WE are often expected to conform to fake norm to “fit in” and “get on.”

As we mark International Women’s Day (IWD) in Britain it is essential that we do this in an inclusive way and acknowledge the struggles and achievements of all women in Britain. 

In my union PCS, our national women’s forum, which I chair, has decided to mark Women’s History Month which started in the US and, although it is not widely celebrated in Britain, in practice because events to mark IWD take place throughout March, we do informally.

It is important when we are thinking about women’s history and achievements and struggles in Britain that we acknowledge all women.

The achievements of black women in Britain are often overlooked, disregarded or felt relevant to black history narratives but not women’s.

On one hand our cultures are ignored or ridiculed — often we are othered as not conforming or fitting in with other women, seen to be difficult or too different, and on the other hand our cultures are appropriated, with white women in the public eye using their celebrity status to appropriate our styles and traditions to increase their fan base and audience.

Some are profiting financially. This cultural appropriation happens across creative industries, such as the music and fashion industries.

When black and Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women display and celebrate their cultures in their work they usually do not gain the same level of acclaim and they may be asked to be less culturally expressive and told that they need to “fit in” or told that their display of love and celebration of their culture should be reserved for “black” or “cultural” audiences only.

These attitudes and actions are all part of the double discrimination, disadvantage and barriers that black or BAME women face in society impacting on them in work, in access to work and in everyday life.

The attack on multiculturalism by politicians, patriarchy and institutional racism have all contributed to the prejudice faced by black women. But we live in a multicultural society as well.

How we express ourselves, how we celebrate our cultures, observe our religions should not be deemed an optional thing and is not a choice for others to intervene on.

Celebrating who we are is not only desirable but often essential for our survival. Doing so creates a safe space, allows us to practice self-care in an increasingly unsafe world and is an act of resistance. 

But at the same time why should we be expected to be stripped of our identities in order to appease people who hold prejudiced views?

No employer has the right to ban somebody’s food or attire as a worker, it is unlawful and trade unions have a responsibility to protect and defend workers from these kinds of attacks.

But culture is not all about what we can see visibly, it is often closely connected with religious beliefs and is also about traditions, responsibilities and ways of living. 

As a union rep I have dealt with a large number of personal cases for BAME women in the workplace who face multiple discrimination and barriers.

In one previous workplace the number was so high that we decided as a union we needed to raise the issues collectively and we also ran a series of workshops and training programmes for the women.

A key area in workplaces was the lack of understanding of cultural and religious responsibilities leading to discrimination when it came to them trying to balance work and life outside work.

So the solution to the double discrimination they faced was that the employer needed educating on cultural awareness.

I have written for the Morning Star before about the fact that spaces and structures for women are often not inclusive or welcoming of black/BAME women, but I think it is worth repeating this as we start Women’s History Month and mark International Women’s Day.

When it comes to allocating, selecting or electing women, black women are often the ones left out, disregarded or set aside. We are told we are being greedy for wanting to occupy/be present in women’s spaces because we are black, we can go to the black structures and committees and that white women don’t have that option.

I have observed how if a black woman says or writes about an issue and a white woman writes or speaks about the same thing, the white woman gets a bigger response or is more likely to be believed.

These things are often unseen or unspoken, but they are micro aggressions that happen every day because society’s general attitude towards black women is institutionalised — it is designed to undermine and strip the confidence of black women in asserting their truth.

We are told that the double discrimination we face is actually an advantage, astonishingly. There would be no need for structures for either women or black people if we didn’t face oppression and we are unable to split ourselves in two and divorce our race from our gender or our gender from our race.

If I am a woman, then my struggle should be your struggle to another woman — I should not be deemed as some alien species of woman, separated by race, but for me to not be separated by race, the spaces occupied by women must be inclusive, welcoming and free from cultural insensitivity or appropriation.

Because of these experiences black women are increasingly creating their own spaces to come together, so they can feel safe, can self-organise and don’t have to defend themselves and explain why they feel the way they do.

When we do this, we are criticised but in the face of adversity and in the interest of self-care we must be unapologetic about the actions we take to survive, thrive and live. 

There should be no hierarchy of oppression, but the fact that some of us may face multiple oppressions has to be acknowledged and addressed.

This International Women’s Day I am proud to be featured in and be a contributor to a really important book documenting the experiences of black women globally which I recommend to readers and I want to pay tribute to the editor of that book, New Daughters of Africa, which is created and edited by pioneering black British publisher Margaret Busby.

In 1967 Margaret was the youngest and first black woman publisher in Britain. She co-founded Allison & Busby with Clive Allison and with no money published books of poetry and authors such as Buchi Emecheta who is one of my all-time favourite authors. 

Reading her semi-autobiographical books about life as a black and migrant woman living in London was the first time a writer I had read spoke of my lived experience in an honest and straightforward way and just knowing I was not alone was an act of self-empowerment for me.

Over 25 years ago Margaret published Daughters of Africa and as a young and aspiring writer at the time, little could I have known that I would be casually approached by this inspiring woman and asked if I wanted to contribute to the follow-up book.

I am proud and excited to be published in this book with the other 200 contributors, including many authors whose writings have inspired me — writers from across the world, internationally acclaimed authors and unsung sheroes and I am also really pleased that in waiving our fees. The proceeds from the book will go towards a bursary which will allow African women to study at Soas free of the worry of fees and accommodation costs, through the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award.

As the women whose shoulders we stand on did, we hope to leave a legacy we can be proud of and that are actions and words today can have a positive impact tomorrow. Embracing our cultures is an act of liberation, celebration and inspiration.

Zita Holbourne is the author of Striving for Equality Freedom and Justice, a writer, artist, curator and poet.

She is the national vice-president of the PCS union, national co-chair of Artists Union England, National chair of BARAC UK, founding member of BAME Lawyers 4 Justice and a co-organiser of the National Windrush Day of Action. She is elected to the TUC Women’s Committee and the TUC Race Relations Committee.