LONDON, Mar 05 (IPS) – Among the greatest gifts with which I have been blessed were parents who instilled in me a deep-rooted sense of identity, and the unequivocal belief that there was no difference between what a boy and a girl could achieve.
This assurance sustained me while growing up, as the tenth child out of twelve wonderful siblings, and through the numerous times when it was suggested by others that I would never succeed, simply because I was black, poor and female.

LIVE: World leaders take stock of global fight against racism
Security Council LIVE: Ambassadors meet as West Bank tensions rise, Gaza plan stalls
DR Congo Ebola emergency: Calls grow for urgent humanitarian access
Rohingya Camps: Children in Frontline of Food Rationing Crisis
Pension Peril Among Populations
India Still Needs to Address Harmful Dark Skin Stereotypes