Becoming Somebody

On the 3^rd of October, Baroness Floella Benjamin gave a speech to the University of Exeter African-Caribbean Society and other interested members of the university at Newman Purple in the Peter Chalk Centre. The Baroness with her vibrant personality and style of speaking had the audience hanging on to her every word. The speech revolved around her experience as a first generation immigrant to Britain as a young girl from Trinidad and Tobago, the recurring themes in the speech were the promotion of multiculturalism and self-love.

 It was heart-warming to hear such an accomplished woman talk on how she had overcome racism as a young child in England and how she then took it upon herself to break through barriers and disassemble misconceptions regarding her background. She was quick to say “Be proud of who you are!”; she emphasised that negative perceptions were only a problem for those who held such prejudices and were not to impact our confidence. Instead, she advised that we tackle the negativity with positivity and smiles.

She was very interactive; telling audience members how beautiful and special she thought everyone was. It seemed for her it was necessary that we always be able to look in the mirror and say ‘I AM SOMEBODY.’ This confidence according to the Baroness came from a genuine belief in oneself and abilities and did not need materialism to fuel it.

Halfway through her speech she made an appeal for us to inspire the younger generation by striving to effect positive change in areas we were most passionate about. One of the questions I had to ask was how she felt being an inspiration to so many. Her surprising response was that she did not think about it, and just lived every day being herself. Creating change requires 3 C’s consideration, contentment and confidence (all wrapped up in the 4^th C of courage).  She believed that these were the foundations of an influential person.

This is not the first time she has taken the time to speak to the society and will not be the last hopefully. Reason being that, in my opinion everyone who passes through the doors of the University of Exeter stands to benefit from her wise words and warmth.  The baroness brought her audience to laughter many times and wrapped up her hour-long inspirational talk with a song, which roused a standing ovation, a fitting end to an outstanding afternoon.