The Extraordinary Ordinary with Lavinya Stennett and Baroness Floella Benjamin
Season 1, Episode 3, Oct 25, 2021, 05:00 AM
The Extraordinary Ordinary, the podcast from Women of the Year, shines a light on incredible achievements by women who you’ve probably never heard of (until now), but whose passion, dedication, and fierce determination has changed society, their communities and the world, in ways that will inspire and uplift you.
23 year old Lavinia Stennett is a writer, activist, and Founder and CEO of The Black Curriculum, a social enterprise working to both teach, and support the teaching of, Black history in schools, with the aim of empowering all students with a sense of identity and belonging.
Lavinia vividly describes the feeling of otherness that she grew up with, and the confusion she felt about the disconnect between education and her culture and background. She tells about the moment in 2016 which changed the course of her education and ambitions, and the vision she had that galvanised her to found The Black Curriculum. She acknowledges the shocking event that boosted her work to a new level and she urges us all to take the best possible care of our mental health by using the free resource that’s available to us all.
In this episode we’re also joined by powerhouse polymath Dame Floella Benjamin, who talks about the very special relationship she had with Women of the Year founder, Baroness Antonella Lothian. Floella was also Chair of Women of the Year for five years, and she describes what that role entails and her vision for the future.