Akuah Frempong
I sit in my semi-furnished apartment in Whitby collecting my thoughts each night
The day winds down, I turn on the living room light and I’m surrounded by white walls that bounce my movements and the ideas in my head
My mind calms and I reflect on the day; “what could I have done differently”, “can I do more”, “what does my future hold” and I sit
I sit on my grey sectional sprawled out, like I am while writing this
“What has your experience and impact been as a leader in the community” I’m asked
A loaded question with so many thoughts that I can’t immediately articulate
But I think of the following…
I’m a Black, beautiful, educated African-Caribbean woman
I’m privileged to have a place to call my own, family and friends that I love immensely and a career to match
Yet I find myself coming home to my favourite spot within these 4 white walls and ask myself internally (and sometimes out loud) “what else?”
When I think of impact I think about advancement
I think about the betterment of my community
I think about engagement, knowledge sharing, discourse, and strategies for change
Are there ways in which I am actively engaged – yes and I enjoy this because even if someone takes away a small bit of knowledge from something that I have been a part of, I consider that an impact
This can and can’t be measured but I don’t need it to for it to matter
How it made that individual, or that community or that group of people feel, reflect, or engage is everything
It’s how we hold those in power to account
It’s how we get further involved in our communities whether it’s running for office, starting a community initiative, or sharing resources
It’s how we shift narratives, thoughts, and opinions
My Blackness, your Blackness, our Blackness is an impact
Our culture shapes movements, entertainment, media, our social sphere
Our sun-kissed skin is the work of angels, disciplines and all creation meshed in a beautiful form those far-removed wish they could grasp
In the end, I come back to the grey sectional in my semi-furnished apartment and think -you’ve done what was intended today and you’re doing great
And that provides we with the comfort I need to sleep soundly in between the 4 white walls that consume my thoughts, hopes and dreams
Akuah Frempong
Mississaugas of Scugog Island Island First Nations (Whitby)