recounts: “This kid just repeated a word she used to hear from her family members. This is how, eventually, such racist expressions are considered normal.” She notes the often-dismissive response she receives when confronting discrimination and discusses the importance of engaging in honest conversations about racism in Arab communities.

Areej, a Sudanese activist living in Qatar, also uses social media to raise awareness about discrimination against Black Arabs. In a June Instagram video she highlights the importance of confronting racism through conversation. She asserts that by dismissing racism as an “American problem,” people in her own community overlook how racism affects the Middle East.

(Courtesy of Nelson Mandela Foundation)

South Africa

In recent months there have been Black Lives Matter marches across South Africa, with protesters reflecting on the country’s relatively recent history of apartheid and speaking out against continued racial inequality.

The murder of Tshegofatso Pule, a 28-year-old Black pregnant woman, raised awareness around violence against girls and women in South Africa, particularly against Black girls and women. During the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, domestic violence rates in South Africa skyrocketed with 90,000 cases reported within the first week of lockdown. Activists organised a digital movement called #Justice4AllWomxn, which uses emails, social media posts and phone calls to encourage South African leaders to enact policies that prevent domestic violence.

Zulaikha Patel is a leading feminist voice challenging the legacy of apartheid and gender-based violence in South Africa. She's known for her iconic stand against Black hair discrimination in her school in 2016. Since then, she has been hosting digital panels and initiating conversations with the Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute to address violence against girls and women.