Cornwall


<p>International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women as well as being a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. Here at Muddy Cornwall we are marking the day once again with an interview series of inspiring women across the Duchy, celebrating women&#8217;s achievements, how are we raising awareness about discrimination and what is being done to take action to drive gender parity.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="610" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Abi-Hutchison-Black-Voices-Cornwall-1000x610.jpeg" alt="Abi Hutchinson, Co-founder Black Voices Cornwall" class="wp-image-29849" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Abi-Hutchison-Black-Voices-Cornwall-1000x610.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Abi-Hutchison-Black-Voices-Cornwall-800x488.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Abi-Hutchison-Black-Voices-Cornwall-768x468.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Abi-Hutchison-Black-Voices-Cornwall-861x525.jpeg 861w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Abi-Hutchison-Black-Voices-Cornwall.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-me-a-bit-about-yourself-your-background-and-what-you-do-and-how-you-came-to-do-this">Tell me a bit about yourself, your background and what you do – and how you came to do this?</h2>



<p>My name is Abi Hutchinson, I am a 24-year-old, dual heritage woman currently living in Hayle, Cornwall. I grew up in Birmingham, moved to Cornwall seven years ago but attended university in London to get a Fashion Pattern Cutting Degree. I am now a Co-Founder and the Arts and Culture Lead for the charity, Black Voices Cornwall, whose aim is to make Cornwall an actively anti-racist region. </p>



<p>I came about this job after the horrific murder of George Floyd. Myself and a few other likeminded people felt as though we couldn&#8217;t keep protesting forever, so therefore we founded a sustainable, valuable and change influencing organisation. We have built a charity that now has a strong and successful reputation in tackling racism and discrimination in Cornwall.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tell me about a recent achievement where Black Voices Cornwall have been successful in <em>elevating visibility of creatives</em>?</h2>



<p>On behalf of BVC I curated an exhibition at Newlyn Art Gallery which was in collaboration with the Arts Council, it was called Captured Beauty. By combining artwork from the bank of Arts Council and local artists of colour, I curated an exhibition that highlights and raises the exposure of people of colour in their various lifestyles. With this project, I was able to raise the visibility of creatives of colour that had mesmerizing artwork that wouldn&#8217;t have ordinarily been shown in a well-known gallery. Captured Beauty was one of BVC&#8217;s biggest achievements so far considering it had 99% positive reviews and Sir Lenny Henry chose to film his most recent programme with our exhibition as his backdrop.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What do you/your team do to further and raising awareness of discrimination in Cornwall?&nbsp;</h2>



<p><em>Note / TW &#8211; this answer relates to a quote that uses wording that is not acceptable to say or use, but is quoted by Abi deliberately as part of her work to evidence that education on racism is still essential, as well as to remain authentic to what was said. </em></p>



<p>The biggest thing BVC do is raise awareness about discrimination but also tackle it at the same time. One example is when we had an information stall at an event and an elderly white couple came up to us, telling us that &#8220;racism isn&#8217;t an issue any more&#8221; because &#8220;soon we white people will be outnumbered by the &#8216;<em>coloured&#8217;</em>&nbsp;people, but thankfully, I&#8217;ll be dead by then&#8221;. </p>



<p>In response to the couple, our aim was to educate and help them realise that racism is still a huge issue in Britain as a whole and in Cornwall specifically. We use this as evidence that education on racism still has a long way to go.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">During the last two years day to day working life changed for some. Have you been able to continue any ideas into 2023? Or indeed anything you’d like to change?</h2>



<p>Our organisation started after the murder of George Floyd, which also happened to be when Covid-19 was most prevalent, so the majority of our work has been done remotely. I think we went about five months of working together, but we&#8217;d never met in person, just online. Now we have an office space where we can all have meetings in person, this has been a good change.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Do you have any role models? Who are they?</h2>



<p>I have two main role models. The first, as generic as it may be, is my Mum. She has been to hell and back, twice, in the last three years and she&#8217;s still standing strong. She is everything I want to be as a woman and future mum. She is my rock, my motivator, my self-esteem builder, my inspiration, she stands up for what&#8217;s right and will do everything in her power to ensure me and my sister are thriving in our lives.</p>



<p>The second is Dr&nbsp;Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, she is a lawyer and activist. She is powerful and a force to be reckoned with. She puts her energy into tackling racism and discrimination for all. I aspire to be like her in my professional career.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s your favourite Cornish beach / view?</h2>



<p>My favourite Cornish Beach is Gwithian. I have a specific favourite spot that I will always go to with my dog. We both love it there.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/gwithian.jpg" alt="Gwithian beach looking towards the lighthouse, Cornwall UK" class="wp-image-22994" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/gwithian.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/gwithian-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/gwithian-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/gwithian-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/gwithian-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What do you do in Cornwall to make the most of living here?</h2>



<p>Walking my dog and visiting seafront cafés, you just can&#8217;t beat it!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite cafe/ restaurant / shop?</h2>



<p>Perranuthnoe Beach Cabin is the absolute best cafe in the world!&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://www.blackvoicescornwall.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>blackvoicescornwall.org</em></a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="166" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29870" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite-800x133.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite-768x127.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite-900x149.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>


Muddy Meets: Abi Hutchinson, Co-founder, Black Voices Cornwall

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