Emma Dabiri, the author of ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ grew up experiencing a lot of racism when she was growing up in Ireland. She is now determined to educate people about why little things they do or say in passing are actually considered microaggressions and how they’re discriminatory in nature. She does this when she is booked as a speaker at a wide range of events where she uses an amalgamation of social commentary and history to put forth her message.
Throughout her life Emma has been cognizant of and subject to racism, making her all the more eager to now raise her voice against it. Having studied African Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Emma now serves as a Teaching Fellow at SOAS’ Africa Department, in addition to being an author. Her book Don’t Touch My Hair is a crash course on African culture and the significance behind elements that are intrinsic to African culture – such as African people’s hairstyle. Using instances from her own life mixed with socio-philosophical commentary, Emma is able to truly teach people something valuable.
Emma also achieves the same effect through her writing for platforms like The Guardian, The Irish Times and Vice, as she does through her book. Emma’s talents are manifold, and she has been involved in more audio/visual projects as well. Her online series EXPOSED: Young Female Photographers explores the journeys of three photographers from their early days and she has also been part of television programmes like BBC Four’s Britain’s Lost Masterpieces and Channel 4’s Is Love Racist. She also has a series entitled Virtually History that incorporates virtual reality to tell stories from history.
Host of Afrofuturism – a radio show that is based on philosophy and black culture, Emma is a powerhouse speaker with a mission to educate with her eye-opening speeches. She delves into topics like the need for inclusion in the workplace, the effects of racism and what microaggressions look like. Emma Dabiri is available to hire to speak at a range of corporate events on these subjects and would make an excellent choice at your next event. Book her today!
