Page 27 - Urban Kapital DECEMBER DIGITAL ISSUE

//I AM

MANY

THINGS...

I AM IJE

MACK.

IJE MCDOUGALL - PICTURED

I always say, “I didn’t realise I was a black woman
until I moved to the UK”.

In Nigeria, my identity for a long time was linked to
who my parents are. I was growing into my own per-
son until I moved to the Wirral in the UK where the
colour of my skin defined every aspect of my life. I
struggled with this initially. I just wanted to be Ije but
being a minority for the first time was a steep learn-
ing curve. I was boxed in by the colour of my skin.
Eventually, I learned to “own it”.

I learned that it was up to me to show people that
I am proud to be a black woman, but being black is
only the beginning of who I am.

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