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Today's newsletter is dedicated to sharing unbiased news for the modern gal, delivered daily to become your best self. Brought to you by Gazette Gal. |
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Hey Glow Gang! |
It’s your weekly dose of Glowreel! This week we’re talking all about Rihanna and Phenomenal Ventures in the news round up. Plus, we're sharing our recommended read from The Spill 📚 |
We’re also sharing a much anticipated interview with the Khadija Gbla - an award winning human rights activist, founder and all round incredible human. Khadija tackles complex topics with a whole lot of passion and a healthy dose of humour - you'll learn a lot from her interview. (TW: This week’s feature interview discusses the practice of female genital mutilation.) |
Let's get glowing |
-Shilpa |
P.S. If you know someone who will love Glowreel as much as you do, please share this newsletter with them using your unique referral link at the end of this email 💜 |
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News Of The Week |
A Phenomenal Week 🎉 |
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Rihanna |
Shine bright like a diamond 💎 It’s officially the week of Rihanna! Starting off with her epic Super Bowl half-time performance, and that Fenty Beauty promo moment, and her pregnancy announcement!! |
If that wasn’t a big enough week, Rihanna's gracing the cover of British Vogue alongside A$AP Rocky and their baby boy 🤗 She opens up about all the things in her interview: pregnancy and life with baby, why she decided to do the Super Bowl halftime show after turning it down in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick in 2019, and when we can expect her next album. So, grab your cup of tea and sit back, relax and read Rihanna’s interview here. |
Business |
Phenomenal 🤌🏽 Meena Harris and Helen Min have debuted their new firm, Phenomenal Ventures. They’re looking for top enterprise, fintech and commerce startups to invest in. Phenomenal Ventures has invested in 13 companies so far, nine of which are built by underrepresented founders. Go team, go! 🏃🏽♀️
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More News Nuggets |
Extra Nuggets 👀 |
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Glowreel Recos |
What we’re loving this week: |
Watch - Lauren London’s morning beauty routine. She keeps it real, has such a soothing presence, and recommends a couple of her favourite woman of colour founded brands. |
Read* - Gazette Gal. Unbiased news for the modern gal, delivered daily to become your best self. Gazette Gal shares stories in fashion, finance, beauty, lifestyle, and everything in between to keep you up-to-date and inspired. Join the Gazette Gal community. |
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Black History Month |
Support Black Women Owned Businesses |
Nubian Earth Palette by Juvia’s Place |
$20.00 (USD, ships worldwide)
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Trailblazing Woman Interview |
TW: This week’s feature interview discusses the practice of female genital mutilation. |
Khadija Gbla: On A Mission To End Female Genital Mutilation For Good |
 | Image: supplied |
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We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this interview took place, and pay our respect to their elders past, present and emerging. |
Khadija Gbla is a force to be reckoned with. She is a single mum, carer, black, non-binary, queer, neurodivergent and disabled award-winning human rights activist (plus she’s a founder, model, inspirational speaker, facilitator and philanthropist). |
Khadija uses her powerful voice to advocate for structural change and simple everyday actions we can all take to achieve true equality and inclusion for everyone. |
For this interview, we’re focussing on Khadija’s role as the leading voice and campaigner on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Australia, and beyond. Her 2015 TED Talk, My mother's strange definition of empowerment, has close to 3 million views and is a must watch - it’s equal parts informative and entertaining. |
In addition to her FGM advocacy work, she’s also the founder of a cross cultural consultancy. If that wasn’t enough, Khadija is currently coordinating Covid and flood relief for remote Aboriginal Communities in Australia. |
Khadjia shared her incredible story of how she’s overcome cultural and structural barriers to drive meaningful change. Plus, her brilliant tip for how you can blaze your own trail. Let’s go! |
Hi Khadija! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? |
I’m Khadija Gbla. I was born in Sierra Leone in the west of Africa. I became a refugee at the age of 3 because of civil war and my family ended up in Gambia - in an unofficial refugee camp. My mum then applied for refugee status and in June 2001 Australia took us in. |
I’m a single mum to Sammy. He’s the love of my life and my boss! |
I’m well-known for my human rights work. I focus on FGM and domestic and family violence and gender equality - with a focus on intersectionality. |
I also run my own cross-cultural consultancy which works in the space of cultural intelligence and cultural safety for individuals, businesses and governments. We provide advocacy, training, coaching, mentoring and speaking on domestic and family violence, sexual health and FGM, racism, human rights, gender equality, intersectionality, inclusion and diversity, bias, mental health, migrants and refugees and cultural diversity! |
You wear a lot of hats! You’re very well-known for your advocacy work against FGM. Was there a specific moment you decide to advocate against FGM? |
Before my family left Gambia, my mum made the decision that I needed to be subjected to FGM. I was 9 years old. She paid an older lady to use her knife to cut off my clitoris and labia minora lips. This was done in the name of 'purity' and in the name of controlling my sexuality. |
I started doing my FGM work when I was 13 - I only learned what it was after I arrived in Australia. I was processing a lot of emotions at the time. I had complex PTSD from coming to Australia as a refugee. I‘d experienced FGM - which I hadn’t even processed at that stage. My home life was also very unsafe. I wanted escape. I started volunteering - something that gave me a voice and taught me that I have something to say and saved my life. |
I threw myself into it and gave it my all because it was my safe place. I had a sense of purpose and community. |
I remember slowly finding my confidence and my voice in rooms with adults talking about big topics like youth and refugees and youth. I applied for the Minister’s Youth Council - determined to bring a diverse perspective. My mum told me I wouldn’t get the position because I’m Black. I told her, I’m going to get in and tell them that people who look like me matter. And I did exactly that! I was able to get funding for the first pilot program for mental health support for refugees. I was talking about intersectionality before I even knew what the word was for it! |
And that, from those councils, to the Board to taking stages is how I became known for what I do, 14 years of hard work before I did my TED Talk in 2015! The TED Talk I did really propelled the work I do, but I was hustling well before that. |
Where did you find the strength to fight back on FGM?! |
I decided it ends with me. I even said to my mother that this is bullshit. How can you let something continue on in the name of culture? Culture doesn’t control us! We control it - we determine what is our culture. |
I can tell you that it’s ended in my family because of me. It’s ended in other families because of me. |
With FGM, the UN says “when we save one girl, we save a generation.” And it is so true. I can’t even count how many girls lives’ I’ve saved by speaking out. |
To this day - 8 years after my TED Talk - people are messaging me from all over the world sharing how my TED talk has helped make generational change in their family. People who’s parents, sisters, aunties and uncles learned the consequences of FGM because of my TED talk and realised they cannot do it. People have told me about the lives of babies being saved from my TED talk - I can’t even measure it. |
What do you want to achieve through your work? |
There are approximately 200,000 FGM survivors in Australia. People chalk this up as a cultural issue. But this is actually a human rights issue. It’s about wellbeing, health and body autonomy. |
I don’t want there to be any more Khadijas. I go to bed at night knowing that I am the reason that little girls are safe, and the reason why women out there are seeking support. Through my Desert Flower Centre, we provide holistic surgical and fertility services and trauma informed care free of charge to FGM victims. |
Most importantly, I want to ensure FGM ends. I’m part of a global movement to achieve this outcome. Within Australia, my goal has always been to ensure that Australia tackles FGM as a child protection and a human rights issue - not a ‘ethnic culture’ issue. This is a gender equality issue. It’s a global issue impacting across age, religion, sexuality, class. It impacts all women and gender diverse people, regardless of their background. |
What’s your top tip for BIPOC women who are wanting to blaze their own trail? |
If you’re in tune with your experiences and who you truly are then that is your superpower. |
You can channel that into whatever you want. If you want to use your superpower to do things for yourself that you enjoy, then do that. If you want to take your superpower and shake up the world, then do that. We can all blaze our own trail, however we want to. |
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Take Up Space! With The Spill* |
In partnership with The Spill. Founded by Chourouk Gorrab & Jennifer Hakim, The Spill is an online publication providing a safe space for writers from marginalised communities to share their stories. |
This week's recommended read from The Spill: Why we need spaces to discuss disabled joy in all its complexity rather than inspiration. |
Elspeth Wilson highlights why we need to see more authentic disabled stories in mainstream media. “We should be able to create stories about whatever we like, with all emotions equally welcome, including – perhaps, especially – those that challenge mainstream ways of seeing disability.” |
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Lioness Thoughts |
It’s time for you to move, realising that the thing you are seeking is also seeking you. | | | -Iyanla Vanzant
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Nominate A Shoutout |
Tell us about someone doing cool shit. |
It can be you, your friends or family or someone else you know. Whether you’ve just started a book club, are creating artistic makeup looks for fun, or are doing some research and want to hear from women of colour. We want to share thing cool things you’re doing with a community shoutout! |
Please send your nominations to hello@glowreel.co or DM us on our socials :) |
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This week's email was brought to you by Shilpa Bhim, founder of Glowreel. You can see more of her work at www.shilpabhim.com or follow her on Instagram @shilpa.bhim |
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