Empowered
byRoberto Araujo
by Roberto Araujo
I am the youngest of five. I have three sisters and grew up in a household where my mother had final say. You know,
when you ask your dad for permission and he says: “Ask your mom.”. That’s how I learned women were not really
the kind to sit back and watch the world pass them by. My mother owned her business. She led arts and crafts
lessons. She was the head of a household with five kids. She was powerful.
In my time as an actor and a photographer, I have crossed paths with some remarkably talented women. I have
seen them create, tell stories, overcome adversities, make people laugh and cry, lead by example.
A message of empowerment shouldn’t just be a response to a negative experience, it should be a constant reminder
of one’s worth. I am so proud to shine a spotlight on these empowered women and maybe we will find the courage
to learn and grow from their experiences. We need to listen to their stories. We need to listen to what they have
gone through and what they have overcome.
Myriam Gadri
My name is Myriam Gadri. I am a professional dancer and have been performing internationally for the last ten
years.
Growing up, I encountered numerous individuals trying to discourage me from pursuing my dream. According to
them, being a mixed raced woman and wanting to pursue a career in the very competitive dance industry, was a
bad combination. They claimed this combination placed me at the bottom of the performing arts food chain.
My mother enrolled me in my first ballet class at the age of four while we lived in Togo, Africa.
According to the ballet school, I was too young to join but they made an exception for some students under 6
years old.
After my first recital, my mum went to apologize to the teacher because I did not do the same choreography than
the other children. The teacher told my mother, and I quote, that "she was the only one who stuck to the original
choreography from start to finish... You should encourage her to carry on.”
Since then, every country we moved to, the first thing my mother would look for was a ballet school in which to
place me in. Dancing schools were expensive for a working single mother. Despite all the pressures from friends
and even family pleading to discourage me to pursue dancing, my mother understood that dance was really my
passion and that she will have to support me come hell or high water.
Throughout the years, I was met with ignorance. "Thunder thighs!", "Tuck that bum in!", "Black girls can’t do ballet,
but it's cute that you’re trying", "Even Myriam can do it despite...".
One student even tried to "pop" my muscles with a thumbnail.
Brushing off teachers’ and students' nasty comments was difficult, but I learned how to dance my way through it.
During the second year of my Theatre Dance BA Honors training in London, I injured my knee.
At first, the school faculty accused me of faking the injury. Once they believed me after showing proof, they saw
the opportunity to urge me to give up. They told me that if I took the six months off to recover, I would never dance
again.
Well, they were wrong. I recovered from my injury and returned to my training with even more drive and ambition
than ever before.
I hope my story inspires others to follow their calling and fight for their dreams.
It’s worth it, trust me.