All over the world, there are Black women who make active efforts to ensure that they’re making life better for others. Renée Davis speaks to three to find out why they do what they do
As the saying goes: ‘Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater’. Perhaps it’s something innate, or some long-running coincidence, but throughout the ages there have been plenty of women who spend their lives giving to others, most likely for little, or no credit. So, to bring light to some women who do just that, we’ve spoken to Rachael Lasamba, Jamelia Donaldson and Simone Powderly, three women who have all taken their life experiences and transferred them to create something special for their communities.
Rachael Lasamba — Foundation Tamar
From starting her very first business at 17, and even owning her own bridal wear line, Rachael appears to have done it all. But her true passion, devotion and calling, lies in using her own painful experiences to change the lives of women who are survivors of sexual abuse worldwide. (Trigger warning: sexual assault.)
‘In 2011 I was sexually abused on a night out with friends,’ Rachael tells me. ‘I’m not sure how, but there was a huge chance I was drugged. I woke up in the back of some car, and this man was raping me. At first I froze, but I managed to fight back, and get myself out of the car. I realised where I was, and ran back into the club toilets, where I broke down to the toilet attendant. She urged me to call the police; I told her it wasn’t necessary and that I was just going to go home. But I didn’t. Though I was in complete shock, I just sat down in the club as though nothing had happened. That’s when everything went downhill for me,’ Rachael says.
For years, Rachael painfully kept details of that traumatic night to herself. Eventually, the effort of holding in such a painful secret took a physical toll on her.
‘Due to the trauma, I developed a condition called fibromyalgia and was in and out of paralysis from the waist down for a year. It affects the muscles, the nervous system and more — I had over 30 symptoms.’
However, through her Christian faith, Rachael found some physical relief, and knew that it was the start of her internal healing. In 2015, Rachael attended the One Young World conferencein Bangkok, an annualsummitwhere potential young leaders from across the globe come together and speak about current affairs and issues. One woman’s story around abuse resonated so deeply with Rachael that she decided it was time to open up about her own experiences.
‘I had a lightbulb moment on the plane back home,’ she explains. ‘I decided that life was going to drastically change for me. I told myself that if I didn’t help women who have been abused, I’m not only failing them, but I’m failing myself and failing God.’
Rachael’s first step: creating a Twitter campaign called Stand Strong, Stand Tall. The campaign encouraged women to share their stories of abuse in the hope that it would start their individual journeys of healing.
‘Hundreds of stories from around the world came flooding in. While all of this was taking place, the name Tamar came to me. I looked up her story in the Bible and discovered that she too had been raped. I looked up the meaning of her name and discovered it meant ‘Palm tree’.
‘Known to be one of the strongest trees, palm trees stand tall and strong in all seasons, and never waver — just like all of the brave women who had submitted their stories. I knew it had to be the name, that’s when Foundation Tamar was born.’
Based in Democratic Republic of Congo, today Foundation Tamar acts as an NGO run by a team of professionals and volunteers to help survivors of sexual violence to thrive, heal and find their voice through workshops and education.
‘A study shows that in The Democratic Republic of Congo, an estimated 1,150 women are raped every day. That equates to forty-eight rapes an hour,’ Rachael explains. ‘A lot of the issues surrounding rape culture stem from deep ignorance, the conflict in the east and central Congo, and also the instability and poverty in the country. I spent some time in the country doing talks and workshops on consent culture and thriving after abuse. I knew more had to be done for women there facing sexual abuse and violence.’
2018 saw Rachael acquiring land, and setting plans in motion to build a clinic for victims and survivors in the country’s capital, Kinshasa. Clinic Tamar will act as a safe haven, and offer holistic care programmes to women in the capital who are affected by sexual violence. Rachael is currently raising funds for the construction of the clinic.
‘My hope is that these women can find freedom and healing through Foundation Tamar — just as I did. Looking back over my life, I see that all the pain, hurt and trauma was all part of a bigger plan and purpose.’
Jamelia Donaldson and Simone Powderly — The Teen Experience
In 2017, two amazing ladies by the name of Jamelia Donaldson and Simone Powderly co-created The Teen Experience: a series of personal development workshops for Black and mixed-race teens.
The experience is intended to empower, educate and engage a fast-paced, social media savvy generation, and allow teens to build relationships with each other beyond their mobile phones and social media apps. So far, Black women from all walks of life and professional backgrounds have taught relevant topics such as beauty standards, goal setting, hair texture, the truth about social media, fitness and more.
Jamelia, who is also the founder of natural hair product subscription service TreasureTress, tells me that her inspiration to do something for young people came out of a long-standing desire to see the best in young people:
‘Through my work with TreasureTress, I immediately saw a gap to create something special for young girls.
‘I thought: How cool would it be if we created a safe space for Black and mixed-race teen girls, where they can learn about life, career, beauty, mental health and anything they need to thrive in the world? There are very personal and sacred lessons you can learn from women who look like you. It was an opportunity to create a space that I wished existed when I was younger,’ she says.
Jamelia took the idea and approached a mix of entrepreneurs, creatives, bloggers and influencers to host workshops for the young girls. They were all on board, but one of the ladies in particular, Simone Powderly, wanted to do more than a workshop.
‘I was immediately on board with what Jamelia wanted to do and wanted to bring the idea and vision to life alongside her,’ says Simone, who is a beauty influencer and mental health advocate.
‘I experienced childhood trauma, and was later diagnosed with PTSD. I went on a journey of healing and expressing myself through creativity. I learnt that no matter what you faced in life, you could succeed. This is something I wanted to teach the teens,’ she says.
Now in its third year, and with workshops running on a monthly basis, both Jamelia and Simone have personally seen just how special The Teen Experience is, and the difference the workshops have had on the teens.
‘I knew that we were really onto something when I saw the same girls coming back time and time again, but having transformed,’ Jamelia says. ‘We get messages and DMs from mums telling us that their daughters are completely different people when they return home.’
‘Sometimes I look around and smile at how some of the young women truly find their voice,’ Simone adds.
In the near future, Jamelia and Simone plan to turn The Teen Experience into a charity, and run workshops in schools. May the sisterhood, self-love and empowerment revolution expand and continue!
For more information, follow the Teen Experience on Instagram: @theteenexperience; for Foundation Tamar, please visit foundationtamar.org
