“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages”
“You are blessed with having certain talents Use your education and your talent to help make things a little better for people who are not as fortunate as you are”
"Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.”
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world"
“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women”
“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.”
“When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it”
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
"Black people are still dying on the streets and in the back of police vans. For me, institutional racism is ingrained and it's hard to think of how it will be eradicated from the police force."
“You’ve got the words to change a nation but your biting your tongue, you've spent a lifetime in silence afraid that you'll say something wrong, if no ones hears it how are we gonna learn your song?”
“Just because you come from a deprived background does not mean less should be expected of you. Kids need confidence to achieve”
I’m just me. I’m a part of the Bangladeshi community, I’m a part of the Muslim community, I’m British. But my aim isn’t to represent any of those communities, my aim is to represent me, and the best job and the most important job that I do is being a mum – and if I can nail that then I’m happy.”
“There is a serious and systemic structural issue that we have in the UK. Too often white people are defensive on issues of race, which has the effect of “clos[ing] down conversation, it returns the white person back to this idea of being a victim or to the centre of the conversation and you’re no longer paying attention to the concerns of [the] under-represented group”
“Life is about taking risks, not about burying your head in the sand.”
“Once a song's out there, it's no longer mine. And that's the whole purpose of music: to belong to people”
“I held my hands up and it was all for my family and my country, people were singing God Save the Queen before I got on the podium, the feeling made me just want to cry.”
Photographer: Kim Hardy
Model/Actor: Cindy Humphrey
THE POWER OF A WOMAN AWARDS
The UK's first awards show of its kind.
The Power Of A Woman awards celebrates the achievements of phenomenal women of colour in the UK in conjunction with International Women's day on March 8th.
The awards ceremony was set up to address the injustice and lack of equality regarding recognising women of colour's accomplishments in everyday life, including literature, industry, education, sport, commerce and entertainment.
The aim is to create a platform and space for UK and international female talents where they would have access to new opportunities and recognition for their accomplishments, increase their visibility and amplify their voices.
At its core, The Power Of A Woman awards is a movement for female of colour opportunity. We showcase the achievements of women of colour who demonstrate exemplary passion, perseverance and determination by crashing through barriers, breaking boundaries, blazing trails, and setting new precedents and trends across sectors.
POAWA rewards these women and their accomplishments and offers them a well-deserved mainstream presence and visibility.
The founder, award winning filmmaker, actor and mentor Frederick Nwaka came up with the concept to honour his formidable Mother, Angela Nwaka, who sadly passed away in 2019.
Frederick is committed and determined to ensure that women of colour are given a platform to be recognised, shine and reach their full potential.
Our phenomenal nominees are women thought leaders who have powerfully and passionately undertaken their mission to make a change, using their voices, education and talent to inspire us and achieve great things with tenacity, compassion and style.
HOW IT WORKS
Our nominees are carefully handpicked for their contribution to not only inspiring and trailblazing in the community but also uplifting other women and defining what it means to have the 'Power Of A Woman.'
A nomination for an award is a great honour for any individual, and our nominees are exceptional.
These women demonstrate perseverance and exacting standards in their respective fields, inspiring us all.
We are truly honoured to call them friends of The Power Of A Woman Awards and look forward with great anticipation to having the opportunity to recognise their contributions and ‘give them their flowers.’
At The Power Of A Woman Awards, we recognise every woman, no matter how big or small her platform may currently be.
All of these women will be honoured on the night, however a number will receive an award. The winners are selected by a voting system composed of members of the public and a panel of judges. We will also give out a LIFE TIME ACHIEVER AWARD and the much coveted ANGELA NWAKA AWARD, after which this event was founded. We are also proud to announce a brand new NEW category. The POWER OF A WOMAN IN MINISTRY AWARD sponsored by Marcia Dixon and the Keeping The Faith Magazine.
The women we align with have worked selflessly to advance awareness of a wide variety of women's issues. We have carefully selected them for their devotion to promoting critical thinking, fostering leadership, encouraging well-being, educating, entertaining and inspiring. Their career choices uplift and empower us all.
In most cases, these are ordinary women who do extraordinary things. Often women are only profiled when breaking stereotypes or doing something unique. At The Power Of A Woman awards, we celebrate and support all women.
Through our influential members-only clubs, groups and other initiatives, we reward women's accomplishments with further opportunities. Our membership-only groups facilitate the empowerment, employment, networking, internships and mentoring of women by women.
We create beautiful spaces where women can rally around the cause of lifting each other and speaking each other's names when we're not in the same room.
Through rewarding accomplishments with a variety of opportunities, we perpetuate a more comprehensive network of accomplished thriving women of colour. Such spaces are significant and necessary to address the systemic obstacles many women of colour face, as industries in the UK often hinder women of colour's access to opportunity.
The Power Of A Woman awards is more than just an annual award show but an opportunity to celebrate and create new opportunities for women. We are a new movement for females of colour empowerment and opportunity, and our awards show is just the beginning. After all, there is no better way to celebrate being a woman than in the company of other amazing women.
--There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.
Michelle Obama
Frederick Nwaka
Founder & Managing Director Of The Power Of a Woman Awards
