Northern Ireland’s first black mayor has spoken of the “unprecedented … level of hate” she has received since taking up her post and called on people in positions of leadership to use their power “to unite rather than divide”.
Lilian Seenoi-Barr said the recent racially-motivated riots in Belfast “highlighted how easily fear and misinformation can incite violence and how critical it is for leaders to speak out against hate in all its forms.”
The SDLP councillor, who moved to Derry from Kenya 14 years ago, became the mayor of Derry and Strabane in June.
Ms Seenoi-Barr, who is director of programmes with the North West Migrants Forum, faced death threats and racist abuse after she was appointed as mayor, with the American far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones – who claimed the Sandy Hook shootings were a hoax – among those who targeted her on social media.
Writing in an opinion piece issued on Tuesday, Ms Seenoi-Barr said she was “honoured and humbled to serve a community that has become my home, but with this honour comes the burden of confronting a harsh reality that so many women, particularly women of colour, face – racially motivated hate and misogyny”.
She said that when she arrived in Northern Ireland, she “quickly became aware of the racism that people of colour face daily” but the abuse intensified when she became mayor.
“The messages I receive are not insults – they are attempts to dehumanise me simply because of my race and gender,” she said.
“Women in leadership, regardless of race, face an uphill battle … but for women of colour, this scrutiny is even more intense” as “we are not only battling the expectations placed on women in general, but also the racial stereotypes that have been ingrained in society for generations”.
“Comments on my wardrobe, questions about how much I receive in expenses and an almost obsessive focus on my looks overshadow the work I do daily.
“This is despite the fact that two female mayors preceded me, yet they faced little to no such scrutiny.
“What does this say about our society’s view of women in leadership, particularly women of colour?”
The mayor criticised the role played by some media outlets in fostering racist narratives, saying that while the media in Ireland had, in general, been “fair and balanced” in its coverage, “some regional tabloids, national and international outlets have too often resorted to devaluing and demonising people of colour and women in leadership”.
“This selective portrayal fuels public perceptions, leading many to form opinions based on misinformation.”
The issue at stake, she said, was about “how society treats those of us who are different, who dare to lead and who strive to make a positive impact.
“Society has been conditioned to view people of colour as second-class citizens, to devalue us and to perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
“Until we acknowledge and reconcile with this past, we will never truly end racism or misogyny,” she said.
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