Black History Month 2025 Theme: Standing Firm in Power and Pride

When I think of power, I see Rosa Parks a quiet act of resistance that shook the world.

When I think of pride, I hear Tina Turner singing Proud Mary with a sassy spirit.

And when I think of Standing Firm in Power and Pride, I think of peace.

For as long as I can remember, peace has been my prayer.

As a child, I felt overwhelmed by the world, always asking, Where do I belong? 

Growing up as a dark-skinned Black girl adopted into a white family, in a place where no one looked like me.

As a dancer and entertainer, dismissed and underestimated by those who could not see beyond the stage.

As a woman whose name — Ife — was turned into a joke, calling me “a bit iffy,” long before I knew what resilience meant.

As a Nigerian by heritage, told I wasn’t “enough” because I didn’t speak the language or share the same history.

As a Black autistic woman, often misunderstood in the way I think, process, and communicate only later to hear people say, “Wow, you’re a deep thinker. A strategist. A critical thinker.”

As a mother, advocating fiercely for my two autistic black boys, wanting only the peace of knowing they will be okay in a world that doesn’t always understand them.

I have been underestimated many times. 

But I learned there are many ways to stand firm in your power. 

For me, power is not about dominance. It is about alignment. 

It is about having the courage to pivot, the faith to pray, and the wisdom to rest at night with peace of mind. 

Because when I close my eyes at night, my greatest measure of power and pride is whether I can close them with peace.

That is what this year’s Black History theme means to me.

I am honoured to be joining a variety of panels  this October to share more of my lived experience, and to talk about my upcoming book The Three Mirrors of Radical Honesty, a reflection of where I have been, where I am, and where I am going.

Because standing firm in power and pride is
is about legacy, assignment, and leaving the world better than we found it.