Zulaikha Patel has packed a lot into her 21 years. Born in 2002 her mission is to redefine and reinforce the positive representation and empowerment of black women and girl children through activism that aims to combat institutional racism in post-apartheid South Africa, books, academic work and her non-profit company, called Dare to Change, focuses on empowering children through literacy and on building individual pride and confidence.
Zulaikha’s commitment to these ideals began when, at the age of 13, she famously protested the hair policy relating to how Black pupils could wear their hair at Pretoria High School for Girls, where she was a learner. Co-organising a demonstration and gathering over 32,000 petition signatures globally that resulted in a change to school policy and also an investigation into allegations of institutionalised racism, she inspired learners in other schools across the country to do the same.
In August 2016, she went on to co-found the Black Magic Movement, which celebrates Black Pride and provides Black learners with a platform to have their voices heard on current affairs. This led to her being recognised as a Lead SA Hero for 2016. In the same year, she was listed amongst the global change-makers in the BBC 100 Women's List.
In 2018, she was the youngest speaker at the Breaking Borders Africa Youth Summit, where she was awarded the inaugural Leadership Award for her contribution to championing the next generation of young Africans.
Guest: Zulaikha Patel, Social Activist and LLB student
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