 As the year comes to a close, so does the very first run of our Financial Inclusion programme here at My Moon Landing. Over the past two months, we had the pleasure of interacting with our participants from London and Glasgow, as well as being a part of the incredible learning process that took place over the course of the programme.
My Moon Landing’s Financial Inclusion programme aims to provide Black women with the indispensable support and advice they need to kick-start planning for their personal financial future. In our final session in the month of November, titled “Financial Analysis”, we discussed the difference between income and wealth, and how to slowly but steadily improve your financial habits to increase both. With the help of our Financial Expert Fi Titus, participants went through the details of comprehensive personal budgeting tools, to keep track of day-to-day expenses while also planning for the future. 12/14/2022 Black British Women To Look Out For In 2023 We have always believed that in telling our own stories, we can finally see Black women in all of their fullness. We have to take it upon ourselves to document our own lives in order for our stories to stay alive and live on. This means we have to share and advocate our stories from our diverse communities into the mainstream more. Historian Jade Bentil shared with Refinery29 that “Black women’s historical narratives are either rendered completely visible under the gaze of whiteness, or an extremely sanitised version that flattens the complexities of our lives is authored by non-black gatekeepers, both within and outside the academy," Black women have been successful visionaries and pioneers in many white and male-dominated industries, and as the world evolves, Black women continue to create and contribute to sectors such as tech, finance, education, entrepreneurship, wellness, and many others. This article serves to recognise and celebrate Black British women who are presently building legacies and changing the narrative of what it means to be a Black woman. Please note, this order is in no way or form of any importance.  October was an exciting month for Do it Now Now’s initiative, My Moon Landing, as we officially kicked off our Financial Inclusion programme for Black womxn based in London and Glasgow. One of our key goals for the initiative is to help Black womxn build a strong financial future, and along with our sister programme at Black and Good which helps Black entrepreneurs develop business skills, My Moon Landing’s Financial Inclusion programme aims to provide Black womxn with indispensable support and advice they need to kick start planning for their personal financial future.
The programme was run in collaboration with our Expert in Residence Afiya Titus, whose work revolves around supporting self-employed and small business owners with finance and business development. With her support, we organised two sessions in the month of October themed on personal finance and growth.  "I'm so glad that I was already financially independent when I came out to my parents. It worked out, but it was touch and go for a moment in between" - Bayo Adelaja, CEO, Do it Now Now. This declaration of self is not the only occurrence in a Black queer womxn's life that warrants an objective look at one's finances to determine options and opportunities.
Despite being 3% more likely to report abuse to the police, Black womxn are 14% less likely to be effectively supported out of the abusive situation, according to Refuge. Statistics like these make it increasingly crucial for Black queer womxn to achieve financial independence so that it is possible to make a way out of a bad situation when necessary. The problem is so well acknowledged within our community that it is a commonplace for Black womxn to "kiki" about "FU money" and the different revenue streams that can help to "secure the bag". We often find ourselves swapping stories and tips readily in hopes of contributing to the Financial Freedom of a close friend or family member. Note the word "freedom" there. While finance isn't the only factor, according to the World Bank and Dana Harrington Conner's 2014 paper in the William and Mary Journal of Race, Gender and Social Justice, access to finance, coupled with the other keys in place, will lead to longer-term success and more robust sustainability in the future.  This blog has been selected from My Moon Landing weekend training session, Be the Change, and is part of a 5-blog series sharing a small snippet of learnings from different training sessions. This training featured talks from Black social impact leaders sharing their experience creating organisations to enact change and providing practical advice about starting a movement or impact organisation. This session was led by Mary Mosope Adeyemi, who founded ViSHEbility, a platform which aims to improve the outcomes for Black women in the marketplace through inspiration, coaching and community.
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