HOLLY MORGAN, one of the pioneers of women’s football in the United Kingdom, celebrates International Women’s Day by paying homage to eight individuals that have influenced not only her own life but also millions of others around the globe.

My mum – Shirley Morgan

I have been extremely fortunate to grow up in a household with loving, supportive and strong parents. When I think of those who have helped and supported me on my journey, it’s hard not to picture my mum. Born to a white mother and black father, my mum experienced the harshness of racism in the 60s and beyond.

Strongly connected to her Jamaican roots, visiting her grandparents in Jamaica each year for large periods of time, until their move to England during the Windrush era, my mum is strongly connected and at one with her Jamaican roots.

The deep experiences of racial discrimination from a young child remain with her to this day. It is through those experiences that she is one of my greatest supporters. Standing strong and firm in fighting for my right to be placed in the correct sets at school, supporting me during my time as a youth footballer and forever being a protective shield against racial discrimination, always being in my corner ready to fight the fight, I have always felt safe and protected because of the deep strength that my mum possesses.

Malorie Blackman

I had a voracious appetite for reading books when younger but a book has not resonated with me, nor hit me as hard as Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses.

It wasn’t often, if at all actually, that I would come across a book with characters or storylines that represented me or touched upon certain social issues that would rarely be discussed in depth at high school or college level.

Malorie boldly and importantly communicated through a beautifully written story, the real and true nature or racism, terrorism and class divides within this country, which to this day still impacts society greatly. 

Her books are an example as to why representation matters. That’s why it’s so incredibly important for stories to be told and experiences to be shared, of all natures. You need to see it, read it, hear it, to feel included and understood. Malorie provided that for me and for so many others. 

Dawn Butler

The Labour MP is strong, passionate, intelligent and unapologetically black. Dawn Butler powerfully challenges a system that requires questioning due to its shameless actions.

An advocate for the national curriculum to be “decolonised”, a critic of the stop and search tactics by the police and an unwavering attitude towards the eradication of racism, she brings the conversation to the table in an honest, open and direct fashion.

Her courage to stand up and represent a community makes me hopeful for change and gives me a sense of duty and responsibility to fight the fight as well. 

To Dawn Butler, I say ‘thank you’ for being a positive, black, female role model. Showing that the colour of a person’s skin and the nature of their hair should not hold back an individual. She inspires others to follow in her footsteps.   

Venus and Serena Williams 

Girls with beaded braids, trained by their parents at a young age, playing a sport known for its white make up have been an inspiration of mine from a very young age and remain to this day.

It was never in their nature to conform to the edicts of their sport.

Being able to watch two black beautiful women representing a community of people like me was incredibly important. I didn’t often have people in school, in a sports team etc who looked like me, shared similar hair textures to me, trained at the park with their siblings and parents like me. I often felt like an outcast being different and often misunderstood. Venus and Serena Williams gave me confidence and hope!   

They are beautiful, strong and proud competitors. Serena and Venus epitomised so many traits that I felt connected to, whether that be as an individual or through my relationship with my own sister, Jade. Their closeness and support of one another is beautiful to see and from a very young age, I saw Venus and Serena in my relationship with Jade. Jade is my Venus. 

Ava Duvernay 

Too often we are dictated by systems and structures implemented to support us, protect us, provide opportunities for us, but to what degree does this actually apply?

Ava is a fearless woman in an industry where opportunities are severely lacking for people of colour. Her iconic and trailblazing work has effortlessly combined art with activisim. Creating a platform to showcase under-served voices and stories, Ava has helped to change the way in which stories are told of people of colour. She shows the beauty of black people, the skin that shines, the hair that winds in a tangled fall.

Emotionally, Ava has changed the standard depiction involving the exploitation of suffering into empathising with the black persons suffering. Truly powerful. 

Ava has turned the volume up for people of colour, putting their voices at the forefront of people’s screens.  She is a perfect example as to why representation matters.

The telling of a story, the creation of characters, the realness, the understanding of historical context, this can only be possible and at its most impactful through diversity and representation.

Ultimately, Ava has shown the amount of power, control and impact you can have through the creation of your own door. A very important factor for people of colour, as the doors we think are there to help us in seeking new and exciting opportunities, often have nothing behind it. 

Hope Powell

Becoming the youngest and first ever full time female national coach for England, Hope has been a relentless driving force in professionalising football at the national level, heavily contributing to the way in which it is run today. 

Hope’s involvement in managing was incredibly important to me. Just seeing someone who looked like me was truly powerful, especially when the majority of my time in youth football didn’t involve me playing or being coached/managed by people of colour.

A recurring theme for me is that representation matters. Watching an England team managed by Hope with players such as Eni Aluko, Rachel Yankee, Mary Phillip, Alex Scott and Anita Asante involved provided important visibility for a young girl. 

To this day, Hope remains an example of how determination, embracing your true self and speaking up for what you believe in, even if it is misjudged as being ‘difficult’, will result in positive, purposeful and meaningful change.

At both international and domestic level, Hope has shown that it can be done and it must be done. 

Mia Mottley

Barbados is regarded as a small country with a current population of 288,023. Mottley is however showing that the size of a nation is not the determining factor in its success or influence across the globe. Castigating global leaders at COP26 demanding “leaders to lead,” Mottley is demonstrating what true and real leadership looks like. Her strength in nature and character is simply inspirational. A force to be reckoned with, Mottley symbolises new hope in the battle for climate change and beyond. 

Echoing Jamaican pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey’s call to “emancipate ourselves from mental slavery,” Mottley is claiming responsibility for her people and country through the removal of Queen Elizabeth as Head of State.

With the desire to produce global citizens with Bajan roots, I watch the way in which Mottley tackles challenges, how her ambitions are not fixed in a box, but  limitless and forever moving, and it is through her that I feel empowered. Her influence is life changing. 

Ambitious. Purposeful. Passionate. Authentic. Through her own words, Mia Mottley has shown that in a lot of cases, we have the ability to have an influence that is disproportionate.