Discrimination, racism and sexism can come in all forms and from all directions, as 15-year-old Mariama Sanneh knows only too well.
Mariama was exposed to discrimination from as young as seven.
“I was in year three at school when one of my fellow Muslim students left a note in my drawer that said: ‘You're going to hell because you don't wear a hijab,’” she recalls.
“It made me realise even then that growing up black, female and Muslim, you’ll have to face many different struggles.”
Mariama has also seen her parents, who came to the UK from Gambia, face racism, while her sister, who works in social care, has experienced people refusing to work with her because of the colour of her skin.
And this is what drives Mariama in her activism. Her hope is that younger people will not have to deal with these same issues.
Mariama works closely with Integrate UK, a youth-led Bristol-based charity – supported by National Lottery funding – that helps to empower young people to transform society in a positive way.
Now her hard work has been rewarded with the Young Hero award at the National Lottery Awards 2021.
The National Lottery Awards honour ordinary people doing extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding. Other winners include Paralympian Kylie Grimes and her wheelchair rugby teammates; Maxwell Ayamba, from Sheffield, who is dedicated to encouraging minority ethnic and refugee communities to explore the British countryside, and Emily Jenkins, from Nottingham, who founded a therapeutic dance programme for women with cancer.
These amazing projects – and hundreds of thousands more – are made possible by National Lottery players, who raise £30million for good causes like these every week.
She recently made a music video to tackle homophobia called Stand in Pride, and has worked on other films that challenge right-wing extremism, racism and Islamophobia.
Mariama also sits on her school’s equalities council, and helped change the lack of representation in the school curriculum. As a result of her work, the school added more writers of colour to the Key Stage Three writing list, along with hidden historical stories of World War II soldiers from Indian and African heritage.
“We also included changes to the bullying policy that included harsh implications for any act of sexual harassment, racial slurs or any other element of gender and racial inequality,” says Mariama.
On top of this, she has lent her voice to the With and For Girls task group, which works with activists internationally to address the needs of young women, and she is a mentor to younger members of Integrate UK.
While it was no surprise to anyone who has met her, Mariama was amazed to receive the National Lottery Award 2021 for Young Hero.
“I really wasn't expecting it, but it’s good that what I and Integrate UK are doing is being recognised,” she said. “But I'm so passionate about the stuff I'm doing, I don’t even need an award. I'm really grateful to National Lottery players and to Integrate UK because they have given me the opportunities and exposed me to many different things.”
- To find out how your numbers make amazing happen, please visit: national-lottery.co.uk/news.
Rules and Procedures apply. Players must be 18+.
