By Dr. Ezinne Amamasi-Nnadi.
As I watched my father leave for his flight back to Nigeria, with my heart pounding as I held back the tears, I remember his words of comfort to me, “I know it is tough for you now, but don’t give up, you will be fine”. I have always admired and trusted my father and I knew in my heart that he was telling me the truth. My father, a medical doctor himself, who studied in Germany in the 1960s knew and understood all my fears and worries.
More than 10 years later, I can look back and say “Yes, I did overcome and I am fine”. It was quite hard fitting into the system at first, as everything was different. English was one subject I had never had to study, but I felt I was good at it. So when I first joined the NHS, and vomit became ‘sick’, and fever became ‘temperature’, it became clear to me that I had to learn the same English spoken by many on the streets of Britain. I also had to learn new driving rules- right hand drive, double yellow lines etc. to pass both the written and practical driving tests.
I could go on and on about the numerous things that I had to learn and deal with, but the biggest and best lesson to learn from was motherhood. I remember holding my daughter in my arms for the first time and being filled with so much emotion that I just wept. Two years on, I had a set of twin boys, and now, I am excited to say, the fourth child is on the way. At times, it has not been easy being a mum, wife and career woman, but I have managed to juggle all three.
Of course, there have been times when I have doubted myself and my abilities, and I have not been without my share of disappointments. For me, however, the most important thing has been to learn from every experience. Some of my setbacks have been due to the colour of my skin or the way my voice sounds. Sometimes it has been due to not preparing well and other times it just simply wasn’t my time. All my experiences have made me wiser and have definitely helped to mould me into the person I am today.
Both myself and my husband are now doctors in the NHS and, similarly to so many Black people before us, our journeys have not been all plain sailing. We have experienced the same pain, prejudice and upsetting issues, but also the same laughter, joy, and success. It also gives all of us comfort to see others, such as Lewis Hamilton and Pat McGrath, not just beat the same odds as we did, but break down further barriers. As the first and only black athlete in Formula 1, Lewis has been open about his struggles in the sport as a person of colour yet, despite these challenges, he continues to smash records, being listed as the greatest driver in the history of Formula 1 and one of the most influential people globally by Time magazine. As a black woman who was brought up by her mother, Pat has now become one of the most influential people in an industry dominated by whites, being labelled the most influential make-up artist in the world by Vogue magazine.
In Britain, Black people represent resilience and doggedness. As we celebrate Black History Month, we pay tribute to Black people past, present and future, who despite many obstacles continue to strive for what is right, continue to work hard and never give up. But as Black people it is important to mention and appreciate our friends and comrades from other ethnic groups who have in one way or another stood with us, both through the recent outpouring of support during the Black Lives Matter protests, and also during the current Pandemic, where they have joined us in calling for investigations into why BAME have been so disproportionately affected by Covid 19.