Building a better world brick by brick

You may think – can I really make a difference, just as one person? Seeing the amount of racism in the world, the thought of meaningful change can be overwhelming. It’s a huge issue that can’t be tackled with the effort of a few but with the united voice of many.

On 21 March, part of the Anti-Racism Live Global Digital Experience, organised by our partner Peace One Day, I led a panel discussion called Gender Justice Superheroes, exploring how racial and gender discrimination intersect. The panel featured Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Heather Rabbatts, Founder of the Women’s Sports Group, and Hanneke Faber, Global President of Foods and Refreshment Division at Unilever.

We had an invigorating discussion, I personally learned so much, and we talked about concrete actions we can take to empower women of colour.

What really struck me was that we need to combine systematic change, such as solid anti-discrimination policies, with challenging ourselves on stereotypes and biases we have. It’s only by connecting with people who are different to ourselves, with different life experiences and perspectives, that we can grow and overcome our unconscious biases.

During my over 20 years at Avon, I’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with women from all over the world, and I’ve seen first-hand that there is much more that unites us than divides us.

It’s time for us to create a movement around gender equality and racial equality. Fight Biases. Speak out. Act.