It says something about our society that it takes an experience as rare as Obama’s, as First Lady, for a black woman to have the world’s ear.

I devoured Michelle Obama’s Becoming during the recent holidays. What gripped me wasn’t the political drama or the rare insight into White House life. It was the Former First Lady’s journey to believing in herself, and the intrinsic value of her perspective. For me, it is no coincidence that we are only hearing from Obama following the “incredible platform” gained through her husband’s presidency.

Those who wield power define who is deserving for their own advantage

Some of the causes and the effects of the Grenfell Tower Fire disaster are best understood in the context of imbalances of power. Before I attempt to explain this, in the spirit of highlighting social positions often unspoken I should perhaps first declare mine. I didn’t know anyone who lived in the Tower. However as part of a working class family, the two homes in which I spent the duration of my childhood and early adulthood were council blocks.

A holiday has always meant going somewhere I could easily blend in

I have recently returned from the first short break I have taken in England as an adult. This is despite England being the place I call home, the place of my birth and the only home I have ever known. For me a holiday has almost always involved going somewhere else – specifically, a destination where I could easily blend in among the people. This meant either locations with a superdiverse demographic or a place populated by people also of African origin.

Equally distributed child care could improve the circumstances of single mothers

I’ve just read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new book, Dear Ijealwele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. I found it brilliant and affirming, full of rich wisdom and powerful insight. I particularly enjoyed the ‘second suggestion,’ that child care is a responsibility that should be equally shared between mothers and fathers not disproportionately borne by female parents. However, I was struck by the writer’s claim that this sharing of care was not possible for a single mother, that in this case ‘ ‘doing it together’ would then not be an option.’