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At Panelle, Women's History Month is every month. It is an ongoing celebration of sisterhood, the unbreakable spirit of women and the power of community. Women's rights are not guaranteed, they are an ongoing fight, and we owe it to those who came before us to carry the torch forward and light the way.
For me, that torch was passed down by my mother.
This is a love letter to the woman who raised and shaped me.
My mum came to the UK from Jamaica and moved to Bristol, an unfamiliar city where she had no friends or family. Soon after, she faced divorce and became a single mother. She was the sole provider for our household and had to go back to college to gain the qualifications she needed for employment, all while raising a toddler.
She submitted hundreds of job applications before she was hired. She worked full time whilst juggling childcare with no support. She was a living sacrifice to provide a good life for me.
We lived in a council flat in an area where opportunities were scarce, but my mum spent the majority of her salary on sending me to school in an affluent area. She wanted me to see what was possible, to broaden my horizons and to make sure I knew I was capable of achieving more.
She made sure I was exposed to a world that was not readily available to girls like me, a world that she wished she had access to when she was younger.
"The reason I kept going even when I felt like giving up..."
When I became a young single mother, she stood by me in every way. She supported me financially, helped to look after my child so I could return to college and later go to work.
She put her own dreams and desires on the back-burner and invested her love and dedication into ensuring I would not have to face the same struggles she did. She never once made me feel alone in my journey. She was my constant, my unwavering support and the reason I kept going even when I felt like giving up.
"She carried the weight of sacrifice so that I could carry the weight of hope..."
My mum did not have a community to support her. She was raised by her grandad, not her mother, so she never experienced a mother's love. She had no voice of encouragement, no one telling her she could do it, no knowledge of the opportunities that existed.
Yet she worked hard to give me a better future. We had the bare minimum, but she always gave me her best. She has always been my biggest cheerleader and ensured I aimed high. She carried the weight of sacrifice so that I could carry the weight of hope.
Because of my mum, I carry values of courage, strength and belief. She nurtured me with love, raised my ambitions and gave me the confidence to believe that I can make my dreams come true. She never got to see some of the magic in her own career, but she sacrificed herself to make sure that I did. I am eternally grateful and love her beyond measure.
Because of mothers like her, women like me can stand strong on the solid foundation they built. She broke cycles of poverty so that I can now build generational wealth for my family.
She is the reason why I am the first in my family to achieve things that once seemed impossible. She laid the bricks for a future that she would never fully experience, but she built it anyway because she knew I would walk on the path she paved.
"When people ask me what woman inspires me the most, my answer is always my mama..."
When people ask me what woman inspires me the most, my answer is always my mama. Her actions, her sacrifices and her strength have moulded me in ways that continue to impact so many lives.
Her resilience still holds me up today. She is an exceptional woman who somehow always finds a way. She is the woman who taught me that no matter where you start in life, it’s where you’re willing to go that truly matters.
This is a tribute to every girl and woman who has been told that she cannot, or never been shown that she can.
To those who write their own rules. To those who carry the weight of sacrifice, but still find a way to rise. To the mothers, the daughters, the sisters and the friends who lift each other up. To the women who refuse to be defined by limitations and instead create their own path. #RuleWriters
